15 Top Things to Do in La Fortuna - Waterfalls, Hot Springs & Volcanoes

La Fortuna is one of those destinations in Costa Rica where you could easily fill a week without running out of things to do. Whether you want to hike through old lava fields, swim beneath a waterfall, spot sloths in the rainforest or spend an afternoon soaking in natural hot springs, La Fortuna has something for just about everyone.

I spent time exploring La Fortuna during my Costa Rica road trip in May, and while the weather wasn't exactly on our side, I still found plenty of reasons to love the area. We had some disappointingly cloudy days, missed out on a few activities because of the rain and even had to change our plans more than once. But that's part of travelling in Costa Rica during the green season.

In this guide, I've put together 15 of the best things to do in La Fortuna, including the famous attractions, a few lesser-known spots and some activities I wish we'd had better weather for.

15 Best Things to Do in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

As always I’ll start with the fun part first, namely the top things to do in La Fortuna. If you also want more practical information like where you should base yourself, how to get around and my favourite restaurants, just scroll further down and you’ll find everything you need, including my personal tips to help you experience the area beyond the obvious.

Visit La Fortuna Waterfall

La Fortuna Waterfall is the most famous attraction in the area, and it's easy to understand why. Hidden among tropical vegetation, the waterfall drops around 70 metres down a volcanic rock into a beautiful natural pool. It's one of those places that looks impressive in photographs, but seeing it in person is even better.

To get down to the waterfall you need to walk down a set of stairs with around 500 steps through the rainforest. It's not particularly difficult if you're reasonably fit, but remember that you'll have to climb all the way back up afterwards. There are places to stop and catch your breath along the way, and the views absolutely make the effort worthwhile.

If you for some reason can’t descend the stairs to the base of the waterfall you can still enjoy a pretty spectacular view from a lookout platform at the top.

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Once you reach the bottom, you can admire the waterfall from the viewing areas and, when conditions allow, take a refreshing swim in the pool. Unfortunately, the current was too strong when I visited, so swimming wasn't allowed. My impression is that it’s rare to be able to swim there during rainy season.

The waterfall is absolutely stunning, but after just spending time in Bajos del Toro where you get even more stunning waterfalls almost to yourself, it felt a lot more touristy. However, absolutely worth a visit!

If you’re visiting during peak season and want to avoid the long lines you can prebook your tickets here.

If you have time when visiting Costa Rica, I would recommend adding a stop in Bajos del Toro as well.

If you don’t have a car, book this popular day trip

This popular day trip takes you to see the La Fortuna waterfall, as well as the Arenal Volcano

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Explore Arenal Volcano National Park

No trip to La Fortuna is complete without exploring Arenal Volcano. Although the volcano has been dormant since 2010, the surrounding national park is full of trails through the forest and old lava fields.

The trails are well-marked and you can easily explore the area on your own. There are a range of different trails to do, but I recommend parking your car at the main parking area and start on trail 3, continue on trail 4 and after reaching the lookout point, go back down and enter trail 5 so you get to see as much as possible and get a nice loop to walk.

Unfortunately, the weather was pretty grim when we visited, and the volcano was almost completely hidden behind the clouds. It was a little disappointing, especially as I'd been looking forward to seeing it up close. We did drive past the park on several occasions during our stay and caught glimpses of Arenal from a distance, and it really is spectacular when the clouds clear.

The park is located outside the town centre, so you'll need a rental car or join an organised tour to get there. You can combine it with the La Fortuna Waterfall or check out one of the most popular trips below.

Arenal Volcano Hike with Optional Hot Springs Visit

Explore the forests of Arenal Volcano National Park on a half-day walking tour, with the option to soak away the afternoon in the park’s nearby thermal springs.

Arenal Volcano ATV Guided Experience

For those seeking a bit more adventure, this guided ATV tour takes you through a private trail of the jungle

Soak in La Fortuna’s hot springs

One of the things La Fortuna is most famous for is its natural hot springs. Thanks to the geothermal activity around Arenal Volcano, the area has several places where you can relax in naturally hot water, surrounded by tropical gardens and rainforest.

There are options for pretty much every budget. Luxury resorts like Tabacón offer beautiful pools with waterfalls and swim-up bars, and you don’t need to spend a night to come here, you can simply book a daypass.

For something more affordable, Baldi Hot Springs has a large selection of pools and is particularly popular with families. If you'd rather have a quieter and more intimate experience, EcoTermales is another option worth considering.

There's also the free natural hot spring river known as El Choyin, located near the Tabacón area. It's a much more basic experience, but a great alternative if you don't want to spend money on an expensive resort.

If you opt to visit the free one you’ll find people waiting along the side off the road waiving you in to help you park along the road. They charge a fee to watch over your car while you swim. I’ve read mixed reviews about this so make sure to not leave any valuables in the car even though someone is supposed to be watching it.

If you're visiting during the busy season, I'd book your preferred hot springs in advance, particularly if you're planning to visit in the afternoon or evening.

Cross the Mistico hanging bridges

If there's one activity I'd recommend to anyone who wants to experience Costa Rica's rainforest, it's visiting Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park.

The park has a huge network of walking trails through the rainforest, including 16 bridges, six of which are suspension bridges. As you walk through the forest and across the bridges, you get a completely different perspective of the jungle.

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It’s also said to be a great spot to see animals like monkeys, sloths, reptiles and smaller creatures, but we didn’t see a single one. So if seeing wildlife is important to you, I definitely recommend to book a guide to help you spot them. We did this other places and I was always amazed at how many animals they spotted that we walked right past.

When I went in May, I didn’t think the crowds were too big, but I’ve read that it can get pretty crowded with tour busses during peak season, so if you visit then, my advice is to try to go early or right before closing if you want to avoid the crowds.

Book this tour if you don’t have a car and want to see multiple spots in one day

This combo tour picks you up in La Fortuna and takes you to the hanging bridges in Mistico, as well as Arenal volcano and La Fortuna waterfall.

Guided tour of Mistico national Park

If you drive yourself, but still want a guide to walk you through the national park and help you spot animals, this is the most popular tour to choose.

Take a night walk in the rainforest

Most people explore La Fortuna's rainforest during the day, but some of the most interesting wildlife only comes out after sunset. You'll be able to spot frogs, snakes, insects, spiders and other nocturnal animals along the jungle trails. That's why a guided night walk is one of the experiences I'd recommend adding to your itinerary.

The sounds of the forest at night can feel pretty intense, but it’s also an amazing experience you don’t get to do many other places in the world.

Book your night walk in La Fortuna here

There are plenty of tours to book, but this is the most popular one making sure the groups aren’t too big to enjoy the wildlife.

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Go ziplining with views of Arenal

Costa Rica is one of the best destinations in the world for ziplining, and La Fortuna has some pretty iconic spots to experience the rainforest from above.

Several operators run zipline parks with cables stretching across valleys and forests, offering views of Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal. Sky Adventures is a popular choice, with some of the longest and fastest lines in the country. If you’re not into high speeds, they also offer a scenic gondola ride through the treetops.

If you're planning to visit both La Fortuna and Monteverde, it's worth comparing the options in each destination. Ziplining is also very popular in Monteverde, and it was a bit cheaper to do it there when I visited. This might of course change, but if you want to save a buck or two, it’s worth checking. However, if you have room in your budget, both places are great and you might even like to do it twice.

Go white-water rafting

If you're looking for something more adventurous, La Fortuna is a great place to try white-water rafting. Several rivers in the region offer different levels of rapids, so you can find an experience whether you're a complete beginner or already have some rafting experience.

The Balsa River is a popular choice for beginners and families, with class II and III rapids that offer plenty of excitement without being too extreme. If you're looking for something more challenging, the Sarapiquí River has sections with stronger rapids and is a better option for experienced rafters.

I didn't go rafting in La Fortuna because I'd already done quite a bit of it during my six months travelling around Central America, including a fantastic experience on the Río Cangrejal in Honduras. However, if you're only visiting Costa Rica on this trip, I'd absolutely recommend giving it a go. It's a fun way to experience the rivers and scenery around the region.

Another option is canyoning, which involves following waterfalls and rivers through the rainforest. Depending on the tour, you might also do some rappelling down waterfalls, jumping into natural pools and navigating rocky sections of the river.

Balsa River White Water Rafting - Class 2 & 3 Rapids

A gentle, but fun start to white water farting.

Sarapiqui River Extreme White Water Rafting Class 4

This is an even more adventurous rafting experience.

Spot sloths on a guided tour

Seeing a sloth is high on many people's Costa Rica bucket lists, and La Fortuna is a great place to try your luck.

We tried doing it on our own and didn’t see a single one, so I highly recommend booking a guide. We did luckily see one in Manuel Antonio and later on some in Panama as well, but if I’d known how hard it would be I probably would’ve doubled my chances and booked a guided tour in La Fortuna as well.

There are a couple of different spots you can choose from. The Bogarin Trail and the Sloths Territory are both known for the amount of sloths that stay there. There are no self guided options available in the sloths territory, but you can explore on your own in the Bogarin trails. However, you still have to pay a fee to enter, so ultimately I can’t stress enough how much I regret not doing a guided tour here. Learn from my mistake and pay a bit more and see some sloths instead of trying to do it on your own and spend money not seeing sloths.

Book your Sloths Watching Tour through Sloth's Territory

Book your Costa Rica Sloth Tour in La Fortuna here

Visit the butterfly conservatory

Located near El Castillo, on the other side of Lake Arenal, the Butterfly Conservatory is a lovely stop if you're interested in Costa Rica's wildlife and nature.

The conservatory has several different butterfly habitats where you can learn about the life cycle of butterflies and see some of the colourful species found in Costa Rica. One of the most recognisable is the blue morpho, famous for its bright blue wings.

I'd consider adding this to your itinerary if you're already exploring the Lake Arenal or El Castillo area. It's a different kind of activity from the bigger adventure tours and national park hikes, and a nice way to spend a few hours.

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Hike at the Arenal Observatory Lodge

Even if you're not staying overnight, Arenal Observatory Lodge is worth considering for a day visit. The property has an extensive network of trails through the rainforest, with viewpoints, waterfalls and beautiful scenery absolutely worth visiting if you have some extra time in La Fortuna.

The lodge was originally built as a research station for observing Arenal Volcano, and its location makes it one of the best places in the region for enjoying the surrounding nature. It's particularly popular for birdwatchers, as hundreds of bird species have been recorded in the area.

You can also choose to stay overnight at the lodge if you want to make the most of the surroundings and wake up to views of the volcano and forest.

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Take a day trip to Rio Celeste

One of the places I was most excited about visiting in Costa Rica was Río Celeste, famous for its incredibly bright turquoise-blue water. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate during our stay in La Fortuna, and we never made it there. It's still firmly on my list for my next trip.

Río Celeste is located inside Tenorio Volcano National Park, around an hour and a half to two hours from La Fortuna by car, so you can choose to either drive yourself or join this popular day trip.

If you don’t have a car this is the day trip I would’ve booked myself

Take a day trip to Bajos del Toro

If you have a rental car and an extra day in La Fortuna, I'd seriously consider adding Bajos del Toro to your itinerary. It's a little further away than the main attractions, but the waterfalls in this region were some of my favourite places in Costa Rica.

Bajos del Toro was actually our first stop on our Costa Rica road trip. We didn't have the best weather during our initial visit, so we decided to return on a day trip to explore some of the waterfalls we had missed.

What I loved about the area was how different it felt from the more popular attractions around La Fortuna. The waterfalls were absolutely stunning, and we had several of them almost to ourselves. If you've been travelling around Costa Rica for a while and want to get away from the busiest tourist spots, this is a wonderful place to explore.

The drive from La Fortuna takes around an hour and a half each way, depending on where you're going, so it's a fairly long day. I'd recommend choosing a few waterfalls in advance rather than trying to see everything in one visit.

Having a rental car makes this trip much easier, although you can also look into organised excursions if you don't want to drive yourself. There aren’t many options, but I think this looks like the best one.

If you have more time in Costa Rica, I'd actually recommend spending a night or two in Bajos del Toro rather than only visiting as a day trip. There are enough beautiful waterfalls in the region to keep you busy, and it's a lovely place to slow down.

Have fun at the free rope swing

If you're looking for something fun that doesn't involve spending money on an organised tour, check out the rope swing along Río Fortuna.

It's a popular local swimming spot where you can jump into the river from a rope swing or simply relax by the water. It's a fairly simple attraction, but a fun way to spend some time outdoors, especially if you're travelling on a budget.

When we visited, the area was closed because the river current was too strong following heavy rainfall. We actually drove past a couple of times to check whether it had reopened, but unfortunately never got the chance to try it.

Go on a chocolate & coffee tour

Costa Rica is famous for its coffee, and the volcanic soil around La Fortuna provides excellent conditions for growing both coffee and cacao. So if you're interested in local food and want to learn more about where some of Costa Rica's most famous products come from, a coffee and chocolate tour is a great addition to your itinerary.

Most tours take you through the different stages of production, from growing and harvesting the beans to roasting, grinding and preparing the final product. You'll usually get to sample different coffees and chocolates along the way, which is always a bonus.

One option worth looking at is Don Olivo Chocolate Tour, a family-run experience where you can learn more about local agriculture and the process of making chocolate.

I always enjoy these kinds of tours when travelling because they offer something different from the usual sightseeing activities. You get to learn more about the local culture and traditions while trying some of the products the country is known for.

It's also a good activity for a rainy afternoon, making it particularly useful if you're visiting La Fortuna during the green season like I did.

Go horseback riding to Arenal or La Fortuna waterfall

Horseback riding is another way to explore the beautiful countryside around La Fortuna, especially if you want to enjoy the scenery at a slower pace. Several operators offer guided rides through the area, including tours to Arenal Volcano and the La Fortuna waterfall.

I didn't try horseback riding in La Fortuna myself, as I’ve always had a slight fear of horses, but it's worth considering if you enjoy riding and want to see a different side of the area.

Se prices for horseback riding to La Fortuna Waterfall

See prices for horseback riding in Mistico Park

Where Should You Stay in La Fortuna?

If you don’t have a rental car and need a convenient base, your best option is La Fortuna town. You'll be close to restaurants, cafés, shops and tour operators. If you’re looking for a more quiet nature escape where you can enjoy some amazing views and soak up in hot springs, the best area to base yourself is west of La Fortuna, along the road towards the Arenal volcano. And if you head south of La Fortuna you’ll be close to La Fortuna waterfall, which is a good choice if you want to be surrounded by nature but still stay relatively close to the centre.

My personal pick would be to stay outside the town centre, especially if you have a rental car. The nature surrounding La Fortuna is absolutely stunning, and I think waking up surrounded by rainforest and volcano views create some of the best mornings in Costa Rica. That said, staying centrally makes life much easier if you don't have your own transport.

Below you’ll see my three favourite hotels that I recommend checking out first. This is my personal favourite, and I highly recommend staying there if you want a relaxing, but practical stay in La Fortuna.

Arenal Manoa Hot Springs Resort

This is a beautiful option if you want a resort experience with plenty of space and lovely views. The rooms and villas are spread across the grounds, and the hotel has natural hot spring pools, a spa and several restaurants. It’s perfect for a combination of exploring and relaxing.

Check prices and availability

Arenal Observatory Lodge & Trails

For nature lovers, this is one of the most interesting places to stay in the whole area. Located within the Arenal Volcano National Park area, the lodge has extensive private trails, gardens and impressive views of the volcano and surrounding landscape.

Check prices and availability

Noah's Forest by Tifakara

This is a great option worth considering if you like the idea of staying somewhere surrounded by nature. The property combines comfortable accommodation with tropical gardens and a relaxed atmosphere, and wildlife sightings are part of the appeal.

Check prices and availability

Map of the Best Hotels in La Fortuna

Below you'll find a map where I've pinned my favourite hotels in La Fortuna to make it easier for you to navigate when you're looking for where you want to base yourself.

How Do You Get to La Fortuna?

Most travellers arrive from either San José or Monteverde, and the trip offers some seriously beautiful views along the way.

How to get to La Fortuna by car

If you’re comfortable driving abroad, renting a car is easily the best way to get to La Fortuna. It will also make exploring the area around La Fortuna a lot easier and cheaper since you don’t have to book as many guided tours.

From San José, it’s around a 4–5 hour drive through green hills and small rural towns, and if you’re coming from Monteverde it will take you about 4-5 hours along some bumpy mountain roads, but the views are stunning!

We didn’t see that many gas stations on the way between La Fortuna to Monteverde so make sure to fill up before your leave.

If you’re coming from San José my advice is to add a couple of nights in Bajos del Toro if you can, or at least make a stop on the way for some amazing waterfalls.

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How to get to La Fortuna with shuttle & local bus

If you’d rather not drive, several companies operate shared or private shuttles between San José, Monteverde, and La Fortuna. Shared shuttles cost around $25–40 per person, while private transfers start at about $120 per vehicle. Public buses are the cheapest option (about $5–8) but take 5–6 hours and require patience and a few transfers.

If you’re coming from Monteverde, you can book a shuttle for the most scenic route that includes a boat ride across Lake Arenal. This takes about 3,5 hours and will cost you approximately $30 per person.

Public buses are the cheapest option but take longer, so most travellers opt for a shared or private transfer to make the most of their time once they reach La Fortuna.

How Many Days Do You Need in La Fortuna?

A week would be ideal if you want to see as much as possible without stressing, but I recommend at least 3–4 nights in La Fortuna to have time for the highlights. With three days, you can comfortably hike, chase waterfalls, enjoy hot springs, and squeeze in a big adventure like horseback riding or rafting. With four nights, you’ll have more time to slow down and fit in optional side trips like Arenal’s hanging bridges or a day trip to Rio Celeste or Bajos del Toro.

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When Is the Best Time to Visit La Fortuna?

La Fortuna is a year-round destination, but the weather can make a big difference to your experience. The area gets plenty of rainfall throughout the year, and even during the dry season, you shouldn't expect guaranteed sunshine every day.

The main dry season generally runs from December to April. These months are the most popular for visiting, with less rainfall and better chances of clear views of Arenal Volcano. January, February and March are particularly busy, so accommodation and tours can be more expensive.

The green season runs roughly from May to November. During this time, the rainforest becomes even greener, waterfalls are often more powerful and there are generally fewer visitors. However, you should be prepared for rain, particularly in the afternoons.

I visited in May, and we had quite a lot of rain during our stay. It affected some of our plans, and we missed out on a few activities I'd really wanted to do. On the other hand, the scenery was incredibly green, and we didn't find the crowds too overwhelming.

If you want a balance between fewer tourists and reasonably good weather, I'd consider visiting in May or November. Just remember that La Fortuna has its own microclimate, and the volcano can be covered in clouds even when other parts of Costa Rica are sunny.

Final Thoughts: Best Things to Do in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

La Fortuna is one of Costa Rica's most popular destinations for a reason. Whether you're interested in hiking, wildlife, waterfalls, adventure activities or simply relaxing in hot springs, there's something here for every kind of traveller.

My biggest advice is not to try to squeeze everything into two days. There are plenty of activities to choose from, and the weather doesn't always cooperate. Give yourself enough time to enjoy the main attractions, but also leave some room for spontaneous stops and quieter moments in nature.

And if you have a little extra time, don't limit yourself to the most famous attractions. Bajos del Toro, in particular, was one of my favourite places in this part of Costa Rica, and I'd happily recommend adding it to your road trip.

Plan Your Trip to La Fortuna

Hopefully this guide has given you everything you need to plan what to do in La Fortuna. To make planning the rest of your trip even easier, I've included all the resources I personally use when I travel.

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