Today after breakfast we check out of our hotel and we can choose from the following activities for the day :
Optional: discovery of the Arenal Volcano National Park (NB: with your English-speaking guide) Walk on the trails of the National Park and on the ancient lava flows of this volcano with a painful recent history: in 1968, after 500 years of inactivity and 10 hours of intense seismic activity, the Arenal experienced 3 days of explosive eruption, devastating the small village of Tabacon, 12 square kilometers of forest and killing more than 70 people. As you approach the volcano, you can easily make out the traces of past eruptions whose lava flows made their way to the base of the colossus, consuming everything in their path. During the walk, your guide will comment on the history of this giant stratovolcano and teach you about the biological riches of the nature that surrounds it.
OR
Optional: meeting with the Malekus indigenous community (NB: with your English-speaking guide // please note that guests will not be able to take the road that borders Lake Arenal // includes lunch)
Visit to the Maleku community of San Rafael de Guatuso. Welcome by the cultural leader of the community who will give you explanations about the way of life of this indigenous people, of whom only a few individuals remain, as well as their struggle between modernity and traditions to preserve their culture through their language, their history, their knowledge... Then we will move on to a craft workshop where we will make calabash engravings that you will take with you as a souvenir. This will be an opportunity to find out how it was used at the time. Then, a short walk to discover the medicinal plants and the use that the natives make of them (for example bag making...). Finally, you will try your hand at archery, an ancestral practice for hunting small animals and birds, and then the family will expose the life of their ancestors through a play. Traditional lunch during the excursion (grilled fish served in leaves, accompanied by cassava, rice, vegetables, and fruit for dessert). You will also have the opportunity to buy beautiful objects directly from the hands of the craftsman. This will not only allow you to acquire authentic indigenous handicrafts, but also to collaborate in the preservation of the Maleku culture and tradition.
Departure to Rincon de la Vieja. After the dam that created the largest lake in the country, flooding the villages of Arenal and Tronadora, the jungle retains a vitality and density typical of the Caribbean. It is possible to meet coatis, monkeys, toucans, and others... Along the way, there are splendid views of the volcano bordered by the jungle and the lake. We are in an area of high winds where the best specialists come to challenge each other to wind surf. On the hills, wind turbines provide some natural energy.
Departure for the discovery of the central region of Guanacaste: a cattle ranching area with landscapes of pampas and savannah. Cowboy and ranchero atmosphere. The population here is much more mixed, we are on the land of the descendants of the Chorotegas. The road now reaches the Inter-American Highway, the legendary highway that connects all of America, from Alaska to Chile. Lunch along the way.
On arrival we check into our hotel .Later dinner and overnight at the hotel .
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