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Arenal Volcano

Arenal volcano puffs smoke
Arenal is by far the most famous of Costa Rica’s 131 volcanoes

Arenal Volcano forms a perfect cone between the lake and the tourist village of La Fortuna

Spas & Hotsprings five stars - spas and hotsprings Luxury Resorts four & a half stars - luxury resorts Wildlife four stars - wildlife watching
Spectacular Views four & a half stars - spectacular views Waterfall Rappels four & a half stars - canyoneering & waterfall rappels Canopy Ziplines four & a half stars - canopy ziplines
Hanging Bridges five stars - hanging bridges White Water Rafting four & a half stars - white water rafting Budget Travel five stars - budget travel

Arenal is in the top ten best in Costa Rica for all of these and more!

Adventure Capital of Costa Rica

People assume that it’s the volcano that puts Arenal on the list of the best places in Costa Rica but the perfect cone has always just been a backdrop for the amazing array of things to do.

People came to see the volcano but after about twenty minutes of ohhhing and ahhhing they looked around and said, “okay now what do we do?”

Of course with the lake and all of the rivers and rainforest around it wasn’t hard to come up with some things to try.

White Water Rafting & Waterfall Rappelling

There are half a dozen different raft trips available from La Fortuna and the Arenal region.  They range from class I/II float trips on the Peñas Blancas and Sarapiquí rivers to class III/IV on the Balsa, Toro, Tenorio and other sections of the Sarapiquí.

When the landscape gets too steep for rafting canyoneering courses have been set up so you can climb, scramble slide and rappel down the river canyons and waterfalls.  The best canyoning course in Costa Rica for the fastest growing new adventure activity is just south of La Fortuna.

Canopy Ziplines & Hanging Bridges

Longest, fastest, highest and best – Arenal has candidates in each category for canopy zip-lines.  You can ride to the top of the mountain next to the volcano in a gondola then fly across the canyons and back down towards the lake on cables approaching a kilometer long and more than a football field high.

Slower paced walking tours of the rainforest canopy cross suspension bridges in the treetops allowing visitors to relax and enjoy the wildlife, spot birds that rarely come to the ground and get a different perspective on one of the most unique habitats of Costa Rica.

Luxury Resorts, Spas and Hot Springs

Tabacon Hotsprings waterfall
Tabacon Hot Springs was the first and still one of the best but now there are more than 20 thermal spa resorts in the Arenal volcano region

After a long day on the river (or as some people prefer instead of the river) there’s nothing like a massage, volcanic mud bath, hot rock rubdown or just an old fashioned soak in a mineral hot-spring to relax.  The Springs, Tabácon Gran Thermae and several others offer all of this plus swim up bars, hot waterfalls and more.

What is Not in the Arenal Volcano Region

Knowing what not to expect is as important as knowing what you can see and do around Arenal and recently one of the things you should not expect is fiery eruptions like the one pictured below.  To read more about the quiet phase of the volcano and what not to expect in Arenal click here to read more…

Scenes like this one of Arenal volcano erupting in front of a full moon haven't been seen since 2011 when the dual craters went quiet.
Scenes like this one of Arenal volcano erupting in front of a full moon haven’t been seen since 2011 when the dual craters went quiet.

Ray & Sue

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Top 10

Top 10
  • Top Ten
  • Best Kept Secrets
  • Beaches of Guanacaste
  • Arenal Volcano
  • Monteverde
  • Osa & Corcovado
  • Manuel Antonio
  • Tortuguero
  • Tenorio, Celeste & Miravalles
  • The San Gerardos
  • Nicoya Peninsula
  • Southern Caribbean
  • Rincon de la Vieja
  • Turrialba & Orosi Honorable Mention
  • San José Honorable Mention
  • Jacó & Hermosa Honorable Mentions
  • Dominical, Uvita Honorable Mention
  • Not at the San Gerardos
  • Not in Tortuguero
  • Not at Tenorio & Miravalles



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