Arenal Volcano Tours from La Fortuna
64 experiences at the foot of a cone that stopped erupting in October 2010, and is hidden by cloud on most afternoons.
Arenal stopped erupting in October 2010 and has been resting ever since. That is the first thing to know, because almost every photograph that sold you this trip is older than that: the black cone at night with a red seam running down it belongs to the 1990s. What stands above La Fortuna today is a green mountain, usually with its top in cloud, and the industry that grew up around forty-two years of eruptions is still here, still excellent, and now selling the forest instead of the fire.
This page is about the volcano and the town: what happened here, what you can actually see, how the six kinds of day differ and what a sensible three days looks like. The detail of each activity, including what to wear on a zipline and how many steps there are down to the waterfall, sits in the six pages below.
Choose a destination in Arenal Volcano
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Hot Springs
Hot springs heated by Arenal: Tabacón, Baldí, Ecotermales and Los Lagos, plus the free hot river under the bridge that nobody sells you.
9 experiences -
Hanging Bridges
The Mistico and Sky Adventures hanging bridges on Arenal's flank: a 3.2 km circuit, sixteen bridges, and a trail that is easy but not flat.
12 experiences -
Volcano Activities
Walking the 1968 lava flows, night walks after frogs and snakes, ATV runs on the farms below Arenal, and the sunset boat on the lake.
12 experiences -
Zipline & Canopy
Zipline courses and aerial trams around Arenal: 7, 9 and 12-cable circuits, the one that crosses the La Fortuna waterfall canyon, and what the weight limits…
12 experiences -
Waterfalls
The La Fortuna waterfall, 70 metres down a volcanic canyon with about 500 steps, plus the canyoning trips that abseil down waterfalls instead of walking to…
7 experiences -
Rafting & Tubing
Rafting and tubing on the rivers running off the Arenal massif: the Balsa, the Sarapiquí and the Peñas Blancas safari float.
12 experiences
Volcano Travel Experiences in Arenal Volcano
La Fortuna Waterfall, Arenal Ecological Park and a Hot River, at an Easy Pace
Short, gentle walks rather than a demanding hike: La Fortuna waterfall, the Arenal ecological park, and a natural hot river that is warm enough to sit in.
La Fortuna Waterfall Skip-the-Line Ticket: Entry Only, 500 Steps Down
The entry ticket on its own, bought ahead so you skip the queue at the gate: no guide and no transport, just the 500 steps down to the 70-metre fall.
Lake Arenal Sunset Cruise with Costa Rican Moonshine and Homemade Snacks
A late-afternoon boat with a nature guide, the local fire water and homemade snacks, and the volcano sitting across the water as the light goes.
Mistico Park Hanging Bridges: 14 Bridges, 2.5 Hours with a Local Guide
Fourteen bridges, six of them suspended, over 3.1 km of Mistico Park, walked in two and a half hours so the guides can stop and find the wildlife.
Morning Arenal Volcano Hike with Local Lunch and Hot Springs River
The morning slot, with a local lunch in the price and the warm mineral river left until the end. The guide covers the geology as well as the wildlife.
Original Arenal ATV: La Naciente Mud Trails, La Guaria Village and a Volcanic Mud Mask
Two hours with the timings set out stop by stop, a village stop with its pulpería, and volcanic mud dug straight from the river if the group wants it.
Outback ATV: 90% Private Trails, River Crossings and Maleku Land
Nine tenths of the route runs on land Outback owns and maintains, with river crossings, wetlands and a stop on Maleku ground. A driving licence is required.
Peñas Blancas by Kayak: Crocodiles, Basilisks and Tita Yolanda's Kitchen
A kayak rather than a raft on a river treated as an animal sanctuary, ending at Tita Yolanda's house for coffee, chocolate and sugar cane in her garden.
Peñas Blancas Safari Float: Wildlife Watched from the Water
A slow float on the Peñas Blancas with a guide reading both levels of the river: the arboreal species in the trees and the aquatic ones in the water.
Private 500cc ATV Ride in La Fortuna with Rainforest Hot Springs
One rider per machine on genuine 500cc 4x4 quads, with routes set to your level, and hot springs in the rainforest instead of the commercial complexes.
Río Balsa Rafting and an ATV Ride to La Guaria, Below Arenal
The ATV half runs two and a half hours on a private farm below Arenal and out to La Guaria, and the afternoon is Class II-III rapids on the Río Balsa.
Sarapiquí Rafting, Class II-III, Open to Children from 7
Class II and III water on the Sarapiquí, with a minimum age of seven, so a family can run the same river together. Bring your own water bottle.
Side-by-Side Buggy at Arenal: Two Seats Abreast, Drivers 18 and Over
Two seats abreast in one machine rather than separate quads, a warm-up track before the hard sections, and a swim in the Arenal River. Drivers must be 18.
Sky Tram and Sky Trek at Arenal: Cable Car Up, Zip Lines Down
The aerial tram climbs to the highest point of the reserve with the volcano and the lake in view, then the Sky Trek cables bring you back down at speed.
Sky Walk, Sky Tram and Sky Trek at Arenal: 7 Cables up to 660 Feet High
Seven zip line cables totalling 1.7 miles and reaching 660 feet above the canopy, after the guided bridge walk and the cable car to the top of the reserve.
Wave Expeditions: 980-Metre Cable at 70 km/h, Then Class II-III Rafting
Seven extreme cables, the longest 980 metres over the waterfall at up to 70 km/h, then two hours on class II-III water. Transfers and lunch included.
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor