La Fortuna Waterfall
By Denisa Neda
August 10th, our sixth day in Costa Rica, was filled with walking and hiking! For me it was probably the most exhausting day of the trip, but it was definitely worth it to see all of the beautiful views and to encounter the wildlife in the middle of Costa Rica’s forests and volcanoes.
The hotel we were staying at during this time (Los Lagos) also had the most gorgeous views of nature every way you looked, and we got to end the day here with nearly everyone’s favorite part of the trip: hot springs!!
La Fortuna Waterfall was our first stop of the day. While we walked down the 500 stairs to the waterfall, I was already thinking about how difficult it would be to go back up. However, on the way back up we all split up in groups and made it back up the stairs quickly by encouraging each other and pushing ourselves. The waterfall was very cold and fairly difficult to swim in due to the current. The water was so powerful, we all struggled to move from one place to another, holding on to various rocks and/or to each other! What made La Fortuna Waterfall so incredible was the greenery surrounding it. It felt like a beautiful little spot hidden in a mountain of nature.
Arenal National Park was our first hike up a volcano in Costa Rica. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but to me it didn’t really feel like we were on a volcano because of all the greenery surrounding us. There was a beautiful view that awaited us at the top and I’m glad that even after the 500 stairs at La Fortuna and with the very little amount of water I had left, I made it to the top! At the top of our hike, we got to relax, lay down, and enjoy the view for a few minutes. To top off an already great day, on the way back to Los Lagos we stopped on the side of the road to see a sloth in a tree!
Overall, I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to experience all the extraordinary nature in Costa Rica. On August 10th, I saw animals and birds that I had never seen before and hiked up an actual volcano (something I never imagined I’d be doing)!! Furthermore, I am proud of myself and of everyone in the group for pushing through the whole day no matter how exhausting it got, and I am so glad that we rewarded ourselves with a night in the hot springs afterwards!
