I learned how to horseback ride in summer camp when I was about fourteen, but it had been over a decade since I’d been on a horse. Cathy and I opted to ride to the waterfall near La Fortuna on horseback, both in order to get used to the riding for the next day’s trip to Monteverde, and as a way of seeing the waterfall which was supposed to be spectacular. So after a quick breakfast, we headed to the stables.
Now, the horses for these rides weren’t wearing comfortable English-style saddles. No, these were old, Western-style leather saddles that seemed designed to give the rider a sore backside. We also made the mistake of riding with daypacks. And overnight, the rainy cool weather had disappeared, giving way to a scorchingly hot sunny day.
The horses themselves were very docile and seemed to know the route well. We didn’t seem to need to steer or drive or do much except hang on. For the most part, they walked and trotted. I tried to post while trotting, like I’d been taught years ago, for a more comfortable ride. A couple of times, the horses broke into a gallop, which was fun though my hat nearly flew off my head a few times.
The horses seemed to have favourite spots. Some liked to be out in front. My horse had a strong liking for the rear end of Cathy’s horse, and also really liked to try to bite other horses’ necks. I had to give a few sharp tugs on its reins to stop that practice, something my horse didn’t seem too thrilled about. These horses definitely had personality.
It took a little over an hour to reach the waterfall. From the top of the trail, we had to hike down a couple hundred steep stairs cut into the forest to reach the base of the waterfall. The entire way down, I kept thinking, wow, there’s only one way up. Yikes!
By the time we reached the waterfall at the bottom, I was too exhausted to really swim or do much besides wet my toes. It was worth it, though, as the waterfall itself was beautiful. There were warning signs posted everywhere. One stated simply not to swim too close to the waterfall itself because of the risk of being pulled under by the suction. Another more amusing one prohibited “amorous encounters” at the waterfall.
If the hike down was challenging, it was nothing compared to the climb back up. I kept thinking, okay, I’ll do 40 steps then rest. Then it was 20. Then 10. Then 5. It was that hike more than anything else that made me wish I was more diligent about going to the gym at home. At any rate, we made it to the top, sweaty and exhausted, and made a beeline for the little shop to buy cold water.
Climbing back on the horse made me realize how sore I was from the initial ride. The return trip wasn’t nearly as much fun as the first leg of the ride. However, it was also a bit shorter, and we returned the horses a bit under an hour later and headed back.
After showering and changing into shorts, we walked into town for some lunch. Already it was painful to walk or sit, and we were starting to regret the “pre-ride” ride, since we had no idea how we would get back on a horse for another three hours the next day. Ah well, the scenery was gorgeous at least.
It was a fairly clear day, and we had the best view yet of Arenal from town. We could see almost the entire peak of the volcano. Arenal is Costa Rica’s most active volcano. A few decades ago, nobody knew it was even a volcano; it was thought to be dormant. But in 1968, it erupted, killing 78 people. Since then, it has been regularly sputtering and emitting ash and smoke.
Mid-afternoon, we departed for our volcano hike, rescheduled from the previous day. The adventure began during the drive to the hike, when we stopped several times by the side of the road, when we saw a sloth, and later a toucan.
You can’t actually hike up Arenal, since it’s active of course. We went to a nearby forest where we could walk to a good lookout point to see the volcano. We hiked through the forest for a little over an hour, with Alex, our guide, pointing out interesting trees and plants, including a type of tree that apparently makes monkeys high. At the end of the hike we reached the lookout upon the volcano. It had clouded over again, though, so the view wasn’t as good as it was when we’d set out.
Nonetheless, we watched and waited for it to get dark, hoping to get a glimpse of some lava or ash or volcanic activity. While we waited, Alex, our guide, offered us snacks and some kind of alcoholic beverage he referred to as “lava water”, which was extremely strong. (Alex seemed to enjoy it more than anyone.)
We waited quite a while, and saw interesting sights including many fireflies and glow-bugs. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any volcanic lava or ash of any kind. Finally we had to concede defeat and head back.
After returning to town, we all went out for dinner to a seafood restaurant in La Fortuna, and then made it an early night.
Next: Horseback ride and drive to Monteverde.