8 Things to do in La Fortuna under 30 dollars

La Fortuna in Costa Rica is a popular area with lots of outdoors activities around. It is the central town in the Arenal Volcano area and many people come to La Fortuna as a starting point for all their activities. The area is super diverse, you can jump in the water at the many waterfalls around and you can hike the lava fields of a volcano. Because it has so many and such different activities, it’s definitely a place that I love and recommend. Even though the area is not cheap, there are affordable activities to do around. I gathered the most affordable activities under 30 dollars in this post. If you want to do the majority of them, I recommend you to rent a car (4x4 is not necessary), because it is much cheaper and easier to get to all the activities. Here is a list of my top 8 activities around La Fortuna under 30 dollars!

1. Poás Volcano
​The Poás volcano is an active volcano in Costa Rica, on the way to La Fortuna. If you have rented a car, I definitely recommend you to make a stop here. The Poás volcano has one of the largest active craters in the world. The crater lake is 320 meters deep and it constantly ejects hot and acid water in geysers. You will visit the crater with the necessary safety measures and besides that, they will show you a video about the history of the volcano and the recent eruption from 2018. The whole visit won’t take longer than an hour, as there are time limits for the groups to visit the crater. Even though it was short, it was still impressive to see an active volcano in Costa Rica. The entrance is only 15 dollars for non-residents and parking fees are 2000 colones (3 to 4 dollars).

2. Arenal Volcano
​From La Fortuna you can see the Arenal Volcano and your visit to La Fortuna wouldn’t be complete without visiting the lava fields around it. Arenal was the most active volcano in Costa Rica, but in 2010 it went into a dormant phase. There are many private properties where you can hike on the lava fields of the eruption in 1968, but unfortunately, it’s not possible to hike the volcano itself. I didn’t do the hike myself, even though I really wanted to, but it was raining too much and it didn’t seem safe to me. I wanted to hike the lava fields in the Arenal 1968 trail, because many people said these fields were more impressive. But it is also possible to hike in Arenal Volcano National Park. The hikes in Arenal Volcano National Park are a bit short (1 to 3 kilometres) and the entrance is 15 dollars, while the Arenal 1968 trail consists of 2 hikes of 4 kilometres (which can be combined to one hike of 8 kilometres) and the entrance is 17 dollars.

3. Free Natural Hot springs
The hot springs around the area of La Fortuna are very popular because they are heated by the volcano. I really wanted to experience this, but while researching the spring resorts like Tabacon and Baldi, I noticed that prices were over a 100 dollars for a day pass. Even though they also had another option for a morning pass (including breakfast) it still ended up to be over 80 dollars. Luckily, I found out that there is also a free hot spring area, located next to the parking lot of Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa. The exact location can also be found on google maps. These hot springs are very popular among locals and during the weekends, it can be quite busy. But I decided to go very early and was not disappointed. I definitely recommend you to go here if you want to experience a river that is naturally heated by the volcano.

4. Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges
Mistico Park is a forest with a high biodiversity, including birds and mammals. But, the park is very famous for their hanging bridges and has become an icon around La Fortuna (you have probably seen the pictures). Therefore, I couldn’t miss out on it! There is a main trail with 16 bridges and it also passes a waterfall. You can go without a guide but it’s very difficult to spot the wildlife. I decided to not take a guide and I only got to see wildlife when I was walking past a group of people where the guide had spotted an exotic bird or a nest somewhere. But I still had a blast walking on the hanging bridges and enjoying the nature around me. The entrance to the park without a guide is 26 dollars and with a guide it’s either 40 dollars or 49 dollars, depending on the tour.

5. El Salto rope swing
​The El Salto rope swing is a swimming hole close to the town of La Fortuna and completely free! Here you can jump from the rocks, use the rope swing to jump in the river and sunbath on the rocks. I absolutely loved this place and I couldn’t believe it was for free. From La Fortuna you can walk to the bridge where El Salto is located, but if you’re alone, it might be better to take a taxi. There is no official entrance but if you don’t cross the bridge, it is hard to miss. There are also no lifeguards, so be careful when you jump in the water. Also be careful when it’s raining because the current might get too strong. El Salto is the perfect place to relax and cool down on a hot day.

6. Explore the town La Fortuna
Another free activity that I loved to do is having a relaxing day and explore the town La Fortuna. I stayed in Selina La Fortuna, which had a pool, a cinema room and library so I didn’t get bored when it was raining a lot. It is a very cheap option compared to the resorts in the area and it has amazing facilities. You can definitely spend a whole day here and make new friends. La Fortuna has lots of restaurants and is very touristy, so it’s nice to walk around and explore it. It’s not very big so  you might also consider to go to the Bogarin Wildlife Trail which is just outside of the town. Here, a lot of people have seen sloths, so it’s a great place to go to if you want to see wildlife. The entrance is 5000 colones, which is round 8 to 9 dollars, but of you want to spot more wildlife, you could go with a guide.

7. La Fortuna Waterfall
Catarata La Fortuna is the biggest waterfall in Arenal. It is a 70-meter-high waterfall within the Arenal National Park and close to the town La Fortuna. The waterfall is very impressive and I loved that you are able to swim at the base of the waterfall. Even though the current is very strong, it’s a good exercise. From the platform at the top, you have an amazing view over the waterfall which seems to appear out of nowhere. To get to the base you will have to walk 530 steps down (and up when you want to leave). There is also a small place to swim a little bit more down, where the water is much calmer. The entrance to the waterfall is 18 dollars and is used to help people in the area and maintain the park. This is an activity that you definitely can’t miss out on if you like waterfalls.

8. Rio Celeste
Rio Celeste is a river with turquoise water and it is very popular in Costa Rica. The river is located in Tenorio Volcano National Park and has a waterfall. The color is formed because of two colourless rivers that come together at one point and turn into a turquoise colour because of the acidity of one of the rivers. I really wanted to visit this place but like everywhere else I wanted to go to, it was raining too much and it was too dangerous. To get to the waterfall you have to walk about 3 kilometres and with a lot of rainfall it becomes too muddy and dangerous… It is about 1 hour and 30 minutes away from La Fortuna but to me, it would have been worth the detour. If you decide to go here on your trip, send me pictures! I would love to see them.