Lake Arenal

Lake Arenal was a natural lake until a dam completed in 1979 tripled its size, drowned the villages of Arenal and Tronadora, whose people were moved to a new Arenal to the north-east, and created a reservoir of around eighty-five square kilometres that now generates a significant share of the country's electricity and feeds irrigation into Guanacaste. The wind funnelling down the valley from the Caribbean side is famously consistent between December and April, which made the western end one of the better windsurfing and kitesurfing spots in the Americas before the sport moved on. The road around the northern shore is slow, winding and lined with viewpoints, with Arenal volcano at the eastern end.

History

Lake Arenal was a natural lake until the Sangregado Dam at its south-eastern end, built in 1979, tripled its size; the government expropriated all the land below 550 metres. The old towns of Arenal and Tronadora now lie at the bottom of the lake, and their people were moved to a new Arenal to the north-east; the reservoir also covered most of Hacienda La Rosita, a large cattle ranch run by P. Eckrich & Sons, part of the American company Beatrice Foods (Wikipedia, Lake Arenal).

Highlights

• The volcano view - Arenal from the lake's western and northern shores.
• The wind - consistent December to April at the western end.
• The lake road - a slow winding drive with viewpoints throughout.
• Nuevo Arenal - the town built for the people of the drowned villages.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the windy season, which suits kitesurfers and makes the volcano more likely to be visible. The rest of the year is wetter, calmer and greener. Volcano views are a matter of luck in any month.

Good to know

The lake road is narrow, potholed in stretches and slower than the map suggests, with landslide sections in the wet season. Arenal volcano is in cloud most of the time and many visitors never see the cone. The wind that makes the lake good for kiting also makes it cold and choppy for everything else. Water levels drop noticeably in dry years.

Nearby

La Fortuna and Arenal volcano are at the eastern end; Tilarán is at the western.

Key facts