Costa Rica National Park Arenal

National park Volcano Arenal has an extension of 5208 hectares and includes lake Arenal and the area around the volcano. This protected zone is home for an unbelievable amount of animals and plants among them some very important kind.

La Fortuna is the next city near the active volcano and during main season often filled up with tourists. Especially during christmas and eastern you should book long time in advance.

In La Fortuna you will find many "Cabinas", simple rooms which are most times clean and come with hot water and shower. At the same time, hotels of the lower class as well as hotels with comfort (some miles away) are available.

You will find many restaurants and offices, where you can book tours to the most popular destinations like for example a day tour to Cano Negro Reserve (on the river), trips to Monteverde cloud forest, horse riding tours to waterfall La Fortuna or to Cerro Chato, an extincted volcano near volcano Arenal, to the cave of Venado as well as to hot springs Tabacon.

You can also rent horses in La Fortuna. Riding to the waterfall La Fortuna costs about US$ 10 each and a guide will come with you. You leave La Fortuna on a paved road and pass Papaya plantations until you come to a small unpaved road turning to the right. From there, you horse ride about one hour up to the hill until you come to the entrance, where they charge you a fee of about US$ 2 per person. From the entrance, there is a narrow and steep way leading down to the canyon of the waterfall. It is important to bring good shoes and never let your children walk alone. Climbing down can be dangerous and is not like walk. However, if you made it, nature rewards you with a breathtaking view. Water falls down roaring from a big height into a natural pool, where you can take a cold bath. If you follow the small river down, you will find more places to take a bath. Use the chance to go in, even if it is a little cold, but it makes you fit for climbing back up.

If you leave La Fortuna in direction of volcano Arenal and lake, you will see a new discotheque with view to the volcano and you will pass the hot springs of Tabacon. When you see the parking place of Tabacon, you have the choice. Either the luxurious bath with restaurant and pool bar to the left where you have to pay an entrance fee of US$ 10 each or the more natural, more private bath on the right side of the street, which charges you only about US$ 5. Both have a temperature of about 104 Fahrenheit and are feed with water directly from the volcano.
We recommend the bath on the right side. People just prepared the river with stones, a nice garden around and several reservoirs with small waterfalls. You are more private there, save much money and it is more peaceful. You can enjoy enough luxury and pool bars at home!

If you are miserly or very poor, you can still enjoy swimming in the hot spring. Just drive some hundred meters more from the parking to lake Arenal and you will see a place on the left side of the street where cars are parked in the evenings and people take a bath in the river near the street. A good possibility depending how clean the people before left the place. In the last time, I have seen it very dirty and can not recommend it anymore. Even if they offered a garbage container, people seem not to know how to use it.

At lake Arenal you can rent boats or go windsurfing and fishing. A fresh fish from the lake is more than a delicacy. In a small village directly at the lake, they cook it wonderful, but this place is only to accessible with a Jeep after passing some rivers.

Advise: If you can not find an answer to your specific question, please email us. We like to help. Have fun in Costa Rica !