Fortuna Off The Beaten Path

The Venado Caves are located about an hour drive northwest of La Fortuna. It is all natural inside - there is no lights, stairs, railings. You get a helmet, flashlight and rubber boots at the entrance. Once you are inside, at first there is some water on the ground, but as you go further in, the water level rises higher, to a point that it starts to go into your boots! Some parts of the caves are very narrow and there is a part that is so small that the only way to get through is to crawl! At some point, you'll have to use all your strength to climb up the rocks to keep going. You'll also pass through waterfalls as well.

The limestone rock formations are beautiful, which take thousands of years to form. There are also some strange cicular holes on the ceiling of the caves, which are still unexplained as to how and why they are there.

There are bats, fish (yes, I forgot what they are called but they are blind) and spiders inside the caves.

Most ppl take a tour from La Fortuna, which was how I got there. Shop around for the best prices in town. I'm not sure if you can get a guide if you go there on your own.

Definitely bring a towel and a change of clothes, as you'll get wet and dirty! And don't wear anything nice. There is a shower facility at the entrance. And there is a lot of walking, climbing and crawling inside the caves. This is a demanding tour for physically fit ppl only.

At the entrance to the La Fortuna waterfalls little boys are selling fresh coconua juice. They use their machete to slice off the top of the coconut. They have unwrapped straws which they hand to you and you poke your straw down inside of the coconut. It is refreshing after the long, hot hike to the waterfalls.

At the entrance to the La Fortuna waterfalls little boys are selling fresh coconua juice. They use their machete to slice off the top of the coconut. They have unwrapped straws which they hand to you and you poke your straw down inside of the coconut. It is refreshing after the long, hot hike to the waterfalls.

On the property of the Los Lagos Hotel are numerous crocodiles. They are not behind 2 sets of bars, but some are just out in the open behind a small wall. Others, the big ones, are behind a chain link fence. Go to their web site www.hotelloslagos.com to get room prices. It is worth staying here if for the crocodiles alone. Plus they have spring heated pools, frog farm, butterfly farm, onsite ziplining, onsite horseback riding, and a unique look out point to see the active part of the volcanol.

On the property of Los Lagos Hotel (www.hotelloslagos.com) there is a dirt road 2 kilometers long that takes you to the top of a hill opposite the volcano. They have a look out point where you can watch the volcano flow. While we were there we happened upon a little coatimundi, a cute little creature.

Just west of the Tabacon resort near Volcan Arenal along Hwy 142, there is a small bridge, under which runs a small stream. If you want to experience hot springs without doing the Resort/Spa for $25, park your car in the spa parking lot and head down to the bridge. At the bridge, carefully climb down on the North side of the street. When down, start hiking south (crossing under the bridge). It may seem strange, but if you keep going, you'll find plenty of places to relax in the hot spring water amongst the peace and quiet of the forest. It was great. I hate resorts, and love to get off the beaten track. This is the best of both worlds. Check out the picture attached.

Leave a comment and let me know if there is something that I could add to make this tip better!

The waterfalls of Catarata La Fortuna are an excellent way to kill a couple hours. Near the Arenal area, specifically Fortuna, the waterfalls are a short hike down a well maintained trail. The steps can be slippery when wet. The hike down is a piece of cake, but you may need to take a break or two on the way back up. The waterfall and surrounding rainforest are beautiful. Check out one of the various travel guides or ask around in Fortuna to get directions.

Leave a comment and let me know if there is something that I could add to make this tip better!

If you have had several other naturalist tours on your trip and maybe you just want to spend a few hours hiking on your own, you can take a taxi to the Parque Nacional del Volcan Arenal, hike the 4 km trail, and have the taxi pick you up on the other end of the trail. Our driver suggested this, and we thought it was fun. If you begin at the far end of the trail, you must first wade through or hop on rocks across a small stream. From that side of the trail, the first half of the journey is very jungly. Then you come out on the lava flows which have yellow stakes to guide you through and stay on the path. There is a great view of the volcano from there. The last part of the trail is just low grasses and easy walking. The phone number below is for Taxi Viejito. The guy is very nice and has a powerful 4 x 4 that can carry up to 7 people. He can take you other places too. He speaks only Spanish though so hopefully you know at least a little bit. Cost for this trip is $30 total.