Drive from SJO to La Fortuna. Takes 2 hr 15 min without any stops. Stay in La Fortuna town for 2 nights.
La Fortuna Waterfalls
- 246 ft beautiful waterfalls
- Parking – plenty available
- Entrance fee- $18 per person (Credit card accepted)
- Takes 10 minutes to walk down a 500 step stairs to reach waterfalls.
- Upward journey may take 20-25 minutes.
- The steps are mostly small and hence its quite manageable for most of the people (no need to be a hiker).
- You can enjoy the falls and also take a dip in the water and even swim in the water. Water was not cold when we went in June.
- There are also plenty of spots for getting in the water on the stream flowing from the waterfalls.
- Total time to spend – 2 hour max
Free Hot spring access at Tabacon Hot springs
Hot springs is a great attraction in La Fortuna. If you haven’t visited a hot spring, this is a must do. It is hot water streams flowing from the volcano mountain (Arenal Volcano mountain). It is totally safe to get soaked in this water and enjoy its warmth and just relax.
Route to Tabacon Hot spring in either Google Maps or Waze.
You will see cars parked on the roadside. You can park your car, and get into the hot spring by walking beside a small bridge (you won’t miss this as there will be lots of people going in and out of it).
Parking: This is supposed to be free. But there are some locals managing the parking there, and they will charge you $10 for parking (just parking on the road side). This is still cheap and they will at least look after the car and your stuffs. Please note that credit cards are not accepted.
There are some resorts that give you free access to Hot Springs if you are staying there. But these resorts are quite expensive ($300+ per day).
You can also book the hot spring access alone in these resorts for $30-40 per person.
Time to spend: Minimum 1 hr (more if you don’t get bored).