Discovery Adventures ATV Ride in La Fortuna: Arenal River Crossing and Maleku Village

Three hours on an ATV through the forest around La Fortuna, with a guide riding in front and the Arenal Volcano in view for much of it. Children ride as well as adults, so the pace is set by the group rather than by the fastest rider on the trail. The route crosses the Arenal River, and there is time to get into the water, which is usually the point at which people stop worrying about the mud. Between crossings the track climbs through the hills, where the volcano stands above the Fortuna valley and the vegetation closes in on both sides. Two stops break up the riding. The first is the Maleku village, an indigenous community, where the subject is local heritage and how it has been kept. The second is the Arenal Volcano Ecological Park. Both give the guide room to talk about how the north of Costa Rica works: what grows here, what lives in it, and what the volcano did to the valley below. Parking at the meeting point is free and supervised.