Last updated: 06.08.24

Are you planning a visit to La Fortuna as part of your Costa Rica itinerary? You’re in the right place! This travel blog post is filled with inspiration for what to do in La Fortuna. If you’re a nature lover, La Fortuna has a lot of beauty to offer – Everything from a majestic volcano, impressive waterfalls to relaxing hot springs. Furthermore, in this lush rainforest environment, you will have the chance to encounter wildlife such as sloths. In my opinion, you can’t visit Costa Rica without seeing their iconic national animal: The sloth!

I hope this La Fortuna guide will help you plan your stay in Costa Rica and inspires you with ideas of things to do in La Fortuna. “Plan your Costa Rica itinerary: 5 best things to do in La Fortuna” will cover the following topics:

• La Fortuna in Costa Rica
• 5 best things to do in La Fortuna
• How to get to La Fortuna
• Getting around La Fortuna
• Where to stay in La Fortuna

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
After booking our accommodation, we entered into a collaboration with the property. However we had already committed to a 3 week stay before finalizing any partnership. This recommendation remains entirely genuine.

Plan your Costa Rica itinerary: 5 best things to do in La Fortuna

La Fortuna in Costa Rica

You find La Fortuna at the foot of the majestic Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. La Fortuna is a small town and an ideal destination for nature lovers. The landscape is scenic with the spectacular volcano view, hot springs, beautiful waterfalls and adorable sloths in the forest.

Whether you’re planning a brief stopover or an extended stay in La Fortuna on your Costa Rica itinerary, La Fortuna offers its natural beauty. We stayed for 3 weeks in La Fortuna and absolutely loved it.

5 best things to do in La Fortuna

After spending 3 incredible weeks in La Fortuna, here are my must do activities in La Fortuna, that you should consider adding to your La Fortuna itinerary:

Tabacon Hot Springs

Enjoy a relaxing spa day in hot water surrounded by the most beautiful scenery.

Random fact: This experience is quite pricy, but one of my favorite places we visited in Costa Rica.

Price: We paid $80 per person.

You can find more details on their website tabacon.com.

Arenal Volcano

Observe this impressive active volcano.

We just observed the volcano from distance, which we enjoyed for free. If you’re interested in getting closer, there are different tours available including hikes around the volcano.

Explore different tour options including Arenal Volcano National Park here.

El Salto (waterfall and rope swing)

If you’re seeking a free (and smaller) waterfall, you can visit El Salto. You can take a refreshing swim in the water and have fun with the rope swing.

La Fortuna Waterfall

If you love chasing waterfalls this place is a must do in La Fortuna.

Random fact: The route to the waterfall involves about 500 steps down.

Price: We paid $20 per person.

Tickets can be purchased on arrival or through Viator.

Observe sloths at Bogarin trail

You can’t visit Costa Rica without encountering their iconic national animal: The sloth.

Fun fact: The sloth is the slowest mammal in the world. It’s so inactive that algae grow on its furry coat.

Price: Self guided tour $19 per person (what we did) and $45 per adult for a guided tour.
The entrance fee for a night walk is around $60 per adult.
Adults: +12 years

Opening hours:
For a self guided tours: 7.00 am to 4.00 pm.
Times for a guided tour: 8 am, 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm and 4 pm.
(Always a great idea to check their website for any updates before you go)

Is the trail difficult?
No the path is flat and not too long.

Recommendations for the trail:
– Wear close-toed shoes
– Bring a bottle of water
– Use insect repellent and sunscreen
– Do not feed and touch the animals
– Always stay on the trail

For more details about the trail, visit their website here.

Bonus things to do in La Fortuna

Here are a few additional activities to consider adding to your La Fortuna itinerary: A yoga class and a visit to the small park in La Fortuna.

How to get to La Fortuna

There are severals ways to get from Juan Santamaría International Airport to La Fortuna and back. Here are a few options I recommend:

Private shuttle service

You can book a private shuttle service or book taxi.
We arranged a private shuttle from the airport to La Fortuna through booking.com, which made the process easy. We paid approximately $140 for transfer.

Shared shuttle service

Alternatively you can also book a shared shuttle service. We booked a shared shuttle back to the airport from La Fortuna. We used Interbus for our shared shuttle and ended up being the only passengers on the shuttle. We paid approximately $84.

Car rental

Renting a car is another convenient option. Although we didn’t rent a car in Costa Rica, we found it to be a flexible way to explore new places in other countries. For car rental, check out DiscoverCars to compare rates.

Getting around La Fortuna

How do you get around in La Fortuna? There are several options for getting around La Fortuna. Each option with its own advantages. Choose one or mix them to suit your travel style and itinerary. Here are some options for getting around:

Walking

Walking is a great way to experience a new place. Many restaurants, shops and grocery stores are within easy access by foot.

While we often walked to nearby places, be aware that sidewalks may not be available once you leave the centrum of the town.

Walking is budget friendly option that allows you to soak in the local atmosphere. If you’re planning a longer walk, remember to wear sun protection and bring water, as the heat and humidity can be intense.

Taxis

We used different drivers to visit some of the attractions. It’s a convenient and efficient way to get around.

It’s important to know: Although the Uber app operates, it’s NOT legal to use in Costa Rica. Instead book a traditional taxi for your rides.

Rent a car

If you’re looking for the ultimate freedom and flexibility, renting a car is a great choice. It allows you to explore La Fortuna and its surroundings at your own pace.

We didn’t rent a car in Costa Rica because we were stayed the same place for an extended period and only exploring some of the days.

If you need a car rental, check out DiscoverCars for comparing rates of different cars.

Where to stay in La Fortuna

After 1 month of fast paced travel through Peru, constantly on the move, Nicko and I both felt the need to slow down and stay at the same place for a while. Our chosen location for a much needed pause was La Fortuna, where we could combine relaxing, exploring and working. This is how we discovered the gem Selina La Fortuna in Costa Rica. We stayed there for 3 weeks. (Full disclosure: After booking, we entered collaboration with Selina, but we had already committed to a 3 week stay before finalizing any deals. This is still a genuinely recommendation of the place – We loved our stay).  

One of the things I loved about our stay was the coworking space. Selina La Fortuna has a nice office with great wifi and a comfortable set up. This makes it an ideal spot for digital nomads. Furthermore you can participate in free activities like yoga classes, welcome drink at the bonfire, drink and paint night, karaoke night, live music, movie night, dance classes and more. 

For fellow animal lovers, it’s a big bonus that you can cuddle with two adorable dogs, who are living at the property too.

We definitely found a perfect work life balance in Costa Rica with focus on wellness and coworking. I highly recommend you to stay at Selina La Fortuna, even if you’re not working it’s a great place to stay and meet other travelers.

We had our own room with private bathroom and paid $2583,5 for a 3 week stay.

Selina La Fortuna has a great location and it’s easy to visit all of the activities mentioned above from there. For booking details, you can compare prices on booking.com and Selina’s website.

You can also explore other accommodations in La Fortuna:

Enjoy your planning and trip to La Fortuna in Costa Rica!