Arenal Volcano and Tabacón Hot Springs
3 days / 2 nights

This unique tour offers visitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience - the chance to get close enough the active Arenal Volcano to hear and feel the deep rumbling that precedes occasional eruptions of steam, smoke and molten lava. At night, if it's not cloudy, the show is even more stupendous as the mammoth volcano spews red lava and huge rocks glowing against the black sky.

On the first day, visitors can explore a path that leads through fields and forests up the base of the volcano to hardened lava flows. For safety's sake, visitors should stay on the path and avoid areas marked as dangerous. Seismologists from the Smithsonian Institute have been monitoring Arenal Volcano for the past 25 years. Arenal's last spectacular eruption occurred on May 5, 1998, but the volcano often rewards visitors with impressive fireworks displays and voluminous plumes of smoke that rise hundreds of feet into the air. At night, from the comfort of their hotel, guests may hear the faint rumbling of the mighty behemoth as they fall asleep.

The next day offers a chance to explore the area around the volcano by bicycle. After the bike tour, visitors will find pure pleasure at Tabacón Hot Springs, nestled amid lush tropical vegetation at the base of Arenal Volcano. The Tabacón River emanates from deep within the heart of the volcano, and its naturally heated waters spring forth at about 102 F degrees year round. The thermal waters cascade over intriguing rock formations that create inviting falls and pools of warm, soothing water that soak away every aching muscle. Expansive landscaped gardens stretch in every direction and merge into the surrounding tropical rain forest. Visitors can spend a leisurely afternoon splashing around in more than a dozen pools and sampling a couple of volcanic-strength cocktails at the swim-up bar. For additional pampering, the spa at Tabacón offers facials, volcanic mud treatments and therapeutic massage. By the time visitors return to San José the following day, they will likely feel utterly relaxed and without a worry in the world.