For our second full day in Costa Rica we wanted to explore a bit of the Arenal area without a guide, so we decided to make our way over to the Arenal Observatory Lodge and check out their hiking trails. It was a pretty easy drive over from La Fortuna and after a stop at the lodge itself (more on that in a bit) we headed out onto the trails.
The trail quickly left the manicured grounds of the lodge and led off into the forest. It was a beautiful walk – not too hard and almost completely deserted. Our first destination was a small waterfall called the Catarata Danta. After a short, steep descent we found ourselves right at it’s pool. As always, I had to get out the tripod for some photos. From there we continued through the forest for another quarter mile before the trail started travelling along pastures with amazing views of the volcano.
We ended up hiking into the afternoon, though you wouldn’t have guessed that from the mileage. It was a slow wander with lots of stops to admire the views and check out various little birds in the woods. We even stopped for 15 minutes at one point to admire the leafcutter ants hard at work. There were even a couple of small waterfalls to see along the way. All in all it’s a beautiful area with artificially good views. That was also it’s downfall though, as it didn’t feel as natural as some of the other areas we visited.
After the hike we made our way back to the Arenal Observatory Lodge along the road and headed to the restaurant to get some food. What we did not expect was the spectacle that was the lodge’s observation deck and it’s bird feeder. It turns out the staff puts out a collection of fruit for the birds a few times a day, and the results are impressive. I spent quite a bit of time on the deck taking pictures of the various birds that were commuting in for, and fighting for lunch. Here are some of the highlights:
It didn’t end there though, as there were also a number of interesting birds that came to the various fruit trees and flowers near the lodge for a snack as well. It’s clear why this place in particular as a reputation for being a birding destination.
All in all it was a great way to spend the day. If your goal is to see lots of interesting birds and are up for a bonus waterfall, this is definitely where you should go first.
Taken 11/12/23