On Saturday, we left Liberia and rode for about 2.5 hours to our next stop in La Fortuna, a touristy little town that happens to be close to the Arenal Volcano and the thermal Tabacón River. Our plan was to visit the Tabacón Hot Springs on Sunday and that is exactly what we did… after calculating how many hours we each would have to work to recover the cost. The entry feee plus lunch was 170 USD for the two of us so, seeing that we could do it, we took the plunge. And yes, it was well worth it!
Tabacón Hot Springs
One of the many thermal pools
Looks dorky, but we were so glad to have water shoes
Tabacón is Costa Rica’s largest network of naturally-flowing hot springs and is in Arenal’s largest tropical reserve. Each of the thermal pools vary in temperature, with the hottest one being at 40°C. The great thing is that the sulfur content of the water is low so, you can enjoy the thermal pools without the undesirable odor. Interestingly, even though there is no shortage of greenery, moisture, and heat, the bugs and critters that usually accompany such conditions are completely absent. We were in paradise!
Flowing thermal water and lush vegetation
Koi fish in a koi pond
Enjoying the thermal pools too much to notice anything else
We enjoyed the hot springs until our fingers turned pruney. After a nice lunch, we took advantage of the spa facilities. More work hours in the agenda for us. But we got a bit of pampering and royalty treatment so, we’re fine with slaving away later 🙂
Enjoying a thermal waterfall
Being one with nature
Living the pura vida life
