Mystcal Hanging Bridges

    February 18, 2022   

  This morning at 8 am we boarded the van and headed out to La Fortuna which is Spanish for "the Fortune". We were extremely fortunate to spend time in this lovely "small and leisurely" town. 

  The Arenal volcano looms over La Fortuna. While the La Fortuna area has always been beautiful, it has not always been this calm.  

La Fortuna is nestled in the foothills of the massive Arenal Volcano, which is arguably one of Costa Rica's most spectacular volcanoes. Standing at a lofty 5,358 feet this cone-shaped giant can be seen for miles around. Arenal is one of Costa Rica's 5 active volcanoes.

La Fortuna's history is intimately connected with this massive volcano. At 7:35 am on Monday, July 29, 1968, the Arenal volcano violently erupted spewing ash, lava, and boulders for three consecutive days.

 Incredibly, the town of La Fortuna was spared, whereas the nearby small towns of  Tabacon, Pueblo Nuevo, and San Luis were buried under the volcanic debris. Sadly, 84 people died. 

  Up until July 2010, Arenal created effusions of smoke and lava on almost a daily basis. For the past 11 years, Arenal Volcano is, scientists assure us, still alive, it's just sleeping. 

 It is said that after the 1968 violent volcanic explosion,  La Fortuna was born, meaning it now became the central town in the Arenal area and thus the gateway to the Arenal volcano. 

 Established on September 30, 1991, the Arenal Volcano National Park encompasses 29,850 acres. La Fortuna is located just 4 miles away from the entrance to Arenal Volcano National Park. 

  Now that the Arenal volcano is dormant, we intend to spend a few days filled with hiking, exploring the La Fortuna area, and most especially the  Arenal Volcano National Park area.

   This morning we are headed to the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park which is located in the Arenal Volcano National Park area.  It is in here that we will be walking across the canopy of the rainforest on  "hanging bridges". We will have a unique "bird's eye view" of the rainforest.

 

     Arriving at Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, we disembarked from our private van and we were immediately greeted by a national park employee who took our temperature. It is part of their Covid protocol. 

We also had our day packs examined to ensure we were not carrying any plastic bottles or bags since plastic of any form is forbidden in the Arenal National Park area.

This area may be called a "park" but because of the trail's design, you feel as if you are walking deep into the heart of the rainforest. You are surrounded by a sea of greenery and the air is filled with the sound of monkeys and birds. There is a sense of mystery for you never know what is around the corner of this tropical paradise.

The trails throughout Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park are considered ideal for hiking and wildlife observations. With over 60% of all the wildlife living in the upper canopy of the trees, we had an amazing experience!

The Arenal National Park area in which the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park is located, shelters more than 700 species of trees and herbs. Also, there are over 850 species of birds!

To give you a point of reference of how massive the jungle rainforest flora is, the little blue dot near the bottom of the photo below is our guide, Pedro.

With Pedro as our guide and armed with his trusty telescope, 

we were in for another day's treat with him spotting elusive bird species along with monkeys and reptiles.

 Here are a few of the numerous birds and monkeys we saw and definitely would not have seen if not for Pedro's keen eyes and his telescope: 

Above and below is the Rufous Mot-Mot just posing for us.

The Howler monkeys were making a racket especially after Pedro imitated the Howler's "call" and the Howlers responded. 

The spider monkeys were swinging in the trees. Then leaping from tree to tree!

Pedro spotted a poisonous eyelash pit viper just sitting on a branch by the trail. It is so small and yet, so deadly!

Here are enlarged photos:

so you can see its "eyelashes" which are really scales. 

Here's the entrance to the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. Even though it is clouded over, just imagine the Arenal volcano looming behind the sign.

  The history of Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park is a tribute to local environmental actions determined to preserve the unique biodiversity of an area.

 In the early part of the 20th century, husband and wife, Landetina Rodreguez and Adrian Castillo who were both from La Fortuna dedicated their lives to working the land on the slopes of the Arenal Volcano. They had inherited this land from their parents. 

     In the early part of the 21st century, as  Costa Rica became the top eco-tourism country to visit, the family decided to protect and preserve the rich biodiversity living in their 600 acres of land. This has "protected the flora and fauna while offering visitors a safe environment to discover the rainforest in a sustainable  way." They hired a company to build the hanging bridges with as minimal an environmental impact as possible. It took 12 long years, but in the end, those who visit here will receive a unique floral and fauna rainforest immersion experience.

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park has 10 fixed or regular bridges 

and 6 hanging or suspension bridges.  

Beside each hanging bridge is a park employee who ensures the proper number of people travel safely across at one time. Some bridges are regulated to 6 folks and others to 12.

Each hanging bridge is high above the rainforest canopy. They are quite wobbly. In addition, these hanging bridges swayed quite a bit in the wind.

And although it is difficult to gain perspective from this photo, it is indeed a long way down!

This is the Puenta Vista Avenal or Arenal View Bridge. At 147 feet high, it is the second-highest hanging bridge.

This photo was taken in the middle of the Arenal Vista hanging bridge which was challenging because the bridge was swaying. You can barely see the Arenal volcano because it was shrouded in clouds. 

Then as I was crossing the Arenal Vista hanging bridge, the clouds blew away revealing more of Arenal.

Here I am leading part of the Intrepid group across the 300-foot long Waterfall Hanging bridge. It is the highest hanging bridge at 148 feet high. It is also the second-longest hanging bridge. 

Soon the other half of our group made it across this hanging bridge.

It is a long way down to the rainforest floor!

From the Waterfall Hanging bridge, we hiked down into the rainforest floor

towards the famed La Fortuna waterfall. 

La Fortuna waterfall is formed by the old lava flow of the extinct volcano Cerro Chato's lava fields. We descended the paved path to the trail and soon we were met with the 500 steep steps which led to the waterfall.

Some of the 500 stair steps were made of uneven large rocks and also these wooden ones.

Once we felt the cool breeze and mist of the waterfall we knew we were near. As we walked to the base of the waterfall the last 100 steps were uneven, slippery, and wet. It was worth it for La Fortuna waterfall with its two glistening pools is indeed a  beautiful sight.

Above Sara from Canada is standing beside me as we soaked up the view before we started climbing the 500 steps back up to the trailhead.

     

As we walked back up the trail we looked up and we could see one of the hanging bridges we had crossed during the day!

The final hanging bridge was the longest. It is the Tayra Hanging Bridge and it is  368 feet in length. Quite the wobbly, swaying, long hanging bridge but totally amazing. It culminated our memorable time walking over the rainforest canopy at the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park!   

   It was a glorious morning and time certainly flew by. Hard to believe we had been there for 4 hours!

     The afternoon brought another hike, but this one was not on a hanging bridge. Our feet were firmly planted on the ground for this was the "Arenal Trail 1968" in the Arenal Volcano National Park. 

We hiked over the old lava flow 

and then the trail took us through towering plants.

We passed mounds of ferns that blanketed both sides of the trail. 

There were even beautiful wild orchids dispersed throughout the trail. 

We reached the summit and were treated to a partial view of Arenal Volcano.

We headed back down another trail.

and passed a grazing longhorn. They aren't just in Texas! 

We had had a wonderful day, filled with lasting memories of nature's astounding beauty. As I looked at my fit bit 

and saw the number of steps taken today, I knew it was time to rest up for tomorrow morning at 5 am, just before the sun rises, Pedro is taking us bird watching! Can't wait!