Anyone done the morning & evening walk/tour at AOL?
 

Wondering if anyone has done both of these walks at the Arenal Observatory Lodge...I know the one in the morning is complimentary to guests, and "El Silencio" in the evening one is a paid tour but I'm more interested in if they cover the same trails/area? I know they are roughly the same length of time and trying to decide if we should spend 5.5 hours on the same day doing both of these?

If we do, should we spend the mid-day hours checking out La Fortuna? Hanging Bridges? SkyTram? We did a fabulous zipline in Puntarenas area last year and DH isn't inclined to do it again.

AOL's website says their hot tub is "spring-fed" does that mean that it is fed from the hotsprings? If so, maybe we will save some time and omit the Ectoermales Hot Springs.

Any tips on the evening tour...are there lots of bugs?

As you can probably tell, there' s much to do and DH & I only have 2 nites at the AOL. We wil be arriving at 5pm on the first day too - after a full day of white water rafting - so will just settle in, have dinner and have a soak in the hot tub that day.

Any input much appreciated!

Enjoy-la!

Bookmarking. :)

The hot tub isn't a substitute for Eco Termales, but it does have a fantastic view of the volcano.

I don't know if the evening hike is worth it. You certainly won't be going anywhere with a better view--the AOL grounds themselves have the best view of the volcano anywhere. Will you see any wildlife? Maybe.

The morning hike is a nice way to explore the grounds--you'll usually see some monkeys and a gorgeous waterfall.

The Hanging Bridges are fairly close and very cool. Can't go wrong there.

RAC, thx a mint for your reply - it helps narrow down the nitty-gritty (=

Enjoy-la!

I will add that just hanging out on the AOL's deck or observation balcony gawking at the volcano and spotting wildlife is very, very worthwhile. You can spot 20 species of birds--most of them gorgeous--on their bird feeders and coatis regularly stop by--it was in this area that we were just chilling when we saw a jaguarundi come up from the old lava trail.