Are you looking for Costa Rica Travel 101? Then you might want to sign up for the small town of La Fortuna. La Fortuna, as well as nearby Arenal Volcano National Park, is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, but for good reason. La Fortuna ticks practically all the Costa Rica travel boxes: lush tropical forest? Check. Abundant animal life? Check. Overpriced tacky souvenir shops? Double check!!
However, La Fortuna has somehow figured out how to be touristy without feeling suffocating. Maybe it is the tackiness. It feels more Wisconsin Dells than Miami Beach. Unlike Wisconsin Dells, La Fortuna is also surrounded by some pretty amazing natural beauty. Lush tropical forest flourishes just outside of town and Arenal Volcano towers over the horizon. The local sloths are pretty cute, too.
What to Know Before Visiting La Fortuna
La Fortuna doesn’t have a very long history. A small group of farmers founded the town in 1932, drawn to the region’s rich, volcanic soil. Then, in 1968, Arenal Volcano blew its top, destroying the surrounding area but sparing the new town. Tourists began to flock to La Fortuna to get a glimpse of red-hot spewing lava. Today, Arenal lies dormant, but it still remains one of the top 20 most active volcanoes in the world. It could blow at any time.
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Transportation to and Around La Fortuna
La Fortuna is nestled between San José, Monteverde and Liberia and driving to or from each takes about three hours. The roads pass through gorgeous mountain scenery, but be careful. It’d be too easy to get distracted by the scenery and slam into a pothole.
If you’d prefer staring out the window to driving, bus service from San José is pretty regular and not terribly inconvenient. Buses to and from other destinations are less regular and more inconvenient, but doable. Centrocoasting has a lot more detailed information about public transportation. Do make sure to double check locally, because bus schedules change regularly. There’s also horseback riding and a combination jeep and boat option from Monteverde which I haven’t done, but they seem fun.
La Fortuna itself is pretty compact and easy to walk around. Unfortunately, getting to and from Arenal National Park is another story. There aren’t any regular public buses that go directly to the park. The buses will drop you off along the highway, where it’s a bit of a walk to the main gate, and they run pretty infrequently. If you don’t have your own wheels, you might be better off arranging a taxi from town. It’s more expensive, but will save you getting stuck on the side of the highway.
Arenal Volcano National Park
Arenal Volcano National Park, or Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal, is located near La Fortuna, and as I mentioned before, kind of a pain in the ass to get to without a car. However, it’s a very nice little park and worth the trouble.
Arenal National Park only has five trails, and they’re all pretty short and flat. You can easily hike around the whole thing in a day. It’s pretty hot here, so bring sun protection and a lot of water. You can’t climb the volcano, though. If climbing volcanoes is your thing, you’re better off heading north to Nicaragua or Guatemala.
The park is divided into two sections: Sector Volcán and Sector La Peninsula. Sector Volcán feels the most popular and crowded. This is where you can hike to viewpoints for that classic volcano photo. You’ll also see old lava flows and a 400-year-old ceiba tree. We didn’t see much wildlife here, but we did observe a not-so-elusive pack of tourists stomping around as part of a guided day trip.
The La Peninsula Sector, on the other hand, felt much more tranquil and wilder, despite having paved trails. The little trails meander through thick tropical forest that’s teaming with bird and animal life. We saw coatis, spider monkeys, peccaries, toucans, parrots and an insane amount of other little birds. It would definitely be worth coming here with a pair of binoculars early in the morning.
Arenal National Park isn’t the place to go for long treks or wild adventures in the wilderness. It is the place to go to spend a day observing some surprisingly accessible nature.
Other Things to Do in La Fortuna, Besides the Park
You can explore all of Arenal National Park in a day, but thankfully La Fortuna has a few other tricks up its sleeve that make it worth staying here at least a little bit longer. The town itself is kind of kitschy and touristy, but it has a lovely central park. There’s also an ice cream shop in there somewhere.
You can book all manner of zip lines, ATV tours, rafting and whatever else from La Fortuna. I didn’t do any of that, because I think it’s kind of dumb. But, if zip lines and ATV tours are your thing, have at it. Supposedly there’s also a very nice waterfall, but we skipped that for some reason, too. I’m more into wandering in the woods and looking at nature.
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Visit Eco Centro Danaus
In case you didn’t get enough nature in Arenal National Park, La Fortuna’s got you covered. Just a few kilometers outside of town, Eco Centro Danaus is a private nature reserve that’s also crawling with Costa Rican plants and animals. It might be one of the easiest places around to see sloths.
The people who run the eco center have spent decades reforesting old farmland in order to revive and provide a sanctuary for local flora and fauna. Jumping on the lucrative eco-tourism bandwagon probably doesn’t hurt either. Various trails wind through the secondary forest and teem with bird and animal life. They also offer night tours, bird watching tours and workshops about the indigenous Maleku culture.
Eco Centro Danaus is definitely worth a half-day visit and is super easy to get to from the center of La Fortuna. You can find more information on their website: https://www.ecocentrodanaus.com/
Soak in the Hot Springs
Besides the abundant plant and animal life, La Fortuna is also blessed with numerous thermal hot springs. The water flows down from Volcán Arenal and is heated by the volcanic lava to provide a natural bathtub. About a million fancy resorts and spas have sprung up around La Fortuna to take advantage of this natural wonder. But those fancy resorts and spas are for suckers.
The cool kids know that there’s a free hot spring just outside of town. Here you can soak in literally the same water as you do in the fancy spas, without having to pay a bunch or deal with snooty upper-middle class people. The free hot springs are popular with local families, so you’ll share your outdoor bath with the Ticos. It’s a cultural experience included at no extra cost. I seriously thought these hot springs were great.
The free hot springs are just across the street from the Tabacon resort. Your map app might label them as “El Choyin.” Look for a bridge and a line of cars parked alongside the road. Some unofficial parking attendants will try and wave you down. They charge about $10 to park, which is totally normal and totally fine. Aside from the parking fee, the hot springs are completely free. Just try getting into a fancy spa for ten bucks.
I’ve noticed a lot of people online talking shit about these hot springs. They’ll complain about having to share the water with the locals, and about having to pay for parking. They’ll also try and make it seem like there’s a nest of thieves in the woods surrounding the hot springs just waiting to rob you blind as soon as your back is turned. I think those people must work for the fancy spas and resorts.
I had zero problems at the free hot springs. Obviously, keep an eye on your belongings, but you really shouldn’t be bringing valuables to hot springs with you anyway. All you need is your swimsuit and a good attitude.
Final Thoughts on La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano National Park
The free hot springs are one of the only things to do in La Fortuna that aren’t super touristy. To be honest, the hardened cynic in me was prepared to get real annoyed with La Fortuna. Yet, even though it’s incredibly popular, this little tourist town has somehow managed to remain charming in the face of overwhelming crowds. It doesn’t hurt that the surrounding area is gorgeous and full of wildlife.
La Fortuna especially shines as a destination for first time visitors to Costa Rica. It’s a great place to get up and personal with the country’s surprisingly accessible nature. You can tick a number of classic Costa Rican species off your list here without having to hike very far. Ignore the other tourists and turn your attention to the amazing wealth of the natural world that surrounds La Fortuna in abundance.
After you’ve started with La Fortuna, find out where else in Costa Rica to visit with our handy guide: Come to Costa Rica: A Travel Guide to the Tourist Hotspot I Still Love
