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Costa Rica Tourism                                                            Costa Rica Tourism

   Rica Travel found that Lake Arenal usually has 10 to 15 knot winds and rain is almost never a problem, except for December.  Very  little crime and a paved hardtop road from the airport to the front door of all of our properties.  No Mosquitoes even at night, unlike the beaches!  We originally, like so many other Lake Arenal residents, first looked at purchasing property on or near the beach.  It's really hot at the beach.  The temperature will drop 15 to 20 degrees or more when you leave the beach and arrive at Lake Arenal. The beach and central valleys have two seasons. Dry and Wet.  During the dry season the beach and valleys look parched and brown.  The streams are dry.  During the Wet season everything is green and pretty, but it can rain a lot. Lake Arenal is always green.   No Mosquitoes, great climate.

      Lake Arenal gets a lot of rain, but it gets it all year around and usually in the evenings or nights.  There is really not a  dry season in Lake Arenal. Its tropical year around.  Rains mostly in the late evenings and nights. Lake Arenal (the lake) stays 76 degrees year around. Our Bed & Breakfast is located very near the small town of Nuevo Arenal. The town is the focal point for most locals.  There's two hardware stores, three grocery stores, a bank, a lawyer, a pharmacy, local medical clinic, school, western union, small local police station, several great restaurants and a gas station.  The water and electric companies are located in Arenal.     

                                   Lake Arenal (the Lake):                  

         Said to be some of the purest water in the world, the lake is approx 33 Square Miles.  A  good hardtop road follows the lake on the east side with remarkable views of the lake and lush tropical vegetation.  The water is very clear except for months when the wind is ripping Jan to March.  The lake is world famous for windsurfing  during these months.  The lake has excellent fishing for a number of species of fish including world famous rainbow bass up  to 20 lbs.  Guided fishing for saltwater and/or freshwater can be arranged but should be mentioned when booking your vacation especially during high season.  The lake also has several ramps and a nice park. The lake is said to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.  There are many art galleries around the lake as well as excellent restaurants.

                                                                           Lake Arenal Activities

   Activities:  Rica Travel has Zip lining the jungle, horseback riding, hanging bridges, canopy  tours, canoeing, hiking, fishing, shopping, ATVing, volcano tours, butterfly farms, white water rafting, rainforest sky tram,  numerous gift shops and art galleries, hot springs, mud baths, museums, great restaurants, or just relax and enjoy the  beauty of the surroundings.  

                                    

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   Rica Travel has restaurants and numerous local activities including horseback riding to 5  rainforest waterfalls,  zip lining over the rainforest canopy, tram tours, butterfly & snake museums, volcano  tours,  ATV &  motorcycle rentals & tours,  canoeing,  white water rafting,  hanging bridges, tours of coffee  plantations,  cloud forest, hot springs, mud baths, world class windsurfing and much more.  Visit our Lake Arenal Action Adventure website for more information on local activities.

  Rica Travel found he roads in Lake Arenal are maintained better than most roads in the country because of the tourist attraction centered around the Lake Arenal Volcano. You can see it erupt daily if you go to La Fortuna.  La Fortuna is a small town located approx 30 minutes South of Lake Arenal at the base of Arenal Volcano. There are unbelievable activities available here from Volcano tours, Horseback Riding to jungle waterfalls, Hot Springs Baths and Massages, white water rafting, Kayaking, fishing, ATV Rentals, Windsurfing, Zip Lining, balloon riding, restaurants, more restaurants, coffee and banana plantation tours. People from all over the world come here for the activities.

   Lodging On Lake Arenal, Costa Rica

                                        Arenal Volcano:  

     Travel to see Arenal Volcano while in Rica.  Nuevo Arenal is approx 30 miles and across the lake from the volcano which erupts daily and is especially beautiful at night.  Lake Arenal  sits at the base of the volcano and the water temperature stays an average of 76 degrees year round.  Also at the base of  the volcano is world famous Tabacon resort with hot springs coming from the volcano.  Tabacon is expensive but worth  a day trip.  There are also less expensive hot springs in the area.  You will be provided with all this information upon  arrival.  There are many areas to view the volcano and there's also a national park at the base of the volcano.  The area  surrounding  the volcano is very lush with dark green tropical vegetation everywhere.  The road to the volcano is all  hardtop.  Its about 30 -35 minutes to the volcano from the lodge. View more Arenal Volcano information   

 

                                                Lake Arenal Butterflies           

 

    Lake Arenal has lots of butterflies.  Some are only found here.  The Blue Morpho butterfly is considered a spiritual symbol to the local Tico People. It is found in Late August and September.  There are several butterfly mueseums in lake arenal where you can see large collections of Costa Rica Butterflies.

 

                                                                                 Taxes & Utilities

   The taxes and utilities are very inexpensive compared to US standards. You don't feel like you're being pentalized for owning a home like you do in the states. The houses are very different than what you will find driving to the beach or from the airport.

 

                                                       Driving & Flying Directions

   If you fly into Liberia and rent a car and drive to Lake Arenal it will take less than 2 hours.  You first drive to Canas then turn left to Tilaran. Be sure to take the hard left just before you get into Tilaran. This is the road that goes to Lake Arenal toward the Arenal Volcano. You will drive up the mountain and eventually top out and see beautiful Lake Arenal appear. The drive alone the lake to Nuevo Arenal and on to La Fortuna just get more scenic as you drive.   There is a small airport that shuttles from San Jose to La Fortuna or Liberia Airport in northern Costa Rica. I think the flight is about $25 per person.  There are also car rentals in La Fortuna.

 

                                                   Fishing Lake Arenal:

  You won't need a leader with 12 to 15 lb line.  You can also consider 20 lb power pro which is the size of 8 lb line.  The power pro is nice because you can drag the spinner bait through all the grass around the lake shore and not break off. Actually I fish with 8 lb mono but I loose some lures to break offs.  I always after a light line world record. On our last trip my friend hooked up with a big Guapote rainbow bass and it busted his 15 lb line. He was heart broken. You have to do a lot of casting to get a strike so you wan to make sure you can handle him. You cannot mouth the fish with your hands.  They do have teeth. You will probably need pliers to take the hooks out.  According to the locals, 5-7am
in the morning is best and they use palmetto bugs for bait. They hook the bug and let it buzz on the surface.  They also use minnows. The rivers
feeding the lake also produces a lot of big Guapote. Small top water plugs also work in the early morning. The Guapote have small mouths compared to bass. Visit our Lake Arenal Fishing Website at How To Catch Guapote In Lake Arenal Costa Rica for more information on techniques, tackle and ramps.

                                                   Lake Arenal Restaurants:

    Be sure to visit Volcano Lodge Restaurant in La Fortuna. Our favorite and it's right at the base of the volcano. You can sometimes eat dinner at night and watch the volcano erupt. I once got a picture of my wife at the dinner table with lava flowing down the mountain behind her. Driving the road from La Fortuna to Lake Arenal is always interesting and there are certain curves in the road where you can see the volcano lava flow at night.

         The locals get together in town once a week for socializing at the town bar-b-que. Tourist are welcome and encouraged.  The restaurants in the Lake Arenal area are outstanding.  Visit our Lake Arenal Restaurant page at for more information on local cuisine.

     Be sure to visit Volcano Lodge Restaurant in La Fortuna. Our favorite and it's right at the base of the volcano. You can sometimes eat dinner at night and watch the volcano erupt. I once got a picture of my wife at the dinner table with lava flowing down the mountain behind her.
Driving the road from La Fortuna to Lake Arenal is always interesting and there are certain curves in the road where you can see the volcano lava flow at night.

    For lake Arenal restaurants visit:  Lajas (just past Nuevo Arenal), Macadamia Cafe before Nuevo Arenal (great sandwiches, soups and cookies), Moya's downtown (pizza), Mystica (before Nuevo Arenal), Volcano Lodge in La Fortuna, Lucky Bug gallery and restaurant (breakfast), German Bakery has good sandwiches and Gingerbread ( its expensive, but Eyal is great cook).

 
                               

       

 

                                                   Nuevo Arenal (the town):

   The town of Arenal is a small country town with several grocery stores, bank, medical  clinic, a couple hardware stores, Western Union, post office, gift shops, gas & service station and several local bars.  The  people are very friendly and the Lake Arenal area is very safe for tourist.  Very little, if any crime and probably safer than  your home town. The town is located approx 1/4 mile from the Lodge on a nice hard top road. Prices for merchandise are cheap by US standards.  The local shops will usually give a discount of 20-30 percent (upon request) if you pay for cash as the merchants have to pay a fee for processing credit cards.  US dollars are accepted all over Lake Arenal with no  problem and I've never had a problem getting short changed.  The Costa Rican people are very honest and hard working  people.  You can rent ATV's in town and go cruising around town also.  You will rarely see a policeman as there is little need for them in Lake Arenal, but one word to the wise.  If you are involved in an auto accident, wait for the police to show up because if you leave the scene you will be considered at fault for the accident.  The entire town gets together every Friday night for a barbeque and Saturday night for a dance in town.  All tourist are invited.  It a good time to socialize with the locals..   

                                                                                         Good luck & have fun!

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Lake Arenal Fishing Guides     Lake Arenal Fishing Guides for Guapote Rainbow Bass.  If you are interested in Guided Fishing in Lake Arenal contact us for our FREE Guided Fishing Referrals and FREE Lake Arenal Fishing Information on techniques, tackle and what's biting now. We'll help you find the best fishing guide for your targeted species and budget.                   Tell Me More    "Put The Odds In Your Favor Next Time" Lake Arenal Fishing Guides

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