Arenal & Tabacón

This weeks post features one of my weekend trips to Volcan Arenal and Tabacón. Tabacón is a resort that is located at the base of the Arenal volcano. This volcano is Costa Rica’s most active volcano and is in the shape of a picture perfect cone. Unfortunately it is most often covered in clouds and getting to see an eruption is a matter of luck. Although we never got a clear view of the volcano during the day, we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of an evening eruption. It was during dinner and we were all eating at a restaurant that is known to have an amazing view of the volcano. It started to erupt but because it was very dark out and fairly cloudy, all we were able to see was a small trail of red lava flowing down the volcano. It appeared as if it were a continuous flow, but we were informed that really it was just one boulder that was falling down, leaving a trail of lava as it went.
Through the colonial era this volcano was inactive but on July 29, 1968 it was awakened from its long sleep by a fateful earthquake. The massive explosion that resulted wiped out the villages of Tabacón and Pueblo Nuevo, whose entire populations perished. Since then, its lava flows and eruptions have been constant, and on virtually any day you can see smoking cinder blocks tumbling down the steep slope. Some days the volcano blows several times in an hour, spewing house-size rocks, sulfur dioxide and chloride gases, and red-hot lava.
During this weekend we were lucky enough to stay in the Tabacón resort. This is home to natural hot spring and thermo mineral water pools that are fed by the Tabacón River which begins deep in the Arenal volcano. There, the water is heated to 101 degrees, after which it flows 3 quarters of the mile to the natural pools of the Tabacon Hot Springs. There are many different pools in this resort all of which flow into each other. As you climb higher and higher to the different pools, the temperature increases significantly. When I got to the top pool I couldn't even stand to have my feet in the water it was so hot. Also, the atmosphere is amazing. Everything in the resort is very lush as you can see from the photo. In addition to the natural pools they had a real pool with a swim up bar which the entire group took advantage of!
Another one of their specialities here is their spa. They offer a large variety of different massages and treatments in a really nice facility. The sounds of flowing water blend with the sounds of the forest -- tropical birds singing and monkeys cavorting. They play soothing music and each room opens up to the rainforest. While there, I got a swedish massage and a bunch of my friends all got different types of massages and everyone was very happy with them! The beauty of this place is indescribable. Not only for the natural beauty but the hotel itself is a five store resort. If you ever go to Costa Rica, I highly recommend Tabacón!