Las Hornillas Pictures, Fortuna, Guayabo de Bagaces

The scenic Highway 164 leads northeast from Bagaces and climbs steadily up the western shoulder of Miravalles Volcano (2,028 meters), enclosed within the Miravalles Protected Zone (Zona Protectora Miravalles). The almost perfectly conical volcano is the highest in the Cordillera de Guanacaste.   The western slopes or Miravalles are covered with savanna scrub, the northern and eastern slopes are lush, fed by moist clouds that sweep in from the Caribbean. The southern slopes are cut with deep canyons and licked by ancient lava tongues, with fumaroles spouting and hissing like mini Old Faithfuls.   The forests, replete with wildlife, are easily accessed from the road. However, there are no developed trails or facilities for tourists, and no ranger station.   The road cross tru the village of Guayabo, 21 kilometers north of Bagaces (it has a bank, Internet café, and several cabinas). It is paved as far as Aguas Claras and extends beyond to the hamlet of San José in the northern lowlands.   The way leads east via the community of La Fortuna de Bagaces to Las Hornillas (the burners), an area of intense bubbling mud pots and fumaroles expelling foul gases and steam. Here the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) harnesses geothermal energy for electric power, with two plants that tap the superheated vapor deep within the volcano’s bowe