Things to do in La Fortuna
Are you wondering what are the absolute best things to do in La Fortuna, Costa Rica? Look no further! I spent six incredible days in La Fortuna in the beginning of June and had an absolute blast. Check out the list below to see all the things to do; from adventuring around a volcano and under waterfalls to relaxing in hot springs.
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What is La Fortuna, Costa Rica?
La Fortuna is a small town at the base of the active Arenal Volcano in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica, known as the “adventure capitol” of Costa Rica. It means “The Fortune” as an ode to it’s incredible natural wildlife, waterfalls, and lush landscapes.
How many days do you need in La Fortuna, Costa Rica?
I spent 6 days in La Fortuna and felt I could’ve stayed longer because there really is THAT much to do. However, depending on your timeline, you could squeeze multiple activities in one day and accomplish a lot in about 3 days. I prefer having less packed days and time for relaxation so I thought six days was perfect.
Do you need a car in La Fortuna?
My husband and I rented a car and were very happy that we did. We liked having the flexibility to go to town and to different activities without having to get a taxi or organize a shuttle. However, most all of the activities are within 20-30 minutes of the town and many excursions include a shuttle pickup from your hotel so it’s certainly possible without a car. It just depends how much flexibility you want. We found the roads easier to drive than we anticipated, as long as you can handle windy roads and some potholes you will be fine.
Best Things to do in La Fortuna
There are endless incredible things to do in La Fortuna, just be prepared to pay to do everything, even hikes had an entry fee! These were the activities we did and loved every single one!
Mistico Hanging Bridges – This is a top attraction of La Fortuna, it’s a hiking trail with 16 different hanging bridges throughout the park that give you incredible tree top views of the jungle and volcano. I recommend booking a walking tour with a guide as they will help you spot animals and bring a scope with them that lets you see the animals up close by looking though the lens. You’ll be shocked at how hard it is to spot most of these animals on your own! They recommend going early in the morning at 6am for the best animal sightings, but we went at noon and still got to see Coatis, Monkeys, Snakes, and birds.
- Cost: $44USD each with Guide, $25USD without Guide
- Opening Times: 6:00am to 3:50pm (book ahead of time online)
- Time: 2 to 2.5 hours
- Distance: 2 miles
- Difficulty: Low/Medium (some small steeper climbs, but mostly a pretty easy/moderate walking trail
Arenal Volcano Hike – If you find yourself with a beautiful clear day, then make sure to take that opportunity to visit the Arenal Volcano National Park and do the hike that gives you great views of the volcano. If you do this in the rain or fog you might be disappointed as you might not even be able to see the volcano through the fog. We got lucky with a gorgeous day even in the rainy season and it was a great hike through beautiful trees with a view of the volcano and Lake Arenal in the middle. We did the Las Coladas trail and added in the El Ciebo loop which if you have the time I would recommend!
- Cost: $16USD each
- Opening Times: 8am to 4pm ( You can just pay at the entrance)
- Time: 2.5 hours for the Las Coladas and El Ciebo trail. Probably closer to 1.5 hours for just the Las Coladas.
- Distance: Las Coladas is 1.2 miles, El Ciebo is closer to 2 miles
- Difficulty: Low/Medium (some steps and climbs, but mostly flat)
Bogarin Trail: This is a trail right in the town of La Fortuna that is filled with sloths, birds, lizards, toucans and more. I think it’s pretty much guaranteed to see sloths on this trail if you book with a guide. We saw at least 7 or 10 on our walk and apparently the group in the morning saw 20! You definitely want to book this walk with a guide because sloths are practically impossible to see without one. The scope they have also gives you an up close look which is very necessary as most of the sloths are up very high in the trees. We did see a good amount of sloths on other days of our trip in La Fortuna so just know that this isn’t the only place to see sloths, but it’s definitely a fun experience to see so many up close!
- Cost: $45USD each with a guide
- Opening Times: 7am to 5pm
- Time: 2 hours
- Distance: 1.2 mile loop trail
- Difficulty: Easy (flat walking trail)
Night Walk: A lot of creatures in the jungle are nocturnal, so a night walk is a great way to get a chance to see some different types of animals. We booked the Night Tour through the Tropical Forest at Tifakara and had so much fun! The guide distributed flashlights took us through a frog sanctuary where we saw probably 20 frogs including many Red-Eyed frogs and hourglass frogs as well as two snakes and a poisonous dart frog. We realized the importance of booking this tour because we didn’t see a single other frog on the rest of our trip! (Even though we heard lots of them!)
- Cost: $34USD each with a guide
- Time: 1 hour
- Distance: Very short walk
- Difficulty: Easy
La Fortuna Waterfall: This was a highlight of the trip for sure, it was a breathtaking waterfall with the opportunity to swim at the base which was so cool.
- Cost: $20USD
- Opening Times: 7am to 5pm (you can book ahead or pay at entrance)
- Time: 2 hours
- Distance: 500 steps
- Difficulty: Moderate (Be prepared for a lotttt of steps, but there are many rest points along the way so I didn’t find it too challenging)
Coffee and Chocolate Tour: Who doesn’t love coffee and chocolate? These are two things that Costa Rica specializes in making and we had the opportunity to see how they do it straight from the plantation to tasting the final product! North Fields Coffee & Chocolate Tour was a very in depth tour where we got to taste a cocoa bean straight from the plant, pick coffee beans from the plant, and press sugar water from a sugar cane! Not to mention lots of little tastes along the way!
- Cost: $46USD a person
- Time: 2.5 hours
Hot Springs: La Fortuna is famous for it’s many hot springs that are naturally heated from the lava of the Arenal Volcano underground. There are many options for where to go to enjoy hot springs from the free hot springs at Rio Chopin to the very luxurious and pricier Springs Resort and Spa with many other options in between.
My husband and I chose to go for some luxury at the Springs Resort, because hey you only live once! The Springs Resort is about $1000 a night to stay there (more or less depending on the season), but they offer an awesome 2 day pass to enjoy the property and hot springs and I thought it was so worth it! It was a highlight of the trip for sure and so special. Club Rio is also part of the resort which is an activity center that offers tubing, horse-back riding, a wildlife sanctuary and more for an additional cost.
- Cost: $110USD a person for a two day pass at the Springs Resort (must be consecutive days)
- Opening Times: 8am to 10pm
River Tubing: There are a couple options for tubing or white water rafting down the Arenal River. We chose to book through Club Rio at the Springs Resort since we were already there. It was so fun and much more relaxed than some of the pictures make it look. There were kids as young as 6 years old tubing so we felt we could handle the rapids!
- Cost: $42USD
- Time: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
Horseback Riding: Horse-back riding is another great way to explore the jungle in La Fortuna. There’s a couple great horse-back riding tours, but we also chose to book through Club Rio at the Springs Resort. We had an incredible ride, with the opportunity to gallop or just walk at your own pace and even went through a river. We saw monkeys and a sloth on our ride as well!
- Cost: $52USD
- Time: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
*Club Rio also offers kayaking, a rock wall, bird watching, sunset fishing, ATV tours, a night walk, and a rock wall that you can book while there!
Get a Massage! There’s nothing like a relaxing massage after a long day adventuring. Many hotels offer massages on site, but you can also get a more affordable and still wonderful massage in town! We went to Los Sueños Spa and loved it!
Kayak, Paddleboard or rent a boat in Lake Arenal: Lake Arenal is a beautiful large lake right under the Arenal volcano. You can head over to Arenal Boat Rental Association and rent some kayaks, paddleboards, or a boat to explore the lake on the water!
Ziplining: This is one activity that was highly recommended that we chose not to do. Big heights on a string just isn’t our thing. However, I have heard incredible things about ziplining through the jungle and over waterfalls in La Fortuna. There’s many tours that offer it so just check out some reviews and go for it if it’s your thing!
Where to eat in La Fortuna:
- Restaurante Fortuneño – By far the busiest place in town every night, cute decor, tiki cocktails, and a large menu of costa rican classics, American dishes, and steaks
- Nanku Restaurant – fun Tiki atmosphere, mix of costa Rican dishes and steak
- Soda El Turnito – Local Costa Rican restaurant, casual. We had the Empanadas a lunch snack and they were amazing!
Where to stay in La Fortuna:
There are so many beautiful hotels in La Fortuna for all different price ranges. We stayed at Lomas Del Volcan and absolutely LOVED it! One of my favorite hotel stays ever. We had a bungalow in the middle of the jungle with a gorgeous heated pool with a swim up bar, jacuzzi, yoga classes and a free buffet breakfast. It also has it’s own nature trail and we saw monkeys, coatis and lots of birds on the property. It was a total luxurious jungle getaway.
From doing the 2 day pass at the Springs Resort and Spa we got to see all around the hotel and it was next level. 28 different hot springs, all meticulously designed to be breaktakingly beautiful. It also had a gorgeous view of the volcano from the swim up pool bar and multiple restaurants. If you have a deep pocket book this is definitely an unforgettable place to stay. It’s great for kids too with a game room and Club Rio on the property with lots of activities
When to visit Costa Rica:
The Dry Season is from December to April where you can avoid rain and look forward to sunny weather every day. It is pricier and more crowded at this time though.
May to August is the rainy season so if you visit during this time you have to be prepared for daily afternoon showers and storms, but you will often get to enjoy beautiful sunny mornings, lush landscapes, cheaper prices, and less crowds. I went in June and thought the weather was wonderful! We had plenty of sunshine to do many activities and the daily rain storms didn’t get in the way of our fun too much.
Late September through November is the peak of the rainy season and the wettest months so it’s best to avoid those months as it can often be just be endless days of rains and storms.
FAQS: Here’s some good things to know before visiting La Fortuna!
- The tourist areas accept both USD and Colones (the local currency). Most places all took card as well.
- The Water is safe to drink in the tourist areas of Costa Rica.
- There is a mandatory insurance on every rental car that is separate from your own insurance you might have from your credit card.
- Main highways are easy to drive, but rural roads can get quite precarious, drive cautiously.
- 10% Service Charge is included in most restaurants but extra tips are also appreciated.
- Most tourists (U.S., Canadian, EU, etc) do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica for stays up to 90 days.
- Spanish is the local language, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas.
- Pura Vida means “pure life” and is a common greeting and saying in Costa Rica. It reflects the lifestyle of relaxing and enjoying the moment!
Hope you enjoy your trip to Costa Rica and find lots of fun things to do in La Fortuna! For a full 10 Day Costa Rica Itinerary, check out my blog post below!
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