Isla De Ometepe: My Barefoot Volcano Hike
How to do it: I visited Mistico Park where you take a wonderful 2-3 hour wander through rainforest, walking over 16 bridges (6 of them hanging over the forest), passing waterfalls and spotting wildlife on the way. While you can go to the bridges alone, I took a guided tour, which I’d highly recommend because without a guide I wouldn’t have see the toucans, sloths, spider monkeys, tarantulas, bats and crystal butterflies.
Plan B – if you’ve got a day trip or an early start and need to bring food, get one of the yummy sandwiches from Plan B. Tell the lady it’s for tomorrow and she’ll skip the things that go soggy.
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Top 10 Things To Do in La Fortuna Costa Rica
*La Fortuna Backpackers Resort – if you’re not a dorm dweller, don’t be put off. I had a wonderful, large, modern and clean private room in this ‘resort’ which was a perfectly short stroll into La Fortuna stroll. Those hammocks I got sloth-like in were here. Be aware there are lots of similarly named places in La Fortuna so don’t book the wrong one.
DK Eye Witness Costa Rica – I love the 3D images and historical details in DK’s Guides.
1. Visit Mistico Arenal Hanging Brides Park
How to do it:
Speaking of the hot springs, this is another of the top things to do in La Fortuna Costa Rica and after a day (or probably several days elsewhere in Costa Rica), it’s nice to dip your body into some natural, thermal waters.
Lonely Planet’s Best of Central America – wonderful if you’re browsing and want to see the bigger picture of what to do in Central America.
It took me a few years of circling the globe to circle back to Costa Rica and finally wind up in La Fortuna. Instead of kicking myself for missing it before then, I did something better – I visited La Fortuna twice; you know, by way of a proper apology to this beautiful area.
2. Take a hike in Arenal Volcano National Park
The closest to La Fortuna and some of the best whitewater rafting in Costa Rica, Rio Balsa is one of the best attractions in La Fortuna.
The free option – just a bit up the road from the Tabacon hotel, you can find thermal pools. As at your accommodation and they’ll be able to direct you.
A beautiful, natural and sometimes challenging half day hike away from the mass of tourists, it’s worth taking a day trip to Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park from La Fortuna.
From Semuc Champey to Flores by Chicken Bus
5. Visit La Fortuna Waterfall
*Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa – if you want 5-star luxury with access to thermal pools, stay here.
How to do it:
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Arenal Volcano Hike – Arenal volcano is imposing and visible from right within the town (it’s stunning at sunset) but you can also take a hike on the volcano. I went with a guide, which is probably for the best since I did once end up walking down a volcano barefoot in Nicaragua. Check out my suggested tours below.
3. Chill out in the Arenal Hot Springs
If you do want to see La Fortuna waterfall, know that it’s (apparently) a beautiful 70 meter drop (230 foot). You can drive or take a taxi to the entrance, which is just outside the town. You have to pay an entrance fee and then be prepared for a few hundred steps down to the waterfall. Most importantly, remember that what goes down must come back up again.
How to do it: You can *book a day trip to Caña Negro here, boat trip, guide, lunch and transport included.
I rarely leave home without a travel guide. I’ve visited Central America and Costa Rica a few times and here are the guides I’ve found most helpful for planning my trip.
Lost Iguana Resort & Spa – another great options where you can immerse yourself in nature is Lost Iguana Resort & Spa. With views over Arenal Volcano and a spa to enjoy, you’re in the right place to relax after a day of exploring. You can walk to the Hanging Bridges from here.
4. Day trip to Caña Negro
How to do it: As ever in Costa Rica, if you really are determined to see the most amount of wildlife, take a guide. They know which trees to look at, which spots the wildlife hides in. Generally, you’ll see more in less time. You can book a guided sloth tour here.
A popular alternative for those with time constraints is to go rafting at Sarapiqui. It’s just a short detour from many of the main tourist routes meaning you can usually add it on if you’re travelling to La Fortuna. One of the most popular options is to add it as a stop when you’re travelling from San Jose to La Fortuna (you can book that route with rafting stop here).
6. Go whitewater rafting at Rio Balsa
I can’t believe I’ve saved La Fortuna town for number 9 since chilling out in this ever so cutesy town was, despite all the natural wonders on offer, one of my favourite things to do in La Fortuna. I say chilling out, I mean eating and drinking, of course.
If anyone is ever wondering why hire a guide in Costa Rica, I offer this picture – a close up of a snake with the photo taken by the guide using my iPhone and his telescope.
And South America here if you’re on a longer trip
What’s in this post
I have a habit of missing waterfalls (like that time I went hiking, searching for waterfalls in the mountains in Cuba and turned back because I didn’t find it). I similarly failed in La Fortuna. The first time was because I didn’t have enough time. On my second trip I can only attribute it to the fact I was being sloth-like and had glued myself into a hammock.
7. Day trip to Rio Celeste
Alternatively, if you want a more sedate float on a raft down the river, you can book a *river float day trip from La Fortuna to Sarapiqui here.
8. Search for Sloths on the Bogarin Trail
How to do it: You can book your transfer here.
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9. Eat and drink with volcano views in La Fortuna Town
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La Fortuna comprises a small town that has enough eateries and nightlife to fuel the tourists but the real beauty is the accessibility of the nearby natural wonders. The main attraction is Arenal volcano, which you can see from the town. However, there’s a lot more on offer. Here is my guide to what to do in La Fortuna Costa Rica and tips on how to do it.
How to do it: You can book a whitewater rafting trip to Rio Balsa here.
La Fortuna Waterfall is great combined with the hot springs and Arenal volcano, you can book that combo tour here.
Also a book work? You might like my posts about how to read more books and the best travel books.
If you’re short on time or want to pack your day, you can book a 3-in-1 hanging bridges, La Fortuna waterfall and volcano tour here.
**Hotel Villa Fortuna – a good, clean budget option with close proximity to La Fortuna town and beautiful gardens to relax in.
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10. Take the scenic route to Monteverde via Lake Arenal
How to do it: The important thing to know about how to visit the hot springs in Arenal is that there are many ways. Since Arenal volcano erupted, creating this new attraction in La Fortuna, plenty of hot springs options to choose from ranging from free to enter to ‘you can bring my cocktail and canapés to my lounger’ style luxury.
I can’t believe I skipped La Fortuna the first time I visited Costa Rica. I suppose I was on a hedonistic, one-year around the world trip (that took me six years, oops); and I was chasing to sun along the world’s coastal spots.
Where to stay in La Fortuna & Arenal
Travel tip: the full view of the volcano isn’t always visible, which doesn’t make much difference when you’re hiking on it but do try to spend a few days in La Fortuna to increase your chances of seeing it without cloud cover.
Reputed to be one of the best places to see sloths in all of Costa Rica, of course, I missed this trail (see earlier reference to the fact I was too busy being a slot in a hammock). But in all seriousness, I had already seen a lot of sloths so I was pretty chilled out about tracking down more. However, if you haven’t seen sloths yet, get to the Bogarin trail.
*If you prefer to take a guided tour with hotel pick up and drop off, you can book here.
One of the things that makes Arenal volcano so stunning is the expanse of Lake Arenal stretching below. It’s hard to be in La Fortuna and not want to get out onto the lake but I’d recommend holding out. The vast majority of visitors will go from La Fortuna to Monteverde and by far the best (and fastest) way to go is by boat across Lake Arenal.
My favourite Costa Rica guide books
How to do it: If you have your own transport, you can do this hike alone. If you want an easy transport option that includes the keen eye of a guide (and lunch), *you can book a guided tour here.
How to do it: La Fortuna has a main square with some very dramatic views of Arenal volcano so do make sure you have an evening or two to relax – go at sunset to see the drama setting behind the volcano.
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park – Walking across a network of bridges hanging high about the rainforest is one of the most iconic things to do in Costa Rica and Arenal is one of the best places to do it. I would put this at the top of your list of things to do in La Fortuna.
Chocolate Fusion – if there were a time to scrimp, it’s not here but when you taste hand crafted chocolates this good, you won’t mind handing over a fistful of dollars for them. Coffee’s pretty damn good too.
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*You can find out more and book your selft-guided tickets for Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park here.
More of My Central America Blog Posts
Lonely Planet Costa Rica– although its heavy on detail and light on pictures, this is the best book if you’re on a longer trip or planning on the fly. Otherwise, this Lonely Planet will help you get around all of Central America
There is an alternative park, Sky Adventures Park, but it has fewer bridges.
A quick note – is it La Fortuna or Arenal? While there are no doubt geographical differences between La Fortuna and Arenal, for most visitors, it’s kind of the same place. La Fortuna is the name of the cutesy town which most people use as a base. Arenal is the name of the volcano and some of the surrounding nature areas e.g Lake Arenal. You’ll find tourists throwing both words around interchangeably. In this post, I’ll generally refer to La Fortuna.
You can find all of my Central America posts here
It is possible to hike the volcano without a guide – go to the park entrance visitor centre, pay your fee and pick up a map. As someone who likes to summit volcanoes, it’s worth noting that you can only hike on the lower reaches of the volcano. It’s illegal to go to the top.
Snappers – despite being inland, this restaurant served up food that was good on the eye and the pallet. As you’ve guessed, the speciality is fish but you’ll find meat and veggie options too.
I know that Fodor’s and Moon are popular amongst my lovely USA travel friends – let me know if you’ve used these books and recommend them.
If you’re on a budget, you can find the trail and go on a self-guided tour just 5-10 minutes from La Fortuna.
Where to eat in La Fortuna (and drink)? My favourite spots were:
Blog posts to help you plan (and pack for) your trip
In this post I’ll share the top 10 things to do in La Fortuna Costa Rica.
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Lava Rocks Cafe was a large, lively restaurant with surprisingly good food. I didn’t indulge but the sunset cocktails looked large and cold.
