Expecting clear views of the volcano and lots of sun, our time in La Fortuna, Costa Rica was shadowed by clouds- literally. With only a few days in the city, we were banking on good weather. But the skies didn’t play nice. But the activities sure made up for the cloudy views.
To get to La Fortuna, we drove 3.5 hours from Jaco. Let me preface by saying this drive is not for the faint of heart. I would classify this drive as crazier than Road to Hana in Hawaii. Truly. The constant turns, no service and insane hills made for one crazy drive. But let me tell you my favorite things to do once you arrive (in one piece):
Evening Rainforest & Chocolate Tour | We booked ours through Don Juan Tours last minute. The tour consisted of learning how to create chocolate by hand, and actually getting to do so as well. After that wrapped, we explored the dark rainforest with flashlights. The entire tour lasted just a few hours. Most importantly, we saw a sloth. Which, isn’t that on every person’s Costa Rica bucket list? 10/10 would recommend this tour. If you were wondering, yes, we got to eat & keep the chocolate we made.
Hot Springs | La Fortuna boasts several hot springs resorts. We opted to try The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal. It was the best day ever. Cashing in on a two-day pass was the best decision ever at about $70/person. It has over 25 different hot springs at different temperatures. They even have different “sections” because there are so many springs. The lower section was my favorite. You take a free bus to get there. But once there, you get views of the river, more secluded hot springs and other optional add-ons. My crew went rafting & also purchased a tour of their animal sanctuary, where we saw a toucan.
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges | This experience is only $26/person. You can purchase a guide for an additional amount. In Costa Rica, we never bought the tour guides that stand outside the parks as we were told they weren’t always “official” and have a good chance of scamming you in some way. Additionally, my group decided afterwards that we wouldn’t have gotten a guide anyways because all they do is point out different animals. The entire park is a loop. You can’t really mess up where you’re going. I think there’s about 16 large hanging bridges. They were all very stable. A few were wobbly but nothing that was terrifying. Bring a rain jacket an insect repellent for sure. It rained on and off the entire time we were there. It’s definitely family friendly. A couple ahead of us had two kids in two separate strollers and made it around just fine. Overall we’re glad we did it in the morning. It was hot & humid, so ensure your rain jacket has pit zips ;). Sadly due to the weather, views of the volcano were hard to come by. We never actually saw the whole volcano. The last bridge is the one where you can see the volcano from the bridge. Oh, and at the end you can get drinks and snacks while soaking in the views.
Terra Mia | THE BEST flan dessert I’ve ever had. Not only in Costa Rica, but also worldwide. It’s here. Go get it.
Enjoy! And as always, let me know if you end up going!
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