Sights Near La Fortuna in Costa Rica

An Overview La Fortuna

La Fortuna is a leisurely highland town sheltered at the base of the immense Arenal Volcano, which dominates the skyline. The town itself is filled with quaint shops, a nice central park, many decent restaurants and numerous tourism and trekking agencies. With access to some of Costa Rica’s most amazing tropics, cloud forests and unique regions, there are many interesting sights near La Fortuna in Costa Rica.

Advice While Visiting La Fortuna

Visitors can reach La Fortuna from San José, but buses may need to be transferred at the main bus station in Ciudad Quesada. The main bus station in Ciudad Quesada (or just Quesada) is called Terminal de Autobus Plaza San Carlos.  Even direct buses to and from San José stop here.

Terminal de Autobus Plaza San Carlos in Ciudad Quesada charges 400 Colones for bathroom usage downstairs, but there are free restrooms accessible on the second level inside the shopping area of the building.

La Fortuna’s main bus station is called Parada de Autobuses on Google Maps.  It is very close to the central part of the city.

Most of the tours for activities around La Fortuna (zip lines, horseback riding, waterfalls, national parks, etc.) offer pretty competitive prices at their physical offices.  Likewise, hotels and hostels often have discount deals that are cheaper than online sources. 

Arenal Evergreen is the tour shuttle service I used to visit the Rio Celeste.  I was unable to find an effective bus route for independent travel. The area around Rio Celeste is both high altitude and fairly humid.  Bringing water to avoid altitude sickness or dehydration is very important. 

Tours in La Fortuna generally require at least one full day (24 hours) of advance notice.  Last minute tours are doable but more expensive and harder to find.

As always, the weather in Costa Rica is consistently raining, so rain gear should always be carried.

Sights Near La Fortuna in Costa Rica

Iguana Garden 

The Iguana Garden is an official hosting hotel with large, private rooms and easy access to downtown areas

Rain Forest 

This is a small café with nice breakfast and coffee options found in La Fortuna’s city center.

Lava Rocks Café 

This is another nice café in La Fortuna with strong and stable WIFI access. While their menu is good, the food here is slightly pricey.

Chocolate Fusion 

Located near the central park of La Fortuna, Chocolate Fusion is a truly excellent chocolate and pastry shop which is enormously popular. It’s one of the few locations in the city where air conditioning can reliably be found.

Parque Nacional Volcan Tenorio 

This is a large, very diverse wildlife park roughly 1 hour north and west of La Fortuna. The part is famous for hosting the Rio Celeste Waterfall. Rio Celeste is a vividly unique color due to geothermal activity in the region, causing water to take on an almost-impossibly bright blue hue.

Sloth Watching Trail, La Fortuna Arenal Volcano Private Trail 

Located within walking distance of the city center, this is a protected sloth watching trail.  There are several others around La Fortuna, but this one is the most accessible.  Guides may be necessary as sloths are hard to spot independently.  They are most active in early mornings. Tours along this trail are an hour and a half long.

Galeria Onirica, Galeria Estudio La Fortuna and the Wood and Art Gallery

These are a series of art galleries located around La Fotuna.  Wood and Art Gallery is the most impressive to visit, though all have unique, beautiful and local artworks.

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