Arenal is the near-perfect cone on every Costa Rica poster, and La Fortuna is the small town at its foot. Spend three days here and you can walk the old lava flows in the morning, cross the rainforest canopy on hanging bridges in the afternoon, and finish in a river warmed by the volcano after dark. It is a different trip from the coast: less beach, more rainforest, and the volcano in view whenever the clouds lift.
The big three are the volcano trails, La Fortuna Waterfall (about 500 steps down to a swimming hole), and the hanging bridges. Wildlife is easy here too: a short sloth walk works for every age, and the night walks turn up frogs and insects you will not see by day.
Rivers heated by the volcano run under the whole area, and the springs range from a family water park at about $15 to the Tabacón day pass. Our Costa Rica hot springs guide compares them, and the family hot springs page covers the ones with slides and cooler pools.
Every price below is the operator's own lowest published adult rate, checked in October 2026. We book these on request with local operators we trust: send your date and group from any tour page and we come back with availability and the final price. Staying with us? Our private villas near La Fortuna make a good base for all of them, and the Arenal destination guide covers getting there and when to go.
13 experiences around La Fortuna, picked from more than eighty we priced.
Staying on the Pacific side? We also run a private Arenal day trip from Manuel Antonio.
The waterfall opens at 7 am, the hot springs run late into the evening, and several walks have minimum ages. Tell us your dates and everyone's ages and we will put the days in the right order.
Plan my Arenal days
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