La Fortuna packs volcano hikes, hanging bridges, a 70-metre waterfall, sloth trails, hot springs, and world-class rafting into one small town at the foot of Arenal. This guide ranks the best things to do, with the top-rated tour for each and links to our full guides.
What You Should Know
- La Fortuna is Costa Rica's adventure capital and sits directly at the foot of Arenal Volcano. Almost everything on this list is within 30 minutes of town, which is why so many itineraries build two or three nights here.
- The activities split into four buckets: volcano and rainforest (hikes, hanging bridges, the waterfall), wildlife (sloths, river safaris, night walks), adrenaline (rafting, canyoning, ziplines, ATV), and hot springs. Most visitors do one active thing per day and finish in the thermal water.
- Tours start from about $20 for waterfall admission and $28 for a thermal river pass. Most guided half-day tours land in the $50 to $110 range, and nearly all include hotel pickup within La Fortuna.
- Rain is not a problem here. Hot springs, rafting, canyoning, and wildlife walks all run in the wet, and the volcano is usually clearest in the early morning regardless of season.
Best Things to Do in La Fortuna
La Fortuna is the small town at the base of Arenal Volcano, and it has more to do per square kilometre than anywhere else in Costa Rica. In a two or three day stay you can walk hanging bridges through the rainforest canopy, hike petrified lava fields, descend 500 steps to a 70-metre waterfall, watch sloths from a few metres away, raft class III rapids, and finish every evening in volcano-fed hot springs.
What makes it work is the geography. The volcano heats the springs, feeds the rivers that make the rafting and canyoning possible, and anchors the national park. Almost every activity below is within about 30 minutes of the town centre, so you rarely lose half a day to transport, which is not true of most Costa Rican bases.
The Short Answer
If you only have one day, we'd do a full-day combo that pairs the volcano hike with the La Fortuna Waterfall and hot springs. If you have three, add the Mistico hanging bridges, a sloth walk, and one adrenaline activity, whether that is rafting, canyoning, or a zipline.
Quick Pick: What to Do by Interest
Our shortlist, sorted by what you're actually after:
| If you want… | Do this | From |
|---|---|---|
| The single best day | Waterfall + volcano hike + hot springs combo | $100 |
| Wildlife and photos | Mistico hanging bridges | $54 |
| Guaranteed sloths | Sloth watching tour | $35 |
| Adrenaline | Balsa River rafting or canyoning | $73 |
| The volcano itself | Arenal Volcano guided hike | $73 |
| To relax | Hot springs day pass | $28 |
| Something for the kids | Baldí hot springs or a zipline | $55 |
| To spend nothing | El Choyín free thermal river | Free |
La Fortuna Activities at a Glance
Every main activity rated on the things that actually decide your day: how long it takes, how hard it is, whether kids can do it, and whether rain matters.
| Activity | Time | Difficulty | Kids | Rain OK | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanging bridges | ~2.5 hrs | Easy | ✅ All ages | ✅ Yes | $54 |
| Hot springs | Half day | Easy | ✅ All ages | ✅ Better | $28 |
| Sloth watching | ~2 hrs | Easy | ✅ All ages | ✅ Yes | $35 |
| Coffee & chocolate | ~2.5 hrs | Easy | ✅ All ages | ✅ Indoor | $30 |
| Wildlife boat safari | Half to full day | Easy | ✅ All ages | ✅ Yes | $71 |
| La Fortuna Waterfall | 1–2 hrs | Moderate | ⚠️ Older kids | ✅ Yes | $20 |
| Volcano hike | Half day | Easy–moderate | ✅ Ages 6+ | ✅ Yes | $73 |
| Night walk | ~2 hrs | Easy | ✅ Ages 5+ | ✅ Yes | $49 |
| Horseback riding | Half day | Easy–moderate | ✅ Ages 6+ | ⚠️ Muddy | $58 |
| Ziplining | 2–3 hrs | Moderate | ✅ Ages 4–8+ | ✅ Yes | $55 |
| ATV | Half day | Moderate | ⚠️ Driver 16+ | ✅ Yes | $105 |
| White water rafting | Half day | Moderate–hard | ⚠️ Ages 8/12+ | ✅ Yes | $73 |
| Canyoning | Half day | Hard | ⚠️ Older kids | ✅ Yes | $95 |
ℹ️ Kids and age minimums are typical operator guidance; specific tours vary, so confirm age limits when you book. "Rain OK" reflects whether the activity runs and stays enjoyable in wet weather.
The pattern the table makes obvious: the easy, all-ages, rain-proof activities (bridges, hot springs, sloths, coffee) are exactly the ones you can slot in on a wet afternoon or with young children, while the age-gated adrenaline activities are the ones to plan a dry morning around.
