About the only travelers who don’t breeze in and out of this gusty little transportation hub are windsurfers setting sail on Laguna de Arenal, 5km away. The man-made lake is the largest, most efficient hydroelectric project in Costa Rica, providing 40% of the country’s energy as well as spectacular views of Volcán Arenal. High winds (up to 70kph) provide “clean energy,” spinning a group of windmills at the best energy-producing wind turbine in the world. Though many foreigners have made their homes here, ticos still abound. The park in town is full of blue and yellow benches where older tico couples talk quietly as the younger generations prowl the wide streets in search of wilder nights.
The church is east of the parque. Buses (☎2695 5611) leave half a block west from the parque ’s northwest corner to: Laguna Arenal (45min.; 5 per day 7am-4:30pm; ¢400); Cañas (45min.; 9 per day M-F 5am-5pm, 5 per day Su 7:30am-4:20pm; ¢450); Monteverde/Santa Elena (3hr.; 12:30pm; ¢1200); Puntarenas (2hr.; 6am, noon, 1pm; ¢800); San Carlos/Ciudad Quesada (4hr.; 7am, 12:30pm; ¢400) via Fortuna and Arenal; Guatuso (3hr.; noon; ¢800); San José (4hr.; 5 per day 5am-4:55pm; ¢2870). All of these buses stop at Laguna de Arenal as well. Bus tickets can be bought the same day. (Bus stop open M-Sa 6:30-11am and 1-5pm.) Taxis (☎2696 5324) line the west side of the parque by the phones.
The town supermarket, Almacén Samora (☎2695 6227), is located one block south of southeast corner of the parque, and SuperCompro (☎2645 6050, open daily 8am-9pm) is on the south side of the parque. For those looking for fresher options, at the market next to the bus station, stalls sell inexpensive comida típica ( casados ¢1200) along with produce. Chorreadas (creations that lie somewhere between tortillas and crepes, topped with cream or cheese) ¢600. (Open daily, hours vary.)
Equss, 12km from Tilarán, accessible by car or bus heading toward Arenal, is a party that happens once per week on the lake. Walk through a small patch of jungle down a hill to an open dance floor made with rugs and filled with a mix of ticos and windsurfers. (Sa night salsa, merengue, and cumbia. Opens 8pm.) Restaurant Mary, the restaurant directly under the hotel, picks up on the weekends. While there’s no dancing, ticos come here to get a few drinks and relax with friends. (☎2659 3281. Open daily 10am-2:30am. AmEx/D/MC/V.)
On the skirts of the volcano, Laguna de Arenal is one of the world’s premier windsurfing spots, with a high season that runs from December to May and peaks in April. The Hotel Tilawa rents boards and offers classes in various water sports through the Tilawa Water Activity Center on the lakeshore, downhill 100m from the hotel. (Kayaks US$10 per hr. Kiteboarding US$50 for first hr., each additional hr. US$30; 5hr. lesson US$150. Sailing 1hr. US$20, half-day US$35, full-day US$45. Windsurfing 1hr. US$35, half-day US$45, full-day US$55, 3-4hr. beginner lessons US$60. Open daily 7am-5pm.) Hotel Tilawa also offers boat trips to Volcán Arenal and hot springs (5hr.; US$60-70 per person, 6-person min., 15-person max.), canopy tours (US$45), trips to Viento Fresco Waterfalls (4 waterfalls, last is 80m high; US$12, US$45 for 3hr. horseback ride tour including snack and drink. MC/V), and tours to see the petroglyphs by Corobici Indians at Finca Arqueológica Las Lomas.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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