Eco Experience - 15FEB26 (Travel Day)

Before checking out we enjoyed the birds and breakfast again; after a few more shots of the lively feeders we began our transfer to Arenal. En route, we rode a short distance into the Sarapiquí community, where a local resident welcomed us into her home, talked about daily life, and showed us how to prepare some typical Tico dishes while a member of the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center (SCLC) accompanied us and gave an overview of their mission and community-focused conservation work. Founded by Giovanna Holbrook in the mid-1990s, the SCLC links communities and conservation through education and ecotourism across the region, running environmental education programs and ecotourism activities that support both people and habitat. During the talk I kept snapping photos of the birds enjoying the fruit left out for them. (Karen’s input) — which meant Randy wasn’t really listening to the family presentation. RS does a good job employing people in the community you are visiting, and this family was a great example of that, as well as how the eco-tourism industry requires some innovative approach for a wide appeal. The entire family was involved in the presentation. The teenaged boy gave a science fair presentation of his school project, which he clearly had done many times, regarding a non-stinging bee hive and the importance of pollinators. Dad showed off his son’s prized honey, his vanilla bean farming techniques, and his amazing pineapple carving skills acquired from years of working in the pineapple industry. The young daughter was schooled by our guide on the importance of learning another language. She was a very reluctant student. Watching her, you had to think about trying to work with your own kid right there, trying to put food on your own table.

Afterwards, we boarded the bus for La Fortuna where Katherine led us on a walking city tour and gave us a few minutes for shopping. We drove to a restaurant that again showed Costa Rican portion sizes (huge) for lunch, and then we headed off to explore the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges.

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges

Before we even reached the first bridge, a venomous snake lay beside our path — I can’t remember the species, only that it looked dangerous, so we kept our distance and moved on. It was a reminder from the previous night’s look about for animals, that you must stay on the path so you can see what’s around you. And the species you do not know, may very well kill you. We arrived at Puente Vista Arenal, one of the 6 suspension bridges, hanging 45 meters high and 75 meters long, and for several of our Road Scholars it was the first time crossing anything that high; I’ll admit my knees felt a little wobbly—45 meters above the void isn’t the best place to test one’s cleverness—and we silently hoped the engineers’ calculations were spot on. The park wasn’t deserted: other tourist groups zipped through, giving the sense that many people come just to tick off these famous bridges, and there was a short queue since only four or five people could be on certain spans at once. After waiting patiently we crossed, then continued along the trail past smaller suspension points like Pont Le Pilon (53 m long, 21 m high) and on to Pont de la Cascade, the route’s longest at nearly 92 m and 45 m high — truly impressive. All in all, it’s an excellent, adventurous hike: the rainforest is lovely to explore, full of bridges and wildlife—some poisonous, most not—but always worth the thrill. Finding the wild life hidden among the canopy takes some expertise, so we would recommend a guided tour. Even our guide needed the help of an expert. She contacted a friend that frequents the park, and he gave her detailed descriptions of where some animals are usually located. She would play, and replay his recoding, retracing our steps looking around branches, under leaves, and up into the canopy. her diligence was often rewarded with a colorful snake, or other creature.

Karen’s input — Randy was in front of the crowd, as he often was, getting the photo before the rest of us in the clomping herd made too much noise and scared away whatever creature we had stumbled across. He was rewarded with a glimpse of the both a Tayra (some creature between a cat and a dog about the size of a fox) and a very stinky Peccary. The rest of us only smelled the Peccary, sort of a wild boar, who left a very distinct odor, long after he raced across our path. Our guide explained it is a saying to someone, when it’s time to take a bath — you stink like a Peccary. Our comparison is what we call “Funky Teenage Boy Smell”, if you know, you know.

After our walk we headed for our next lodge, the Arenal Paraiso Hotel Resort & Spa. It was a huge complex with multiple pools, hot springs, a swim up bar and everyone’s room was an individual cabin facing the volcano.

Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal

Our last morning in Arenal we headed into Arenal National Park and were rewarded with more interesting birds and animals we hadn’t seen yet — flashings of tanagers, a curious motmot, and a pair of agoutis darting through the undergrowth. Katherine asked if there was anything in particular we wanted to see this day. The entrance to the park has the sign (in the pictures) that says this was the one location to see the Keel Billed Motmot. So of course, I asked to see one. She smiled thinking that would be like a needle in a hay stack sort of request. As with any group traveling, one of the first stops was up to the restroom. While we lingered outside, waiting to regroup, Katherine quite surprised herself by finding the Motmot on a branch. Now if she could only produce a Jaguar, the last item on our list we had requested to see.

We took a relaxed, leisurely walk down to the lake, pausing often to listen and watch, then strolled back along shaded paths lined with ferns and heliconias, savoring the quiet and the warm, humid air as the volcano stood watch in the distance.

Around The Resort

A few more pics from around our resort: we relaxed with cold drinks at the lively pool bar, laughed at the cute towel creatures left on our beds, and watched a curious family of iguanas sunning themselves by the pond — small, unexpected moments that made the stay feel playful and alive.

Each of our rooms was an individual cabin with a view of the volcano. You could sit on the front porch, in partial solitude and gaze upward. The goal was to catch a glimpse of the top of the volcano with no cloud cover. Apparently Randy didn’t sit still long enough, because it didn’t make the picture cut below.

Bats

Another element of creating the eco-tourism industry is to create the correct environmental conditions to restore some of the ecosystem to a balance, or previous levels of forestation and room for the wildlife to flourish. Wide swaths of the countryside were cleared for pineapple and banana plantations. As areas are being returned to native plants, the scientists of the community are studying how the plants re-establish their foothold on the forest. Toward that end, this group from the university are studying bats to see how they pollinate native plants, and also spread the seeds through their guano. The group is also combating local fear of bats. Apparently Costa Ricans have their own version of “the only good bat, is a dead bat”, not appreciating the environmental work horses these tiny creatures can be. (Discounting the vampire bats that can take down your cow eventually by repeatedly biting it on the leg, introducing anti-coagulants in the bite, and your cow bleeds out. Sometimes a little fear is justified. There is a kernel of truth to a superstition.) So every night, this 4 or 5 member team of researchers hang nets in a cacao plantation, grab the bats out of the nets within a few minutes, measure them, catalog the type of bat, walk 5 feet away back toward the tree, open their hands, and let the bats go. We were surprised at how small the bats were, and the dedication of this team that is out there every night.

Last Morning Arenal Paraíso Resort Travel Day

A few more quick pics before we hustle onto the bus for the long ride to the West Coast— I squeezed in a couple of tight shots to remember some of the small details.