La Fortuna and Volcano Arenal
Costa Rica
Overview
La
Fortuna Area
The region of Costa Rica surrounding Lake Arenal
began as a farming community, and there is evidence of human life in the area
dating all the way back to 4000 B.C. In these times, and largely up until the
area became a tourist attracting community, the people of the area were
subsistence farmers whose primary crop was maize (corn). Many traces of
ceramics have also been found from prehistoric times, showing the people of the
area have always had a knack for the crafts they now, thousands of years later,
are selling to tourists who come to see the volcano and enjoy the hot springs. This simple, self-sustaining way of life was disrupted
with the eruption of the Arenal volcano in 1968, which is the main cause for La
Fortuna’s growth in becoming one of the main tourist attractions in Costa Rica. As
the pressures of tourism were placed on the people of La Fortuna, the main
industry moved from farming and exporting beef, papaya, ginger root, oranges,
pineapple, and sugar cane to tourism which now greatly surpasses any other
industry in the area. Being a gateway community, La Fortuna sees a multitude of
different people every day on their way to and from the volcano. It appears
that the people of the area have handled these changes relatively well and are
adapting to the growing demands placed on the local people. What is most
important for the community’s future is to find a balance between meeting these
demands and protecting the unique ecology of the area.
With globalization
and development certain aspects are able to both enhance while at the same time
hurt a community. In the La Fortuna area, one strength they possess is the way
in which the community is organized and the location of the community itself.
It is a gateway community that requires all visitors to the volcano to pass
through it to get to the volcano. The fact that the town is setup directly
adjacent to one of the most major tourist attractions in Costa Rica sets them at a huge
advantage over other developing areas. As Arenal Volcano continues to become
more of a tourist attraction it is inevitable that La Fortuna will benefit from
this influx as well. A weakness La Fortuna possesses is the fact that greater
majority of the locals in the area are living in poverty. Some might not have
the economic, intellectual, or psychological capabilities needed to facilitate
the changes caused by globalization. Also, used to a more remote, solitary
lifestyle some may be reluctant to change their way of life to welcome in the
many different types of people that will be passing through the area in need of
all various sorts of goods and services. Take a virtual tour of the beautiful
city at Virtual
Tour
The Arenal Volcano
The volcano Arenal is a strato volcano
that stands at 5,437 feet in elevation.
The earliest estimated eruption of the volcano occurred 7,000 years ago.
The most recent large eruption occurred in 1968. At this point, the people that
lived around the base thought that the volcano was simply a mountain, and they
referred to it as Cerro Arenal. Around
7:30AM on July 29th, the volcano came to life again after about 400
years of being dormant. This came as a big surprise to the locals. The eruption
killed 78 people and destroyed three nearby villages.
(Destruction of nearby pastures and
crops)
Many pastures, crops, and forests
were destroyed as a result. The way of life for the Costa Ricans around the
volcano was severely disrupted. The volcano hasn’t seized to flow since the
eruption as it is currently an active volcano producing pyroclastic flows
daily. Eventually, some people saw this as an opportunity for tourism. Locals
would guide visitors around the area and explain what happened during the
eruption. People now flock to the area in order to see the volcano, in turn
creating a large gateway community in the area to serve the people different ways
to see the volcano and surrounding forests.
The Arenal Observatory Lodge
Offers one of the best places to
observe the volcano, the lodge sits in a private nature reserve in the heart of
one of Costa Rica's
most beautiful areas. Rich volcanic
soil supports primary and secondary rainforest. Waterfalls and rivers offer
breath taking views on the well marked and manicured trail system around the
property, which provide easy access to the natural beauty. It is best to observe Arenal during the evening or early morning
hours and heavy cloud cover is quite common throughout the day, especially
during the rainy season. .
LAKE ARENAL
In 1978, the man made Lake Arenal
was formed by the waters of Rio Arenal being diverted to fill and stock what is
today a 40,000 sq. impoundment. The lake is surrounded by rolling hills
that are partly pastured and partly forested. The northwest side of the lake is
a dry region of rolling hills and pastures, distinctly different from the lush
landscape near La Fortuna. Water depth near the dam
runs up to 190 feet; the water depth in the channels will run up to 120 feet.
Water temperature varies less than 4 degrees Fahrenheit year round. The lake produces about 60% of the
hydro electrical power for Costa
Rica.
Hot Springs
The hot springs not only
feature stunning views of Arenal Volcano but also offer the pleasurable experience
of bathing in the volcano's byproduct. These
hot springs are about 12 km from the town of Fortuna. Luxury hotels
have opened bathing resorts with different swimming pool fed by the thermal hot springs. Set amidst
stunning lush greenery, rare orchids and superb waterfalls, the hot Springs offer the
ultimate indulgence for those who just want some peace and quiet.
Tourist Activities
Beside the volcano and the hot springs, this town has
other great attractions like the La Catarata de la Fortuna, a breathtakingly
beautiful waterfall that falls from a dizzying height of 70 meters. For the more outdoorsy person, this region of
the country has plenty to offer. White water rafting, hiking excursions, kayaking,
canoeing, fishing, horseback riding, canopy tours. These are all ways to create and maintain positive
developments in the area while keeping power with in the community. They should
not allow many major tourism or commercial corporations to come in dominate the
area, instead as much as possible try to keep the money made in the community
from leaving the community. Also, it is important to educate the people of the
community, helping them to develop specialized skills that will help aid in the
development of the community. Possible constraints will be a lack of initial
capital that may be needed to start local programs and businesses that will be
needed to help the local people in the community harness the development
opportunities provided. The Arenal area is already flooded with large
businesses and tourism corporations it seems only a matter of time before these
types of businesses flood the La fortuna area.
