Arenal Lake

Arenal Lake is located near the Arenal volcano between Monteverde and the town of La Fortuna. The lake is surrounded by beautiful scenery and is 30km long and 5km wide at its widest point. There are a number of hotels that have excellent views of the lake such as the Arenal Lodge and Linda Vista. Most of the hotels in the area do not have views of the lake.

The lake doubled in size in 1979 when it became a hydroelectric project which gives 70% of the electricity to the country of Costa Rica (Geothermal is also used in Costa Rica). In order to make this happen the town of Arenal was relocated to higher ground and now sits at the bottom of the lake.

The lake is known for fishing and most common fish is bass and machaca. The lake and its surrounding area are also very bio-diverse. There are 120 different species of mammals, 2,000 species  of plants, and 300 species of birds. The lake is becoming more and more of a tourist destination. Many foreigners and Costa Ricans have built  second homes in the area where they can getaway to picturesque nature and amazing views near the water. The lake is known for many water sports such as windsurfing which really picks up in certain months.

Along with leisure activities, the lake it is also used as a main source of transportation between two popular tourist spots in Cotsa Rica. In route from Monteverde to La Fortuna or La Fortuna to Monteverde there are boat shuttles that run daily making the trip a bit less intense than driving over rocky, unpaved road for around three hours.