sylviam

I recently fractured my pelvis and we are scheduled for CR 4/2-4/12. We are staying at Lost Iguana in the Arenal region and BdC on the Osa.

My question, how strenuous is the Volcano walk in Arenal? Is a lot of it on rough terraine as I would think as it is a volcano. Does the SkyTram/Trek require any climbing?

At BdC are all the nature trails long and which are the most strenuous? Our original plan was to do the nocturnal hike, the Dolphin/Animal Sanctuary day, maybe one other hike.

My doctor has okayed the trip as it will be 8 weeks after the fracture. Any input? Thanks in advance.

volcanogirl

We didn't do a volcano hike in Arenal - just enjoyed the view from our balcony, but Lost Iguana is set on a hillside, so you'll do a little hiking just going down and going back up each day; LI does have golf carts, so if you're having problems, you could ask them to take you to and from your room.

At BdC, the trails are well-maintained, but they're definitely a hike. We did the Primary Forest Tour and it took 4 hours. They provide you with a map in your room, so you can look at the length of each trail and see what would best fit your needs. You don't have to finish any trail if you feel like it's too strenuous, you can just turn back at any point and go back the way you came. Also you can hang out in the tropical garden or relax on your porch and enjoy the view; they have a small pool too. The dolphin/animal sanctuary would be a great choice because you take a car to Puerto Jimenez, and then a boat to the sanctuary, not much walking at all. I'd really recommend you use a walking stick at BdC; it gives you a lot of stability when the trails are slick. They have a supply of them that you can use. So sorry this happened and hope you're on the mend soon.

shillmac

The volcano hike is rocky enough that when I signed up for it last year and the guide found out I had only brought flip flops to Arenal (I was doing a weekend trip from another part of the country), he told me I would have to change to another type of tour. So not a smooth trail. I think you'll be okay with most of the things to do at those 2 locations. So sorry about your accident, but DO enjoy your trip!

CarolM

You probably want to avoid the volcano hike -- it's on really uneven, rocky terrain and the footing is really hard to manage.

dfr4848

sylviam - sorry about your accident. I can't answer your specific question, but I do have a suggestion. When we went to Manuel Antonio last summer, it was 3 weeks before my major back surgery so I was under orders to limit certain activities. So when my wife and kids did the ziplining, para-sailing, etc, I just sat by the pool with a book and glass of wine and enjoyed the fabulous views of the Pacific! Cheers - and good luck!

dariow

Hi Sylviam:
I did the volcano hike a few times. In both instances, the guide had options for advanced hikers which meant climbing steep large rocks and a more simpler hike that had rocks but there was not much climbing. While I did the advanced hikes, I saw many seniors do the simple part of the hike without much difficulty.

If your injury precludes you from bending or putting pressure on your feet, then I would skip the hike completely.

You can do the Cano Negro tour from Arenal as well as other activities that do not require strenuous movement.

If you are COMPLETELY healed I suggest the caves tours, horseback riding, hike to the falls, and the canopy.

Hope you heal quickly and enjoy Costa Rica.

Dario

sylviam

Wow, thanks everyone for the quick replies.

volcanogirl: I forgot that LI was on a hillside, dah, but I think I'll have a good idea of my walking situation before I go on the trip, as I have to go up and down stairs at home so that may help. Great reminder about the walking sticks at BdC.

Did you do the nocturnal tour with the guide? How long did it take and on what type of terraine?

Shillmac & CarolM: My concern is that the volcano hike is on loose rocky ground as I sure don't want to slip. But the thermal pools at the end sound great. Guess I could do those as a separate night.

dfr4848: Drinking by the pool always sounds great. I just feel bad that we are taking our nephew on this trip age 13 and told him about all this adventure/activities and I don't want to be the spoil sport. My husband can go zip lining and I'll just ride the tram up and meet them at the end.

dariow: Closer to the date we leave will tell me a lot about my fracture Right now I use a walker but that is to let it heal. If it feels pretty good close to the date we leave I may test it out closer to home on some uneven terraine. Some of those seniors are in better shape than I am even before my injury.

For those of you that did the volcano hike, which company did you use and did you go to the termal pools after plus dinner?

Can't wait to go.

ShellD

sylviam - the nocturnal tour at BDC is completely flat on grass. It's about 45 minutes. You stay on the grass and driveway on the main property and by a little pond. There is no real hiking involved, it's more of what I would call an evening stroll. The only thing to consider is that it's very dark, and you could potentially trip over something, but you'll have a flashlight or headlamp with you. It's not physically exerting at all. We really enjoyed it!

mmb23

Sylviam,
I agree that the night walk would be easy at BdC. I also think that some of the best wildlife sightings we had were on the flat, easy trails. (We saw an anteater at close range, lots of howlers, etc.) There is one short easy trail that leads to a lookout over the beach and is outfitted with chaise lounges; you could just camp out there with a book.

Also, my husband and I had a cabin by the water and spent a lot of time lounging there, reading, looking at hummingbirds and macaws, just relaxing.

I would be more concerned about the trip from Puerto Jimenez to Bosque; it was pretty bumpy when we were there last march. Of course, the driver was very cautious and if you told them what was up, I bet they'd be even more careful.

Also, we didn't do any of the birding tours, but in my experience those can be slightly slower paced and less strenuous (especially if you're camped out under a tree looking for a certain species.)

Best of luck; I hope you feel better soon and enjoy CR!
Best,
Melissa

tully

Sorry to hear that! Best I can remember, the tour I did with Sunset Tours was all flat til the very end, when it met up with all the old lava rock. May not be as exciting, but you could walk out there and then let the rest of your party go up the rocks. SkyTrek....I would be a little nervous about how the harness straps around your waist with that fracture, but as far as walking - barely any; you ride up in a tram and zip all the way down from platyfrm to platform. At BdC, agree with others the night tour is very much a stroll. One of my favourite walks is the driveway, the first 10 minutes or so are up a slight incline, but the rest is totally flat all the way to the main PJ road and I saw the most monkeys there on my last trip. The walk to the Tropical Garden is mostly flat as well except for the steps leading down to the suspension bridge. Best of luck and definitely use the walking sticks, I do all the time anyway as they're great 'stick or snake' pokers and come in handy for spider web clearing as well (be the first one in line on the Golfo Dulce trail & you'll see what I mean!)

volcanogirl

sylvia, just from our porch at BdC, we saw howlers, capuchins, and spider monkeys - loads of them, also scarlet macaws flying by every day; I hope you have the same luck!

CarolM

sylviam,

Regarding different volcano hikes with different companies, I learned that different companies do different tours now (didn't used to be the case).

Aventuras Arenal: goes into Arenal Natl. Park and over that rocky lava field that we've been talking about. I have to be honest that some of the rocks do wiggle around and you could slip and lose your footing. I'm 42 and in good shape, and I had a couple of "uh oh" moments but didn't fall. I just don't recommend it for you. However...

Sunset Tours: they USED to go into the national park and over the old lava field, but now they do not. They now go into a private trail called "El Silencio." The hike is not over a field of rocks, but there were some steep steps up and down in the trail. This may or may not be an issue for you.

I just did both tours, and both have the option of doing a package where you go to the hot springs afterwards. We chose Eco-Termales plus dinner, and it was fantastic. Of course, you could simply visit the hot springs (any of them) as a separate "tour" or separate activity. Hope this helps!

sylviam

Everyone, thanks again for the input. It really sucks that this happened so close to our leaving. Whenever we travel we always hoof it and I have never had a problem. Just to let you all know, check your Vitamin D levels, especially women. Apparently they are finding out now that many people suffer from low levels and that can lead to stress fractures. Even if you are taking calcium with Vitamin D that may not be enough.

Tully: I was really looking forward to zip lining but I agree as I am afraid that the way one has to sit in the harness would be bad for the pelvis. I think I will just ride the sky tram up and then down and meet my husband and nephew at the bottom. Bummer.

CarolM: Good information for me on the volcano hike. I am hoping that I will have a good idea of my limits before we leave. I intend to go up and down stairs quite a bit to see how I hold out before we leave.

volcanogirl: I remember reading your trip reports about the many birds and animal sightings. That's great for me. My 13 year old nephew will have fun no matter what we do. Which brings up another question. What did you all do at night at BdC. I was thinking of bringing some games like UNO or Yahtzee or something easy to pack.

mmb23: Never thought about the rough ride to BdC even though everyone has spoken of it on this board many times. Thanks for reminding me.

volcanogirl

Hi, sylvia - we usually stayed out as late as possible on the trails, too late actually, and we got stuck in the dark! Then we'd hit the bar area for a drink and then on to dinner. Some nights Jose would play live music during and after dinner, then we'd just head back to our cabin and read or relax. We also brought a travel size Scrabble game. Honestly we usually fell asleep about 9:00 so we didn't stay up late; we got up about 5:30 each day because the sun was up and the howlers were our own personal alarm clock. I'd bring a good book and a couple small travel games, and I think you'd be fine. There's also the night hike that you could do one evening.

hipvirgochick

sylvia -- It's a great idea to bring a few games, especially now that they've enlarged the lounge/bar area. When I was there with my 10 year old last year, we always went after dinner and just talked and shared pictures on our cameras that we took that day. Normally my daughter would have a smoothie and I a cocktail and then exhaustion sets in fairly early. I'm taking a cribbage board this time and some cards and Yahtzee, even though we were fine without them last time.

Have a great trip and I hope your injury heals well and doesn't cause you any problems. As you know there's a lot of wildlife and beauty to be seen just wandering around the main grounds when you need to take it easy.

sylviam

hipvirgochick & volcanogirl:
Yeah, we usually crash about 9 pm when we are on these vacations with our nieces and nephews. Actually, they usually crash before we do as we generally walk their legs off around Europe/Eastern Europe.

As the sun rises and sets early I just wanted to be prepared in the event my nephew wanted something to do with us or other guests that were interested. Thanks again.