Day 5: Venado Caves & Arenal Volcano

The tour started at 8am and we met our guide, William at the hotel. As no one else had signed up for this tour, we were alone--i highly recommend this method of taking a tour if at all possible! We spent 45 minutes bumping along some of Costa Rica's worst roads to Vendado. The ride was made tolerable by the sight of papayas, coconuts, and bananas growing along the road.

Once we arrived at the caves, we were issued rubber boots (don't bother to wear socks!), flashlights, and hard hats. A short walk from the car had us at the entrance to the caves. These caves are like none you've ever toured in the states! The "path" through the caves is actually a small stream which fills up your rubber boots in minutes. At one point, we were thigh deep in water--and this is the dry season!

Inside the caves, it is absolutely pitch black and rather rocky. some places were very narrow and we had to crawl to get through. These caves are undeveloped, not like visiting Carlsbad Caverns! So, if you're claustrophobic or dirt-phobic, don't take this tour!!

We saw quite a few bats, one of which flew directly at me before veering away at the last minute. We also saw lots of large, leggy cave bugs and some cave fish swimming around our ankles. There are several nice rock formations worth seeing that our guide pointed out; one is shaped like a giant papaya! We also ventured up a small waterfall to see a large enclave of bats.

It was definately a worthwhile experience, and one that I won't soon forget. If you go in the rainy season, you may not be able to see the caves. Due to the large amount of water running into the caves, there are some cave ins and hiking can be dangerous.

We ate dinner at Del Rio again and then ventured out on a tour of Arenal Volcano. We again toured with William, but this time, our tour was crowded! At 4:30pm we departed for the volcano national park where we hiked up an old lava field. From here, we watched the sunset and could see some lava rolling down the volcano. The most spectacular thing was, however, the sound of the lava! It sounds as if it's bubbling right around the corner.

We climbed down the lava and picked a good vantage point to see the red lava rolling down the volcano as darkness set in. We had a great view. Just be warned...if the volcano is shrouded in clouds during the afternoon, it is unlikely that you will be able to see any lava at night.

Then, the tour headed to the hot springs for a relaxing soak. The springs are outdoors and look like a natural river. It was quite warm and we gazed at the stars as we relaxed. Finally getting out and heading back to the hotel for some rest.