Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna

Our first stop was La Fortuna, a town at the base of the Arenal Volcano.  Once we escaped the chaos of Alajuela, the drive to La Fortuna was really pleasant.  The road wound up and through the countryside, passing numerous rural towns along the way. We made it to La Fortuna in about 3.5 hours.

Because of it’s proximity to the volcano, there are a ton of hot springs in the area, and many of hotels have hot springs pools on site. We stayed at a really great, family-friendly hotel, the Los Lagos Resort and Spa that fell into this category. In addition to the numerous pools and tubs in a variety of temperatures (complete with waterslides and swim-up bars!), there was also ziplining, a small zoo, and a fantastic restaurant on-site. Lodging options in La Fortuna are plentiful, however, at a variety of price points.

There are a ton of excursions to do in this area.  We chose to spend a day at Sky Adventures and had the BEST time.  We started with the SkyWalk, where we got to hike for a couple of hours through the forest and over numerous suspension bridges (anxiety-producing if you’re afraid of heights, but so amazing if you’re not!). It was a guided tour, and I really appreciated the cool facts the guide shared about the plants and animals we were seeing. After the hike, we took the SkyTram up the mountain and then ziplined down, hands down one of the most awesome and incredible things I have ever done!  I’ve ziplined a few times, but never have experienced a course like the one at Sky Adventures!  If you’re into this sort of this thing, the zipline at Sky Adventures is a bucket list caliber course.

Though we didn’t get to go there ourselves, the Arenal Hanging Bridges and Baldi Hot Springs also came highly recommended.

On Bill and Jes’s anniversary, we headed out to the Rio Fortuna Waterfall for the official vow renewal.  Man, they couldn’t have picked a more gorgeous spot for the ceremony.  After a short (but steep) hike down, we found ourselves at the base of the most lovely waterfall.  You could even swim in the waters!  Be warned though, the hike back up is very steep and slippery.  May not be the best choice if you have really small children who need to be carried, or people with mobility issues.

Overall, I loved this region of Costa Rica.  One thing I should mention though is that you should always be prepared for a torrential downpour. Carry a poncho with you everywhere. It can start raining out of nowhere, and though it may not last long, you will get drenched.  Seriously, there’s a reason they call it a rainforest, lol.

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