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A Blast on Costa Rica's Wild Slide

By Georgina Cruz | Special to the Tribune

ARENAL VOLCANO, Costa Rica - Some in our group had requested "volcano wake-up calls" for the wee hours, when the humid cloud-forming winds from the Caribbean are less prevalent. But they had no luck. Arenal Volcano had been shrouded in mists, its head in the clouds, since our arrival to Costa Rica.

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Then on our second night, I happened to wake up at 4:34 a.m., and the skies were clear. I threw on a robe, yelled to my husband to get up and ran to the tiny balcony of our room. There, in the "backyard" of the Arenal Kioro Hotel, on the "safe" non-erupting west side, the volcano stood in all its glory -- 5,389 feet high, the quintessential volcanic cone with a spectacular crater. We heard it grumble -- loud as thunder -- and the crater lit up as if with fireworks. Three huge incandescent rocks spewed out and rolled down its slopes setting off sparks as they hit the ground.

One of the world's 10 most active volcanoes, Costa Rica's Arenal volcano has been erupting daily since 1968 when a major eruption was felt as far north as Boulder, Colo. It dominates the landscape of a recently created national park with 16 protected reserves. The volcano's light show was ephemeral. In less than a half hour clouds again covered it for the rest of our three-night visit.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take," someone once said, "but by the moments that take our breath away." This had been one such moment -- one of several during a week-long trip with Adventures by Disney, a company launched last year by the folks who gave us theme parks and resorts.

We were with a group of 30 -- well-traveled nature lovers. Age span was from 10 to 66.

Called Path to Pura Vida (the Good Life), our trip began with an overnight at the Marriott Costa Rica Hotel, a former coffee plantation hacienda in San Jose. A short taxi ride away was Plaza de la Cultura in downtown San Jose and the Museo del Oro Precolombino (Pre-Columbian Gold) and displays of golden figurines of birds and frogs, which we would see come to life, as it were, in the jungle soon.

From San Jose, we headed to the Arenal Volcano area via La Paz Waterfall Gardens with its beautiful cascade and butterfly farm, home to iridescent blue morphos, big as saucers, and many of this Central American country's 1,250 species of this fancy insect. The days we spent at Arenal were filled with activities arranged by two local guides who accompanied us the entire trip.

Most popular was zip-lining in which participants -- outfitted with a harness, gloves and helmet -- zip down cables at speeds of up to 30 m.p.h. from a height of 600 feet. Stops are made at observation platforms. "See you in the next life," Peter Steinman, an attorney from Los Angeles, said to the first half of our group leaving for the first platform, where there were two practice cables.

"They have Petzl rock climbing gear here -- the best, from Austria," one of our guides, Jayms Ramirez, reassured everyone. "And you're 'flying' on two cables -- not just one," said Gaston Trujillo, our other guide, a licensed naturalist guiding in Costa Rica for 17 years.

"Now to the adrenaline rush," Trujillo said, leading us to the practice runs where guides demonstrated how to slow down (before arriving at platforms) and how to hold our body (with ankles crossed and legs up toward our chests). With a "whoo-hoo!" and other screams, and the "swoosh" of the gear on the cable, the intrepid were launched over the jungle for bird's-eye views of its zillion-and-one shades of green, and Arenal Lake, a vast man-made body of water.

Three from our group -- including definitely-not-so-intrepid me -- did not go zip-lining; two of us opted instead for an aerial tram ride (we spotted howler monkeys, sloths and a coati -- a raccoon-like mammal) and another opted for a massage at the hotel's spa.

That afternoon, we had another intimate encounter with the rain forest while hiking on the Hanging Bridges of Arenal -- a 2-mile circuit with 15 bridges to observe the canopy, "this time, from a monkey's perspective," Trujillo said.

As we hiked, I understood why Christopher P. Baker referred to Costa Rica as "a Noah's Ark" in his National Geographic Traveler Costa Rica guidebook. We encountered a diversity of Costa Rica animals, from leaf-cutter ants to eyelash vipers, from blue morphos butterflies to white-nosed coatis -- not to mention three-toed sloths and a chestnut-mandible toucan, like a tiny rainbow on a tree.

After the hike we went to Hidalgo Hot Springs, a natural spa with pools of different temperature waters, where we soaked our tired muscles contentedly.

A country roughly the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica has 12 ecological zones, and 5 percent of all known species on Earth, including 10 percent of all birds -- many chirping around us as we walked.

On our last day at Arenal, we went white-water rafting on the Sarapiqui River. Outfitted with helmets, paddles and life vests, and after an orientation, we had a choice of navigating a stretch of the river where there are Class II and III rapids, or a gentler section with Class I rapids. A half-dozen people fell into the water in the Class III rapids and were put back into the rafts by rescuers on a "safety kayak" that accompanied us.

Leaving Arenal we took a 40-minute flight to Quepos on the Pacific Coast, where activities included a hike in Manuel Antonio National Park, home to capuchin monkeys, white-tailed deer and three-toed sloths -- which we spotted. To explore the marine side of a reef we took a catamaran for a snorkeling excursion.

While at a beach near Manuel Antonio, several Jurassic-looking iguanas posed for pictures, and most impressive, we heard the lion-like roar of howler monkeys. It'd been a big dose of what Thoreau called "the tonic of wildness" just before we had to return to "civilization."
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IF YOU GO

Adventures by Disney offers seven-night Path to Pura Vida tours to Costa Rica from March to November. Rates start at $2,649 per person, double (single supplement from $1,101). There is a $300 discount for children ages 4-14 when accompanied by an adult. Included are lodging, all meals, excursions, and air and motor-coach transportation within Costa Rica. 877-728-7282;  www.AdventuresByDisney.com.

Abercrombie & Kent has a nine-day Highlights of Costa Rica with prices starting from $3,150, per person, double (single supplement $1,025). Departures are October through next April, and, also next year, October through December. 800-652-8413;  www.abercrombiekent.com.

Caravan features a 10-day, year-round Costa Rica program priced from $995 per person, double (single supplement from $1,195). 800-227-2826;  www.caravan.com. 

Costa Rica Discount Vacations offers 7 day all inclusive Costa Rica Tours. Choose from Adventurous to Layback Fun Vacation Packages at $2500 per person;  www.costaricadiscountvacations.com; Email:sales@costaricadiscountvacations.com; 954-633-2423