Continuing with a few more highlights from our Costa Rica honeymoon in December. If you missed the earlier recaps, check those out first. 
- Our Honeymoon Overview
- El Silencio Lodge: Hiking Adventures
- El Silencio Lodge “Cultural Tour”
- Waterfall Rappelling!
- White Water Rafting
This post covers one of our last days in the Arenal Volcano area, before we headed to the beach for the final part of our trip.
We traveled from El Silencio Lodge to Arenal Nayara with Walter Davis of Indigo Blue Tours. Walter was friendly and knowledgeable—Matt had him tell stories about Costa Rica’s history during the drive. When he dropped us off he mentioned he also runs private tours of local highlights, and we decided to book a full-day trip with him later that week.
Our day started early: we met Walter in our hotel lobby at 7 a.m. sharp. The first stop was the Arenal hanging bridges, a beautiful network of trails and bridges through the rainforest.
About the bridges: the Arenal Hanging Bridges are a system of trails and bridges developed for ecotourism, focused on observing and protecting nature. The private nature reserve covers nearly 250 hectares of tropical rainforest and hosts a rich variety of plant and animal species. There are 16 bridges in total: ten static bridges ranging from eight to 22 meters, and six suspension bridges between 48 and 98 meters long.
We hiked for roughly two hours, enjoying the forest despite a bit of rain. Some suspension bridges were impressively high, offering great views through the canopy.
Next up was a volcano hike. Cloudy and rainy conditions limited visibility, but being that close to Arenal was still exciting. The Arenal Volcano rises to 5,437 feet and dominated the landscape; although it was in a resting phase during our visit, its history of eruptions has shaped the region.
The volcano is behind that annoying cloud.
We did see a clearer view of Arenal on a less cloudy day, which made for a memorable photo.
After about an hour of hiking around the volcano, we stopped in town for a quick lunch—another delicious casado—then continued to a waterfall hike.
Waterfalls never get old. We enjoyed several cascades, pools, and rainforest views along the trail.
Descending to the base of the waterfall was quick, but the climb back up was steep and long—definitely a workout. By about 4:30 p.m. we were exhausted after such an active day, so our final stop—the Eco Termales hot springs—felt like the perfect reward.
We arrived early and initially had the place nearly to ourselves. The hot springs are tucked into the forest with multiple pools and levels to explore, and the setting becomes especially magical after dark.
We relaxed in the pools for about an hour. The combination of warm water, forest sounds, and dim evening light made it a memorable experience.
There was even a poolside bar, which was a fun touch.
It was a lovely way to end the day. I didn’t photograph our dinner at the hot springs, but it was excellent—definitely worth trying if you go.
Stay tuned for a couple more final honeymoon recaps in the days ahead, mixed in with regular posts.