La Fortuna Costa Rica GO HERE

There's no disputing that their is a TON of things to do in La Fortuna- rafting, ziplining, ATV, horseback, bike, rappelling, hiking, lake adventures, you name it, it's probably here for you to do. But prices vary. We found a place where you can get some hiking in, see some animals, waterfall and you're literally right next to the volcano and it's NOT expensive. So we think it's worth mentioning. And we do, in this video. ENjoY!



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La Fortuna Costa Rica Things to Do on Lake Arenal

TRUTH is, LOTS of things to do in La Fortuna Costa Rica. Here's a few things- Canyoneering, Ziplining, Hanging Bridges, Volcano hike, horseback riding, ATV's, night hikes, rafting etc, and those things don't even account for the activities available on Lake Arenal. Well, there's a NEW player in town and it's Flyboarding, which I'm attempting to do in this pic. Have you heard of it? Well, anyway, CHECK out the video to get the gist of flyboards and if you're ever in the La Fortuna area and want to try something different, give us a shoutOUT and we'll hook you up. *And yes, just about anyone can do it.



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Wild Animal Rescue Fortuna Costa Rica

Me and a parentless, baby howler monkey.
Costa Rica has animals, really cool, eXotic animals- sloths, macaws/parrots, iguanas, monkeys and about 135 species of snakes, just to name a few. Many people love exotic animals, so much in fact, they want to keep them as pets. These people usually have no idea as to how to care for them. Needless to say, as the 'wild' animals start becoming adults, they tend to act just how they are- wild. Most folks don't manage 'wild' very well. Luckily there's a few places around Costa Rica who take in these wild, semi- domesticated animals and try to acclimate them back into their natural habitat. La Fortuna has such a place.

D'Angelo and I recently visited it. Check it out.



And of course one of our favorite animal rescue centers- Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo.



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Horseback Ride to Fortuna Waterfall VIDEO

Riding horses in La Fortuna Costa Rica under the shadow of the Arenal Volcano.
D'Angelo and I hadn't been horseback riding since we first came to La Fortuna about 7 years ago, so when we got the opportunity last week to check out one of the horseback riding tours here, we jumped at the chance to saddle up again... of course with cameras in tow.

Check it out, nice little video I think. Especially like the shot of the horse 'yawning'.


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Lake Arenal Party Boat

Lake Arenal in La Fortuna Costa Rica is one of the most under utilized lakes in the world. I said it and I'm sticking to it.
It's always been strange to me how little use Lake Arenal actually gets. It's freakin' beautiful, 26 miles long, surrounded by rolling hills and jungle where capuchin monkeys, aka white-faced monkeys, often can be seen on the shore quenching their thirst. And HELLOOOOO, all in the shadow of the Arenal Volcano, this is ONE SWEET lake. But with the exception of Tico holidays, and few small ferry boats that shuffle tourists from La Fortuna to Monteverde and vice versa, Arenal really doesn't get the PLAY you would think it would.

Kayaking on Lake Arenal- Beautimus.
Personally, I think this is a good thing, NO, a GREAT thing, as Lake Arenal could easily be turned into a water park of sorts, boats of all shapes and sizes cruising about, jet skies water-weaving at 600mph around everything that floats- alive and otherwise, parasailing for those people who haven't actually done it yet, really, those people exist? And of course a BIG FUCK ALL marina. I say NO THANX. I like Lake Arenal just the way it is. Nice to know there's a few things in nature that haven't been capitalized on yet.

That's not to say you can't ENjoY the lake if you want. There's tours that take you out fishing, kayaking, skiing, windsurfing, wake boarding etc. Just not a lot of them and if the last 7 years are any indication, business runs extremely HOT or extremely Cold, not a whole lot of warm going on.

Me, chillaxin on an island beach in the middle of Lake Arenal.
My friend, Erick, is throwing his tour into the MIX. His tour is like the ULTIMATE combination of boat tours- Part, Booze Cruise/Party Boat/Sunset-Volacno Tour/Beach Time/Fishing etc. pretty much anything the people want to do is made available. There's talk their will be a second boat for skiing and wake boarding activities, but as he's in the early stages of working his tour, not sure about the 'second boat'.

Imperial vs. Pilsen
If anyone can make this tour work, it's Erick. He's a go-getter, friendly, personable and understands the importance of marketing. Good thing too, since he's going to need those skills in order to make this tour successful- it's not like it hasn't been tried before.

I know we had a GREAT time. Couple kinks need to be worked out but that's to be expected. Actually, we'll be taking the tour again in a few days and I expect it will be even BETTER. But honestly, this boat tour isn't geared for everyone, especially those folks who expect 1st class 'cruise' conditions- Erick's tour is for PARTY PEOPLE, younger peeps who don't mind there's not a bathroom on the boat but understand that nature will provide *wink* or for those who want to experience the beauty of Lake Arenal without paying an arm and leg to do so.

And of course we shot video which will put together in the near future. pura vida.
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Will Smith MOVIE in La Fortuna- kinda COOL

Will Smith, son Jaden Smith along with director M. Night Shyamalan are shooting a movie in La Fortuna Costa Rica.
The movie is called, 'After Earth' and it stars Will Smith, son Jaden Smith and is directed by M. Night Shyamalan. But the BIGGER, BETTER news is, much of the film is being shot in La Fortuna, as well as the Sarapaqui areas of Costa Rica.... So that's kinda COOL.

Will and Jaden Smith with the Arenal Volcano in the background. *I didn't take this pic, I think it came from Will Smith's FaceBook.
No, I haven't seen Will or Jaden... and no disrespect, but don't really care about shit like that although I do respect their acting abilities. But the production crew have been all over Fortuna, especially on Sundays... so I've gotten a chance to talk to many of them and they've all been super nice. Yes, they work with big stars but to them it's just another job and they're happy as clams just to be shooting in Costa Rica, as opposed to lets say, desert-like conditions in Mexico, which they told me are a nightmare. I enjoyed talking to the 2 women who work in 'costumes' and also had been involved in M. Night's previous movie, "The Last Avatar", explaining to me why they were worried about an upcoming scene in Sarapaqui- all's I know is they said, 'female lead', 'wedding dress', 'raging river', 'keeping it white' and 'we only have 2', all in the same sentence. To me, it's interesting.

Anyway, I gotta say, whoever SCOUTED locations for this movie got extremely L-U-C-K-Y, because if they hadn't been lucky (so far that is) they definitely would have been FIRED by now. Why lucky you ask??? Choosing to shoot a HIGH budget movie, where lost shooting days lose big BUCKS, in La Fortuna, in perhaps the RAINIEST months of the year was either just plain stupid or 'someone' did NOT do their homework I'm sure it's the latter. Typically, when it's the dry season most other places in Costa Rica, it's the rainy season here in Fortuna. But guess what? Lucky for dude, this January and first two weeks of February have been uncharacteristically, freakin' BEAUTIFUL and rain has been at a minimum. I know they had some serious issues caused by the rain 1 day/night last week, but normally, they could have multiplied that one problem times 100 if it were a normal January... when it rains here, we're talking landslides. *see pic above left Like I said, dude got lucky. Not sure they'll be so lucky in Sarapaqui, where the production is headed this Thursday, but for dudes' sake, I wish him continued LUCK because he's still going to need it. I do have my doubts, after all, this is Costa Rica and weather changes as much as I assume the costumes do in the movie. My advice to 'dude' if it starts raining with no signs of stopping- and some bigwig from the movie asks him WTF was he thinking booking these locations.... best 'dude' says what we all do when there's nothing else to say, "Pura Vida".... and just keep moving.

*Need a couple consultants when shooting a BIG ASS movie in Costa Rica--- We're available.

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Pure Trek Canyoning in La Fortuna a MUST DO!

Pure Trek Canyoning in La Fortuna Costa Rica.
Pure Trek Canyoning in La Fortuna Costa Rica is bar none, ONE of the BEST adventure tours around. Our Video Review below.

There's plenty of adventures in La Fortuna Costa Rica that probably shouldn't be missed, from Zip lines to Costa Rica Cooking Classes and Canyoning aka canyoneering, is yet another 'must do'.

Me and D'Angelo racing to the bottom of the canyon...I've got a little catching up to do.
We've done the Pure Trek tour a few times and there's a couple reasons we really ENjoY it. One, the owner is a 'gringa' from the United States, her name is Cynthia Crummer. Being from the U.S., Cynthia understands what us Americans want and need- to feel SAFE while participating in Xtreme adventure tours and especially while in a foreign country. With Cynthia and Pure Trek, it's definitely SAFETY FIRST.... and SECOND for that matter. From the get go it's apparent the Pure Trek guides are professional, knowledgeable and extremely safety conscious when working with inexperienced or first time rappellers. And we should know, the first time we ever rappelled was about 7 years ago with Pure Trek.

Felt safe then - felt safe now.

Pure Trek is SAFE enough for ALL ages, so it makes for GREAT FAMILY FUN.
The fact Pure Trek is so safety conscious is probably one of the reasons they accept and encourage kids and families to participate in this tour. Most Xtreme tour companies are not comfortable working with kids under 14 and won't usually touch them with a 10-ft pole, not so for Pure Trek. Anyway....

...lets just cut to the VIDEO, it's good, I promise you won't be bored.



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Villa Hermosa Guest House in La Fortuna

The Villa Hermosa is a guest house/bed & breakfast just outside La Fortuna Costa Rica and D'Angelo and myself made a video, here's us eating lunch between video shoots.
Porch area at Villa Hermosa is a GREAT place to hang out and RELAX.
When someone says, "...a little slice of PARADISE." they just might be talking about Villa Hermosa. Here's what Villa Hermosa says about itself:

Villa Hermosa is a private guesthouse located in the beautiful countryside 7km off the road that runs from downtown La Fortuna to the Arenal Volcano National Park & Arenal Lake. The property is on a one acre lot with your own private pool, view of the volcano, tropical gardens and a place to call your own! We are basically a B&B (bed & breakfast) or Inn but instead of staying in our house...you stay in your own!

The bedroom at Villa Hermosa couldn't be more comfortable.
Villa Hermosa is located about 20-25 minutes outside of La Fortuna and about 5 minutes away from arguably the BEST hotel in the entire area, 'The Springs Resort.'

You can't help being impressed with the lengths the owners, Wendy and Dave, went in regards to attention to detail. From the furnishings, to the WELCOME basket, to the landscaping, to the WAY comfortable bed, weird, I was half expecting Sir John Gielgud from 'Arthur' to hand me a towel stepping out of the shower.

Villa Hermosa is PERFECT for any combination of 2,3 or 4 people- couples, honeymooners, 3somes, families, 2 couples who like LIKE each other and of course since Villa Hermosa is inclusive- gay or straight is WELCOME.

The pool at Villa Hermosa. I love my LIFE in Costa Rica.
At Villa Hermosa, it's all about Chillaxin', which is not to say you can't enjoy ALL La Fortuna has to offer but you do want to make time to spend time enjoying the small slice of paradise that is Villa Hermosa.

I can spend hours, and did, watching the birds at Villa Hermosa.
Check out our video about The Villa Hermosa, I think it represents the place accurately. ENjoY!


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Arenal Hanging Bridges

Arenal Hanging Bridges in La Fortuna Costa Rica.
I gotta admit, I wasn't super excited to go to the Arenal Hanging Bridges... I mean, I knew they were beautiful and all ,,,its just that we've done the hanging bridges before (in Monteverde) but I knew we had to go because we needed to make a video...

BOY! Am I glad we went.

Tourists ENJOYING the Arenal Hanging Bridges.
The Arenal Hanging Bridges are located about 20 minutes outside of La Fortuna close to Lake Arenal with a beautiful view of the Arenal Volcano as well. It really is a beautiful location and foto ops are about every 10 feet. Seriously!

We had a guide and again, am I glad we did.

*Our guide's name was Erick Guzman. Speaks better than average English, very knowledgable and has some nice write-ups on TripAdvisor. Here's his website if you're interested:

The BIGGEST complaint we hear about the Hanging Bridges is that you don't see any animals. Now, personally, even if you didn't see one creature on your hike, it's still a beautiful hike and SO worth it...the rain forest and the surrounding area is stunning to say the least. BUT, since we had a guide, we saw stuff we NEVER would have seen- snakes, like the eyelash pit viper, birds like the Motmot, the Juvenile Ornate Hawk Eagle, yup, this is him on the left, seeing this eagle was a TOTAL SCORE, so needless to say, a guide was totally worth it.

This is just one of those days we're glad we forced ourselves to go... know what I mean?Wasn't really a bird enthusiast before, but since moving to Costa Rica I have a whole new appreciation. This is a Motmot.
We'll be posting a new video here on my blog and on our other sites in the next couple days with more INFO and great footage of the Arenal Hanging Bridges, so don't miss it. If you happen to be in the La Fortuna/Arenal area and you want to do THIS tour or any other tours in the La Fortuna/Arenal area,,we SELL them ALL for a BIG SAVINGS to you. Here's the LINK.

Again, if you're interested here's the VIDEO about CHEAP tours we offer in the area:



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BEST place to VIEW the Arenal Volcano

The Arenal Observatory Lodge just outside of La Fortuna Costa Rica is the BEST place to view the ever-erupting Arenal Volcano.
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the 'Beauty of the Arenal Volcano' but for those of you who are new to this blog or don't know, the Arenal Volcano is located in La Fortuna Costa Rica, which is where D'Angelo and myself happen to live.

For this post, I'm not really talking about the beauty of the Arenal Volcano, that's a 'given', this post is for those of you who want to know the BEST place to WATCH Volcan Arenal actually ERUPT without having to deal with the 'elements'.

Arenal Observatory Lodge even has hiking trails to get even CLOSER... I'll take the comfort of the lodge, thank you very much.
Forget the picturesque sunsets and cool cloud coverage, you want to see the Arenal Volcano do its thing- spit HUGE lava rocks and spew copious amounts of smoke... and you want to be CLOSE. And a cushy sofa or over sized chair wouldn't be too bad either... and could someone please get me a beer?

Truth is, if the Arenal Volcano STOPPED doing this, I'd be way WORRIED.
Well, if that's what you want, I guess you must be talking about the Arenal Observatory Lodge. Many hotels can say they have 'a view' of the volcano but the Arenal Observatory Lodge has 'THE VIEW'. Hell, at times, you may not know whether to take a picture.... or start running you'll be so close. And since the Arenal Observatory Lodge is about a 55 room hotel.... ANYWAY, it would be easier if you just CHECK-OUT our VIDEO about the BEST place to View the Arenal Volcano. ENjoY!



*BTW- We received NOTHING from the Arenal Observatory Lodge for making this video, it's merely the TRUTH, and that's what we try to provide.

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The BEAUTY of the Arenal Volcano

The Arenal Volcano, aka Volcan Arenal, in La Fortuna Costa Rica is truly a sight to BEHOLD.
D'Angelo and myself have lived in La Fortuna Costa Rica, home of the Arenal Volcano, for almost 5 years now. It's safe to say we LOVE it and having the Arenal Volcano outside our door is probably one of the BIGGER reasons we're enamored with the La Fortuna area in general.

They say, and I believe it to be TRUE (I've been to 'Burning Man'), that 'words' don't describe the BEST of things and this DEFINITELY holds true when attempting to describe the Arenal Volcano. Someone can tell you about it and even show pictures or videos but to me they usually just don't do it the justice it deserves. BUT to see the volcano for yourself at sunset or when the morning sun is hitting it just right, or the lightening is STRIKing all around it during a storm, well, that's where words just don't cut it. You have to experience Arenal and see it for yourself.

When Volcan Arenal erupts (which is approximately between 20-40 times a day), it's way COOL, but for me, just gazing on its magnificence and grandeur is MORE than enough. The Arenal Volcano is one of the view volcanoes I've seen that would be worth visiting even if it NEVER erupted- yeah, I said it.

Here's a series of 4 short videos of the Arenal Volcano (just to give you an idea):









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La Fortuna Waterfall and Salto

La Fortuna, Costa Rica is home to NOT only the Arenal Volcano, but I pretty cool waterfall as well.
Obviously we LOVE La Fortuna Costa Rica or we wouldn't LIVE here... YOU wouldn't live somewhere YOU didn't care for, would YOU? I've written numerous times about La Fortuna and what it has to OFFER and believe me, it's much more than just HOME to the ever-erupting Arenal Volcano.

So besides doing the famous Arenal volcano hike, I would suggest a visit to the La Fortuna waterfall (La Catarata) as well. The waterfall is located only about 3 miles from the center of town and nestled in the hills over looking La Fortuna.

The hike down to the waterfall is a little steep, but rather nice. Here's D'Angelo and Christopher taking a little break.
Me, chillin in a small pool just a little down stream from the waterfall.
Why read what I gotta say about Fortuna Falls, we did a VIDEO, complete with INFO and GREAT footage:



Unless you're walking 'to' and 'from' the Fortuna Waterfall, you only need about an hour and a half to ENjoY the area. (The times for visiting the waterfall are from 8:00am to 4:00pm).

So, since you're in the area anyway, you should also visit Salto, and here's the VIDEO if you're not sure what I'm talking about (it's DEFINITELY worth a look).



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Arenal Volcano things to Consider

La Fortuna, Costa Rica is home to one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Volcan Arenal, or for you gringos, the Arenal Volcano.
La Fortuna is only on the tourist map because of Volcan Arenal and although the area is beautiful and pristine in it's own right with its waterfalls, lush rain forests, abundant wildlife and the very close by Lake Arenal, really, if it wasn't for the volcano, people outside of Costa Rica would probably never journey here. La Fortuna was basically a farming town until theTico's realized they were a couple a miles a way from a reaLLY Big GOLD MINE called the Arenal Volcano.


You'd be making a HUGE mistake if you visited Costa Rica without venturing to La Fortuna/Arenal area. It's like going to Italy and skipping Rome. Luckily, there's plenty to do in Fortuna even if you don't get to see the volcano, I'm sure you've heard, (it's known to be clouded over..... A LOT). You can get a pretty good of an idea of the BEST odds at seeing the volcano with our VIDEO:

We made this video about 2 years ago when we were just beginning our video-making journey, but the information is SCARY ACCURATE still. That 'seen' and 'said', no matter what time of year, you should take the RISK- the volcano is ALL THAT and MORE, and like I said, plenty to do in La Fortuna regardless. The Arenal Volcano has been active for many years NOW, but particularly in the last 7-8 months.


Here's some things to consider for Volcano viewing:

* Pretty much any hotel in and around the area has a 'volcano view', but that doesn't necessarily mean they have a 'lava' view. Ask.

* If you have a rental car, you can do the 'volcano tour' yourself'.

* Unless you have some people splitting the cost, don't take taxi's in order to view the volcano if you're staying in La Fortuna. It's cheaper to take the 'volcano tour' or purchase the volcano + hot springs tour, they also have one that includes dinner. Ask around, rates can vary considerably.

Here's our latest VIDEO about Volcan Arenal. It contains some really nice pics and volcano footage as well as Volcano Viewing TIPS:



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La Fortuna Waterhole- the SECRET is REVEALED

The La Fortuna Arenal Volcano area in Costa Rica has a little secret place... well they did ANYWAY *wink*
There's already PLENTY to do in La Fortuna Costa Rica, such as zip-lining, canyoning, volcano hikes (don't forget to explore Cerro Chato, the extinct volcano next to the Arenal Volcano) and numerous other activities, too many to mention. La Fortuna, which sits in the shadow of the Arenal Volcano, also serves as the 'base camp' for many day tours like, Rio Celeste (video), Cano Negro (video) and numerous rafting excursions.

That said, this post is ALL about a semi-secret place in La Fortuna called 'Salto', which means 'jump' in Spanish. I say semi-secret, because that's exactly what it is, SOME know about it, while still MANY don't. It's a waterhole about a mile or so from the center of La Fortuna and an EXTREMELY fun place to hang out for a few hours. Salto is picturesque to say the least (you could spend an hour or so just snapping pics). A RAINFOREST picture puzzle with each piece perfectly complementing the next to form the ultimate PICTURE PARADISE. Here's the puzzle pieces, I'll let you piece them together: lush jungle complete with surround sound-running rapids-shades of green-rock formations-2 waterfalls-bridge-bowl shape... NOW, add a rope so you can Tarzan your way into the water below. and it's all FREE.

Hopefully when you put your pieces together, it looked something like this.
FREE means you're responsible for yourself and your belongings. Just know, if you decide to hang-out, explore, swim, dive or use the rope swing at Salto- you do so at your own RISK. Okay, I had to say that, you know, since 'US' Americans don't always like to take responsibility for our own actions. *DO NOT leave your 'things' unattended at Salto. Even when the local boys you're talking to seem SO nice.

Salto should not be missed. Don't believe me.. Here's our VIDEO showing you how to get there, what to bring and what to DO. EnJOy!



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La Fortuna Costa Rica Weather- the TRUTH

In La Fortuna Costa Rica, home of the Arenal Volcano it RAINS- a lot, with the time of year playing an important role on exactly how much; sometimes nearly all day, while other rainfall is more of the ‘late afternoon’ variety following near perfect mornings and early afternoons.

*Yeah, I realize I’m about to shoot myself in the foot on this post, as I am somewhat a piece of the ‘travel Costa Rica’ pie. But I’m here to provide true INFO and I don’t think La Fortuna, or Costa Rica, or myself for that matter, have to promote the country using deceptive tactics and weather word games. Costa Rica is the SHIT regardless of weather. Hell, it’s the SHIT because of the weather.

*It is also worth noting if you’re thinking of visiting the La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano area: La Fortuna and Volcan Arenal are synonymous- Nuevo Arenal (a small town) is NOT the same thing and is located about 45 minutes or so from the La Fortuna area, and you will be pissed if you book rooms there thinking otherwise…. just sayin.

Also note: Most travel agents and travel books referring to Costa Rica use the following phrases, (marketing ploys): Summer, dry, and high season(s), ALL 3 mean the same thing: Dec-April, when it supposedly doesn’t rain AS much in Costa Rica. Likewise, winter, low, rainy aka green season(s) also mean the same thing: May-November when it’s raining much of the time in many parts of the country. More about the weather patterns in Costa Rica.

Back to La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano.

The travel books like to say the Arenal Volcano is frequently clouded over, which is true, but without any reference to the time of year OR the weather patterns normal for this area. So, when it’s written as such, it almost sounds as if there’s one BIG ASS cloud covering the Volcano with the rest of La Fortuna being surrounded by sunny, blue skies- this conjures up a FALSE representation. The reason the volcano is frequently clouded over is SIMPLE- there are clouds in this ENTIRE AREA year round- rain clouds, as well as the nice, soft, BILLOWY, cuddly ones. This is where it gets confusing. You’re thinking ‘DRY’ season, which is like I said, a marketing ploy to make you believe it’s the best time of year to visit Costa Rica in general, which may or may not be true depending on what you enjoy and where you want to do it- rainforest vs. beach time, Pacific vs. Caribbean etc. In other words- EVERYTHING in Costa Rica ‘DEPENDS’. In La Fortuna it just so happens December, January and February (summer, dry, high season) are BAR NONE, the absolutely worst times to visit La Fortuna if your sole purpose is to catch a glimpse of Arenal Volcano. It rains a lot during this time, but the travel books refer to this as “The Arenal Volcano is frequently clouded over.” DUH!

Oh, btw- I charted this: In December of ’08 and January ’09, the volcano was visible a total of about 15 hours the entire two months (nights don’t count, but I’m sure there was little difference). Places like Tamarindo and most of the Pacific coast couldn’t have been much HOTTER or DRYER during this time.

Many people visit La Fortuna and the surrounding area for its scenic beauty, adventure tours, hot springs, wildlife and nature hikes etc, so aren’t bothered by the rain…. and shouldn’t be. Maybe they did their ‘weather’ homework, maybe they didn’t, but I’ll bet MOST thought it was the ‘dry’ season during those months around here and the constant rain and cloud coverage were merely an anomaly.

WHY an anomaly, because people in the ‘industry’ lie about the weather and volcano viewing patterns- for obvious reasons. Here’s our video on the BEST times to view the Arenal Volcano- we have been ‘scary’ accurate so far- we taped this video over a year ago.



That said, La Fortuna can also go many days (weeks) in a row with perfect weather, but not normally during the ‘dry’ season. Other times during the year you are MUCH more likely to have a perfect view of the magnificent Volcan Arenal. Don’t forget, La Fortuna and the surrounding areas are beautiful because of the near perfect combination of rain and sun, and PLUS, there’s a reason it’s called the ‘rainforest’. Double DUH!

I think of the weather in La Fortuna the same way you think of your MOM- You can call her a BITCH, but I can’t.


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La Fortuna Costa Rica- Death by Volcano

I can't tell you how many times I've been asked as to why I chose to live, literally, right below an active volcano. I think what they really want to ask is why I'm such a dumbass, but they try to be polite. First, I should explain that I have somewhat of a love affair with Volcan Arenal, I'm almost drawn to it, not in a 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' type of way, but probably how some are drawn to the ocean, or perhaps the mountains etc. To me, it's like whale watching, which is something else I never get tired of. I'm not even talking about the lava thing, lava can't be seen from the La Fortuna side (although I love that too, and the last few months, the volcano has been off the hook). But I'm speaking of the volcano itself. Volcan Arenal is forever changing its face. I learned a long time ago that words don't describe the best of things, but a few do come to mind- magnificent, mysterious, stunning, beautiful, menacing, spectacular, threatening, lush, grand, overwhelming... I think you get the picture. It really is quite a site to behold, and if you ever get the chance.... (more on volcanoes) So, I feel priviledged every time I step foot outside my door and into the shadow of Arenal, and really, I never get tired looking at it. It's funny, most ticos here, don't give it the time of day, to them it's just another mango tree in their backyard.

Plus, the thing is, dying in your sleep is BORING! I want my great, great, grand kids to look over the family tree and when they come to my name, someone will say, "That's your great, great grandfather who lived next to a volcano down in Costa Rica and died when it erupted. It was said they found his body buried beneath 20 ft. of lava"

I'm quite sure one of the kids will ask, "What kind of dumbass would live right next to a volcano?"

I bet I'll be smiling when they find me.

For ALL your Travel Costa Rica INFO, check out our Costa Rica Travel Guide at: Travel Costa Rica NOW, and you're definitely going to want to take a look at ALL our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos on YouTube. ENjOy!

La Fortuna Costa Rica

Our small resort is located just outside of La Fortuna, so we naturally moved there. Luckily, we like it. But what was once a quaint little farming town is no longer. In just three short years, literally hundreds of the Big 3- hotels, souvenir shops, and restaurants line the road from La Fortuna to Tabacon Resort (famous for their hotsprings) some 10 miles away from the center of La Fortuna. It’s quite sad really. And what’s a tourist town without those obligatory billboards, one as big and ugly as the next. Hell, we even got a Burger King and Churchs chicken, UGH! Older buildings are being torn down and replaced with more modern structures at an alarming rate, and always the same- a new hotel, restaurant, souvenir shop or mini-strip mall- nothing ever new or original. (Seriously, 95% of the souvenir shops here, sell the exact same stuff, it’s embarrassing). Here, they have a ‘Field of Dreams’ mentality- ‘If you build it, they will come.” And I fear they are very wrong. Some of these farmers have leveraged their land to build one of the BIG 3 with no idea as how to market- sadly sitting in their new dwellings waiting for tourists to happen upon place and wondering if they’ll make enough for their next mortgage payment. And now, competition is fierce to say the least. The mighty dollar has entered the picture and they all want a piece of the pie. The prices keep rising here. Everything is going up, up, up, and really for no apparent reason.

I still love La Fortuna. We have no car as we are in minutes of everything we need. We have a simple apartment overlooking the park and we have friends, not sure you need much more than that. Plus, there’s so much to explore and do here- the mighty Volcan Arenal, the lake and surrounding rainforest with its wildlife and beautiful scenery, not to mention all the cool adventure tours here- they ALL still do it for me. I just wish they would slow down a bit- regroup, make a plan and not be so random in their construction.

I suppose if it ever got way to commercial, we would just pack it up and find another adventure in Costa Rica, but you know us Gringo’s- get a group of us together and we can F*** up any quaint little farming town.



For ALL your Travel Costa Rica INFO, check out our Costa Rica Travel Guide at: Travel Costa Rica NOW, and you're definitely going to want to take a look at ALL our Costa Rica Travel Tip Videos on YouTube. ENjOy!

Costa Rica- What's to Like

Costa Rica chose us, we didn't choose Costa Rica. The truth is, even when I was married my wife and I were talking about downsizing. We had the house, cars, motorcycles, leather couches blah, blah, blah, and we were SO over it. It started like it usually does- drinking with friends. Complaining and whining about being caught up in society's expectations and hype of always 'needing' something and how we would gladly give it all up and live the simple life somewhere else. Of course, the next day we went to our jobs- the night before barely remembered.

But then we won that house in Fiji, opportunity seemed to be telling us something. So, wife and kids to Fiji, me, out of the closet doing the 'gay' thing, but so ready to chuck it all as well. Two years pass by, my wife was doing her thing in Fiji and D'Angelo and myself finally had the opportunity to make our move- and we did.

I love Costa Rica... and for many reasons. I think everyone knows the country is beautiful, if you don't, then well.... and that's major for me, I love the outdoors, the wildlife, the vegetation, the rain, the tranquility of it all. Sitting on a porch watching Volcan Arenal do its thing, literally, I could spend hours. The beauty of Costa Rica may be my top 5 or 6 reasons for being here, or at least staying here. Obviously, I have to mention the money factor, as it's possible to live here for about a third of the price. I also realize I don't need 'things' in my life to define me. I like that. I like our barely furnished 2 bedroom apartment. I find it refreshing gazing out our window which overlooks the park, watching Tico's take advantage of a beautiful day. Kicking around a soccer ball with their kids, enjoying a picnic lunch with friends and family, socializing, talking, enjoying each others company. Free time to a tico is family and friends time. Costa Rica is what the United States was back in the '50's and '60's. You may say that's a bad thing, but in the areas of family life and socialization, you wouldn't have an argument. Costa Ricans ARE simple people and once you leave San Jose, this is obvious. Let me put it another way- Americans are mostly stupid because they are surrounded by information and experience that should lead them, to at least, a certain 'understanding' of things, but NOOO- their refusal to open their eyes is unbelievable to me. I find this stupidity unbearable to be around, but I find 90% of people stupid so.... I know this doesn't offend, because no one thinks they're in the 90%...hehe. At least in Costa Rica there's reasons for their ignorance. Again, out of the San Jose area, and this is obvious. I'm just speaking the truth. At least here they don't really fake it. They are what they are. You know what you're getting. I like that. I think I'll stay.

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