Top La Fortuna Outdoor Activities

Lace up your hiking boots for this full-day immersion in the wild beauty of Tenorio Volcano National Park. Look for wildlife on the drive from La Fortuna, and feel like a jungle explorer on the trek to Rio Celeste, known for its mystical aquamarine waters. Take a dip in warm volcanic river pools, admire a cascading waterfall, and reward your efforts with a typical Costa Rican lunch.

Combine three adventurous activities in a single tour: a hike to Arental Volcano, visit to the Hanging Bridges, and exploration of La Fortuna Waterfall. This full-day tour from La Fortuna, perfect for nature lovers, includes hiking and swimming amidst Costa Rica's beautiful natural scenery. Hotel pickup and drop-off included.

Aromatic coffee, sweet sugarcane, and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate are three of Costa Rica’s top agricultural exports—and its favorite products among locals and visitors alike. Learn about these three crops first-hand on this tour of a family-owned farm near La Fortuna. See how coffee is created from bean to cup, and then taste other delicious crops along with a guide.

Head out to the Sloth's Territory reserve, just outside of La Fortuna, to see the slow moving creatures in their natural habitat with this tour. You'll hike through the reserve, where you're likely to not only spot sloths, but also see a variety of other animals, including red frogs, porcupines, and even toucans. After your walk, you'll take a break to try some local fruits before returning to La Fortuna.

Observe Costa Rica's bountiful wildlife from the hanging bridges of Mistico Park in Arenal. Trek along ground-level forest trails and suspended walkways in this private, family-owned nature reserve that’s home to a vast array of birdlife, monkeys, reptiles, and tropical plants. Learn about the area’s rich biodiversity from a naturalist guide as you explore different levels of the rain forest, from floor to canopy, and enjoy commanding views of Arenal Volcano.

Discover the natural beauty of the La Fortuna region on an action-packed full-day tour that is ideal for people who enjoy outdoors activities. Go on hikes through lush rain forest; visit a butterfly garden and Maleku Indian village; take a dip at La Fortuna waterfall; look for wildlife; and view the Arenal Volcano. Top off the day with a cocktail and a relaxing soak in a natural hot water river.

This activity will take you to know the wonderful nocturnal secrets of the tropical rainforest accompanied by a Naturalist Guide. We will visit the trails of one of the best areas of La Fortuna to observe the local flora and fauna at the foot of the Arenal Volcano, Senderos and Mirador El Silencio. We will enter the forest in search of the hourglass frog, the Blue Jeans frog, the largest frog in the country, the “Chicken Eater Frog” and the most beautiful in Costa Rica, the red-eyed tree frog. Also in this place it is possible to observe some species of leaf insects, stick insects, snakes, such as the eyelash viper, snails, Velveteens, the Stone Hand Viper and coral snakes, some mammals such as sloths, opossums and anteaters.

Float down the Peñas Blancas River in a rowboat on this 3.5-hour journey from La Fortuna. Listen to your naturalist guide's commentary while keeping a lookout for monkeys, iguanas, and a variety of bird life. Finish up with a stop at a local farm to sample their homemade snacks and coffee. Round-trip transport from selected hotels included.

Spend a delicious 2 hours learning all about the best type of chocolate in the world, along with coffee, tropical fruit, spices, rum, and sugar cane- all products of Costa Rica, on this tour. Explore the farm holding 1600 cacao trees, where they produce 150 pounds of cacao every week. The best part: sampling the chocolate and the rest of the delicious produce!

Zipline through Costa Rican rain forest on a canopy tour that goes over the spectacular La Fortuna Waterfall—an opportunity not offered on similar excursions. Between cables, take in views of Arenal Volcano and Cerro Chato and talk to your guides about the La Fortuna area. Your tour ends with a trip to the Maleku Cultural Resource Center for a chance to wind down before hotel drop-off.

Connect with the waters of Costa Rica by paddling down class II and III white waters of the Balsa River. This half-day, guided, white-water rafting tour includes equipment, instruction, safety briefing and ends with a delicious lunch served in a local restaurant. Feel the thrill and excitement as you glide six miles (10 kilometers) down the river flanked by lush the jungle filled with monkeys, tropical birds, and sloths.

See for yourself why more than 100,000 visitors flock to La Fortuna Waterfall each year with an admission ticket to one of Costa Rica's most prized natural attractions, located inside Arenal Volcano National Park. After admiring the falls from a distance, hike down a steep path to stand at the base of the mesmerizing 230-foot (70-meter) cascade, where you can feel the power of the Fortuna River and feel its mist spraying into the surrounding jungle.

Get a close look at Costa Rica’s coffee- and chocolate-making traditions at a family farm near La Fortuna. See a cacao and sugar cane plantation, and learn how cacao is made into chocolate. You’ll get to sample fresh coffee and chocolate from the farm with a small-group tour limited to eight people.

Grip it and rip it on the upper Balsa River during the half-day whitewater rafting adventure over class III and IV rapids. Feel heart-pumping action while immersing yourself in Costa Rica's incredible natural beauty. Cap it all off with an authentic lunch chased down with a glass of handmade sugar cane juice that you get to press yourself while learning about local culture.

Rappel down waterfalls in the shadow of Arenal Volcano on this exciting rain forest adventure just outside of La Fortuna. Ride a 4x4 into the forest, where guides will help you gear up for a thrilling course featuring a rock climb and five rappels, including the ‘Monkey Drop’ and four waterfall descents. After conquering this natural playground, freshen up in a well-equipped ranch house and reward your efforts with a delicious lunch of organic Costa Rican cuisine.

Take advantage of some of northern Costa Rica’s best white-water rafting on this full-day, guided tour with traditional lunch included. Paddle through the rainforest and over the rapids of the Balsa River stopping along to swim and rest in nature. After your adventure is done enjoy a Costa Rican style lunch at a local restaurant.

Explore the rain forest around Arenal on this horseback riding adventure that takes you to the enchanting, sky-blue waters of the Rio Celeste. Here you are free to swim in a natural river pool and splash into the water on a giant Tarzan swing — things you can't do inside Arenal Volcano National Park. Well-trained horses and a local guide help ensure a safe, one-of-a-kind experience near La Fortuna.

From La Fortuna, you'll meet at Tifakara Lodge then walk through a frog sanctuary with red-eyed frogs, and look for all the other species of amphibians and more as you make your way through the jungle at night with your guide. This will take a little over an hour. You'll see lots of surprises along the way.

Hiking in the Costa Rican rainforest can be a dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Book this La Fortuna Sloths, Coffee, and Chocolate Experience and go with a guide who will keep you safe and well informed. Set out through the rainforest to spot sloth and other wildlife before stopping at a chocolate and coffee farm for tastings.

Chocolate lovers flock to this incredible tour from La Fortuna that includes the sweetest rainforest experience and unearths the hidden secretes of local chocolate production. Visit a farm where cocoa is grown, processed and produced. This hands-on experience lets travelers eat as much chocolate as they want while learning about history, culture and traditions of this popular Costa Rican sweet.

Discover the sounds and sights of the rainforest after dark with a 4-hour night hike and dinner tour from La Fortuna, and visit a  frog sanctuary in the Costa Rican countryside. Follow your guide along an easy trail, and watch for the bats, nocturnal birds and mammals that rustle through the treetops and on the forest floor. Search for red-eyed tree frogs and glass frogs in their natural habitats, then enjoy a traditional dinner prepared on a wood burning stove before returning to your hotel in La Fortuna.

While traveling to La Fortuna in Costa Rica, many people explore the gorgeous and unique landscape using ATVs; however, many tours take you to public areas that are overcrowded. This Arenal Volcano ATV Experience from La Fortuna takes you on an ATV ride through a private trail of the jungle that allows you to experience nature, culture, and adventure all during just a few hours.

Experience the thrill of riding an ATV along tracks in the Costa Rican rain forest during this exhilarating half-day activity from La Fortuna. You'll be transferred to a private farm situated next to Arenal Volcano National Park, and receive instruction from your guide on operating the ATV. Then follow your guide on a fun mud-splattered ride over rugged terrain, stopping for photo ops and an optional natural facial treatment.