La Fortuna

The team also visited La Catarata de la Fortuna. This was a very short walk down to a beautiful waterfall and pools. It was supposed to be an acclimatisation trek for Volcan Baru around 3500m! Despite this the group enjoyed swimming in the pool near the waterfall and the lower pool which had lots of fish in it. La Fortuna is super touristy. The town has grown massively in the last decade as a result of tourism. Travellers started visiting the town after Volcan Arenal - the local volcano - which had lain dormant for 300 years, erupted in 1968 destroying two villages in the valley it overlooks. Volcan Arenal is still active. As the lonely planet says you could literally close your eyes and walk in any direction and you would hit a tour operators office. This has been bugging me a bit but, the area still has an undeniable beauty. It would be sad if the area becomes even more touristy but that seems to be the way it's going. On the walk up to La Caterata we saw many plots of land for sale and potential develoment.