Arenal 4 in 1 Combination Tour: Experience the Best of La Fortuna

There are so many activities to do in Arenal and La Fortuna that it can be difficult to narrow down which ones are the best to do.

If you’re only in the area for a couple days, you can maximize your time by doing an Arenal 4 in 1 combination tour to experience the best of the area in one day.

Here is what the Arenal 4 in 1 combination tour is like. The full day tour includes hanging bridges, La Fortuna waterfall, lunch, Arenal Volcano hike and hot springs.

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Arenal 4 in 1 Combination Tour

Ready to book the tour? Click this link: Arenal 4 in 1 to book and get our discount!

Arenal Hanging Bridges

The first activity we did on the Arenal Volcano Combo Tour was visit the Mistico Hanging Bridges private reserve.

Their 3.2 km (2 mile) trail has 10 fixed bridges and 6 hanging bridges inside a 600 acres (243 hectares) of private land developed purely for eco-tourism and wildlife viewing.

The well maintained trail goes through the tropical rainforest and the hanging bridges allows visitors to walk through the treetop canopy for amazing views.

There are many opportunities to see wildlife during the walk, such as monkeys, birds and snakes.

As we started off for the first bridge, one of the guides set up telescope pointed at a frog that was hiding in the leaves. Then another guide pointed out a pair of tent bats sleeping under the banana tree.

Our guide, Jairo has worked as a tour guide for over 15 years and he has seen the transformation of the land, the town and the volcano first hand. He taught us how to listen for certain creatures and notice the intricate structure of the vegetation in the canopy.

Without our guide, we would have never known any of this information on our own!

He next spotted this eyelash pit viper hanging out along one of the bridges. It was fascinating to learn about the snakes in Costa Rica and he snapped an up close photo of the snake for me.

The second to the last hanging bridge is 60 meters (196 feet) above the canopy floor and being that high up gives you sense of really being in the jungle.

We got a nice view of the volcano and I saw the biggest and most beautiful butterflies I’ve ever seen!

La Fortuna waterfall: Second Activity

Next stop on the Arenal 4 in 1 combination tour was the La Fortuna waterfall. This waterfall is one of the treasures of this area and is a must see.

Although the path down is pretty steep with 450 steps, it is completely worth it.

When you get to the bottom of the steps, you’ll hear the loud roar of water all around you. La Fortuna waterfall lies at the bottom of the Cerro Chato dormant crater and drops 75 meters into a bright emerald pool.

Downstream, there is a lovely calm pool, perfect for dipping your toes. You can swim in the La Fortuna waterfall but be very careful as the drop can be very strong!

After about an hour or so at the waterfall, we walked back up to the top. Thankfully, they built a very nice platform with benches and rails so you can take it slow. 450 steps is a lot!

Arenal 4 in 1 Combination Tour: Lunch

After the steep walk to the waterfall, we were ready for lunch!

For lunch, they took us to a local finca or farm for a traditional Costa Rican lunch: casado. It had rice, beans, tortilla, meat and salad (vegetarian options available).

Delicious! We also had natural fruit juice and coffee with lunch.

Arenal 1968 Hike: 3rd Activity

Our next stop was the Arenal Volcano hike. Although it began raining at the start of our hike through Arenal 1968, a private reserve next to the Arenal Volcano National Park, I didn’t mind.

We went on the Lava Flow 1968 trail which took us through lava fields and up to a beautiful viewpoint of Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano.

This 3 km hike was also fairly easy. At the viewpoint, we could see both Arenal volcano and Lake Arenal! It was also incredible to walk through the lava fields and see all the rocks that fell during the eruption.

The Baldi Hot Springs: Last Activity of Arenal 4 in 1 Tour

After the hike, we were ready to relax in the hot springs.

The temperature dropped as night fell, and all I could think about was how good the hot springs were going to feel.

We decided to go to Baldi, the hot spring resort with waterslides, swim up bar and caves.

All the pools have something different. One is a giant jaccuzi, one has waterfalls, another has lie down beds. They were all amazing and soaking in the hot springs was the perfect way to wind down a fun day.

After we enjoyed and relaxed in the hot springs, we had dinner (buffet) which was included in the price.

What we thought about the Arenal 4 in 1 Combination Tour

The whole day was amazing and we learned so much from the tour. Having a guide makes you really appreciate everything you see and the places you visit.

I highly recommend doing the Arenal Volcano combo tour if you’re interested in seeing all the attractions with a guide and you’re short on time as you get to visit the highlights of the Arenal area.

It is quite an expensive tour but it includes 5 different activities with food, entrance fees, bilingual guide, and transportation. The Arenal 4 in 1 combo tour is perfect if you do not have a lot of time in the area and want to see all of the highlights.

Ready to book? Click the link: Arenal 4 in 1 combo tour to book and get our discount! Baldi is no longer a hot spring option, but the three options (Ecotermales, Paradise and Hot Springs Pura Vida) are all amazing.

How to Do This Tour on Your Own If You Have a Rental Car

If you have your own rental car, you can perfectly do this exact tour on your own without booking a full tour. You need to be very strict on time,

Book your Arenal Hanging Bridges guided tour here.

Visit La Fortuna Waterfall (~40 minute drive) for about 1.5 hours

Have lunch in town.

Go to Arenal 1968 for a self guided walk. You can also check to book a guided walk if you want one.

Purchase hot springs resorts tickets beforehand and head to hot springs when you are done at Arenal 1968. Opt for the evening ticket with dinner included. We can help book your Hot Springs Pura Vida day pass and you can get dinner directly at their restaurant there.

What to bring and wear

• If you want to get pictures of wildlife, a camera with a hefty zoom or bring a good telephoto lens.
• Wear closed toed hiking sandals or hiking/tennis shoes. The hanging bridges require a fully covered shoe but if you have hiking sandals, you need to sign a waiver. We love our KEEN hiking sandals.
• If you’re visiting in rainy season, definitely bring a waterproof rain jacket. We got soaked in July! You can read our rainy season packing list for more tips. If it rains, it is warm rain.
• If you’re going in dry season, you can wear shorts and a tshirt. This area gets pretty hot! In rainy season, it is still hot but more humid.
• Bring a day backpack with water, hat, repellent and other necessities. It is a long day so bring what you need. You will be able to leave things in the van. The tour company provides water.

Video of the Arenal 4 in 1 Combination Tour

You can watch the video of the Arenal Volcano Combo Tour below.