If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, you must consider visiting the Arenal/La Fortuna region. La Fortuna is a small city located close to Arenal Volcano and it is a phenomenal hub for adventures and fun family filled activities, as well as stunning natural beauty.
It is about a 2-3 drive from Liberia airport and approximately 3 hours from San Joes airport to La Fortuna (depending on traffic). Welcome to our Arenal Travel Guide!
WHAT TO DO
We stayed only 4 days and barely scratched the surface of activities to do. It’s such as an active place that you can fill your time with so many different adventures.
Here’s what we recommend:
Visit La Fortuna Waterfall
It is a powerful waterfall in the jungle, fed by the Tenorio River plummeting 75metres into an emerald green pool below where you can go for a swim. The water is chilly but it’s worth the experience!
The waterfall is located just a few kilometers outside of the town of La Fortuna and at the base of the Cerro Chato volcano. There is a visitor center at the start of the falls and the cost is approximately $15 US per adult and $5US for kids. It takes about 15 minutes to hike down a few hundred stairs to the waterfall. There are handrails and benches along the way for you to stop and take a break.
There are change rooms, a restaurant and souvenir shop at the trail head and a nice viewing platform to take photos before you head down. Wear good shoes or hiking sandals for the walk. We also brought water shoes for going in the waterfall which is much better for the feet as it is quite rocky along.
La Fortuna is one of the most visited waterfalls in Costa Rica so get there early to avoid big crowds!
Hike Arenal 1968 Park
This park got its name from the Arenal Volcano eruption of 1968, a huge eruption that destroyed 3 towns changing the landscape by creating huge lava fields down the volcano. These trails have it all including close views of Arenal Volcano, large areas of old lava flows plus a view of lake Arenal. It is a beautiful trail to hike with well-marked pathways.
There are two trails to choose from: The red trail and the yellow trail. The red trail is shorter at 2.5 km and the yellow trail is 4.5km and you could even do both in a few hours. The cost is approx. $12US to get into this park and you can do the hike with or without a guide. We decided against a guide so we could go at our own pace.
Campitelli tip: It rains a lot there so be sure to bring a waterproof jacket!
White Water Rafting
White water rafting is something fun and exciting the whole family can do. Just make sure you do your research to ensure you find the best choice for your family. You can do everything here from calm floats to up to class 5 rapids. If you’re looking for a little excitement but not crazy, check out rafting on the Balsa River which offers Class II & III rapids which is perfect for families. Make sure to check the recommended ages for kids. The cost is approximately $65US per person for a ½ day trip but there are also many combined adventures like rafting and ziplining.
Zip Lining
Our family loves zip lining and Costa Rica is an amazing place to do it. There is something freeing and exhilarating about flying high over the canopies of trees at about 40-50km per hour! This activity isn’t as scary as it seems and is even doable for most people (including me who has a fear of heights). Our daughter was 7 at the time and she was even able to go on her own and she loved it! We saw both young kids and seniors take part. The system is safe, and the guides are friendly and train you before you go. They assist at every platform ensuring everyone is safely clipped in. The cost was approximately $85 US per adult and $58 US per child
Horse Back Riding
Horseback riding is a popular activity in Costa Rica and the Arenal region is perfect with its epic beauty.
You can take trips to see things like the La Fortuna Waterfalls, Arenal volcano or just a nice trip in the countryside accessible only by horse. This is a good activity for all ages and abilities. The average cost is about $65 US per person depending on the length of your trip.
Tabacon Hot Springs
Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa is a 5-star resort located at the base of Arenal Volcano near the town of La Fortuna. While expensive and touristy, visiting is an absolute must! It is a resort that has spa services, accommodation and a fancy restaurant but this isn’t the main appeal. The appeal is the 5 natural thermal springs that are heated by volcanic magma from Arenal volcano. Thousands of gallons of highly mineralized water naturally flow every minute. These springs cascade down the volcano to form waterfalls, streams and little pools that you can sit in, all surrounded by lush tropical gardens.
It is said these Springs are healing from the natural minerals. One thing we know is that they are definitely relaxing! There is also a man-made pool in the resort (heated by the springs) with a swim-up bar and a fun waterslide for the kids (and dad!) but the best and most unique part of the experience is sitting in the natural springs and pools.
The rocks are black, and the water looks cool as you imagine creeks and waterfalls to be. However, they are very warm and the further you climb up the hotter they are. The river-pool temperatures range from 72 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. You can choose to stay overnight at the resort, do a full day pass or a morning 4 hour pass that includes lunch, which is what we did. The cost was $77Us per adult and $28 per child. This was enough time to thoroughly enjoy our experience.
These springs do flow outside of the resort to form a river so if you want a free experience you can park at the side of the road (locals will ask for a small “fee” to park) and walk down to the river. We saw many people in the river to get the experience of the heated water.
Mistico Park – Hanging Bridges
This is a beautiful nature reserve park approximately ½ hour drive from the main town of La Fortuna. In this park, there is a well-marked path that takes you through the lush thick vegetation rainforest and over 16 hanging bridges suspended overtop of gorges and tree canopies. There is so much incredible nature to experience here including different types of birds, monkeys, sloths, snakes and frogs. The trail is roughly 2.5km long and will take about 2-3 hours to do as you will likely stop to admire all the animals and beautiful vegetation.
The ticket price for an unguided tour is $26 per adult and free for kids under the age of 10. You can also do a guided tour that’s about $40Us per adult and $14Us per child. We chose an unguided walk but in hindsight, hiring a guide would be better as they know how to spot the sometimes-elusive animals. We did see a snake, a lizard and some howler monkeys on our hike which was super cool.
The park is open from 6 am to 3:50 pm (the last time they will let you in) and it is extremely popular so get there early to avoid waiting in line. We had to wait about an hour to get in and it was worth it for sure!
WHAT TO EAT
The food in Costa Rica is super delicious! It is generally very healthy, fresh and usually based on meats, fresh vegetables, herbs and rice. There are also many veggie dishes too and they are totally kid-friendly! Here are some Campitelli eating tips:
Eat at Sodas
When you visit Costa Rica, you must try a Soda (not the pop) but little family-owned local Costa Rican restaurants that are usually small and open air. They serve traditional Costa Rican dishes and are popular with the locals as well. We did this a few times and the food is sooooo yummy.
Must Try Dishes
Gallo pinto –is usually served at breakfast but you can eat it all day. It is a dish of rice, beans, onions, red peppers and cilantro. It can be served with eggs, fried cheese and corn tortillas. We loved it so much that we now make it at home. Total comfort food.
Casado – It is usually rice & beans, a salad, protein and sometimes fries and grilled veggies. There are many variations of this.
Arroz con… This means “rice with….”. It can be meat or even just veggies. It’s a yellow rice made yellow by a spice like saffron, made with peas, carrots, red peppers and celery that is all cooked together for a filling and flavorful dish.
Tortilla Chips with freshly made guacamole. We ate this almost every day and quite often made it ourselves. There is an abundance of avocados in Costa Rica!
Costa Rican Chocolate
If you’re like me and love chocolate, you must visit a chocolate factory in Costa Rica! Some even have tours. Cacao trees (where chocolate comes from) grow in Costa Rica in many regions including Arenal so you can’t get fresher than this. You can sample everything from nibs to all different types of chocolates and chocolate bars.
Costa Rican Coffee
The hubs and I are also huge fans of coffee (well lattes) and love trying different coffees as we travel. Coffee is grown and produced in abundance in Costa Rica and is one of their major exports. They take their coffee seriously and have won many international awards around the world. Like chocolate, you can go to the various coffee plantations for a tour. Well worth a visit!
Coconut Water & Fresh Fruit Drinks
We got addicted to these cold, healthy and very refreshing Coconuts. Called “Pipa Fria” translated to “cold coconut”, are sold at roadside stands and on the beach. They are cheap costing between $1 and $2. We drank a ton of these and were sad to go back home where they are not available. It tastes nothing like bottled coconut water, not even close!
Along with Pia Fria, there are plenty of blended smoothie-type fruit stands at the side of the road to get different types of tropical fruit blended up. This was one of the highlights for the kids. You can get alcoholic versions too!!
WHERE TO STAY
Like any country, there are plenty of types of accommodations in Costa Rica. There are hotels, fancy resorts, rental Condos and our favorite, AirBNBs. What you choose depends on what your needs are. Everywhere we travel, budget is always a consideration and we find AirBnb the best value for our family. We would also like to be in areas where the locals live, as well as being able to cook many of our own meals. There are some great Airbnb options in Arenal if this is your style.
More fun words than anything here are a few Costa Rican words to be familiar with:
Tico. Means a Costa Rican Man.
Tica. Means a Costa Rican Woman
Pura Vida. The literal translation is “pure life” and Costa Ricans are known for this expression. In simple terms, it’s a way of living…live life positive, happy and thankful!
Mae. Means “dude”. My son would love this one!
Birra. Is for beer….the hub’s favorite word…well maybe “café” is
If you are looking for a place with stunning beauty and plenty of adventurous activities to do, then definitely put Arenal on the list as a destination. There is so much to do, amazing food to eat and awesome accommodations! We hope we’ve given you some good information to help you plan your visit to Arenal.
If you want help with planning your trip to Costa Rica, consider using our Costa Rica Travel Guide Planner, click here to purchase. We also created a YouTube video about our Arenal Travel Guide. Click below to watch:
