After a quick rundown of instructions, lathering ourselves in bug spray, and retrieving the proper equipment we rode up in trams to begin our adventure. Once at the top we admired the massive Arenal Volcano and the man-made Lake Arenal. After another team photo shoot, we were finally ready to begin our eight zip line journey from platform to platform down through the rainforest. There was hesitation from some team members and Gabby, our tour guide, because of the height of the lines. All were able to overcome their fears and experience the breathtaking views. We were able to reach speeds of 55 mph in "bullet position" (tucking your legs in really far and leaning back) and were on one of the zip lines for as long as half a mile (called the "big daddy). It was an incredible experience that many of us hope to repeat again! Unfortunately, we never saw any monkeys or other critters throughout the tour but the scenery was magnificent. We had a traditional Costa Rican lunch to finish off this experience and then were on our way to the La Fortuna Waterfall.

There was an arduous 15-minute hike down to the waterfall as many of the stairs we uneven and ruggedly placed. However, as soon as we reached the waterfall we could see it was definitely worth it. We immediately crawled through the rocky terrain to reach the cold waters beneath this brilliant natural beauty. The water was much colder than anticipated and deterred some from staying in too long. Several of us went into the pool the waterfall emptied into while others went a little ways downstream to a more calm area with many fish. After what seemed like an hour of taking photos we ventured up the steep paths where even college athletes needed several short breaks to catch our breath! Once at the top we continued on our way to our final stop of the night, La Casa Luna Hotel.