Enjoy transportation from your hotel door in La Fortuna to your location in Monteverde or Santa Elena. On the fastest route between the two towns, you'll experience the beauty of the Arenal Volcano National Park and the Monteverde Cloud Forest. While you can stay at Selina, you dont have to be a guest to come party here! The best option is taxi-boat While youre here, go to theLava Loungeon a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night. If you plan to arrive at La Fortuna from the east via the speedy and paved Highway 4, the new highway extension that connects La Fortuna to the Sarapiqui region makes driving a breeze. Their trails are in good shape. Hundreds of articles on Costa Rica trip planning, travel in Costa Rica, and saving money, plus free discounts. 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. But there are many more possibilities depending on your interests. Coolest Animal To See Up Close, Best Volcano To Visit Youll want to plan for an entire day for this from La Fortuna. The Monteverde Cloud Forest essentially welcomes the sky down into the rainforest letting you walk through the low-hanging clouds and mist. You can get a taxi or drive yourself from La Fortuna town to this parking lot, where youll pay the entrance fee and begin hiking. 2. Best Place For Black Sand Youll kayak on the calm waters with the volcano on one side of you and the rainforest on the other. So, do as the locals do and explore some of the free things to do in La Fortuna! Best Use Of An Extra Two Dollars In Your Pocket Regardless of which tour you choose, white water rafting is one of the best things to do in La Fortuna, and few destinations offer rafting this good! The area is home to a vast chunk of Costa Ricas protected land space and offers a number of nature reserves, most notably the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, and the Childrens Eternal Rainforest. To ensure you're aware of and okay with this and our other privacy-related practices, please review our Privacy Policy, then click the button to accept it. Visiting is nothing short of breathtaking. We saw so much wildlife, including a huge green lizard and even a bullet ant, which is known to have the most painful sting of any insect on the planet. Because simple actions like reading our articles, asking a question, and even visiting our websites homepage require the use of cookies, it is not possible to explore or use our website without them. Read about the best restaurants in Monteverde before you go! The route from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde is easy and is as follows Take Route 142 to Lake Arenal and follow the road along the edge of the lake. Though the north s, Eat dessert at Noguis in #CostaRica! Distance from La Fortuna. Can/should I visit both La Fortuna / Arenal and Monteverde? Best Place To See Coatis 2. Be prepared to get wet and conquer a fear of heights if you have one! All up, you spend around 45 minutes in the cave and come out with a ton of knowledge and lots of smiles we had such a great time! However, a completely legal hike you can enjoy in La Fortuna is up Chato Volcano. These two products are very important exports for Costa Rica, and its really neat to see the entire process unfold before your eyes. Day 5 and 6: Monteverde. Browse our Costa Rica blogs to learn everything you need to know about spending money in Costa Rica, including Costa Rica payment policies, Costa Rica currency exchange, using USD in Costa Rica, tipping information, and more. After canyoning, change into dry clothes at the ranch house and eat lunch with homemade tortillas, salsa, fresh tropical juice, and coffee. I myself love that version more! Its thrilling to fly high above the rainforest and take in views from a totally unique perspective and La Fortuna is one of the best places to go ziplining in Costa Rica (my other favorite is Monteverde!). The tour includes roundtrip transportation and is $110 USD per person. Explore the surroundings of the most authentic and epic scenarios that the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal have to offer. Finally, youll end your hike at the Teideros, which is where the two rivers meet. Best Place To Feed Pigeons Tons of coatis, some monkeys. Best View Of The Continental Divide If youre visiting Costa Rica and Arenal is going to be your highlight, choosing to visit in February is best. Once out of your car, theyll point you down to the river just below the bridge. Best Navidad (Christmas) Tradition You can also go to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. A sign at the @BananaBe, Drink pipa fria! Most Dangerous Roadway Bridge Crossing Then you could also add in the cloud forest. Birdwatching. Most Convenient Waterfall To Visit, Best Airport The distance between Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna and Monteverde as the crow fliesis pretty short. Day 3: Hanging bridges, La Fortuna waterfall, Volcano hike. About Monteverde. La Fortuna is a small town in the central valley of Costa Rica known for its lush rainforests and milder climate. One of the best spots for birdwatching in La Fortuna is at the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. This website uses cookies to operate and provide you with the best user experience possible. Come back to Costa Rica! Birdwatching. Area temperatures average between 18-20 degrees Celsius with warmer temperatures recorded during the dry/summer season. From San Jose, La Fortuna is 2.5 hours away. If you decide to visit Monteverde, I highly recommend Hotel Las Orquideas. Best Accessible Tour Great photos and a wealth of info! We, Eye ancient ruins! Be sure to get to the park when they open at 8 am so you have plenty of time to explore (they close at 4 pm.). You should know that in this region there are a lot of activities to do. Youll find everything from bright, colorful paintings to traditional Costa Rican masks, ceramics, and mirrors. Best View Of The Central Valley 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). Hike the 1968 Arenal Trail. You can see all of the trails over an afternoon or just pick a few. Stop by the well-known shopSouvenir Leojust outside La Fortuna. Arenal Volcano is an active volcano that last erupted in 2010. Try the Paradise Pale Ale with a distinct hoppy flavor from Nelson, Centennial and Cascade hops. It includes snacks and Costa Rican moonshine to sip as the sky changes colors in the evening. Take acanyoning and waterfall rappelling tourfor an adventurous day-trip in the shadow of Arenal Volcano. Take the Metamorphosis Tour for $17 USD per person and learn about butterflies while being surrounded by them in the large atrium habitats. Monteverde. Visiting on your own is easy. Its the first eco-brewery in the country! With that said, many still complete the 10 to 11-hour hike. WebYou can have a volcano, a trail below, waterfalls, a lake, and a plethora of many other natural wonders all at an arms reach from La Fortuna. Best Place To See Scarlet Macaws Take our La Fortuna / Arenal vs. Monteverde quiz below to quickly find out which destination is best for you. 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. Hiking Arenal Volcano is illegal, so I will not be mentioning it in this blog. Best View Overlooking The Pacific Coast, Best Place To See Capuchin Monkeys Planning a trip to Costa Rica? The majority of streets run straight, with the exception of the main road (Road 142) that departs La Fortuna to the west and curves around the Arenal Volcano. If you want a guide and a few extra perks,this tourincludes transportation and a professional guide to help you spot wildlife and learn about the area. La Fortuna certainly made its way into the top tourist destinations in Costa Rica for a reason. La Fortuna / Arenal has a mixed urban-rural feel. The town is the gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park, and from every angle in town, you can see the volcano towering above (of course, there are often a few clouds in the way.). How To Make A Day Trip To Monteverde from La Fortuna (Arenal) Or Vice Versa. Combine two of the best activities in Arenal, Stand Up Paddle Lake Crossing and Mountain Biking all in one! The Don Juan facility is located only five minutes from the center of La Fortuna. 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. Monteverde, including the vicinitys downtown core (called Santa Elena), is built atop Costa Ricas Tilaran Mountain Range. Is the value of your Costa Rica trip worth $5.99? It also comes complete with a massive jacuzzi for up to 60 guests. The rooms feel almost like private villas in the jungle as youre surrounded by flowering tropical plants and all different types of birds. Best Place To See Crocodiles . Do you know that your spam-free reading experience is most important to us? WebThere are 5 ways to get from Monteverde to La Fortuna by taxi, bus, shuttle or car. Best Extreme Hike Arguably, La Fortuna / Arenal is the most popular tourist destination in Costa Rica. Youll start the day riding a 44 into the forest and then gear up for the trek on this natural playground. I cannot think of a better sign that a blog is worth reading, so keep up the great work! Best Aerial Tram Ride Best Luxury Hotel Bathroom The views of the volcano here are great, and youll feel completely emersed in the beauty of Costa Rica. The worst months to visit La Fortuna are from May to November, which is known as the rainy season. La Fortuna is the city at the base of the Arenal volcano. Though the Pacific and Caribbean coasts have crystalline beaches and warm water, Costa Ricas inlands invite exploration of wildlife-rich rainforest and cloud forest ecosystems. The food in Costa Rica is amazing! There are not many places in the world where you can zipline right over a waterfall, but this is one of them! Toucans are my favorite! If you have only one full day in Monteverde, most people go to the parks to do ziplining, hanging bridges or horseback riding. Those two places are the most popular, and the rainforest is the Arenal and La Fortuna area. Read our Anti-Hate, Anti-Racism, Anti-Xenophobia, Anti-Inequality, Anti-Discrimination Statement here. For more in-depth info on the areas to stay in La Fortuna, check out our blog onwhere to stay in La Fortuna! Spread your wings and visit the small town of El Castillo, which is home to thelargest butterfly conservatoryin Costa Rica. Its this: Should I visit La Fortuna / Arenal or Monteverde? Similar inquiries, like Which is betterLa Fortuna / Arenal or Monteverde? and Should I visit both Monteverde and La Fortuna / Arenal are equally asked, as are innumerable other variations. Monteverde Shared shuttle services typically arrive into and depart from Monteverde twice daily , Inc., home to hundreds of discounts for Costa Rica day tours, our best of Costa Rica compilation DIY Costa Rica, which includes our Costa Rica Destination Tool and our Costa Rica Recommendations Map, our free Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course, and our awesome Costa Rica travel guidebooksMoon Best of Costa Rica, 2022 edition (a selective best of guide; available now), Moon Costa Rica, 2023 edition (a full-country guide; out September 2023 but currently available to pre-order), Moon Costa Rica, 2021 edition (a full-country guide; available now), and Moon Costa Rica, 2019 edition (a full-country guide; available now)published by the prestigious Moon Travel Guides. 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. 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