Arenal Overload
We saw some decent birds at Monteverde , but after a day of being surrounded by blowing wind, driving rain and constant fog my favorite part of it was the part where we got in the car and drove away to the next part of our trip. With Monteverde being a bit of a disappointment, I had high hopes for the next part of the trip- a couple days of birding around Arenal Volcano. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed–birding in Arenal exceeded even our highest hopes. Arenal Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica and certainly one of the best looking- a symmetrical cone rising out of the plains east of the Lake Arenal reservoir. It's no Mount Mayon but it certainly makes a stunning backdrop to all of the birding sites in its surroundings. As the quetzal flies Arenal is quite close to Monteverde- less than 30 kilometers away. Separating them however is an extremely rugged mountain range of steep slopes and thick forest, meaning that getting from one to the other requires