La Fortuna is a small town in the Costa Rican province of Alajuela nearly four hours drive from San Jose, on good roads via Route 1 and 702, and it’s known as the gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park which comprises of two volcanoes including the active and spectacular Arenal Volcano with its clearly visible lava flows. Hot springs dot the foot of the volcano on the thermal Tabacón River and the dormant Chato Volcano has a crater lake and rainforest trails leading to the amazing La Fortuna Waterfall.
Our stay in La Fortuna was for three nights at Orquideas Boutique Hotel. Most accommodation in the area will have a view of the Arenal (pronounced Aar-re-narl) Volcano which is huge and our Bungalow Lodge with two double rooms you could look out the window to it. This hotel is well maintained and has a nice pool and spa area and the restaurant food is good, try the traditional Costa Rican breakfast Gallo Pinto with rice, beans fried eggs and plantain and of course the coffee is fantastic! Unless you’re going for five star luxury hotels most hotels are basic but clean and staff are friendly and helpful.
A drive to the Arenal 1968 trail is circa 30mins from La Fortuna town via Route 142 west and then a left onto a dirt road leading to Arenal Volcano National Park. You don’t need a 4×4 but the road is a little bumpy to the main car park. It’s a 13k CRC or £20/€24/$26 per person entry fee (they don’t take cash) for a self-guided tour. If you’re not traveling by your own car hotels can arrange shuttles or a taxi.
It’s called the 1968 trail as that year in July what locals thought until that point was just a normal mountain, erupted and it carried on being active with lava and smaller eruptions until 2010. There are two main trails – the Bosque which is 4.7km/3miles long and is a moderate hike and the Colada which is 4km/2.4miles and is a slightly easier option with the occasional strenuous section. Both trails you’ll have fantastic views of the volcano and Lake Arenal and especially from the highest point at the Lava Flow Summit.
Be prepared that it is common for the peak of the volcano to be shrouded in cloud but if you’re lucky you’ll clearly be able to see smoke coming from the top. Apparently only 20% of visitors actually get to the see the volcano not covered in cloud! The trails may allow you to see all sorts of wildlife including toucans, hawks, black squirrels, butterflies including the amazing Morpho, monkeys, snakes and fire ants. There is also a cheaper and equally good trail called the Mirador El Silencio for £8/€9/$10 which has nine different trails of varying difficulty.
A fantastic spectacle and an absolute must see is La Fortuna Waterfall (Spanish for ‘the fortune’) which is over 3miles/5km from La Fortuna town. Its 10k CRC or £15/€19/$20 per person entry. There is plenty of parking at no extra cost and its very well set out and organised. This is a spectacular waterfall over 70 metres high and is a must see if you’re in visiting La Fortuna. There’s a great viewing platform if you’re not up for the 530 steps down(and then up!) to get to the base of the waterfall but the route is well constructed and maintained with small resting areas to admire the view along the way.
You can get into the water near the waterfall if you want, the sound and power from it is amazing or there’s calmer pools just a little further down to swim in. We recommend rock shoes to get into the waterfall section as its rocky but these are not essential. As with anywhere you holiday keep the carrying of valuables to a minimum, everyone keeps their clothes on the rocks and there is security there to make sure no one gets too close to the waterfall due to its power or the cliffs surrounding it due to rockfalls.
In La Fortuna town we highly recommend dinner at the Volcano Steakhouse and the T bone or the New Yorker and the two for one cocktails and they also have live music some nights. Our hotel is just over a mile from the centre of La Fortuna town and whilst you can walk to town alongside the road (you must have torches/head torches as there’s no street lighting) we chose to drive as there’s plenty of parking in or near the town.
Costa Rica being a mountainous forested country there are many sites to go on a Sloth tour but after lots of research we chose to do the Bogarin Trail which is 1 mile/1.6km just outside La Fortuna town. Its 25k CRC or £38/€46/$48 per adult for a two hour guided tour in this little reserve which is highly recommended as you’re guaranteed to see some of the 30 two or three toed sloths and they have many species of birds, bats, spiders, snakes, scorpions and frogs…including poisonous ones!
You can do a self-guided walk around it for 8500CRC or £13/€15/$17 but you’ll definitely miss lots of the animals and interesting plants that the guides will point out. They also have scopes which help to see the animals closer and allow you to get great pictures or videos through.
We highly recommend this trail and especially if you’ve got small kids, pushchairs, mobility issues or are on a quick visit. Night walks are also available for 33k CRC or £51/€9/$64 to see more creepy crawlies but in controlled conditions!
You can’t come to Costa Rica and not do a coffee or chocolate tour and we highly recommend Northfields Coffee and Chocolate Tour. Its located 3km/1.9 miles from La Fortuna town and Northfields can arrange a shuttle from your hotel. You can book tickets via their website or Whatsapp them on +506 8974 5324. Its 22k or £34/€41/$43 per person for a three hour tour with great education in the types and processes in growing and making chocolate, coffee as well as sugar cane and of course… lots of tastings! It’s a very well presented and well paced tour and there is a a gift shop to purchase Northfields own coffee, chocolate and souvenirs.
Finish up your tour with dinner at Pollo Fortuneño in town near the Volcano restaurant (La Fortuna town is not very big). Be sure to make a reservation but if its last minute and you have to queue they’ll bring you snacks and drinks!
La Fortuna is famous for many things including its hot pools and springs which are fed from the volcanic activity in the area and there are lots of options in the area to choose from with the Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa being one of the the fanciest and most popular for tourists. If you’re staying at this five star hotel you get complimentary access otherwise a day pass starts from £70/€84/$89. A cheaper option, and one for the family, is the largest hot springs in the world with 25 different thermal pools and water slides, is the Baldi Hot Springs. This is also a hotel with complimentary use of the pools or day pass prices start from £37/€44/$47.
There are a number of free hot springs options that local Costa Ricans and some tourists use one of which is across from Tabacon Resort. If you get there early in the morning you’ll miss the crowds and the unofficial parking chaps. The tips for the parking ‘attendants’ in their hiviz vests is generally £8/€9/$10 which is a small price to pay to have your car looked after and much cheaper than the hotel hot springs.
We really enjoyed our stay in La Fortuna, there are many Soda restaurants for some cheap traditional and delicious Costa Rican food and the views of the spectacular Arenal Volcano
