If you ask us which is our favourite place in Costa Rica, it definitely has to be La Fortuna. Green and wild, that’s how you can describe La Fortuna, but also full of tourists, restaurants, bars, souvenir stores, wide asphalt roads and the beautiful Arenal Volcano in the background. La Fortuna definitely deserved a podium place in our private ranking.

We spent a few days in La Fortuna and in hindsight we regret that it was so short. This small town has a lot to offer and is definitely worth a visit. If you have the opportunity stay here at least for four nights, La Fortuna has so much to offer.

#1 Arenal Volcano National Park

This is probably the best way to start your Costa Rican adventure. The volcano is considered active, although the last eruption was in 2010. Nevertheless, it grows several meters every year as lava settles around the crater. However, this should not make you nervous. The volcano is several kilometers away and La Fortuna has been around longer than 2010. 😉

To get to the viewpoint, you have to pass through the Arenal Volcano National Park. There are two routes to choose from: 2 km and 3 km long. So you can take the shorter route to the volcano (2km)  and the longer one (3km) to come back, so you can admire the 400 years old Ceibo tree on the way, which is huge btw!

The route to the viewpoint is not difficult, it is definitely manageable with children, although on the last part full of dried lava you have to be more careful. Keep in mind that you will be walking through a rainforest, so covered shoes are recommended. Entrance to the park costs $17 per person.

#2 La Fortuna Waterfall

This is the largest waterfall we saw during our trip to Costa Rica and although the most crowded, we liked it the best. Seen both from a distance and up close it is very impressive. The water falls here from a height of 23 meters, so you can imagine how high and spectacular this waterfall is.

To get to the waterfall you have to walk 500 stairs down, it is not difficult if you go down, coming back might be a bit of a challenge, but it is definitely worth the effort and time because the waterfall is magnificent and very impressive. On the way to the waterfall you can meet cute monkeys so keep your head high and look for them!

We liked this place very much and recommended it to every person we met on our way during our trip. The entrance to the waterfall area costs $18, a dip in the ice cold water by the waterfall – priceless! Get here early, so you can avoid crowds.

#3 Hot Springs

The underground water layers and rivers are heated by the Arenal volcano, so the water temperature varies between 25 and 35 degrees. And we must admit that the first entrance into the water was strange, because we did not expect such a warm water, and in addition the brain told us before entering that the water will be cold. However, after the cold water at the La Fortuna Waterfall, the hot springs were a nice alternative.

You have a choice of paid and unpaid hot springs. Prices vary between $60 – $80 and are available at many hotels, the most famous being at Tabacon.

There are also free hot springs next to Tabacon, and although they are not as spectacular as the paid ones, we were completely satisfied with the place, especially early in the morning when it was almost empty, apparently there are a lot of people there in the evening!

The free hot springs don’t have an official entrance. The best entrance is on the Tabacon side, but after rain it can be a bit slippery, so be careful and go down slowly.

#4 More La Fortuna Sights

Apart from the above mentioned activities La Fortuna also offers zip lining, canyoning, white water rafting and horse riding.

Also don’t miss to visit the city center of La Fortuna. Besides all the famous places full of adventure, many forget to visit it. La Fortuna is a beautiful town with a lot of charm, a beautiful city park and many opportunities to linger while looking at the volcano.

During our trip we used RideCR  which we booked on Bookaway to get a better price. With this shuttle we went from San Jose to La Fortuna. The price per person is $37. To get to the listed attractions we took an Uber, and it worked great in La Fortuna. If you don’t have this app you can easily use taxis, but they are three times more expensive.

Generally said, the best way to travel around Costa Rica is to rent a car, but unfortunately rental prices are very high. In high season they can even start at $90 per day. However, if you do decide to travel to Costa Rica, make sure you book your car well in advance for a better price.

Another option are public buses, which travel long, not too often, buses got very little legroom and no air conditioning, also there is no toilet on the bus. Unfortunately in this regard Costa Rica is not yet well developed. You have to search a lot to get to a specific place by bus.

There is also a daily connection between San Jose and La Fortuna with the bus company “Transportes San Carlos” . Unfortunately, it does not run at the best time of day, so you need to plan well after checking the current schedule. You can basically save yourself a lot of headaches in Costa Rica if you have your own car. However, if you are on a budget, you will have to use the local buses.

In addition to buses you can also choose a shuttle bus, but this option is definitely more expensive. Depending on the route, prices vary between $40 – $190. You can also combine public transport and shuttle, so it will be cheaper.

Since we had to be careful of our budget and Costa Rica is one of the most expensive countries in Central America, we mainly cooked. Once, however, we treated ourselves to a super delicious bowl. We can also highly recommend this one, it is also located right in the city centre.

• Jungle Bowls | Delicious and affordable bowls

We stayed at the beautiful Airbnb from Tatiana and can highly recommend it.

The best months to visit La Fortuna are December through April. During other months it is also very warm, sometimes even warmer, but more often rain is to be expected.

Entry to Costa Rica is allowed for tourists from all countries. A return flight ticket is needed when entering Costa Rica, the immigration officer will ask for it upon your arrival.

Visitors to Costa Rica must have a valid passport as well as proof of their intent to exit the country before their visa or entry stamp expires, usually within 90 days. Even with a 90-day tourist visa, the immigration official determines the duration of your stay as allowed by your passport.

The prices are per person, except for the accommodation and Uber, which we rent for 2 people.

Accommodation: $33 / night

Restaurant: $5 – $7 / meal

Snack: $2 – $5 / meal

Taxi: $3 – $8 / ride

Activity: $15 – $17 / event