We returned to the place where it all begin… It is La Fortuna de San Carlos, a place full of nature and tourist attractions for the whole family that cannot be missed.

How to get there?

We went through Naranjo, passing through Zarcero and Ciudad Quesada until we finished in La Fortuna.

Hotel Las Colinas: https://waze.com/ul/hd1gg9f5vk

Rio Fortuna Waterfall: https://waze.com/ul/hd1gg3kkmc

Paradise Hot Springs: https://waze.com/ul/hd1gg9h8uv

Arenal 1968 Volcano View and Lava Trails: https://waze.com/ul/hd1gexc2ev

Distance: Any

Difficulty: Easy

Accessibility: Not accessible

What to bring: Light clothes, repellent, cap / hat, swimsuit, towel, waterproof jacket, trail tennis shoes, sandals and an excellent attitude.

Vehicle: Automobile

Parking: Yes

Pets: No

Camping: No

Contact:

Hotel Las Colinas

tel: 2479-9305

[email protected]

Arenal 1968

tel: 40011968

[email protected]

Paradise Hot Springs

tel: 2479-13-80

[email protected]

Ecoterra

tel: 800-800-8333

[email protected]

Cost: Consult the corresponding contact

We arrived at La Fortuna of San Carlos on Friday night in order to get the most out of the whole weekend. We stay at Hotel Las Colinas, it is beautiful, central and perfect to move to all the tourist attractions in the area.

The next day we woke up with the arenal volcano clear in front of the room, we went downstairs for breakfast and at 7 am we were on our way to La Fortuna Waterfall.

La Fortuna Waterfall

We parked and after going through the ticket office we entered (there is a maximum quota for Covid). We were quite excited to return here after more than 5 years, so we started walking towards the first viewpoint from where you can see the impressive waterfall and after some photos we went down the 500 steps until we reached the lower part.

When we arrived we did not think twice about jumping into the water taking advantage of the warm climate. The waterfall is beautiful, the water is the freshest and most transparent. For safety reasons, they do not allow you to swim along the banks or get too close to the waterfall. Then we went back up the 500 steps, which left us super tired because we had the great idea to compete with each other.

Ecoterra Boat Tour on Lake Arenal

After lunch we returned to the hotel to be picked up by the bus for this tour. The trip is about 30 minutes to the dock at the lake, and then we got on the boat where we enjoyed for more than an hour the scenic beauties offered by the largest artificial lake in Central America.

There came a time when we stopped to get off at the point that is closest to the volcano, we did not see it 100% clear but it is also worth spending a while in this beautiful place.

Paradise Hot Springs

To finish the day Saturday we went to the hot springs of Paradise Hot Springs, a perfect place to relax and unwind after a day full of activities.

This place has a lot of pools and turbulent waters of different temperatures for all tastes, it also has beautiful tropical gardens that make us feel like in a paradisiacal jungle.

After getting out of the water, we changed for dinner at the restaurant of the place to finish our long day and prepare for Sunday.

Arenal 1968

We woke up and after having breakfast at the Hotel Las Colinas we went to this place that is on the way to the entrance of the Arenal Volcano National Park.

The idea was to split up… Karlita - Tavo were going to walk to a very cool viewpoint and Glori - I (Trejos) went on a mountain bike trail.

The trail that Tavo and Karla didn was about 6 km in total, they reached an epic viewpoint where they said that you could see the entire volcano and the lake. A 360 degree view shot that left them crazy and lasted about 2 hours.

Glori and I went by bike, we did a 13km lap and it lasted 1 hour with all stops of photos and videos... The difficulty is easy, anyone who is starting can do it without problem, but the path that goes down to the Arenal river is difficult, so if you are starting we do not recommend it because it is going to be tough.

We finished our adventure in La Fortuna of San Carlos with a rainy day and then a delicious lunch at the restaurant in Arenal 1968.

*DATE oF HIKE: September 2020