La Fortuna: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
La Fortuna — good luck — is a farming town in the northern plains of Costa Rica at the foot of Arenal, a near-perfect volcanic cone. Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948 and has become a model of nature protection. For Israelis: Costa Rica kept its embassy in Jerusalem until 2006. A day by car or tour; the volcano’s summit is often in cloud, so look early in the morning.
A short history of La Fortuna
La Fortuna was a small farming village at the foot of the Arenal volcano, which was then thought to be extinct. On 29 July 1968 the volcano erupted suddenly, destroying the villages of Tabacón and Pueblo Nuevo, and about 87 people were killed. From then until 2010 the volcano emitted lava almost continuously, and the red flows at night drew tourists here from all over the world. In the 1970s a dam was built that greatly enlarged Lake Arenal beside the volcano. The hot springs in the area are heated by the same volcanic activity.
The ten best sights in La Fortuna
1Church of La FortunaThe white church facing the volcano
2Arenal VolcanoThe perfect cone over town
3Arenal Volcano National ParkTrails across the 1968 and 1992 lava
4La Fortuna WaterfallSome five hundred steps down to the pool
5Cerro ChatoA steep climb to a green crater lake
6Arenal Observatory LodgeTrails and views on the volcano’s flank
7TabacónA river of hot springs; day passes
8Baldi Hot SpringsDozens of hot pools and slides
9Místico Hanging BridgesWalk through the forest canopy
10Ecocentro DanausSloths and frogs on night walks
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in La Fortuna →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in La Fortuna:
Free walking tours in La Fortuna
Under the volcano
La Fortuna — good luck — is a farming town in the northern plains of Costa Rica at the foot of Arenal, a near-perfect volcanic cone. Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948 and has become a model of nature protection. For Israelis: Costa Rica kept its embassy in Jerusalem until 2006. A day by car or tour; the volcano’s summit is often in cloud, so look early in the morning.
- Church of La Fortuna · The white church on the town square, framed perfectly by the volcano behind it. The town lived in Arenal’s shadow without knowing it was a volcano: it had been quiet for centuries and was thought to be an ordinary mountain.
- Arenal Volcano · On 29 July 1968 Arenal erupted without warning, burying the villages of Tabacón and Pueblo Nuevo and killing eighty-seven people. For the next forty-two years it erupted almost constantly, sending red lava down its slopes at night, until it fell quiet in 2010.
- Arenal Volcano National Park · Trails cross fields of black lava from 1968 and 1992, now covered by young forest, to viewpoints below the cone; at the park entrance stands a giant ceiba tree hundreds of years old.
- Arenal Observatory Lodge · A lodge that began in the 1970s as a research station for scientists studying the eruptions, on a ridge facing the volcano; its trails and waterfalls are open to visitors.
- La Fortuna Waterfall · A waterfall of about seventy metres falling from a gap in the jungle into a pool, reached down some five hundred steps; the climb back up is the hard part.
- Cerro Chato · Arenal’s older neighbour, extinct for thousands of years, with a lake of jade-green water in its crater, reached by a steep, muddy climb of a few hours.
Hot rivers and the forest
The volcano heats the rivers around it, and the rainforest around the lake is home to sloths, frogs and toucans. Half a day, with an evening in the hot springs.
- Ecocentro Danaus · A small reserve on the edge of town where night walks with a torch find red-eyed tree frogs, sloths, snakes and sleeping birds.
- Místico Hanging Bridges · A trail of about three kilometres through the rainforest crossing more than a dozen bridges, some hanging tens of metres high in the canopy, where toucans and howler monkeys live.
- Sangregado Dam · The dam completed in 1979 that flooded a valley and its two villages to create Lake Arenal, now the largest lake in Costa Rica and the source of a large part of the country’s electricity.
- El Castillo · A small village on a hill between the lake and the volcano, with a butterfly garden and some of the closest views of the cone.
- Baldi Hot Springs · A resort of many pools of volcano-heated water at different temperatures, with water slides; the hottest pools can be sat in only briefly.
- Tabacón · A hot river running through a garden of pools and waterfalls, built on the ground of the village of Tabacón, which was destroyed in the eruption of 1968.
The lake and the north
West of the volcano the road follows the lake; north lie a river of impossible blue and wetlands near the Nicaraguan border. A full day by car each way.
- Lake Arenal · The lake lies in a gap where the trade winds funnel through the mountains, making it one of the best windsurfing and kitesurfing spots in the world from December to April.
- Nuevo Arenal · New Arenal, built in the 1970s to replace the old town of Arenal, which now lies under the water of the lake; in dry years its ruins sometimes reappear.
- Tilarán · A cattle town on the ridge at the west end of the lake, surrounded by wind farms that, with the dams and volcanoes, help Costa Rica produce nearly all its electricity from renewable sources.
- Venado · Caves in the limestone hills discovered by a farmer in the 1940s, whose narrow passages, underground streams and bats are explored on guided tours in helmet and lamp.
- Río Celeste · A river of sky blue in Tenorio Volcano park. Two clear streams meet here, and minerals from one react with the other to form tiny particles that scatter blue light; legend says God washed his paintbrushes here after painting the sky.
- Caño Negro · A wildlife refuge of seasonal lagoons near the Nicaraguan border, explored by boat among caimans, storks, spoonbills and the gar, a fish with the jaws of a crocodile.
Getting to La Fortuna and getting around
- La Fortuna bus terminal · Buses to San José, about four hours
Cheap eats in La Fortuna
Costa Rica eats simply: gallo pinto, rice and black beans fried together, for breakfast with eggs and sour cream; the casado, a plate of rice, beans, plantain, salad and meat or fish; and chifrijo, rice, beans, fried pork and pico de gallo in a bowl. Every table has a bottle of Lizano, a sweet brown sauce. A casado at a soda, the small local diners, costs about seven dollars.
- Church of La Fortuna · Sodas around the square
- La Fortuna bus terminal · Cheap breakfasts near the buses
- Nuevo Arenal · Lakeside cafés
Nature and day trips near La Fortuna
A volcano, rainforest, waterfalls, a blue river and wetlands of birds.
- Río Celeste · The blue river
- La Fortuna Waterfall · The waterfall
- Caño Negro · Birds and caimans
Things to do in La Fortuna with kids
With children: hot water slides, frogs at night, hanging bridges and caves.
- Baldi Hot Springs · Hot water slides
- Ecocentro Danaus · The night walk
- Místico Hanging Bridges · The bridges
Museums in La Fortuna
Here the history is the volcano itself — the lava fields and the drowned villages.
- Arenal Volcano National Park · The lava of 1968
- Arenal Observatory Lodge · The research station
- Sangregado Dam · The drowned valley
Nightlife in La Fortuna
La Fortuna’s nights are spent in the hot springs, with a few bars around the square.
- Tabacón · The hot river at night
- Church of La Fortuna · Bars on the square
Frequently asked questions about La Fortuna
What is there to see in La Fortuna?
The top sights in La Fortuna are Church of La Fortuna, Arenal Volcano and Arenal Volcano National Park. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in La Fortuna?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of La Fortuna without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in La Fortuna?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in La Fortuna, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Under the volcano.
How do you get to La Fortuna and get around?
The main ways are La Fortuna bus terminal. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in La Fortuna, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in La Fortuna that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in La Fortuna for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.