Top 6 Things to Do in La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Nestled in the shadow of Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica. This small city of only 15,000 inhabitants receives tens of thousands of visitors each year, drawn to its tropical jungles, natural hot springs, and otherworldly volcano views.
However, visiting this tourist hub means being overwhelmed with an excess of activities, shuttles, and guided tours that could end up costing more than you bargained for. In this article, we'll talk about our favorite things to do in La Fortuna, including a couple options that are completely free!
Getting There
Getting to La Fortuna is relatively simple if you’re coming directly from Costa Rica's capital, San Jose. Many hostels and hotels will offer a shuttle service, but this is pretty expensive. Instead, you can opt for a 4.5 hour ride on the public bus system (with only one connecting stop!). This will eventually drop you off at the small bus station right downtown in La Fortuna.
We talk more about navigating the Costa Rican bus system in this article.
Things to Do
Generally, if you've come all the way to Costa Rica to visit La Fortuna, you've also decided to stop in Monteverde during your trip. One of our biggest challenges when visiting these two popular destinations was deciding which activities to do where, as many of the attractions can be found in both cities.
Overall, our general rule became planning all water-related activities for La Fortuna and leaving the rest for Monteverde. While you’ll more than likely experience rain regardless of the city, Monteverde is higher in altitude, making it colder and windier and less enjoyable for swimming. (We talk about the best things to do in Monteverde in this article.)
El Salto (Free!)
El Salto is an awesome hideaway on Río Fortuna and is one of the few free activities to do in the city. While you can book a driver or even a tour guide, we recommend packing a small bag and walking 25 minutes from downtown. It’s a straight shot to get there, so there’s minimal chance of getting lost, and you’ll pass gorgeous farm fields and have a view of Arenal Volcano on your way. While there's no sidewalks for sections of the trek, just be mindful of drivers and you'll be ok.
When you get there, you’ll see a large sign reading El Salto and likely be bombarded with people offering to guide you or sell you things for a few colones. Just know that the route is easy to find and free to enter, so you shouldn’t have to pay a thing!
You’ll hike down a short trail and eventually come across a rock platform with a waterfall and large swimming hole. This is El Salto! From here you can spend time sunning on the rocks, or muster up some courage and attempt the Tarzan rope swing where you’ll fall from approximately 15 feet into the river.
Things to Note About El Salto:
The water is COLD, so be prepared for that.
You may want to use water shoes to avoid slipping on the rocks.
If possible, watch the locals jump in before you do. They know the water and which areas should be avoided.
La Fortuna Waterfall
When planning your trip to La Fortuna, the first thing you'll likely hear about is La Fortuna Waterfall. This is one of the most popular waterfalls in all of Costa Rica, making it a very busy tourist site.
About an hour and a half walk from downtown La Fortuna, you’ll find the entrance to this famed waterfall. You can easily book a shuttle to take you there and back, but we opted to Uber for a cheaper price. BEWARE though, when we had finished with the waterfall, we realized we couldn’t get cell phone reception in the parking lot or anywhere down the road. This meant we couldn’t book an Uber back and, as there were no taxis in the lot, we ended up hiking back to town in true 'aewalkaround' style. If you have the time to do this though, we highly recommend it! It’s a great hike past beautiful farms and Arenal volcano.
The entrance to the falls is open from 7am-5pm. Once you arrive, you’ll give your information and pay the entrance fee (currently ~$20). Then you’ll enter the forest and hike down 500 stairs to reach the water. This hike only took us ten minutes and you’ll pass many tourists and guides on your way down.
At the bottom, you’ll see why this is such a famous destination. The waterfall itself is massive, surrounded by green jungle spilling into a teal blue pool of water. If you’re a confident swimmer, you can climb over the boulders and wade around in the water near the falls. However, don’t expect to be able to swim to the base of the waterfall. The current is incredibly strong and will push you back into the rocks. You can also head downstream and come to a calmer pool of water that’s much safer for swimming. The shallow water in this section also makes it easy to see silver darting river fish all around your feet.
Once you’ve finished your time at the falls, just know you’re in for a 500-stair hike back up the mountain.
Things to Note About La Fortuna Waterfall:
The water is freezing, especially the closer you get to the falls.
Wear tennis shoes regardless of whether you plan to swim or not. You’ll need them for the hike.
Water shoes would be excellent here, as there’s a major chance of slipping on the rocks.
We wouldn’t recommend this hike to anyone with leg mobility issues, as the stairs really can be intense and slippery.
El Choyin Hot Springs (Free!)
Because of its location at the base of Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna is renowned for its hot springs. However, most of the access points to these heated springs have become monetized by various hotels and spas around the city. Luckily, one notable hot spring remains unclaimed – El Choyin.
You can find this public thermal bath just down the road from the famous Tabacón hot spring (where a day pass for adults is $81) and the same Tabacón River runs through both spots. Unfortunately, it’s located quite a ways out of the city. If you’re up for a hike, it takes about 3 hours to get to El Choyin from downtown La Fortuna (via Ruta Nacional Secundaria 142). If you opt to go by car, it’s about a 15-minute drive. Many of the hostels in the area offer shuttles to and from El Choyin for a small fee, or you can get a taxi/Uber. If you have a rental car, there is free parking just up the road (if you’re able to find a spot).
Once you arrive, you’ll walk down a short trail into the forest and arrive at the hot spring. From here, many people choose to just relax and enjoy the thermal waters near the enterance. However, we recommend heading upstream using the paths on either side of the river. This will lead you to even more pools and more areas of the hot springs to explore.
Things to Note About El Choyin:
Don’t bring much with you. You’ll need to leave your bags at the edge of the river and don’t want to risk theft. Additionally, bring your bags with you if you head upstream or downstream.
You may want to use water shoes to avoid slipping on the rocks.
Don’t worry about light rain in the forecast. It makes the hot spring seem even warmer.
If you hike upstream, beware of coatis on the paths. They're harmless, but if they have food they become territorial.
Arenal Volcano Hike
While this isn’t a water activity, it can only be done in La Fortuna. Access to the volcano is limited to the national park on the volcano's west side, and we'd recommend getting a guide. The guides are well-trained, avid naturalists who love sharing their home with visitors in true "pura vida" spirit. If you're lucky, you might even get a break in the clouds and catch a glimpse of the top of the volcano. The hike took about 3 hours and we'd recommend it for people wanting to get an up-close view of the towering volcano. However, if you're strapped for time, this should be one of the last things you plan on doing.
Things to Note About the Volcano Hike: