Arenal Volcano and Tabacón Hot Springs
3 days / 2 nights

It’s a rare opportunity: getting intimate with one of the world’s most active volcanoes. You’ll hear the deep rumbling from within the earth, which oftentimes precede eruptions of steam, smoke and molten lava. Arenal Volcano puts on the show, and if it’s not cloudy, it gets even more interesting at night when you can see the volcano’s massive cone light a bright orange swath against the black sky as glowing rocks and red lava tumble from the crater above.

The first day’s adventures will bring you to a path that winds through fields and forests, working its way up the base of the active volcano. In the interest of safety, please pay attention to posted signs and don’t wander off the path. Seismologists from the Smithsonian Institute have been monitoring Arenal Volcano for over 25 years; however, Arenal’s last enormous eruption took place in 1998. Still, the volcano puts on a pyrotechnics display almost daily, frequently throwing rocks into the air and sending plumes of smoke hundreds of feet into the sky. As you head off to the comfort of your room, you still might hear the faint rumblings coming from deep within the massive cone.

The following day you can take an easy-going bike ride over a paved road and amid forests and lovely scenery that surround the base of the Arenal Volcano. After getting some exercise on the bike tour, you’ll experience pure tropical relaxation at Tabacón Hot Springs, tucked amid lush tropical vegetation at the base of the volcano. The Tabacón River springs from deep within the core of the volcano and its thermal waters gush forth at about 102 degrees Fahrenheit year around. Water flows over beautiful rock formations, forming naturally heated waterfalls that gush forth into sparkling, muscle relaxing pools. Gorgeously landscaped gardens stretch in every direction, eventually merging with the rainforest. You can spend a relaxing day exploring the resort’s pools (there are more than a dozen), or sampling some tropical cocktails at the main pool’s swim-up bar. And for even more pampering, Tabacón’s famous spa offers facials, volcanic mud treatments and therapeutic massage. By the time you return to San José the following day, you’ll feel completely relaxed and carefree.