The majestic and symmetrical silhouette of the Arenal volcano has been occasionally spewing out great streams of fiery lava since a dramatic eruption in 1968, and while today its brooding caldera has slipped back into a tenuous dormancy, travellers still flock here to enjoy a wealth of various outdoor activities, backed up by some of northern Costa Rica’s most breath taking panoramas.
Standing deep in the territory of the Arenal Conservation Area, this metamorphic peak sits encompassed by a dramatic sea of undulating low hills clad in forest. Nearby, the sister summit of inactive Chato looms high; draped in mist and touting its soaring volcanic lagoon. Such a wild setting makes for some serious adventure opportunities, with a whole host of hiking trails winding their way along the banks of Lake Arenal and up onto the ridges of the peak itself, oodles of hot springs popping up between the monkey-peppered trees, white water rafting and rappelling at rivers flowing with different intensities, and the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge laden with slithering snakes, lizards and elusive sloths nearby. And if you are after something of an otherworldly charm, ask your Arenal tour guide about the limestone formations at the Venado caves interspersed with bats clinging to its ceilings and thriving subterranean streams.