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Voykit pocket guide · Costa Rica
La Fortuna
La Fortuna de San Carlos
Stay 3 nights: one for the volcano and hot springs, one for the waterfall and Río Fortuna, one spare for rain. Fewer nights and you gamble the whole trip on cloud.
La Fortuna is a small grid town of about 15,000 people on the east side of Arenal Volcano, and almost everything you came for sits 5–25 km outside it. The volcano stopped erupting in 2010, so the draw now is the cone itself on a clear morning, the Río Fortuna waterfall, hot springs and hanging-bridge forest walks. Three nights is the working number: two full days plus a weather buffer, because Arenal is often in cloud and the summit shows itself without warning.
- Country
- Costa Rica
- Local name
- La Fortuna de San Carlos
- Best months
- Feb–Apr (driest, best volcano views); Dec–Apr generally
- Avoid
- Sep–Oct (wettest); peak Christmas–New Year for prices
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CRC
- Money
- Currency is the Costa Rican colón (CRC, ₡); US dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas, with change often given in colones.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₡25,000–40,000 excl. bed · Mid ₡45,000–80,000 excl. bed · High ₡90,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Kölbi, Claro and Liberty sell SIMs at SJO and in towns; passport required.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · US-style plugs.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: 10% service is in the bill; extra optional.; Guides: US$5–10 per person per tour.; Shuttle drivers: US$2–5.
- Water
- Tap water is safe in most of the country, including San José; drink bottled on parts of the Caribbean coast and in remote areas.
- Toilets
- Western toilets; put paper in the bin in many places.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Soda plate (rice, beans, salad, meat, drink) | ₡3,000–4,000 |
| Casado de pollo at a mid-range café | ₡3,000–6,000 |
| Coffee | ₡1,000–2,000 |
| Beer, bar / supermarket | ₡2,000–3,500 / ₡1,000–1,500 |
| Scooter rental, per day | US$40, down to about US$20 for 5+ days (check) |
| Taxi in town | ₡2,000–4,000 |
| Hot springs entry, adult | US$47–89 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₡8,000–15,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SJO · Juan Santamaría International, San José
- About 3–3.5 h by road; shared shuttles from about US$30, private transfers more
- LIR · Daniel Oduber Quirós International, Liberia
- About 2.5–3 h by road; useful if you fly into Guanacaste first
- FON · Arenal/La Fortuna domestic airstrip
- Domestic flights from San José or Quepos, roughly US$90; small planes, weight limits apply (check)
Typical fares
- Shared shuttle San José → La Fortuna
- from about US$30, 3–3.5 h (check)
- Public bus San José → La Fortuna
- about US$7, 5.5 h (check)
- Taxi town centre → waterfall
- ₡6,000–10,000 (check)
Get around
The town is walkable; everything else is not. Taxis wait near the central park, ride-hailing apps often cost about half a taxi, and scooters rent for about US$40 a day (less for five days or more). Tours include pickup, which is the simplest option without a car. Roads to the park and El Castillo are paved but narrow, with one-lane bridges.
See and do
Known for
- Arenal Volcano
- Río Fortuna waterfall
- Hot springs (Baldí, EcoTermales, Tabacón)
- Hanging bridges and rainforest walks
- 1968 eruption history
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Arenal Volcano National Park and El Mirador | Tour minibus or your own car to the park entrance, then a walk over lava rock | Half a day |
| Río Fortuna waterfall | Taxi or tour from town, about 15 min; entrance closes 17:00Taxi or tour from town, about 15 min; entrance closes 5:00 PM | 2–3 h |
| El Castillo and Lake Arenal | Car or taxi, about 25 km westCar or taxi, about 16 mi west | Half a day |
| Monteverde | Jeep-boat-jeep across Lake Arenal, or the long road around | 3–4 h |
| Caño Negro wetlands | Organised tour north toward Los Chiles | Full day |
Sleep
- La Fortuna town centre
- Walkable to sodas, tour offices and the bus stop; cheapest beds and no volcano view. Best if you have no car.
- Road to the volcano (6–8 km west)
- Hotels and lodges with cone views, between town and the park; you need a car, taxi or shuttle for everything.
- El Castillo and Lake Arenal side
- 25 km west, quieter, best lake-and-volcano views; good for two nights if you want to slow down.16 mi west, quieter, best lake-and-volcano views; good for two nights if you want to slow down.
- Tabacón / Baldí corridor
- Hot-spring resorts clustered on one road; convenient for springs, far from town restaurants.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta por fa-VOR |
| Where is the bus stop? | ¿Dónde está la parada de bus?DON-de es-TA la pa-RA-da de bus |
| Is it safe to swim here? | ¿Es seguro nadar aquí?es se-GU-ro na-DAR a-KI |
| I have a reservation | Tengo una reservaciónTEN-go U-na re-ser-va-SION |
| Help! | ¡Ayuda!a-YU-da |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Buenas' and a handshake; cheek kiss among friends; avoid: Skipping the greeting
- Conflict: Stay polite and indirect; avoid: Raised voices
- Time: Be on time for tours; avoid: Expecting social events to start on time
- Nature: Stay on trails, keep quiet; avoid: Feeding animals
Scams and watch-outs
- The volcano has not erupted since 2010: no lava at night, whatever a tout tells you.
- Cloud is the norm: book the volcano hike for your first clear afternoon, not your last morning.
- Hot springs during heavy rain: colder rainwater mixing with warm spring water raises the infection risk; go when it is dry.
- Tabaconcito, the free river spot across from Tabacón, has no facilities and no lights after dark: bring a torch.
- Bus timetables out of La Fortuna are unreliable and touts exploit it; arrive early and plan an hour of slack.
- Card and cash: dollars are widely accepted, but small sodas and taxis prefer colones.
La Fortuna is a small, busy tourist town and violent crime is rare. The real risks are wet roads, unlit trails after dark, unlicensed guides selling 'volcano tours' with no park entry, and leaving valuables in a parked car.
One and two days
No timed day plan for La Fortuna yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Arenal Volcano
- Río Fortuna waterfall
- Hot springs (Baldí, EcoTermales, Tabacón)
- Hanging bridges and rainforest walks
- 1968 eruption history
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Costa Rica — Arenal and La Fortuna: www.visitcostarica.com/
- Catarata Río Fortuna (official waterfall site): www.cataratalafortuna.com/
- Baldí Hot Springs (official): www.baldihotsprings.cr/
- EcoTermales Fortuna (official): ecotermalesfortuna.cr/
- Aerobell Airlines — domestic flights to La Fortuna/Arenal: www.aerobell.com/
- Wikivoyage: La Fortuna, revision 5340112 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5340112
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
La FortunaLa Fortuna de San Carlos
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- All emergencies911
No embassies in La Fortuna; the US, UK, Canada and most others are in San José. Consular help for the region comes from San José.
Prices in colones; dollars widely accepted. Tipping: 10% service is usually already in the bill; tip guides and drivers extra.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/la-fortuna). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.