About La Fortuna

La Fortuna is located in the Northern Highlands of Costa Rica, about 2.5 hours from San Jose’s international airport and 2.5 hours from Liberia’s international airport. The town is centered on a beautiful park with colorful gardens and a large church. The main star, Arenal Volcano, provides the backdrop and can be seen from almost every vantage point. On the streets surrounding the central park lie many restaurants, hotels, tour operators, and shops, with more lodging on the road leading to the volcano and Lake Arenal.

La Fortuna is a small town that sits in the shadow of the Arenal Volcano. This village offered a nice break from the busy cities, plus, there are so many opportunities for outdoor adventures around La Fortuna.  You will find ATV tours, canoeing, kayaking, canyoning, hanging bridges, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, rafting, swimming holes, Tarzan swings and tubing, to name a few.  Other popular activities are bird watching, National Park tours, rock climbing and wildlife centers.

The other attraction that you don’t want to miss is La Fortuna’s hot springs. These are naturally heated by the volcano’s thermal energy. For the whole experience, head to one of the resorts like Tabacon, Baldi, The Springs or EcoTermales where you can soak in luxurious gardens. Or if you don’t mind a more rustic setting, visit the river across from the Tabacon to soak in the beautiful natural surroundings for free.

Another must-see, which can be done in an hour or two, is La Fortuna Waterfall.  There is an entrance fee, but you will be impressed by the waterfall’s beauty and power. You can swim in the large pool if the current isn’t too strong, so be sure to bring a bathing suit. Access is through a Visitors’ Center about 10 minutes from the downtown. They now have sturdy concrete steps down to the falls, but there are about 500 of them so be ready for a little exercise.

La Fortuna boasts over 100 restaurants so you are sure to find something that pleases your pallet. High-end dining options are typically located at hotels and resorts, while smaller, local places are scattered throughout town and the surrounding area.  Among the many sodas serving local specialties are restaurants offering international cuisine. 

Who doesn’t like chocolate? Ok, even if it isn’t your thing, seeing a chocolate farm should be on your Costa Rica bucket list. Chocolate has played an important role in the country’s history. The Chorotega people in Costa Rica even used cocoa beans for currency.

The chocolate tour is a wonderful experience in La Fortuna.  During the tour you will learn about cocoa pods, be able to sample the fruit, and even make  your own chocolate drinks & truffles. While on the tour, the guide might even point out their resident sloth.

Also, check out the ChocoMuseo, where you will get a free tour, including a brief but comprehensive history of chocolate.  You can enjoy free samples at the museum and buy any type of chocolate souvenir you might want to bring home.

When you are in the rainforest, you need to experience it from above. Many people choose to zip-line through the forest, but another option is to cross the hanging bridges.  At the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, you can cross 20 bridges, 6 of which are hanging.  There is a good chance it will rain, so be sure to bring a rain poncho and good walking shoes.  Animals you might spot are sloths, snakes, tarantulas, bats, mot-mots and coati.  

Be sure to visit La Fortuna Park. This small park is in the center of town and features a beautiful church and fountain. There are also some great cafes for breakfast nearby such as MyCoffee and Rain Forest.

You can get a nice view of the volcano from La Fortuna, but head to Arenal Volcano National Park for an up-close view. This park is about a 30-minute drive from La Fortuna and it costs $15 to enter the park. Once you get to the park, a guide will give you a map and explain the trails.

Despite the big role that tourism plays in La Fortuna, the destination has a small-town vibe. Most locals who don’t work in tourism work in agriculture and tend to the farms and fields that sprawl out over the Arenal area at large. Nearly everyone in town goes to bed early so they can rise early, either to head off to work or to participate in early-morning activities when wildlife-viewing is optimal, the temperature is comfortable, and rain clouds haven’t yet rolled in.

La Fortuna’s nighttime scene is rather lackluster (you’re more likely to see people bustling around town between 7:00-8:00am than 7:00-8:00pm), and the few low-key bars you’ll find around town are most often frequented by tourists.

Also around town are a collection of establishments that give La Fortuna a mixed urban-rural feel. In La Fortuna’s 20-block, rectangular core, you’ll encounter shops bursting with commercial souvenirs, local residents selling lottery tickets on street corners, trendy cafes serving cups of authentic Costa Rican coffee, oversize billboards that advertise the area’s most popular experiences, and a rodeo stadium that hosts cultural civic festivals. The town also has banks, ATMs, gas stations, medical clinics, pharmacies, a police station, a fire station, a post office, laundromats, a Catholic church, grocery stores, and several other services you might want or need to access. You will find living in La Fortuna to be very social.  There are many social gatherings, fundraisers, water sports and activities for visiting family and friends.

English (broken) is widely spoken in La Fortuna. Though most Costa Ricans aren’t bilingual, the majority of locals who work as tour guides, restaurant wait staff, and hotel reception staff in La Fortuna are able to converse in Spanish and English. Many other individuals who work in the tourism industry, including drivers and hotel cleaning staff, as well as other townspeople, such as individuals who work at banks, pharmacies, and grocery stores, have at least a basic understanding of English. Since La Fortuna’s economy relies heavily on tourism, tourists (and the practice of the English language) is welcome in La Fortuna. 

Dining opportunities in La Fortuna are less varied than accommodation options, but there are still plenty of restaurants to choose from. Several traditional Costa Rican restaurants (called soda restaurants) are scattered around town. They serve the most authentic Costa Rican food and offer the lowest meal prices. Other, slightly fancier, restaurants in town fuse Costa Rican cuisine with international dishes, mainly of American, Italian, and Asian influences. As easily as you can try a fabulous Costa Rican casado in La Fortuna, you can also grab a hamburger, a pizza, a plate of pasta or Chinese food, a sushi boat, or another beloved order from around the world.