Best Things to Do in One Day in La Fortuna

Purchases made through some links on this page may provide The Detour Effect with commissions (at no extra cost to you). Thank you!

La Fortuna, Costa Rica is most known for the Arenal Volcano which forms an impressive backdrop to the small, laid-back tourist town. Don’t be fooled by the relaxed vibe, as it’s also a total adventure hub for those who prefer an active vacation. To include it in our two week Costa Rica trip, we essentially made a loop from Rio Celeste and Llanos del Cortés waterfalls to Tamarindo, Monteverde, and La Fortuna, then flew out from San Jose. If you’re making a similarly quick trip to Costa Rica with only a day or two to spend in the Arenal area, read on for highlights on the best things to do in La Fortuna. I’ve also included tips we learned after making a perilous travel mistake on the way in – don’t take the same detour we did!

Pre-Trip Planning Notes

✈️ Use an Airalo eSIM for affordable international cell data and don’t forget to protect your investment with travel insurance.

Where to Stay in La Fortuna: Tree Houses Hotel

Out of everywhere we reserved to stay throughout Costa Rica, we were most excited about Tree Houses Hotel in San Carlos, about 30 minutes south of La Fortuna. The reason is in the name, which is a literal description of the accommodations. Even though it’s a bit outside of La Fortuna proper, we booked here because we were looking for an experience that would bring us close to the rainforest and its wildlife.

How to Get There

By Bus: fresh off the jeep-boat-jeep from Monteverde which shuttled us to La Fortuna, we scoured the local bus schedules for transportation to the Tree Houses. The La Fortuna to Ciudad Quesada line drops off in front of the hotel; check schedules here. In true “detour” fashion, our bus immediately broke down on the side of the road in the jungle in the middle of the night. After a long time of waiting for it to be repaired my friends and I de-bussed (to this day I don’t understand why this choice was made)…and five minutes later it was fixed and on its way. We were now stranded. Typical. It’s like that episode of Spongebob.

The Tree Houses Hotel does have a bit of a shuttle service, so they kindly came to rescue us. If you’re prone to “detours” like us, keep your portable cell phone chargers on hand for situations like this! It was difficult to explain where exactly they could find us – by the tree? – but somehow after two hours or so we managed to flag them down on the side of the road. Once we arrived at our beautiful treehouse, we sighed in relief.

Driving: if you’re coming from the San Jose Airport, the drive time is about two hours. The hotel recommends driving in the daylight hours since you’d be going over some mountains and through a cloud forest. If you’re coming from the Liberia Airport, it could be 3-4 hours.

In-House Activities and Features

Night Wildlife Tour: That first evening we met the groundskeeper Rolando, who knows the property and surrounding rainforest like the back of his hand. Sometimes he organizes night tours for guests, and this particular night he was awesome enough to offer a private one for my friend and I since he was making the rounds anyway! He gave us each a flashlight and led us into the dark, pointing out insects, frogs, and even a beautiful sloth along the way (that’s a bucket list item for this trip officially crossed off)!

It was fascinating to learn how much life was surrounding our treehouse, especially because we never would have noticed any of it with the naked eye. Somehow Rolando would be staring into a dark patch of vegetation and zero in on some rare species crawling across a leaf, when I could be staring for five minutes at the exact same spot and still not be able to pick out what he was finding. It took me embarrassingly long to see the sloth he was pointing to, but he noticed it almost immediately.

Flora and Fauna: That night and the next morning we could hear monkeys shouting somewhere in the trees, and as we drank coffee on our elevated porch we watched black squirrels parkouring through the branches. On our morning walks to the “rancho” for breakfast, we always discovered some new kind of plant we’d never seen before, like the Mimosa Pudica which closes when touched. The hotel grounds even has its own waterfall!

Amenities: the hotel offers an array of other on-site activities, including massage, a chocolate making workshop, and a bird watching tour. The complimentary homemade breakfasts featured fresh local ingredients, and the woman who runs the hotel offered advice on the best sights to see in La Fortuna and the easiest transportation options. After breakfast we took the bus back into La Fortuna (smooth sailing this time), which picks up at a couple stops outside the Tree Houses property and brings you right into town.

Hostels in La Fortuna

If you’d rather stay within the main town of La Fortuna itself and save a bit of money and transport time, there are some very well-rated hostel options including:

Selina La Fortuna
La Choza Inn Hostel
Arenal Backpackers Resort
Cabinas Las Palmas
Palacios Arenal
Arenal Poshpacker
Arenal Hostel Resort

Transportation in and around La Fortuna

The main town of La Fortuna itself is walkable, but the volcano and other natural sights we had limited time to see were far apart and buses did not drop off at each one. We didn’t want to be beholden to group tour schedules or high taxi fares either, so we got a little rental car when it came time to explore. We knew we’d ultimately need it for our return trip to San Jose anyway (a note if anyone is considering renting a car: while you can find really cheap daily price options, the upfront deposit for a rental car in Costa Rica is exorbitant. You get it back when the car is returned in good shape, but the hold on your account for a moment can be disconcerting). Then we were unleashed on La Fortuna and tried to fit in as many activities as possible!

Things to Do in La Fortuna

Arenal Volcano

Arenal Volcano National Park (Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal), Mirador El Silencio, and Arenal 1968 Reserve are all separate designations. Each offer hiking trails with views of the volcano, but El Silencio Mirado is sometimes ranked as the best.

The 1968 Reserve (named for the devastating 1968 eruption) is open later than the others, from 8am-6pm vs. 8am-4pm (National Park) or 8am-5pm (El Silencio). Buses don’t drop off at any of the three parks, so if you don’t have a rental car, you’ll need to find a taxi or paid tour, or hitchhike. Most of the guided tours involve visiting Mirador El Silencio (see one, two, three examples). We did have a car, and it put me in a state of paranoid unease and excitement to learn that every parking lot in the area requires you to back into your parking spot so you have a quick getaway should the volcano blow.

We were interested in the eruption history and hiked the Arenal 1968 Trail. Once you get far enough into the trail (which is gentle, easy walking), all of the surrounding land is hardened volcanic ash and the charred remains of vegetation making half-successful attempts to grow back through the cracks. From most viewpoints smoke could be seen emanating from the crater. Arenal is only recently considered dormant, having been one of Costa Rica’s most active volcanos for decades. You can’t hike up to the crater anymore as a result of tourist injuries and deaths in the past, though I hear tell that some hikers still go off-trail and bushwhack their way up the volcano itself. This is illegal and dangerous.

Search for advance admission tickets and guided tours of Arenal 1968 Reserve here –>

Mistico Park Arenal Hanging Bridges

The Arenal Hanging Bridges provide gorgeous views of rainforest canopy. We did the self-guided walk, which took us far above the ground to mingle with the trees. We were able to look out over the forest miles into the distance, and quite a distance down below our feet as well (whatever you do, don’t drop your stuff). I got a thrill whenever other hikers didn’t wait for me to cross before they made their way onto the bridge as well. Signs advise against this; your own weight shifts the bridge one way, while each step another person takes shakes the bridge in the opposite direction and causes some push and pull. Regardless, it didn’t feel dangerous and the walk was pretty easy. The Arenal Hanging Bridges are definitely doable for kids or anyone who’s not usually super active. 

Search for advance admission tickets and guided nature tours of Mistico Park Arenal Hanging Bridges here –>

Free Hot Springs

There are a ton of designated hot springs locations throughout La Fortuna where you can pay for an entrance fee or day pass, like at the fancy Tabacón Thermal Resort and Spa. If you prefer not to pay a fee and are up for a more off-the-cuff experience, there is also a free hot springs location. Across the street from the entrance to the Tabacón hot springs (not to be confused with the nearby entrance to the hotel itself), there is a gravel trail leading to the hidden hot springs spot. People just park on the road and then walk down. We drove by when we were there, but it was too crowded that day and we decided not to stay. I’d recommend strategizing your timing so you can try to get a more secluded experience; perhaps early mornings are best.

Another free place to enjoy the water is the El Salto rope swing and swimming hole. This one looks gorgeous, surrounded by jungle and not overrun with crowds. I wish we’d known about this spot during our trip!

A lot of GetYourGuide’s La Fortuna-area day trips include a hot springs visit alongside other sites like Arenal Volcano or the Hanging Bridges.

Local Cooking Classes

Join local pros to learn authentic Costa Rican cooking! Trip Advisor features multiple options, including:

3 Course Cooking Class with a Local Chef
Cooking with a Costa Rican Family
Costa Rican Cocktail Class
Ceviche and Empanada Cooking Class
Cooking Class featuring Tortilla Making
Cooking and Salsa Dance Lesson Combo
Cook Like a Local

*Speaking of food, have a restaurant recommendation in La Fortuna: we loved the Lava Lounge Bar & Grill. Open air, great food, lively vibes, dogs allowed!

Adventure Sports

With more time I would have loved to kayak on Lake Arenal. There’s also a “Safari Float” kayaking tour aimed at spotting wildlife, which includes learning about production of coffee, chocolate, and sugar cane afterwards.

Near La Fortuna there are also canyoning tours where you can rappel down a waterfall!

In researching about La Fortuna, you’ll quickly come across information for the famous La Fortuna waterfall. Since my friends and I had already seen Rio Celeste and some other truly spectacular turquoise blue waterfalls in Costa Rica, we didn’t feel the need to also search out the La Fortuna waterfall with its $18 entry fee. You may feel differently; it does look beautiful from the pictures! At 200ft tall, it pours into a pool that you are allowed to swim in.

The waterfall rappel tours are not at the La Fortuna waterfall. One is at Gravity Falls, for instance, and another is at Pino Blanco Waterfall.

White water rafting, ATV tours, and ziplining are available all throughout Costa Rica, and La Fortuna is no different. I wouldn’t plan my La Fortuna stay around these activities specifically since they are not unique to the area. That being said, if you have some extra time after seeing the iconic sights and haven’t had a chance to do these types of tours elsewhere in Costa Rica, I imagine the beautiful scenery in La Fortuna would make these excursions extra special.

We spent two weeks in Costa Rica as a whole, after I had just spent a number of months living and working in the last two destinations I’d been in. The comparison made me realize how much I prefer long-term stays and seasonal work/volunteering to vacationing. We got a little taste of every town we went to in Costa Rica, like a carrot being dangled in front of our faces, but not a full understanding about the culture and lifestyle.

Regardless, I’ll tell you what “Pura Vida” meant to me in La Fortuna – finding fresh mango on every corner, getting caught in the rain and continuing the hike anyway, getting stranded on the side of the road and laughing about it, discovering wildlife I’d never seen before, the kindness of strangers, and, a rarity – having no nagging desire to be anywhere other than exactly where I was.

Related:

Pin It: