La Fortuna Tours, Costa Rica
Guided wildlife walks, volcano hikes, and hot springs — self-guided or with a certified professional guide.
Explore Tours ↓La Fortuna, answered
How many days do I need in La Fortuna?
Two to three days covers the volcano, a wildlife walk and the hot springs without rushing. Most visitors book one tour per day.
When is the best time to visit?
December to April is the dry season and the most reliable for volcano views. May to November is greener, quieter and cheaper, with rain usually in the afternoon.
How do I get to La Fortuna?
About 3.5 hours from San José (SJO) and 3 hours from Liberia (LIR). We run private door-to-door transfers on both routes from $210 per vehicle.
How far ahead should I book?
24 to 48 hours is usually enough; in high season book earlier. A 50% deposit confirms your spot and the balance is due the day before.
La Fortuna Tours in Costa Rica: Five Ways to Explore Arenal
Guide Me Around Costa Rica offers La Fortuna tours in the Arenal Volcano region, including guided wildlife walks, the Arenal Volcano hike, hanging bridges, white water rafting, and hot springs evenings. Choose a self-guided tour or go with a certified professional guide like Yarenis Ramirez, who brings over 12 years of experience in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Private transportation between San José, Guanacaste, and La Fortuna is also available.
Most popular
Hanging Bridges Tour
Hanging Bridges Tour Arenal takes you across suspended walkways through the rainforest canopy, home to sloths, toucans, and coatis — sightings can't be guaranteed, but the elevated views are a highlight on their own. Two departures daily.
Sloth Tour
Sloth Tour La Fortuna is a trained-eye search for wild sloths in their natural habitat, guided by one of our naturalist guides. Three departures daily. The same forest is also home to iguanas, monkeys, poison dart frogs, and birds, though sightings can't be guaranteed.
Arenal Volcano Tour
Arenal Volcano Tour follows the 1968 lava trail at Mirador El Silencio, a private reserve giving direct access to land that is part of Arenal Volcano National Park. A certified naturalist guide narrates the volcanic history, ecological succession, and wildlife along the way.
Paradise Hot Springs Tour
Paradise Hot Springs Tour lets you soak in geothermal pools at 38–40°C at the foot of Arenal Volcano, with a meal included — dinner, or lunch if you enter earlier in the day. Adding transport includes round-trip hotel pickup.
White Water Rafting — Balsa River
Rafting La Fortuna tour offers Class II-III rapids on the Balsa River with a traditional lunch at a local farm included. Departs around 10:30 AM, returns around 4:30 PM. Available in private format only.
Customizable Tour
GuideMeAround offers customizable tours — combine activities, adjust the schedule, and build a private itinerary around your group's interests and pace.
Naturalist Guide & Local Cultural Expert
Yarenis Ramirez is a certified naturalist guide and La Fortuna local cultural expert with over 12 years of experience in the Arenal Volcano region. Depending on the tour, you can explore self-guided or join Yarenis herself for a private, personally guided experience — sharing her deep knowledge of Costa Rica's wildlife, geology, and culture along the way. Beyond tours, Yarenis also arranges private transportation across Costa Rica — airport transfers, coast-to-coast shuttles, and point-to-point routes.
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Founder & Guides Leader
Since 2013 — 12+ years of experience.
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B.A. in Tourism Education
Universidad Técnica Nacional (UTN).
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Official Tourism License
Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT).
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Naturalist Guide Diploma
Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA).
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Advanced First Aid & CPR
Certified in emergency response.
Private & Shared Transportation to La Fortuna
San José to La Fortuna
Door-to-door transfers from San José — SJO airport or your city hotel — straight to La Fortuna. Around 3.5 hours in a comfortable private or shared vehicle, with no bus changes along the way. You can choose between an electric car or a minibus for your transportation needs.
Guanacaste to La Fortuna
Direct transfers between Guanacaste — Liberia airport (LIR) and beach towns like Tamarindo or Conchal — and La Fortuna. Roughly 3 hours, private or shared, with convenient hotel pickup. You can choose between an electric car or a minibus for your transportation needs.
Customize Your Own Route
Heading somewhere else in Costa Rica — Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, the Caribbean? Tell us your route and group size and we'll build a private transfer around your itinerary. You can choose between an electric car or a minibus for your transportation needs.
Everything sits within an hour of town
La Fortuna grew at the foot of Arenal Volcano, a near-perfect cone that rises 1,633 metres over the valley. The town itself is small — a few blocks around a church — but the rainforest, waterfalls and geothermal rivers around it are why people fly here.
Getting here
3.5 hours from San José airport, 3 hours from Liberia. The last stretch is paved and scenic. No domestic flight needed.
When to come
Dry season runs December to April with the clearest volcano views. Green season, May to November, brings afternoon rain, fewer people and lower rates.
What's around
La Fortuna Waterfall, the 1968 lava trail, hanging bridges over the canopy, geothermal hot springs, and Río Celeste about two hours north.
Real Reviews, Straight from Google
Every review here comes directly from our verified Google Business Profile — no cherry-picking, no fake numbers. See what real travelers have to say about touring La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano with a certified local guide.
Rated 5.0 on Google across our verified profile, and reviewed on TripAdvisor. Both profiles are public — read them before you book.
What a day out here looks like
Discover La Fortuna's Hidden Gem: Celeste River
From the turquoise waters of Celeste River to insider tips on Arenal's best trails, our blog covers everything you need to plan the perfect La Fortuna trip.
Read the Blog →
Questions About Tours & Transportation in La Fortuna
Baldi Hot Springs and Ecotermales are separate resorts near La Fortuna. Our Hot Springs Tour with Dinner is a guided package that includes entrance to a geothermal pool and dinner — the private format also adds round-trip hotel pickup, all arranged and accompanied by Yarenis.
We offer private and shared door-to-door transfers from San José (around 3.5 hours) and from Guanacaste / Liberia airport (around 3 hours), with electric car or minibus options — see the Transportation section above for details.
The Arenal Volcano Tour takes about 4 hours along the 1968 lava trail at Mirador El Silencio. It's suitable for most fitness levels, with both shared and private departures available.
The Celeste River isn't part of our current tour lineup, but check our blog for a full guide to visiting it — and feel free to message us on WhatsApp if you'd like help building a custom itinerary around it.
Shared tours are guided by one of our bilingual partner guides in a small group. Private tours are guided personally by Yarenis Ramirez and are tailored to your pace and interests — they cost more per person but include a more personalized experience.
We recommend booking at least 24–48 hours ahead, especially in high season. Hotel pickup within the main La Fortuna corridor is included with most tours; pickups farther out may have an additional fee — just ask when you book.