Monteverde on another hand is best for a day trip. This is much further from La Fortuna, but the trail is a little better. Best Theatre Luckily, our guide kept us safe! This is one of the best hikes in La Fortuna! WebArenal COMBO Tour Pedal and Paddle Crossing Lake Arenal. When you arrive in Tilaran, youll need to make sure you have sufficient gas to make the journey. The tour also includes a trip to the Maleku Cultural Resource Center once youre finished and roundtrip transportation from La Fortuna. TheBaldi Hot Springsis one of the most luxurious and developed and visited hot springs in La Fortuna, not to mention the most lively one! If you do decide tospend a night at Selina, book a teepee! Most are also run by themes, plugins, and other add-ons to our website that we do not and cannot control, which means the cookies you receive are mainly provided by third parties. Parking at Rio Celeste costs 2,000 colones per vehicle, and the park entrance fee is $12 USD for adults. By visiting or submitting information through our website, you acknowledge and accept our use of cookies, and the use of third-party cookies. Youll learn a ton about the park and volcano! This part of the river is really hot, and youll smell the sulfur before you see it! Its one of the best value tours in Costa Rica. Best Use Of An Extra Two Dollars In Your Pocket Best Fruit Smoothie Awe (blush). Best Novelty Restaurant You may even get the chance to grind cacao beans to make your own chocolate bar! If you want to do a guided tour, I highlysuggest this specific tour with Mistico. When to reserve Costa Rica tours and activities, When to reserve Costa Rica hotels, transfers, rental cars, and restaurant visits, How to plan a trip to Costa Rica for free, step by step, Best time to visit / Costa Rica's seasons. I personally visited Arenal Volcano National Park on a tour simply because I love having a guide to learn all about the volcano. Related Read: Heading to Monteverde? The route from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde is easy and is as follows Take Route 142 to Lake Arenal and follow the road along the edge of the lake. The hanging bridges are located on a large property that a local family privately protects. The trail goes around the mirrored lakes to a frog sanctuary where you can spot the red-eyed tree frog and the tiny dart frog. Hike the 1968 Arenal Trail. For more than a decade, weve been helping travelers determine the answers to these questions based on whats best for them, and were happy to do the same for you. The small downtown core offers a handful of urban amenities like trendy souvenir shops and cafes, while the outskirts of town showcase natural, agrarian settings, and quiet neighborhoods. If you want to get out of town and amongst the treetops, I highly suggest visiting hanging bridges in La Fortuna. Slipping fingerslol. WebYou can have a volcano, a trail below, waterfalls, a lake, and a plethora of many other natural wonders all at an arms reach from La Fortuna. Best Place To See Coatis Shy of the low-key but obvious urban development thats featured in La Fortuna / Arenal, the Monteverde vicinity swaps commercial offices for plantations and farms. Most of the nicer beaches are anywhere from a 3.5-hour drive to a 6-hour drive away from La Fortuna. Depending on the type of ground transfer service used, the route followed, and weather conditions, the drive could take longer. It includes snacks and Costa Rican moonshine to sip as the sky changes colors in the evening. Both La Fortuna / Arenal and Monteverde welcome travelers who speak English. This trail is no longer maintained, and while I lived in La Fortuna, it was the locals way to the top. The tour includes roundtrip transportation and is $110 USD per person. WebLa Fortuna (the town nearest to the Arenal Volcano) has an altitude of 1,148 feet (350 m), while Monteverde straddles the Continental Divide at 4,921 feet (1,500 m). Hot springs at night. Best Breakfast Menu Item (Non-Traditional) This beautiful, forested property has you cross eight sizable hanging bridges during the two-mile (3.2 km) walk. Some beaches in #, Try traditional, handmade Costa Rican cuisine! Rio Celeste is open from 8 am to 4 pm, and its best to visit early in the morning when it is less crowded. The closest airport to La Fortuna is Juan Santamara International Airport in the capital of San Jose. The food in Costa Rica is amazing! This is a great way to spot birds including Great Blue Herons and Kingfishers, and youll probably hear Howler monkeys too. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to accept the policy again. Here, you can literally see the water turn blue as the stream meet its so cool! Youll be able to get a room here for under $75 USD. Also, unlike competing blogs, we never sell your personal information (for example, your email address). Dont have the time to learn about La Fortuna / Arenal and Monteverde by reading our article? You can spend as much time as you like on the deck here before heading back down either in the tram or by zipline! Best Navidad (Christmas) Tradition Continue to Monteverde, where you'll discover the remarkable flora and fauna of the cloud forest. However, a completely legal hike you can enjoy in La Fortuna is up Chato Volcano. The water in La Fortuna is completely safe to drink and some of the best in the country. Our Costa Rica guidebooks published by the prestigious Moon Travel Guides: Our Moon Costa Rica guidebook, 2023 edition (a full-country guide out September 2023 but currently available for pre-orderpaperback and e-book versions), Our Moon Best of Costa Rica guidebook, 2022 edition (a selective best of guide currently available for purchase in stores worldwide and through online retailerspaperback and e-book versions), Our Moon Costa Rica guidebook, 2021 edition (a full-country guide currently available for purchase in stores worldwide and through online retailerspaperback and e-book versions), Our Moon Costa Rica guidebook, 2019 edition (a full-country guide currently available to purchase in stores worldwide and through online retailerspaperback and e-book versions). Best View Of The Central Valley Our Moon Costa Rica guidebook, 2023 edition (a full-country guide out September 2023 but currently available for pre-orderpaperback and e-book versions): Our Moon Best of Costa Rica guidebook, 2022 edition (a selective best of guide currently available for purchase in stores worldwide and through online retailerspaperback and e-book versions): Our Moon Costa Rica guidebook, 2021 edition (a full-country guide currently available for purchase in stores worldwide and through online retailerspaperback and e-book versions): Our Moon Costa Rica guidebook, 2019 edition (a full-country guide currently available to purchase in stores worldwide and through online retailerspaperback and e-book versions): Today's the day! Not to mention the town is big on accommodation, and a thriving restaurant and cafe scene. Is the value of your Costa Rica trip worth $5.99? You can take a swim at the base of the falls! On the fastest route between the two towns, you'll experience the beauty of the Arenal Volcano National Park and the Monteverde Cloud Forest. I love your trendy tips at Reverse Commuter. Located around 1.5 hours north of La Fortuna. About Monteverde. Given the destinations high elevation, cloud cover is frequent. More than 450 species of birds have been spotted here! The biodive, Sunbathe on #PlayaEspadillaSur! For hiking, maybe go to the Monteverde Reserve and hopefully get to see a quetzal. Combine two of the best activities in Arenal, Stand Up Paddle Lake Crossing and Mountain Biking all in one! Get spectacular views of Arenal Volcano and the cloud forests of Monteverde as you travel by van and boat. Get spectacular views of Arenal Volcano and the cloud forests of Monteverde as you travel by van and boat. We did Curi Cancha Reserve in the morning for a birding tour and then hiked Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena by ourselves in the afternoon. Some of Costa Ricas highest-rated activities, most stunning hotels, and most jaw-dropping landscapes hide among the Monteverde and La Fortuna areas. Then you could also add in the cloud forest. You can eat at local Costa Rican restaurants that serve traditional culinary dishes, or at fancier establishments that feature cuisine from around the world. Not to mention the town is big on accommodation, and a thriving restaurant and cafe scene. WebTravel easily between La Fortuna and Monteverde with a van-boat-van transfer crossing over Arenal Lake. Can/should I visit both La Fortuna / Arenal and Monteverde? Its the first eco-brewery in the country! The rapids here have names like the Terminator, the Pipeline, and Dos Locos, and youll get soaked as you navigate the river. About Monteverde. Every post intrigues me! Best Swimming Lagoon, Most Common Dining Expression Browse our Costa Rica blogs to learn everything you need to know about transportation in Costa Rica, including different ways to get around Costa Rica. La Fortuna certainly made its way into the top tourist destinations in Costa Rica for a reason. La Fortuna is the city at the base of the Arenal volcano. Enjoy transportation from your hotel door in La Fortuna to your location in Monteverde or Santa Elena. Explore the surroundings of the most authentic and epic scenarios that the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal have to offer. Arenal and La Fortuna. Its also important to note that after rain, the water can turn brown, so its best to visit when it hasnt rained in a while. If you decide to visit Monteverde, I highly recommend Hotel Las Orquideas. When you arrive in Tilaran, youll need to make sure you have sufficient gas to make the journey. Arenal Volcano National Parkis explored either on your own or on a guided tour. Visiting is nothing short of breathtaking. Want to show your appreciation for the free article below? La Fortuna / Arenal is accessed via paved roads. Then you could also add in the cloud forest. Clean, safe, inexpensive, economy-quality, cabin-style accommodations sit along the same road as four-star, resort-quality, luxurious hotels. The bridges range from 170 feet (52 meters) to 560 feet (171 meters). Best Nature Tour Operator Cold coconut water is just as del, Relax on a secluded beach! Exploring the suspended bridges and nature trails should take about three hours. If you plan to arrive at Monteverde from the south via Road 606, sections of the drive between the Pan-American Highway (Highway 1) and Monteverde are mountainous, curvy, and bumpy in places. You can also go to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Have you been to La Fortuna / Arenal and/or Monteverde? Its a cool accommodation thats definitely more like glamping with a comfy double bed inside the teepee. Lake Arenal is at the base of the Arenal Volcano, and this lake is the largest in Costa Rica! These two products are very important exports for Costa Rica, and its really neat to see the entire process unfold before your eyes. The tour is also much cheaper at $30 USD. LOL. We strive for quality, not quantity, and we never stuff our blog with general information about Costa Rica that is widely available elsewhere. Monteverde on another hand is best for a day trip. Below we compare and contrast La Fortuna / Arenal and Monteverde according to the following factors: La Fortuna / Arenal is located approximately 3-3.5 hours from the SJO Airport via direct, ground transportation. I found the tour very informative and left with an abundance of knowledge. Arenal and La Fortuna. We spent a lot of time here when we lived in La Fortuna they have a great co-working space! 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To show your appreciation for the free article below you 'll discover remarkable! Moonshine to sip as the sky changes colors in the cloud forest the afternoon are important... The journey as the sky changes colors in the capital of San Jose best Nature tour Cold! By reading our article red-eyed tree frog and the park entrance fee $... 450 species of birds have been spotted here trail is a little better tour... This things to do between la fortuna and monteverde is a great way to the Maleku Cultural Resource Center once finished. A frog sanctuary where you 'll discover the remarkable flora and fauna of the nicer beaches are anywhere a... Paddle Crossing Lake Arenal to make your own chocolate bar three hours not to the., it was the locals way to spot birds including great Blue Herons and Kingfishers and. This specific tour with Mistico where you 'll discover the remarkable flora fauna... Traditional, handmade Costa Rican moonshine to sip as the stream meet its so cool are located a!
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