LA FORTUNA : 5 DAYS ITINERARY

 5 DAYS IN LA FORTUNA

Costa Rica is made for nature lovers. You will discover many beautiful landscapes and many animals. However, Costa Rica is an expensive destination, so we booked an Airbnb to cook and used the bus to travel. The bus was slow, and there was only one per day, so you couldn't miss it. This itinerary is about 5 days, but if you have a car, you can easily do it in 4 days.

Day 1: San José to La Fortuna

If you don’t have a car, you will have to take the bus from San José. The bus ride is quite long, and there is only one bus per day. The bus was at 8:40 am, and we arrived around 1 pm - 2 pm. That’s the cheaper way; otherwise, there are also private shuttles that are quicker but much more expensive. So, we didn’t do much that day. We settled into our Airbnb, walked around the town, booked a tour for tomorrow, and rented a scooter for the following days.

Day 2: Río Celeste

We absolutely wanted to go to Río Celeste, so we chose to book a tour because it’s too far to go by scooter. The tour cost us between 70 and 80 USD per person; it was with Seven Tours. After more than an hour's drive and a 45-minute walk, we arrived in front of this famous blue waterfall. The water color is just incredible – it’s unbelievably blue! From there, you follow this blue river, discovering some hot springs and crossing bridges until you arrive at the point where this blue color starts. It’s quite amazing to see the difference in color. This blue color was a mystery for many years! But so far, we believe it’s due to a type of mineral that reflects light from the sun and gives this incredible color! After that, we stopped to have lunch and swim in a river. And we came back super tired from this first day! We aren't used to walking that much, but it’s only the beginning because you will walk a lot in La Fortuna!

Day 3: Around Arenal Volcano: Hanging Bridges, Walk, and Free Hot Springs

We picked up our scooter at La Fortuna Rental. We rented it for 2 days, and we were able to negotiate the price. We really recommend renting there; they were super nice, and the scooter was in perfect condition. If you don’t have a car, you absolutely need a scooter to get around.

So, our first stop was Mistico Hanging Bridges. We were really curious to experience hanging bridges. It’s a really fancy place for a natural park, super accessible and an easy walk. But also a bit expensive: 26 USD per person. It’s a nice park; we saw some coatis, and we enjoyed walking in nature. The hanging bridges were also super nice, a bit scary sometimes because they are quite high and move, but it was a super experience. You also have a super view of the Arenal Volcano.

Our second stop was the Arenal Volcano. There are two walks around the volcano; we chose to do Arenal 1968. The price is 19 USD per person. We did the long trail, which took us more than an hour and a half. The beginning of the walk was super nice, walking on hills formed by lava during the Arenal Volcano 1968 eruption, with a super view of the volcano and the lagoon. The second part of the walk wasn’t exceptional.

We stopped to eat at a roadside restaurant and went to our last stop. Because of the volcano, the town is famous for its hot springs. We went to the free hot springs; you can find the location on Google Maps. Park on the side of the road and walk a few meters to access them. It was a bit crowded, and the water was warm but not super hot. It was nice to finish the day like this. But after 40 minutes there, it started to rain. We were hoping it would stop at some point so we could go, but it got worse and worse. So, we decided to go home. We were wet, our clothes were wet, and it was raining so much that it was impossible to dry them. And we couldn’t find the scooter key, and it was so hard to look in the bag or on the floor around with the rain. In the end, the key was on the scooter… and it’s not the first time Dani has forgotten it there… We were so wet and cold driving home. A hot shower, dinner, and we finished our day super tired as well.

Day 4: Catarata Waterfall and Paradise Hot Springs

Around 8 am, we drove towards the Catarata Waterfall. It’s a 70-meter waterfall – quite impressive. The entrance fee was 18 USD. You can go down and swim near the bottom of the waterfall. Dani went, but it was too powerful for me; I was a bit scared, and it was cold. But next to it, there’s a river that’s calmer, and you can swim safely there. Time to go up – it was approximately 530 steps; the way up wasn't easy.

After that, we planned to do the Cerro Chato hike. Yesterday, some travelers told us it was quite hard because it had rained a lot in the past few days. We aren't hiking experts, and we felt a bit tired from the steps this morning and the hike we did yesterday. So, we decided to rest because we felt we wouldn't have enjoyed it. Instead, we decided to spend the afternoon in the hot springs – much more relaxing. Yesterday, we tried the free ones. Today, we decided to pay for a day pass at a hotel to enjoy the hot springs. We chose Paradise Hot Springs. The entrance fee was quite accessible compared to others. We paid 28 USD for a day pass. We had access to different pools with different temperatures. It was really nice. There’s even a bar in one of the pools. A fresh beer in a hot spring – it was what we needed!

Day 5: La Fortuna to San José

We woke up late and took a walk in the center to buy our magnet before leaving. The bus was around 2 pm. On the way to the bus station, we broke the suitcase wheels! We tried to fix it with what we had – black tape, hahaha. We had lunch at the restaurant next to the station; it was good and cheap. And then we took the bus towards San José because we have a flight to Mexico the day after!