Hike up to Arenal crater lake

Bursting out from the slope of Arenal, Cerro Chato is a volcanic cone lushly cloaked in dense vegetation and guarding a mesmerising lagoon within its long-extinct crater.

The steep hike up and leisurely walk down present you with a compendium of Costa Rica's natural beauty – ferns and vines drape across mossy branches that provide a home for monkeys and tropical birds, and the gushing flume of La Fortuna waterfall pours into a jungle-enveloped amphitheatre. On the descent, you'll have time for a dip in its refreshing plunge pool as a 70m stream of water crashes down metres away from you.