A Backpacker's (Free!) Hot Springs in Costa Rica
06 August 2015
I typically do a fair amount of research about my
destination before any trip I take. When you have limited vacation time every
year, you need to do a certain amount of preparation to get the most out of
your time away. So, as I was perusing the interwebs for things to do in the
Arenal region of Costa Rica, one thing kept hijacking my attention: hot
springs!
I’d like to think (read: pretend) that I have a moderately active travel style. Although I’d pick kayaking or biking over shopping every time, I can
still get behind a bit of R&R just as much as the next girl. But a daytrip
to the hot springs in Costa Rica can set you back over $100, which isn’t exactly a budget-friendly experience. In fact, the
ones that most travelers hear of are really more of a spa, and some of them
don’t even come from a natural source. I
tried to imagine the hole in my wallet as an attempt to squash my interest, but
every time I stumbled across a photo of perfectly euphoric ladies frolicking in
the streams, I could hear a shrill chorus of angels ringing in my ears. I
wanted that. I wanted to lean back, carefree, into a waterfall plummeting down
majestically over my head and shoulders. And Instagram it, obviously.
Naturally, I was elated when my friend told me she’d read
about some local springs in La Fortuna not that far from our hostel. According
to the reviews, these were somewhat hidden springs though easy to get to and
really only frequented by ticos, or Costa Ricans, in the area. But here’s the
real kicker: these were free! FREE!
We decided to go for a dip in the hot springs on our first
day in La Fortuna after our four hour bus ride from San Jose. We checked into our
room at Arenal Backpacker’s Resort, quickly changed, and hopped in a cab. To
our surprise, the entrance to the local springs was just outside the parking
lot of Tabacon, one of the most luxurious – and expensive – hot springs
experiences in Arenal. Kind of funny, right?
Across the street from Tabacon, there is a yellow,
triangular shaped gate, which marks the path down to the local hot springs. The
path itself is paved and descends gradually to what looks like nowhere. We
could hear rushing waters as soon as we approached the end, and climbed down
some muddy steps to find ourselves literally standing in them.
There were only a handful of people wading in the springs when we arrived. We crossed them to take the path on the other side just a short walk down a slow sloping hill and found a giant rock to which we could swim out and hang on. The springs were warm and inviting, especially after a long day, but the current was pretty quick, so we found ourselves clinging to that rock! We really enjoyed the soak!
After a while, we decided to venture back up the hill and through the under side of the bridge that the springs ran through. We found the other side to be much more crowded, but the current was slower, making it much easier to hang out. Just on the other side of the bridge, you'll find a small pool that acts almost as a hot tub with a small waterfall pouring in, which really looked quite lovely. Unfortunately, it was too crowded for us to join in.
Working a 9-to-5 makes you appreciate nature in ways you
never thought it could. If you ever find yourself in La Fortuna, ditch the expensive hot springs and take a dip in the local one instead.
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