Arenal & Northern Lowlands - Costa Rica - page 537

cends into a grotto where you'll find a thundering gusher of a waterfall that's about 12m
high. You'll feel the mist long before you see its majesty.
Cerro Chato Trail HIKING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; arenalobservatorylodge.com ; Arenal Observatory Lodge; day use per person
$6)
The ultimate hike in the national park, the Cerro Chato Trail starts at the Arenal Observat-
ory Lodge and meanders through pasture before climbing quite steeply through remnant
forest and into patches of virgin growth reaching into misty sky. Eventually the trail crests
Cerro Chato, Arenal's dormant partner, and ends in a 1100m-high volcanic lake that is
simply stunning. The hike is only 8km round trip, but it will take two to three hours each
way.
There is an alternative, even more strenuous route that departs from La Catarata de la
Fortuna .
Arenal 1968 HIKING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 2462-1212; www.arenal1968.com ; per person US$10; 7am-10pm)
This new trail system, a private network of trails and lookouts along the original 1968 lava
flow, is worth checking out. It's located 1.2km from the highway turnoff to the park, just
before the ranger station.