My perfect La Fortuna Itinerary | Review & Guide
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- #LaFortunaItinerary #ThingstodoLaFortuna #ArenalTrips
Wrapping up 4 days in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, I wanted to do a quick review and also include what would be my perfect itinerary for La Fortuna and Arenal if I could have my time back.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in La Fortuna. The climate is great. Sure, it does rain a bit but it doesn't have the stifling heat that Costa Rica's coast has. It's peaceful. You wake up to a crazy amount of birdsong. There's loads of stuff to do from volcano treks, waterfalls, hot springs and zip lining. Essentially the whole of La Fortuna is set up for tourism so it's super easy to organise various trips and everyone is incredibly helpful.
If you're in Costa Rica I would highly recommend making the trip to La Fortuna. Personally, I would visit Arenal/La Fortuna after the coast so that you have some contrast both in terms of climate and in terms of how relaxing it can be.
Here's my perfect itinerary for La Fortuna over 4 days. As you can see, there's loads of things to do in La Fortuna:
Day 1: Rio Celeste. A full day trip about 1 hour and 45 minutes from La Fortuna. It involves a hike to the river and waterfalls where the water is, well, a crazy colour. Turquoise, baby blue water. The photos and videos almost look fake.
Day 2: Ziplining. Sky Adventures are the most well known company in the area but you have a number to choose from. The zip lines themselves are very high and very long, some are 170m high and 800m long, giving you an incredible view of the surrounding area.
You could also go white water rafting - we actually bumped into a group that had just returned from white water rafting and they were very impressed!
Day 3: Mistico Hanging Bridges. Get there early so that you are the first ones in the park and take your time at the first bridge (it has the best views). Incredibly peaceful and if you're lucky you'll be able to see Arenal Volcano over the rainforest canopy.
Follow this up with La Fortuna Waterfall in the afternoon. You can go to the waterfall in the morning but it might be too cold to really enjoy. The free waterfalls are very close to the main La Fortuna waterfall so you can easily do both in a couple of hours.
Day 4: Hot Springs. We went to Tabacón Resort & Spa which is one of the more premium hot springs, but you do have multiple options. Just relax and soak yourself in the natural volcanic thermal spas. Again, you can also do the free ones either as a cheaper option or in addition to the paid hot springs.
And enjoy!
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
0:46 - Day 1: Rio Celeste
1:15 - Day 2: Ziplining or White Water Rafting
2:34 - Day 3: Mistico Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall
Shot on:
- GoPro Hero 9 Black with Media Mod
- Mavic Mini Drone
Credits for video snippets:
- @Solteros Pero Viajeros
- @WifeSquared
- @Diana Batinas
I found this supremely helpful. Took a bunch of notes that will definitely have an impact on our trip.
Perfect itenerary for short time frame
Great videos! Thanks for sharing high-quality insights into the La Fortuna area. We are headed there next week from Playa Flamingo - been here a month working remote and it is a nice and quiet area for being right on the beach.
@Ryan Regier, PhD Glad it was useful - I've never been to Playa Flamingo but it does look like somewhere that would be good for remote working. Let me know what you think of La Fortuna and enjoy! Would love to know what the zip lining is like...
Great video, cheers!
@Michael Autry - hope it proves useful!
Thank you
The Nicoya Peninsula is extremely hot, we bought our house in the Central Valley (temps consistently 24-25 degrees in the cloud forest) after spending too many hot weeks in Santa Teresa and Montezuma.
@Joe Lapierre seconded. It feels a bit strange complaining about the heat but it can be pretty stifling on the Nicoya Peninsula (don't even mention the dust from the roads)! 25 degrees is perfect, sounds like you've made a good choice.
This was awesome thanks so much!! Leaving in three weeks ✨🙌🏾✨ Great information
@Marcelena Theresa glad you like it! Are you leaving for La Fortuna in 3 weeks or are you already there?
@@WiththeSparrows I’m leaving in three weeks. I checked out both your vids they were so informative 💞 I’m there for 8 days
@@MarcelenaTheresa I'm jealous! There's a few vids on the different things - let me know if you go to Rio Celeste or the ziplining. I was trying to do that on my way back from Nicaragua to San Jose but didn't have the time.
@@WiththeSparrows Definitely sound Rio as you said, White water rafting, waterfalls, zip lining and I’m booked for 1 night ( I barley got in ) at the Spa. I’ll definitely go to the free spa as you said as well. Thanks so much
This video was awesome. VERY HELPFUL. since you recently just went there I do have to ask...... Would you recommend me booking a ziplining tour via the internet before I get there or do you think that it would be better to book with a tour place on through a vendor on the street? Also, did you hear anything about Baldi Hot springs? I was debating between tabacon and Baldi...
Any advice or help would be greatdly appreciated!
@Ruben Rivera - too kind! So firstly, zip lining. It depends on how long you are going to be there for, I would definitely book ahead if you're not going to be there long (availability can be limited so not worth the risk). It also means that you can plan other stuff around it if you have a set time.
I didn't actually go zip lining but apparently Sky Adventures is the best and most reputable so I guess just booking online would be a pretty safe choice with them. It's fairly easy to call/whatsapp them when you're there as well if you want more flexibility.
In terms of Tabacon vs Baldi. There's a couple of comments on the Tabacon video I made recommending Baldi Hot Springs (ruclips.net/video/3zbCpC4nqG4/видео.html). I had read that it was more of a family place, whereas Tabacon is a little more high end. Depends what you want really, I didn't go to Baldi but did very much enjoy Tabacon (even though it was pricey).
The two locals that we spoke to about the hot springs both said Baldi was busy (and louder because of the kids) but that might be anecdotal. Sorry I can't be of more help here, you've probably got the same access to information on Baldi as I do/did!
That is a perfect temperature for a Paradise, all year long, one of the first person that notice
@MS - indeed, maybe a bit rainy for a 'perfect climate' but certainly less oppressive than the coast!
what airport is best going to la Fortuna
I really enjoy your videos of Costa Rica , I just wanted to ask If there was anywhere near la fortuna Costa Rica that you were able to fly your drone? I was thinking of taking mine and I thought I would ask and see what you might recommend. love your vids!
@Michelangelo's Tech - I managed to fly my drone around La Fortuna, including Mistico Hanging Bridges, albeit when there was nobody around. There are pretty clear signs where they don't want you to fly (i.e La Fortuna Waterfall and Tabacon Hot Springs). I'd say it's worth taking it if you have one.
How did you get around? Did you rent a car or did you book tours to pick you up?
I'm going for 6 days end of june...best advice
@Hal Kreitman - hope you have a great time!
This was my exact plan for my 4 day itinerary for when I go in March! which of the activiites would you recommend a guided tour for? The volcano hiking for sure, but is it worth the significant costs to have a tour for the hanging bridges and la fortuna waterfall? or can these be done on your own with just paying the entrance fee?
@Chandler Hayes - ah I'm jealous! You're right, I don't think you need a tour for Mistico Hanging bridges unless you really want to know more about the vegetation and you definitely don't need one for La Fortuna waterfall. We didn't take a guide for the volcano hike but then again, the other parks might be more interesting than the observatory! Guides are expensive...but I guess it depends on how badly you want to see a sloth...
Great question.
This is great! Thank you so much!!! I will be in that area in 3 weeks. Hey, I have a question. Do you have to make reservations ahead of time for activities like white water rafting, ziplining, horse back riding, nature tours etc or you can make them when you arrive to La Fortuna?
@Vladimir Bajic - we didn't book much ahead, although you definitely need to with the water rafting and zip lining. However, if you're there for a few days you can just turn up and book for the next day so I wouldn't stress too much. I missed out on zip lining because I was trying to book for the afternoon session.....at about 1pm the same day.
Northridge CA I pay $38.00 for a pizza. I will be very happy to pay ,$18.00 to breath 100% oxygen plus see this beautiful natural paradise
@Carlos Cisnero - that's a fair comment! I guess it's all relative, although I'm not sure I could ever get on board with a $38 pizza.....
Awesome video! Do you recommend this place to go on a solo trip? Do you think it would be easy to join groups or meet people ?
@Kelvin Arriaga - it would still be good for a solo trip. I think your best bet would be to do tours to rio celeste, or the white water rafting, plus the zip lining. That way you'll be in groups and meet people.
Can't say that there were many people to meet where we were staying, but there is a Selina in La Fortuna Town which might be better to meet people.
@@WiththeSparrows appreciate the response! I will look into all. Do you book your tours in advance or while you were there ? Also I noticed you didn’t see any sloths. Did you do the sloth park tour? haha thanks!
@@kelvina9547 we just booked whilst we were there - depends on how long you'll be there for. Probably worth booking in advance so that you know your schedule.
We did go to a sloth park but didn't want to pay for a guide.....which was a mistake. Its expensive though for a guide but I think your chances of spotting a sloth without one are slim. They are well camouflaged!
hey brotha, going next month and will be in la Fortuna. where did you end up staying?
@DIRT CRUISER - hey, I'm jealous. Are you going to do Rio Celeste? We stayed relatively close to Tabacòn at a place called Arenal Volcano Inn. It was nice enough, but the food was terrible.....just a warning.
What Hotel did you stay in or that you recommend
@Akosua Atuahene we stayed at Arenal Volcano Inn which was good because it is about 5km outside of La Fortuna Town but closer to the hot spring, Mistico Hanging Bridges and Arenal volcano. It was also super peaceful. Reasonably priced (for Costa Rica) - didn't get much info on other hotels but I'm sure you'll find a good one. Are you planning a trip to La Fortuna?
Should I rent a car for this itinerary? How did you guys get to rio Celeste? Did you book a tour someplace? Thank you!
@harajukuLoverrrrr I don't think you need to rent a car, there's Uber in La Fortuna so getting around is relatively cheap.
We didn't actually end up going to Rio Celeste, but it would be on my list if I went back for sure. There's loads of tour operators for Rio Celeste so you definitely won't have a problem finding one - most hotels/hostels can organise it for you. That's the thing about La Fortuna - tours are advertised pretty much everywhere you go so you don't really have to go hunting around.
@@WiththeSparrows thank you so much!
@@harajukuLoverrrrr no worries, happy to help. What is going to be your itinerary in La Fortuna?
HI there! I am only going to be in La fortuna for 2 days and I was hoping to squeeze in rio celeste and then ziplining and the hanging bridges in one day. You think that is too much? or doable?
@tinabell2323 absolutely you'll. have time. If you get to Mistico Hanging Bridges early, you should be done by 9 or 10am. That leaves you all day to do the zip lining (I think the last group is at 3pm). You might even be able to do ziplining midday and then the hot springs in the evening!
Do Misticopark first thing in the morning, suggest paying for a guide to point out more wild life and will find you a couple Sloths. The zip line is one of the best in the world.
@@billgalli5991 can second that. Sloths are seriously hard to spot without a guide (probably why we didn't see any!). Although the guides can be pretty expensive - don't know about Mistico Hanging Bridges but they were trying to charge something like $40 for an hour in the Sloth park just outside La Fortuna.
@@billgalli5991 plan to do ziplining and maybe even canyoning - have you done that?
Great video what month did you go?
@Reason with me - thanks. I believe we were there around March time. Are you thinking of going?
@@WiththeSparrows nice I was thinking to go around February or March … I wanted to go when the weather is cooler especially using the hot springs…do you think March is good weather to attend the hot springs?
@@MJ-ej5ok it was good for us! We were told to avoid midday because it would be too hot, but La Fortuna tends to have more cloud than the coast....and I think the evening sessions are busier
Do you recommend staying somewhere closer to downtown la fortuna if you don’t rent a car?
@Jeanine Ruiz - honestly, not really. All of the stuff to do is out of town and we just used Uber everywhere, that was easy enough.
are there restaurants and bars around there?
@harajukuLoverrrrr - yes there are, mainly in La Fortuna town although having said that the food was pretty poor (in my opinion)! Although we didn't try more than a few restaurants. Can't really comment on the night life as it was pretty empty when we were there.
When are you visiting?
Tons of resturants, Italian,Sushi, great Steak places plus BoCoo Tico restaurants
@@billgalli5991 sounds like you know the best places. For some reason we managed to pick the worst places every time for food in La Fortuna
Did you have your own transport?
@Patrick Allan - no we didn't, it was easy enough to uber around just about everywhere in La Fortuna (except Mistico Hanging Bridges, but you can order a taxi from there)
@@WiththeSparrows Oh, there is Uber there.. ah ha, great to know.. Thank you .... :)
@@travelertrini yep....makes things very easy!
Amazing video! Covers the locations i plan to go to the first 4 days, as well. We are flying in from LIberia airport>rio celeste>la fortuna>monteverde>Samara. Do you recall how much you spent on transportation/uber in USD by chance? Just want to figure out if i can get around not renting a suv since you mentioned its easy to get around la fortuna without. cheers!
Ask a local to show you a sloth there are too many sloths in Costa Rica
@rodvarmo - believe me, we did. They all had the same response as you, "there's loads of sloths". I have no doubt that there are....maybe they were just hiding from us!
✌️🌞 🇨🇷 🌴 P U R A 🦥 V I D A 🌴🇨🇷 🌞✌️
@Noah Perez haha I like the inclusion of sloths there! Still can't believe we didn't see any in La Fortuna...
@@WiththeSparrows hopefully u can see a bunch of them before going back to your country 🤞
@Noah Perez hopefully! Do you know if there are any in Monteverde? We might be heading back to do Rio Celeste as well.
@@WiththeSparrows in Monteverde only 2 fingered sloths, but they tend to be nocturnal. Maybe on a night walk with a guide.
@@WiththeSparrows in Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo Park the Caribbean side u can find then I think .
What a handsome man with the sexy accent. Sorry 😅