Costa Rica Hot Spot – Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna

Costa Rica is well known for its volcanoes and the most famous is the most active: the Arenal Volcano.

How to get to La Fortuna

You can get to the Arenal Volcano by bus that leaves every hour from San José at the Atlántico Norte station on Calle 12 (Calle 12). You want the bus to go to San Carlos. If you have rented a car, it is a beautiful drive from San José. And you will pass through two excellent lateral hot spots: Zarcero and San Carlos.

If you go by car, from San José take the Inter-American Highway towards Puntarenas. Take the Naranjo-Ciudad Quesada exit. Zarcero is about a 90 minute drive from San José. Zarcero is a picturesque and beautiful small town located in the mountains, 1,700 meters above sea level. You will find the best cheese in Zarcero, so be sure to stop and buy queso blanco, it is my favorite cheese. Zarcero is very green with lots of vegetation and farms. A popular stop is a sculptured garden in the city. This guy makes beautiful giant bush sculptures. So you will see rabbits, oxen carts and more all carved into these huge bushes.

I recommend you eat at Doña Chila’s, they serve typical Costa Rican food and it is delicious! It is located just before reaching Zarcero. Here you will also see many vendors selling fruit and cheese in their little stalls, don’t forget to buy some queso blanco.

Now leave Zarcero towards San Carlos. Ciudiad Quesada is the commercial center of the San Carlos plain in the central province of Alajuela. This is the center of the North Zone. Depending on how much time you have, there is a nice forest reserve called Termales del Bosque. Admission is $8. Good hikes and they have thermal pools which are fantastic hot spring pools. From Ciudiad Quesada you will see signs for La Fortuna and Volcano Aerenal. Just follow the signs. Total travel time from San José is approximately 3-1/2 hours.

Arenal Volvano, La Fortuna Travel tips

Arenal Volcano has been active since 1968. It has a perfectly shaped cone that juts out of the Alajuela hills. You can hear loud explosions and gray mushrooms coming out of the top of the volcano. You can also see rocks ejected from the volcano and thrown down the slopes. At night you can see a good lava show. Now, this does not always happen and many times there is a lot of fog and clouds that block your visibility. So sometimes you can’t even see the volcano, so I would call one of the hotels in the area and ask about visibility.

Please note that there is a possibility that you will not see anything due to the clouds. The chances are even worse during the rainy season. So while even during the dry season the clouds can still block your view, it’s your best chance to see the lava flows and red-hot rocks being ejected. I have been there many times and only twice got the great show. But going to La Fortuna is still worth it, even if your chances of seeing a lava show are 50/50.

To maximize your chances, stay in one of the “observatory” lodges that were built to give you the best views of the volcano. Late night or in the early hours of dawn is your best bet to see a lava show.

By the observatory hostel there are many hiking trails in this area. From the ranger station at the entrance of the park, you can choose two trails, one leads to a You can hike up the Chato volcano, which is extinct. It has collapsed in on itself and now has a crater lake surrounded by a forest. It can be accessed by a hiking trail near the Arenalmirador (observatory) where you can watch the flowing lava. There is a beautiful waterfall where you can go swimming, called Catarata La Fortuna, which in Spanish means La Fortuna Waterfall.

Other activities include horseback riding and canopy tours. The thermal pools are the best. These are hot springs. The Tabacón hostel is a great place to relax in the hot springs of Aguas Termales. You can get a day pass to go to their pools that are built around the hot springs. So you are swimming in these naturally warm waters of the volcano. You can also get a view of the volcano cone from here. They have five natural mineral pools at different temperatures, one with a swim-up bar, a slide, and a waterfall. They also have a Tica food restaurant and a couple of bars. The cost is around $30 for a day pass.

The Rio Fortuna Waterfalls are a must see. It is a beautiful waterfall located in the rainforest near the edge of the Arenal Volcano National Park. It costs $1.50 to enter. You have to hike through a canyon which can be challenging but the reward is views of the beautiful waterfall and a dip in the natural pool. The average temperature in this area is 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another nice place in this area is Lake Arenal, which is a large artificial lake at the foot of the volcano along the Guancaste Hills. Many people enjoy boating and fishing on the lake. Windsurfing is very popular here; you can rent windsurfing equipment if you wish.

Beneath the lake is old Arenal, a town that was submerged in the 1970s after being destroyed by a volcano eruption in the 1960s. The worst recent eruption was in 1968. Two towns were destroyed and more than 80 people died. There has been some recent activity in recent years, but nothing like 1968. Prior to 1968, the volcano had been dormant for 400 years.

The La Fortuna area is one of my favorite attractions in Costa Rica.