Many people go to La Fortuna to hike around Arenal, see La Fortuna Falls, spend a day at the hot spring spa, and more. All of these experiences require spending extra money for tours and access fees.
I spent just 2 nights in La Fortuna and managed to spend less than $55 the entire time there. The key? Find the right accommodation and don’t pay top dollar for hiking tours, waterfalls, and hot springs.
While staying low budget, I managed to enjoy clear views of Arenal Volcano, a garden labyrinth, a beautiful jungle hike, a swim at a secret waterfall, a dip in a natural hot spring, a cozy hostel stay, and some of the best food in town. These are my top 7 recommendations for a great, low-budget experience in La Fortuna.
1. Arenal Volcano Views
View’s of La Fortuna and Costa Rica’s most famous peak, Arenal Volcano., begin long before you reach town.
I spotted Arenal from Monteverde viewpoints. Then, on the drive from Tenorio National Park provided scenic views of the volcano from way out of town. Arenal always seemed to be looming around the next opening between the trees or down the other side of the next hill that Blanca, my white, Geely steed, would climb.
But the views once in town? Spectacular! Here are some of my best photos:
Pro-Tip: Watch the weather and stay long enough in La Fortuna for the clouds to clear and you’ll get for free what everyone comes to La Fortuna for: Those iconic photos of Arenal. Snap them right from your car as you drive into town or, better yet, the Arenal Bee Garden.
2. Arenal Bee Garden
When I got into town, I asked my hostel hosts: “Where can I watch the sunset behind Arenal?” They immediately directed me to a community garden that also does honey, coffee, and chocolate tours.
At the time I went in May 2023, the garden was donation-based to enter and explore independently. There was nobody else there when I arrived at sunset so I could explore and snap pictures without interruption.
The first time I went for sunset, Arenal was covered in clouds. Two mornings later, I captured the gorgeous, clear photos of Arenal that I shared above.
What I found there, however, was so much more than just views of Arenal.
The garden has two viewpoint towers you can climb and get the leverage to see 360 degree views of the entire area.
This garden is beautifully manicured. There’s tons of plants and flowers here. Petals sprinkle many of the pathways. There are also lots of butterflies and birds! This garden happens to be the largest exporter of diurnal butterflies in the world.
There is also a little shrubbery labyrinth here! I love visiting labyrinths, like the Dole Plantation labyrinth on Oahu or the Yi Peng Festival labyrinth in Chiang Mai.
Finally, I enjoyed that this garden had a couple of rope swings to play on! :)
Watch the short video below:
3. Cerra Chato Hike at Arenal Waterfall Lodge
The fame of Arenal dims the significant of other natural wonders in the area. One of these is Cerra Chato Volcano.
Chato Volcano, or Cerra Chato (“flat hill” in Spanish), is lesser known to travelers who have not investigated beyond Arenal. Alas, it is impressive in its own right. Chato is a double-peak, inactive volcano with a crater lake at the top of one peak. It’s located in Arenal Volcano Nnational Park.
When Arenal isn’t covered in clouds, Chato is usually cloud-free for your photo-taking pleasure.
Access to hiking up both Arenal and Chato is illegal. While some still do it, there are tours and hikes that take you close and give you great views and experiences at a cost.
The hike I went on is accessible via the Arenal Waterfall Lodge’s private property for a $15 access fee. While it is the most expensive thing on this list, it does give you access to their showers and pool. Nearby some will pay an additional fee to see La Fortuna Falls but I opted to go for free on a short hike to Hidden Falls!
I accessed the hike by paying at the entrance to the parking area by the lodge. The person I paid at the booth shared the above map, directed me to park, and where to find the start of the path.
The path loops up and around and through the jungle. There are many beautiful sights and scenery including lots of flora and fauna to see including birds and I spotted a toad!
For most of the hike, the path is well marked with red arrows that simply say “hike” in yellow writing.
There is one point along the hike where the path turns left or else you start to go up Cerro Chato—yes, this is the illegal part of the hike. People do it, though. Even the guy I paid at the booth mentioned people “aren’t supposed to go but do it anyway all the time.”
I found out that it was made illegal in order to protect the environment from the erosion of tourists hiking there. It’s also fairly dangerous!
You can see in the photo below my leg covered in mud. That’s because the well-marked trail becomes a muddy riverbed that only gets slipperier and more dangerous when it rains.
Even the start of this before getting to the sign to turn back is very challenging and muddy!
When you appropriately turn left on the path, you will go down into several riverbed areas with old, rickety crosswalks. These didn’t seem entirely safe to me so I opted to walk the riverbed to cross both times.
Stairs take you back up, which is probably the most exhausting part of the whole hike. Otherwise, it’s a beautiful hike with some amazing, large trees and canopy.
At one point on this hike, it did start to rain. I was grateful to not be caught in the rain up on the dangerous part of the hike! I also found a dead plant that acted as the perfect “umbrella.”
The ending and exit to this hike was a bit confusing. The path becomes less and less marked as you walk it but between the map I was given and Google Maps, I had faith I was going in the right direction.
I felt like I was on quite an adventure at this point but eventually I ended up on a farm. That farm emerged into a driveway or pathway that eventually dumped me back onto the road down from the booth where I started.
I think that’s where I was meant to end up? I still have no idea but, hey, it was a fun hike!
4. Chato Hidden Waterfall
If you’re not up for the hike at Arenal Waterfall Lodge, there are two waterfalls on the property where you can swim. One is free, the other is $18.
Fortuna Falls is the one with the price tag as a beautiful, 70-foot cascade fall with stairs going down and lots of people who will gather to swim there.
Hidden Falls, however, is exactly that—hidden. But it’s free to access and only requires a few extra minutes and a moderately adventurous spirit.
I parked at the same location as Fortuna Falls but up and to the left of the building entrance. At this point, I met a few other travelers who were all after the same opportunity. One guy from Germany and 3 women from the USA came with me to find our way to Hidden Falls.
We walked together up the path behind the Fortuna Falls. We came to a locked gate that we had to walk around the side of to get around. Then we followed the pathway through the field and down to the river.
At the river, we had to cross once which meant wading through some thigh-high, somewhat fast-moving water. I was grateful to have my water shoes for this as I watched the women struggle barefoot across the rocky riverbed.
A little walk up from here brought us to an area with a small group of tourists. Some where swimming right up to the falls and others were staying back, lounging on big boulders.
The water was cold and clear and a blueish green.
I tried giving my waterproof camera to one of the women with me to take a photo of me. It’s a bit hard to get photos while treading water! I managed a selfie, though! ;)
The 3 women were bold enough to go right up to the falls and hang onto the slippery rocks there. I snapped a photo of their achievement. I also got up close to take some photos. Some people walk up the falls here to another level in the back but that seemed too dangerous for me. I was satisfied already.
5. Arenal Sloth Hostel
I originally stayed at what I thought was a decent hostel for my first night in La Fortuna. The cost was only $10 a night. But my overnight stay in a 4-bed dorm included 2 other people, a hard top bunk, smelly bathroom, mosquitos, and no A/C.
So I went on Airbnb and found another hostel right down the road that was much better. Arenal Sloth Hostel was incredibly comfortable and for the same price of $10 per night!
By comparison, I had an air-conditioned, well-sealed, entire 16-bed dorm basically to myself. I say basically because the layout made it so I was in one section of 4 beds alone and just one other person was in a separate section of 4 beds. They were connected but felt very private.
The best part? The shared bathroom was well cleaned!
Nobody else was staying in the huge dorm I was in but there were plenty of other travelers at the hostel. The kitchen was large and had lots of space and stations to cook.
The upstairs had a great communal hangout space with hammocks, wall art, cute lighting, and card tables with games.
Don’t want to cook? Right next door was a great little place to eat called Harmony Food, owned by a wonderful couple. The woman was very sweet and attentive as I sat outside and chowed down on a neatly plated salad.
6. Soda Tita Rosa
Speaking of food, I looked up the “best soda” (restaurant) in La Fortuna while there. I stumbled upon Tita Rosa and was so glad I went there.
A family runs this tiny little place on a side road outside the main La Fortuna strip. And they cook amazing food. What I got is one of the most typical and simple things and it was the best version I had in the whole country while there! Of course, sodas are known for how inexpensive they are. My plate was only $7.49.
You can find Tita Rosa at the following address: Z13, La Fortuna De San Carlos 1000, Provincia de Alajuela, San Carlos
7. El Chollín - Free Natural Hot Springs
El Chollin is a public, free part of the River Chollin that you can go to and enjoy for free.
You can pay over $81 for a day pass to the Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa or you can go next door, park for free, and walk right down to the Rio Chollín for free!
There are some people there that will try to “help” you park. They may ask for money but you do not need to pay them. They are not official in any way and this is all for a public access portion of the springs.
There is a gate down the hill from the parking spot that marks the location.
Pro Tip: Go early in the morning before 9am to avoid crowds.
Once you enter, you’ll probably see just a couple of people in the water early in the morning hours. I was there at 8am and had the place mostly to myself. I picked a natural pool that was not occupied and got to feel the natural warmth of the water
In Conclusion
There is lots to do in La Fortuna that does not need to involve paying for expensive tours, spas, or hotel stays. Pick from low-cost hiking, free access to hot springs, and well kept hostels particularly during slack season and you’re experience will be great while keeping your wallet happy!
