This Arenal Horseback Riding Tourtakes you to the forest around Arenal Volcano and right up to Pino Blanco Waterfall and the famous La Fortuna Waterfall. Related Read: Love food? Monteverde grows in popularity with each passing year. La Fortuna / Arenal or Monteverde? While La Fortuna is absolutely stunning during the day, it really comes alive at night! Pura vida, amigos! Best Equipment (Other Than A Camera) To Pack Best Fruit Smoothie Planning a trip to Costa Rica? WebArenal COMBO Tour Pedal and Paddle Crossing Lake Arenal. Best Ancient Ruins During the wet/winter/green season, the area remains warm and mostly sunny, with occasional cloud cover and rain showers. Depending on the type of ground transfer service used, the route followed, and weather conditions, the drive could take longer. This guided touroffers both the Sky Tram and the zipline course as well as a guide and transportation from La Fortuna. The hike ends with a break to enjoy fresh fruit from the organic farm here. PayPal donations are confidential; we never see your payment details. Monteverde on another hand is best for a day trip. The Arenal Observatory Lodge in the Arenal area also has nice hiking. Monteverde isnt a luxury destination. Typically, youll see monkeys, sloths, iguanas, crocodiles, and lots of birds! The distance between Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna and Monteverde as the crow fliesis pretty short. For more than a decade, weve been helping travelers determine the answers to these questions based on whats best for them, and were happy to do the same for you. Company owners can make or break their business, so its great to learn about the people behind the enterprise. Below are some of them. La Fortuna is known as the gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park, as well as a beautiful destination surrounded by waterfalls, wildlife, and other natural attractions. Excluding the hour-long hike required to reach the biological station, the hike from there to El Castillo is another approximate 6 hours. Youll have the chance to rock climb up a hidden rainforest canyon and rappel along a thrilling course that includes the Monkey Drop canyon zipline and four waterfall descents. Tours at Mistico Hanging Bridges can be done self-guided or on a tour. Thanks for sharing such an amazing blog with us, Thank you for commenting, airport transfers london! Click here to access the FREE Monteverde discounts! But the road and waterways between these destinations are not as straightforward to navigate. About Monteverde. All content, concepts, and photos (unless credited otherwise) property of Ricky and Nikki Solano. This is arguably the most luxurious hotel in La Fortuna and comes with fantastic views, luxury rooms, a resort-style pool, a fitness center, a swim-up bar, hot tubs, and a spa and wellness center. The passes here are reasonable at $16 USD and include admission to hot and cold pools and wildlife exhibits on-site. If you only have a week, pick 2 of the above that interest you most. We've seen lots of beautiful birds there including toucans. However, those with a vehicle can also drive out there and park at the bridge. The conservatory is open every day from 10 am to 4 pm. Tours to attractions that fall outside of La Fortuna run daily from the town, including trips to the Venado Caves, to Rio Celeste inside the Tenorio Volcano National Park, and to the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge, as well as white-water rafting excursions on several local rivers, including the famous Pacuare River (see our related blog post The Pacuare River Rafting Tour for rafting tour details). Teideros is 3 kilometers from the entrance. The trail goes around the mirrored lakes to a frog sanctuary where you can spot the red-eyed tree frog and the tiny dart frog. Visit Monteverde Cloud Forest The forest really is cloudy! Best Cultural Tour This is also where the volcano is, and this is where the majority of the best adventure tours you could possibly have are. Best Accessible Tour Enjoy transportation from your hotel door in La Fortuna to your location in Monteverde or Santa Elena. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about transportation. The tour is also much cheaper at $30 USD. They are such unique animals, and the area around La Fortuna is a great place to see them. I recommendstaying the nightso you can enjoy a few drinks and explore the property and not have to drive back that day. Distance from La Fortuna. However, the main draw to La Fortuna is the surrounding landscape and the many incredible things to do and see. We did Curi Cancha Reserve in the morning for a birding tour and then hiked Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena by ourselves in the afternoon. WebTravel easily between La Fortuna and Monteverde with a van-boat-van transfer crossing over Arenal Lake. Those two places are the most popular, and the rainforest is the Arenal and La Fortuna area. Monteverde also has nice ziplining and the hanging bridges you mentioned. NEW! For a relaxing evening on the water,this sunset cruiselets you drift on Lake Arenal and soak in the magnificent views. Spread your wings and visit the small town of El Castillo, which is home to thelargest butterfly conservatoryin Costa Rica. Best Art Gallery (If you cannot see the PayPal button above, click here.) There are two ways to hike Chato Volcano, depending on how much adventure youre after. It has a relaxed, reggae vibe, and the live music here is the main draw. Explore the surroundings of the most authentic and epic scenarios that the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal have to offer. Best Place To Scuba Dive Explore the surroundings of the most authentic and epic scenarios that the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal have to offer. If you do decide tospend a night at Selina, book a teepee! On the fastest route between the two towns, you'll experience the beauty of the Arenal Volcano National Park and the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Continue to Monteverde, where you'll discover the remarkable flora and fauna of the cloud forest. Whenever Im traveling, I love trying the local craft beer of the region. Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS: Are you curious to know the most common question we receive from people who are planning a trip to Costa Rica? You can spend as much time as you like on the deck here before heading back down either in the tram or by zipline! Depending on the type of ground transfer service used, the route followed, and weather conditions, the drive could be longer. Were a happily married, adventurous couple in our 16th year of exploring Costa Rica together. In fact, I loved La Fortuna so much that I moved there at the start of 2022 and spent lots of time exploring the surrounding area. If you only have a week, pick 2 of the above that interest you most. If you decide to visit Monteverde, I highly recommend Hotel Las Orquideas. Our awesome Costa Rica Destination Tool filters 66 destinations by nearly 150 criteria to help you quickly and easily decide where to go in Costa Rica according to your unique preferences, wants, and needs. It would be irresponsible of us to label either Monteverde or La Fortuna / Arenal as being better or worse than the other, but we are happy to compare and contrast the two destinations so you can draw your own conclusions about which would be the best for you to visit. You can explore the park on your own as theres a 2-mile trail (3.2 km), including six hanging bridges. Related Read: Another popular place for a river safari is near Jaco at the Crocodile Bridge, where you will see, you guessed it, crocodiles! Best View Overlooking The Pacific Coast, Best Place To See Capuchin Monkeys Best Novelty Restaurant It definitely has a fun party vibe, especially on the weekends! Best Site For A Titanic Im The King Of The World Moment Read more 8-Day Itinerary Including Gulf of Papagayo Baby squirrel monkey and mother For a faster-paced adventure in La Fortuna, jump on an ATV to get up close to Arenal Volcano. Most Underrated Hotel Amenities, Best Shortcut When to reserve Costa Rica tours and activities, When to reserve Costa Rica hotels, transfers, rental cars, and restaurant visits, How to plan a trip to Costa Rica for free, step by step, Best time to visit / Costa Rica's seasons. , click on a photo in the gallery above for discount and tour information. Hiking Arenal Volcano is illegal, so I will not be mentioning it in this blog. Thanks so much for commenting! Browse our Costa Rica blogs to learn everything you need to know about saving money in Costa Rica, and to access free discounts for Costa Rica tours, hotels, car rentals, and shuttle services. Home Where To Go In Costa Rica How To Decide Between La Fortuna / Arenal or Monteverde (or Why You Should Visit Both), Last updated on October 15th, 2022 at 03:04 pm EST, Nikki is the CEO ofPura Vida! eh? La Fortuna / Arenal is also home to the stunning La Fortuna Waterfall (see our related blog post Visiting The All-New La Fortuna Waterfall And Orchid Gardenfor more information), among other breathtaking cascades. We're truly grateful for your time and preference. Great experiences are all about service, and nothing beats local, authentic service encountered with the help of word-of-mouth recommendations. Unless youre just diving into your Costa Rica vacation planning, youve probably already heard that La Fortuna / Arenal and Monteverde are two of Costa Ricas top destinations. Finally, spend a few days in Manuel Antonio National Park, kayaking through turquoise waters and relaxing on pristine white sand beaches. The hike I have in mind is run by ACMCR. Also, you are not allowed to bring plastic into the park. I found the tour very informative and left with an abundance of knowledge. Monteverde doesnt have a line-up of car rental agencies, but most car rental agencies in Costa Rica can deliver cars to Monteverde or pick up cars in Monteverde for a fee. There are also fun waterslides, waterfalls, and a faux volcano. (You can learn about the highway extension by reading our related blog post: How The New Chilamate Vuelta Kooper Highway Will Save You Time To/From La Fortuna.). Best Hot Springs Most of the nicer beaches are anywhere from a 3.5-hour drive to a 6-hour drive away from La Fortuna. For more information about this and other privacy-related practices, please see our Privacy Policy. We saw lots of toucans during our visit. Dont be deceived by appearances, its a short distance as the crow flies, but a Birdwatching. Below are some of them. Rega, Witness a rainforest phenomenon! Their trails are in good shape. Toucans are my favorite! This part of the river is really hot, and youll smell the sulfur before you see it! Arguably, La Fortuna / Arenal is the most popular tourist destination in Costa Rica. Best Safari Float Absolutely! Coolest Tree READ THIS FIRST! Love our blog? Best Surf Town It should come as no surprise that La Fortuna Waterfall is one of the top attractions in La Fortuna. Hule Lagoon is a beautiful lagoon at the base of the Cerro Congo Volcano. Staple adventures, including aerial tram rides, hanging bridges tours, and canopy zip-line tours are run in the area, as are farm tours that offer a peek at the lifestyle of Costa Rican agricultural workers who process coffee, chocolate, and sugarcane. The distance between Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna and Monteverde as the crow fliesis pretty short. Best Museum This is one of the best things to do in La Fortuna especially if you want to relax! Do you have any tips on the pros and cons of some beaches that are reasonably close to Arenal? Dont be deceived by appearances, its a short distance as the crow flies, but a One of the best trails is the Waterfall Trail which is about a 30-minute walk to the base of a waterfall. To visit Monteverde, I love trying the local craft beer of the above that interest you most to Rica! Beats local, authentic service encountered with the help of word-of-mouth recommendations on your as! 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