La Fortuna Waterfall & Arenal Volcano: A Weekend Away

Q: How long should I stay in La Fortuna?

While I only had 2-3 days there and got to do everything I wanted, I'd suggest 5-7 days for anyone. That way, you'll get to embrace the local " Pura Vida " lifestyle, explore the area thoroughly, and engage more deeply with the culture and natural beauty of the region .

Q: Is renting a car in La Fortuna necessary?

Renting a car in La Fortuna is highly recommended unless your tour includes transportation. This provides flexibility and ease in reaching various attractions, which are often spread out. The roads in Costa Rica are mostly paved, though you should be cautious of potholes and unexpected speed bumps.

La Fortuna, officially La Fortuna de San Carlos, is a town in the Northern Plains of Costa Rica. Its two most famous sights are La Fortuna Waterfall and the Arenal Volcano.

The area is so rich in both nature and culture that a weekend is hardly enough time. However, because I successfully spent a satisfactory weekend there, I will share with you exactly how I did it.

Disclaimer 1: I originally published this post in May of 2022. I’ve recently updated it to include better and more relevant information for you.

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Table of Contents

La Fortuna Waterfall & Arenal Volcano

It’s standard “tourist” practice to visit both the waterfall and the volcano when you’re in La Fortuna. The two sights are equally stunning and both are in the vicinity of the city, which is the main reason why people like to confuse the city name and think it’s called Arenal.

I spent a weekend here soaking in the hot springs and took a day tour to explore both the waterfall and the volcano. Stick with me to find out how you can plan your visit!

A distant view of the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, its green, sloping surface partially shrouded by misty clouds, set against a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

Introduction to La Fortuna

No matter what you do, you’ll have to drive for a couple of hours to get to La Fortuna. It is 2.5-3 hours from the San José and Liberia airports. So depending on your travel style, you could choose either entry point.

The northern Liberia airport is in Guanacaste, where you’ll get the sweltering summer weather, lots of beautiful beaches, and luxury hotels. The San José airport is right by the capital, where you’ll have access to more local tourism, culture, museums, and closer access to the stunning Caribbean coast.

A lush tropical scene featuring vibrant green foliage and red flowers surrounding a misty natural hot spring cascading into a calm river, creating a serene atmosphere near the Arenal Volcano. — *Geothermally heated hot springs are another signature of La Fortuna.*

There has been a lot of confusion about whether this area is actually called La Fortuna or Arenal. La Fortuna is the town’s name while surrounding the town are the Arenal Volcano and Arenal Lake. Naturally, people start to use the two interchangeably.

Thanks to the Arenal Volcano, one of the country’s 6 active volcanoes and the most active one… there is a lot of geothermal activity in the ground. This creates the natural thermal hot springs that the area is famous for. These hot springs relieve stress, clean your skin, and relax your muscles. All the good things!

Not only are there natural hot spring pools but along with tourism, hot spring resorts have sprouted along the strip with their own pools filled with naturally-heated water.

Best Time to Visit

The dry season in Costa Rica is from October to April. A word of caution: It’s never completely dry in Costa Rica… But this is your best chance to visit without running into too much rain.

What to Bring

Rain jacket / Umbrella
Backpack rain cover
Insect Repellant (I have a pet peeve for sticky lotion so I used wipes which worked perfectly)
Good hiking shoes
Swimsuit
Water bottle
A good camera: I used my Sony a7Siii.
Headlamp (Optional)

How to Get There

There are a couple of ways you can get to La Fortuna from either of the two airports.

Rental Car

I have to admit I’m a little biased. As someone who’s at her most relaxed while driving, I took a quick look at how much longer buses would take and I went for rental cars. The drive takes around 2.5-3 hours depending on the traffic, which tends to be minimal if any.

Just like any other country you might have rented a car in before, they are always available for pick-up around the airports. Follow the links below to find the best car deals for you.

>>Find rental car deals from San José<<

>>Find rental car deals from Liberia<<

At this point, you’re probably full of questions about renting a car and driving it there. Learn all you need to know about driving in Costa Rica.

A roadside restaurant named 'La Fiesta del Sabor,' featuring colorful signage advertising local dishes. The small eatery is surrounded by parked cars and greenery, with a man in a neon vest standing near the entrance. — *There are countless local restaurants every 5-10 minutes on the way to La Fortuna from San José. I found this gem on my way to La Fortuna. Both the service and food were awesome.*

Bus

A bus leaves downtown San José at 8:40 am every morning from Terminal 7-10 and arrives in La Fortuna at around 1 pm. It costs around $5 per person. The big downside is you can’t reserve your seat online at all. So you have to get to the terminal very early to guarantee a seat among the 50 they have.

The bus from Liberia takes about 5 hours and goes a little bit out of the way to Upala, where you’ll need a transfer. It leaves at around 12:30 pm and costs around $4 per person.

Airport Shuttles

Shared airport shuttles from San José cost $54 per person. It departs twice a day at 8:15 am and 3:00 pm.

The same shared shuttle from Liberia departs twice a day at 9:20 am and 3:00 pm at the same price.

If you’re coming in a group, booking a private transfer is your best bet and most economical option. Follow the links below to book a shuttle for your group of up to 5.

From San José to La Fortuna

From Liberia to La Fortuna

Accommodations

I stayed at Paradise Hot Springs and had an amazing experience. They had 5 hot pools with varying temperatures and one cold pool that’s used to reset your body temperature. The pools are filled with geothermally-heated water from the natural springs.

There’s also a bar in one of the warm pools, which I got to enjoy.

A tranquil hot springs area at a hotel, surrounded by lush tropical greenery and tall palm trees, with a rock formation featuring cascading water into the pool beneath a cloudy sky. — *My favorite pool is at Paradise Hot Springs. There are underwater in-pool beds you can lounge on around the edge.*

Even if you’re not staying at the hotel, you can buy day passes for its hot springs. The pass starts at $28 and goes up if you’d like to add meals and spa packages.

La Fortuna Waterfall

Because I knew I had limited time to explore, I joined this day tour. They took me to the waterfall, the Maleku village, and the Arenal Volcano in one day. The guide was super friendly and I made a couple of friends as well. Overall an amazing experience!

A group of hikers descending a lush, forested trail toward the waterfall, surrounded by dense tropical greenery. The hikers are following a guide while navigating a steep path with a chain railing for support. — *Beginning of our day tour: Hiking down to the waterfall*

The Hike Down

We did the hike at Arenal Mundo Aventura‘s facility. If you’re coming straight here without a tour guide, the entry fee just to hike is $19 per adult.

Our adventure began with what our guide called “A natural massage.” Literally… We rode a tractor cart (think Universal Studio Tour type of cart) 1 km up the rocky terrains to get to the trailhead.

Everything from your rear end to your brain will be well-shaken by the time you get up there. If you have motion sickness, you might want to consider an alternative. You could make more time to walk up or take a motion-sickness pill.

Directional signs in a tropical forest pointing to La Fortuna Waterfall, Mirador Pino Blanco, Catarata Fortuna (600 meters), and a cable route (400 meters). The signs are painted in blue and yellow, surrounded by dense greenery and large leafy plants. — *La Fortuna Waterfall Trailhead*

From the trailhead, it was about a 600-meter hike down to the waterfall. There are steps and chains for you to hold on to all the way down. Our guide brought a fresh pineapple with him and was holding on to it like a teddy bear during the hike. It was so cute.

Once we got to the bottom, our guide waited by the river to look after our stuff while we crossed the river to get to the waterfall. This river is another Instagram-worthy spot.

A woman sitting barefoot on a rock near a stream, surrounded by lush green jungle. She gazes upward with a peaceful expression, immersed in the tranquil natural surroundings. — *Look at how gorgeous this river is! And there’s never anyone in the background because the waterfall is the other way, so nobody goes in that direction.*

The Waterfall

Once across the river, we climbed up another little stairway to get to the waterfall. And boy, is it stunning…

A woman standing at the base of La Fortuna Waterfall, looking up at the cascading water surrounded by lush greenery and moss-covered cliffs. The powerful waterfall creates misty spray, adding to the dramatic and serene jungle setting. — *Standing right in the pool. It was so stunning.*

The waterfall hits the pool at a force of 300 kph. That, unfortunately, means no swimming near it should you wish to live, let alone under or behind it.

We had 1 hour at the waterfall, so those of us who brought swimsuits could soak in the pool for a bit.

I asked a stranger to take this photo for me, in Spanish… And I think because he was so impressed, I was able to ask him to try different angles until there were no people in the frame. Because the pool was CROWDED. Thank you, the very nice stranger from Mexico!

Once we got back to our stuff an hour later, our guide had chopped the pineapple and laid it out beautifully for us to snack on! So that was why he brought it down!

Maleku Village

After we hiked back up from La Fortuna Waterfall (Yes, what goes down must come back up so make sure you’re physically fit for this!), we walked back down the 1 km because we didn’t want to wait around for another cart to arrive.

Next, we stopped by an indigenous Costa Rican village. The Maleku people are one of the 8 indigenous tribes left in Costa Rica and one of the only 4 that still protect their language. They’re also the smallest tribe, with only 650 left.

A rustic wooden structure with a thatched roof covered by a tarp in the Maleku Village, surrounded by lush green grass, tropical plants, and trees under a partly cloudy sky. The scene highlights the simplicity and natural setting of the village. — *A Maleku house*

We were welcomed into their Palenke (main house) with two taps on the upper arm and the greeting “Kapi Kapi!” which we were supposed to return as a courtesy. They also gave us each a small shot of their alcoholic drink, Chica (corn beer).

A close-up of a hand holding a small plastic cup containing Chicha, a traditional Maleku drink, with its orange hue reflecting the cultural heritage of the indigenous community. The wooden surface in the background adds a rustic touch to the scene. — *Chicha, made of fermented corn, pineapple, and cane sugar. Yes, it is as good as it sounds!*

Drinking Chicha, we listened to the Shaman and head of the tribe as he told us about their tribe’s history and culture. The main house was filled with artwork for sale, as they were great artists.

A vibrant display of handcrafted artwork inside a Maleku house, featuring colorful painted masks and gourds adorned with intricate designs inspired by nature, including butterflies, animals, and tribal patterns. The pieces are arranged on wooden shelves, reflecting the rich cultural traditions of the Maleku people. — *The artwork on display inside the main Maleku house*

Arenal Volcano

We had lunch at the cafeteria of Arenal Mundo Aventura, which was included in the day tour.

Then we hopped back on the van and went over to Mirador El Silencio, which I’d say is a pretty underrated site to hike the Arenal Volcano compared to the more famous 1968 trail or the Arenal Volcano National Park. So let’s give it some love here.

If you’re coming on your own, it costs $10 per person to enter, and they only take cash.

There are plenty of different trails for you to choose from. We walked Trail 4, which was fairly easy, and then we reached Trail 6, which starts at the bottom of the hill and takes you through a dense forest up to the closest view of the volcano.

A narrow, rocky trail surrounded by dense green vegetation, leading toward Arenal Volcano. The lush plants and overgrown foliage create a vibrant, natural pathway under a cloudy sky, capturing the rugged beauty of the volcanic region. — *The trail has a mix of colorful vegetation and pitch-black volcanic rocks.*

It was nothing like I’d ever seen before. The trail was covered in lava rocks with plants sprouting out of it.

Our guide kept picking up strange volcanic rocks and showing them to us on the way up. One was a mix of half-crystalized diamond and normal stone!

A close-up of a hand holding a small volcanic stone from Arenal Volcano, showcasing its rough texture and mix of black and white mineral patterns. The background is blurred, highlighting the unique details of the stone. — *Half diamond, half volcanic stone… Yes, my hand does need lotion, thank you.*

Arenal Volcano, with its green, sloping sides partially covered by mist and clouds, set against a clear blue sky. The iconic volcanic peak stands out as a natural landmark in the region. — *The Arenal Volcano is usually half-covered in clouds. We were lucky enough to see it entirely.*

Once we got up to the viewpoint, we waited for a while to see if the clouds would clear up, and they did!

The tour included a hot springs visit as well, but because most of us were staying at hot spring hotels, we had the option to get back to our hotels early or join them for the last portion. Needless to say, we were all spent and chose to return to our hotels.

And that was my experience with La Fortuna Waterfall and Arenal Volcano! Hope you enjoyed reading and found some of this information useful if you’re planning to go!

Other Activities

Río Celeste is another beautiful waterfall with a famously bright blue color and is only 1.5 hours from La Fortuna. If you have enough time, I’d consider a day trip there as well.

Conclusion

La Fortuna is complete with everything you could ask for at a weekend destination. You can soak in the nature vibes around Arenal Volcano or the waterfall, relax in a hot spring, peek at sloths, and learn a bit about the Indigenous culture.

Although I only had a weekend to explore, I would love to go back and spend a few weeks there.

Common Questions

How long should I stay in La Fortuna?

While I only had 2-3 days there and got to do everything I wanted, I’d suggest 5-7 days for anyone. That way, you’ll get to embrace the local “Pura Vida” lifestyle, explore the area thoroughly, and engage more deeply with the culture and natural beauty of the region.

Is renting a car in La Fortuna necessary?

Renting a car in La Fortuna is highly recommended unless your tour includes transportation. This provides flexibility and ease in reaching various attractions, which are often spread out. The roads in Costa Rica are mostly paved, though you should be cautious of potholes and unexpected speed bumps.