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As a part of our continued activities involving environmental education in the local community, the Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa in coordination with SONATI (Sociedad y Naturaleza Internacional), carried out a class about the threats facing wildlife in Costa Rica at the nearby high school in El Castillo.

The second part of the lesson consisted of a field trip to the Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa trails, where students learned about the ecology of the tropical rainforest.

As a part of our commitment to sustainable tourism, the local community, and the environment, the Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa, in coordination with SONATI (Sociedad y Naturaleza Internacional) carried out a course about environmental education for the nearby school in El Castillo, La Fortuna.

The course consisted of two theoretical and dynamic talks which encouraged participation from the students. Topics included: the different types of ecosystems, the importance of the forests, conservation, and wildlife among others.

The Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa is an eco-lodge entrenched in nature. Surrounded by the Arenal Volcano National Park in Costa Rica, and in between the Guanacaste and Tilarán Mountain Ranges, it is an area of incredible geological and ecological diversity. The union of mountainous terrain and abundance of water that exists at the lodge creates the perfect conditions for the formation of waterfalls.

In the United States alone, it is estimated that up to a billion birds die each year in collisions with windows, walls, and other structures. In fact, window collisions are the second largest anthropocentric mortality threat to birds, second only to domestic cat predation (more on that in a future blog). Although this widow collision problem is serious, and human-caused, solving it is complicated, involving cooperation from businesses and members of the public alike.

With over 500 species of birds sighted at the Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa, shortlisting a selection of several especially emblematic birds is no easy task. However, we believe these following nine species deserve the designation due to their uniqueness, dependence on the area, and representation of the tropical rainforest.

1) Lovely cotinga (Cotinga amabilis)

Thai Massage is an ancient technique in which the client is laid on a floor mat, and stretched and massaged from head to toe. This technique is very different than those which we are accustomed to thinking of when we hear the word massage. Normally, we think of a massage table and oil. Thai massage breaks these stereotypes be employing a floor mat, comfortable clothing, and the use of most of the masseuse´s body. This includes use of the hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, legs, and feet.

Located 2.7 km from Arenal Volcano, lying on the skirts of the volcano, Arenal Observatory Lodge and Spa offers the opportunity to enjoy not only the views of our close neighbor, Arenal Volcano but also the views of some more distant volcanos within the Guanacaste Mountain Range. Located to the northeast of the lodge, you can observe Rincón de la Vieja, Miravalles Volcano, and Tenorio Volcano.

The Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa is located in the Caribbean foothills of the Tilaran Cordillera, in the premontane rainforest of Costa Rica. Occupying an elevational range between 600 and 1100 meters above sea level and nestled in-between the Rio Agua Calliente and the Rio Danta, the 350-hectare property encompasses a diverse array of ecosystems and micro-habitats.

Many tourists have heard about the world famous bird watching in Costa Rica, but there is also another type of animal that is worth your attention: wild cats. Costa Rica is actually home to six different wild species: Ocelot, Margay, Jaguar, Puma, Jaguarundi, and Oncilla. Below are some cat facts for you to know when planning your next adventure vacation to Costa Rica.

Since its launch in 2002 eBird has been the primary database used by birders at the Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa to keep track of their observations. By utilizing eBird for our bird observations we are providing key data on the biodiversity of avian populations in the Arenal Volcano National Park and Costa Rica as a whole.

Costa Rica’s success story with reforestation is quite amazing. The Central American nation did a complete turn-around from being one of the most deforested countries in the world by the early 1980s, to today being over 52 percent covered with forest.

On December 3rd, 2016 three members of the Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa team participated in the 4th Annual Conteo De Aves Arenal. In total, 70 birders participated in this year’s bird count.

After many years of leading bird watching tours in Costa Rica, it is always exciting for an experienced guide to see something new. Recently, on an early morning bird watching tour in the forest gardens at Arenal Observatory Lodge, naturalist guide Cristian Campos saw something quite unusual.

Forty-eight years ago, the quiet agricultural community of Arenal, Costa Rica lived peacefully raising cattle and farming around the rainforest-covered, cone-shaped mountain called Cerro Arenal. Life had been tranquil like this for nearly 500 years.

No one expected on the morning of July 29, 1968, that sudden events would change their lives forever and the history of the Arenal Volcano.

Millions of visitors come to Costa Rica every year to see and experience its spectacular nature. From rainforests to cloud forests, volcanoes and mountains to beaches and lush jungle, Costa Rica deserves its fame for amazing natural resources.

In addition to Costa Rica’s excellent system of national parks, it is the country’s organization of private nature reserves that helps preserve Costa Rica’s tropical ecosystems and their biodiversity.

When the fresh pink glow of sunrise creeps up the side of Arenal Volcano and stretches over the forest treetops, there is no better place to be than on the large open deck at Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa. And when the sun sinks low over beautiful Lake Arenal, the sky awash in fiery colors and the lake mirroring rosy hues, again, there is no better place to be than on that same deck. Sip a cool drink, snap your most memorable travel photos, and revel in the splendor of nature’s beauty.

Painter and ceramist, Costa Rican artist Rebeca Fernandez Zeledón was born in 1967. With studies in Fine Arts at the Universidad de Costa Rica and the Universidad Autónoma de Centro América, she obtained an specialization degree in ceramic in the italian city of Faenza. Her creative experience has been permanent in her life since she was15 years old and this has been also her earing and lifestyle. With personal and collective exibitions in Costa and Italy, she obtained several distinctions as innovative designer.

This is a summary of the major eruptions of Arenal Volcano between July 29, 1968 and 2008 (Source: La Nación Newspaper)

“Currently the volcano is in a resting period with very little activity”

Bordered by the Cerro Chato volcano and La Fortuna town and hidden among lush green trees and sloping forest is the Arenal Volcano National Park, in Costa Rica, a place where the Arenal Observatory Lodge with its 870 acres of different forest, habitats and biodiversity is nested- a place to hear “the frog sings”.

Some days, Arenal Volcano really smokes
Arenal Volcano stills let off smokes. This “sleepy volcano” may “wakes up” again and starts erupting.
Because of the gas we see in the cone of the volcano, from Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa, we decided to check this phenomenon with volcanologist and friend J. Barquero, mentioning the stages taking place in the Arenal Volcano.

By Shannon Farley, travel blog writer for Enchanting Costa Rica