After the previous day’s trip to Rincon de la Vieja Volcano National Park, it was time for the main attraction of northern Costa Rica: Arenal Volcano. But first, we decided to stop at an ecological reserve that fellow tourists have been raving about as an ideal place to spot a sloth (and an eyelash-viper, but I digress), Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park.
The Plan For The Day-trip:
Our plan was to make a day-trip out of the trek to the Arenal area. After hours of pre-planning, I finally devised an ingenious plan where we could do Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, La Fortuna Waterfall, and then end the day with a hike at Arenal Volcano. Â I was very proud of myself — until I spotted my exact plan on the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park website in this cute little map (below).
The Drive to Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park:
We again headed east from the Andaz Peninsula Papagyo Resort for the 3 hour drive out to the Arenal Volcano area.
This drive was much longer and trickier than the previous day’s drive out to Rincon. We left really early in the morning before the sun came up and the drive from Papagayo to Liberia was quick. Quick enough for a quick coffee stop at the McDonald’s there, before jumping on the expressway southeast.
Pro-Tip: Watch for the tricky turn on the connector from highway 1 to the 142 in Canas (it involves a u-turn, a backtrack, and then finding Ave 7 for a slow drive through down). Eventually, you’ll hit the 142 and be back in business.
The next leg of the trip was a pleasant winding drive through some agricultural lands. But beware, smallish potholes will begin to appear. Â As you get up into the Volcanic hill country, watch out for rainforest animals crossing the road (we saw many large turtles crossing the roads – and heard that others were dodging sloths!). We also ran into two fresh landslides that flowed over the road — so take your time.
Pro-Tip: Once you make the sharp turn in Tilaran and begin the drive up north to the Arenal Lake area, this is where the roads get really bad in spots. There are definitely some crater-sized potholes that can take our a tire or mess up your car if you are not careful. Keep a sharp lookout and give yourself enough space and time to dodge the potholes when driving around the lake.Â
You’ve arrived when you hit the crazy-steep roads that lead up to the park.
Arrival at Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park:
I decided to buy my tickets on the website the night before so I could secure our early morning time slot. I was later informed by other tourists that if you “just show up” the park entrance fees “may” be negotiable (try this at your own risk).
The official map of the park
The Walk-through:
The Main Trail through the park is about 2 miles and will take you about 1.5-2 hours. There are no steps on the trail but there are guard rails and non-slip walkways.
The visitor center with the view of Arenal Volcano
There 16 bridges on this walk, 6 of which are of the vertigo-inducing hanging suspension bridge variety.
For the most part, you just follow the well illustrated map on the one-way walk.
The Rufous Garden:
The first stop is the Rufous Garden This little garden contains a picnic area and some very exotic plants and flowers.
Picnic tables under the mushroom caps
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Wildlife and Vegetation of Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park:
Rufous Motmot
Rufous Motmot
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (AKA the Blue-Jean Frog)
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (AKA the Blue-Jean Frog)
Cicada husk
Monkeys hanging from the hanging bridge
Strange cracks in the canopy…
Giant fungi patch (notice the guy behind the tree on the left)Â
The Hanging Bridges and Waterfall:
Primates on the hanging bridge
More primates on the hanging bridge
It is longer than it looks…Â
And higher than it looks…
The Waterfall Trail
One final look at Arenal Volcano from Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park
Final Thoughts on Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park:
Although we didn’t end up seeing any sloths, Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park was an expectedly fun morning excursion. The park is really well done and you could easily spend a full half day there. In fact, many fellow park-goers took the return trail to hike the park a second time.
Highly Recommended!
Cheers!
