Fortuna Things to Do

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One of the activities we wanted to do while in Costa Rica was zip lining. We had tried it at home and loved it, so why not do it again, but this time from the southern face of Volcán Arenal with fantastic views of Lake Arenal as well as the rainforest. That my friends would be an adrenaline rush and believe me; you wouldn't want to miss this!!!

Before leaving home, we had made our reservations thru Anywhere Costa Rica who coordinated everything with Sky Trek Arenal, so on our second day in Fortuna, we headed out on our adventure. We plugged "Sky Trek" into our GPS and off we went...got to the entrance of Arenal National Park and drove to the SkyTram/Sky Trek area (the road is rough and pot holed so an SUV is highly recommended). We got to the staging area, suited up, took the tram to the top and then the fun began. There are 8 zip lines that take you from the top to the bottom and they are amazing and exhilarating. If you are looking to tick off another box on your bucket list, do this!!!

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This is a nice 1/2 day trip. Entrance to the park is $10 usd. It is a steep walk down to the bottom of the falls but definitely worth the effort. Be sure to wear a bathing suit to swim at the falls and the area below that. The approach is very slippery and uneven rocks be very careful.

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This zip line company runs a tour through cables set up on the grounds of Los Lagos Hotel. Operated separately from the hotel and open to the public. Prices were $50, up from last year but because we were a group we received a $10 discount. However this was not offered. I had to ask if we could get a discount. A few phone calls by the receptionist and it was done. So ask! It paid off. Additional cables were added from last year. Takes about 2 1/2 hours to complete.

The La Fortuna area is rich in hot springs, and you will easily hear about all the ones which charge exorbitant prices, such as US$50 per day. Avoid the tourist traps, and do what the locals do - go to Los Laurales hot springs for $10 per person.

The complex is very large, with beatiful landscape, excellent maintenance, 4 large hot pools, 2 cold pools, picnic areas (bring your own food, there is no restaurant) and a series of small hot pools along an artificial river which starts with a small waterfall. As you move from pool to pool along the "river" the temperature slightly drops, and you can swim in the last round pool which is large enough. Then it is time for real swims in the large pools.

The place is open 10AM to 10PM, and there is secure parking. If you don't have a car, get a taxi from La Fortuna. If you are on a tight budget, get the bus from La Fortuna to Tilaran, and get off at the entrance to Los Laureles, about 10 minutes drive from downtown, then walk down the access road for about 15 minutes. The complex is between Baldi and Tabacon hotsprings, which are very expensive.

Canyoneering was a blast. We descended down six waterfalls. The best was the last which was a controlled repel down 200 feet. I have excellent video of my boss/friend screaming her head off. The guides were excellent, very friendly, and I always felt safe. The scenery was gorgeous. This was my first repel and was quite easy to do. The terrain is rocky, I did scrape my knee. If you do this wear clothes that can can wet, obviously.
"So what is canyoneering? No experience needed - just a good sense of adventure! Canyoneering is a mixture of abseiling down waterfalls and hiking in a jungle filled canyon. To start the tour: Travel the old-fashion way! Start off by doing a fun 4x4 off-road adventure as you climb about 15 minutes up into a quiet mountainside community. Prepare to get wet! Your guides will give you a thorough safety talk to explain important rappelling and down-climbing techniques. You will be provided high-quality technical climbing gear such as a harness, helmet & gloves." from their website

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Connie and I used Desafio to pursue our desire for hiking in the Rio Celeste at Tenorio National Park. It was a good hike, lots of great scenery, and led by a nice bilingual guide.
They picked us up at our hotel (Volcano Lodge) and we had a two hour van ride each way. Not sure how long it really takes because we kept stopping. Our guide spotted sloths, monkeys, iguans, toucans, parrotts, etc as we drove. We got out and got great pics and had close up views with his telescope.
The hike itself in November was muddy. From their website:

"Once we arrive to the Río Celeste National Park, you may use the facilities to get ready and look at the information booth provided by the Río Celeste National Park. We will then begin a hike through the dense, lush, tropical rainforest that surrounds the Río Celeste National Park. The hike is approximately 3-miles long and considered intermediate.

You and your naturalist guide go at your own pace and you'll learn interesting things about the rainforest along the way. We then arrive to "Los Teñíderos" where two rivers come together to form the celestial, turquoise blue water color that gives the waterfall its name "Celeste."

We'll return, walking back through the Rio Celeste National Park to the "Ollas" -- or mud baths -- and take a moment to relax in the natural hot springs.
For the grand finale, we then walk-on further to see the spectacular Río Celeste waterfall - the perfect place to take photos.
We finish off with a delicious lunch at a local restaurant and then head back to La Fortuna."

7 kilometers. Lots of up, mud, and rocks. Decent challenge for me.
Take clothes to change into afterwards. There is a rustic shower at the end. NO towel. I had my own soap. Bring decent shoes to hike in. Leave your flip flops behind. You will probably get your shoes wet. Bring rain gear. I also used dry sacks since my day pack is not water proof.
I did not bring my swim suit. I did see others do so.

The contact info I am providing is for the travel company that I used

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Arenal Volcano National Park is small but worth the visit. The entrance fee is only $6. The is a several kilometer trail that takes you onto the lava field which is very interesting. You can see smoldering rocks falling from the cone down the slope of the volcano.

They are open Sunday to Monday from 8am to 4pm

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Things-to-do list is very long according to tourist brochures and tourist offices. Unfortunately zipping amongst the trees and the tamer version of walking on hanging bridges to watch wild life does not appeal as very genuine. Even the venues are privately owned, hotel related, small sized “jungles”. How genuinely wild are the animals there? Well, if one gets into their shoes the only reason to stick around is to be fed. This is the end of savagery as we know it. As a good alternative cataratas offers the same bridges literally hanging over the ravines (as opposed to hanging bridges) and the authenticity of the forest is practically assured. For animal watching, even the tourist offices suggest you go to the Nicaraguan border where there are many more of them and the habitat is real. Or go even further upstream the Ticabus line to Tikal, Guatemala, where one can see howling monkeys peeing from trees and birds attempting to steal cameras.