Arguably the most visited waterfall in the whole country, La Fortuna waterfall is a must see in if you are visiting La Fortuna. Dropping 75 meters (246 feet) into a bright blue pool, this waterfall paints a perfect postcard of Costa Rica’s natural beauty.
As it’s just 6 km (~4 miles) outside of the town of La Fortuna, the waterfall makes for a great half day activity.
In this guide, we will help you plan your visit to La Fortuna waterfall.
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How to Get to La Fortuna Waterfall
La Fortuna waterfall park is about a 10 minute drive outside downtown, ~ 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).
Driving: No 4×4 required. Completely paved road. You can find it on Google Maps and Waze as “La Fortuna Waterfall.” Free parking.
Taxi/Uber: You can take a red taxi or call an Uber. Uber is cheap, like $5 USD one way from the park. A red taxi may charge more, like double.
There is no public bus that goes to the waterfall park.
Entrance Fee
The Fortuna waterfall entrance fee is $20 USD for foreigners ages 9 and up. 8 years and younger are free. Bring photo of the child’s passport with the birthday in case they ask.
Pay in cash or credit card.
Not necessary to purchase tickets beforehand. You can purchase tickets at the door.
Hours
The Fortuna waterfall hours of operation are 7 AM to 4:00 PM, open every day. The latest you can enter the park is 3 PM.
Services
The waterfall park has free parking lots, bathrooms, a small cafe, butterfly garden and souvenir store.
You can bring your swimsuit to change into as there are bathrooms and changing rooms at the top. No bathrooms or changing rooms down at the waterfall.
They have lockers for rent. $2 USD per locker with a $10 USD deposit. Cash only.
Important to Know
- You can wear flip flops but it’s better with good shoes for the steps.
- If you plan to swim or go in the water, wear water shoes or hiking sandals.
- Bring drinking water or a bottle. They have free water filling stations.
- There is a universal access trail. It does not go all the way down to the waterfall but takes you to a nice view point.
- No strollers allowed on the steps. Babies and infants must be in a carrier.
- If you want something more local, head to El Salto. This is a free swimming hole at the Fortuna river that has a rope swing. You don’t see the waterfall but you can swim in the same river.
- No drones allowed.
How Long Does it Take to Do La Fortuna Waterfall?
The walk down to the waterfall takes around 15 minutes from the main lookout point.
There are a little over 500 steps down to the waterfall on a well built platform so it will depend on how fast you walk down.
Most people spend around an hour or a little more at the waterfall to swim, take photos and relax. The walk back up will take longer as you have to climb all the stairs to the top.
We recommend to plan for at least 2 hours to do La Fortuna waterfall.
La Fortuna Waterfall Steps
After you pay your ticket at the entrance office, walk across the bridge to get to the trail head.
Here is where the bathrooms, souvenir store, lockers, care and changing rooms are.
Then a bit further right by the entrance to the steps down, there is an observation platform with a great view of the waterfall.
Make sure to stop by there first to take some pictures before embarking on the epic walk down.
The beginning of the trail is over to the left so when you’re ready, start going down the many steps. The steps down have handrails and well maintained steps.
Along the way down, there are some sitting areas to let people rest.
After about 10 minutes, you’re going to start wondering exactly how many steps down to La Fortuna waterfall there are. But trust me, it’ll be worth it when you get there!
You’ll soon hear the roaring sound of the water and see the white ribbon cascading down surrounded by a deep green rainforest.
As soon as you reach the bottom, you can enjoy the beautiful tropical rainforest nature sights and sounds.
There are stairs down to the rocks for those who want to get in the water and another observation platform for a nice view.
Down to the left is the path to the river that you can swim in.
Can you swim in La Fortuna waterfall?
Yes, you can swim in the La Fortuna waterfall if conditions allow.
This depends on the weather. The ticket officers will tell you whether you can swim in the waterfall that day or not.
If swimming is not allowed at the waterfall, please respect this as it is for your own safety.
However, the water is cold! And the current is super strong where the water falls into the pool, so make sure to stay by the rocks.
Do not swim further out into the pool closer to the cascade.
There are two lifeguards on duty at the waterfall.
Some times of the year, like September, October or November when it has been raining very hard, the waterfall can be a brown color.
Rainy season in Costa Rica is May through November. Dry season is December through April. Read more about Costa Rica weather and Costa Rica by month in these links.
Down to the left, there is a lovely calm water pool area that is better for swimming and more suitable for little ones.
If the current is too strong (when it has been raining a lot), they will close this as it’s not safe to swim.
There is one lifeguard at this spot.
When you’re all done and ready to go, be prepared to walk around 480 steps up!
Personal tip: This waterfall does get busy on weekends and holidays. For less people, go on a weekday morning. And make sure to be very careful on the rocks as they may be slippery.
Fortuna Waterfall Tours or On Your Own?
You can perfectly visit the waterfall on your own. You do not need a guide for La Fortuna waterfall.
But if you don’t have a car, you can take a tour which will include transportation and your entrance ticket.
This waterfall is usually part of a combo tour such as the Arenal Hanging Bridges + La Fortuna Waterfall or the Arenal Combo Tour. Get 7% off this tour and other tours in the Arenal area!
We did the hanging bridges + waterfall tour which you can watch below. Skip to 2:26 to see the waterfall.
Here are some other ideas of things to do the same day you visit the waterfall:
- La Fortuna waterfall in the morning, go back to hotel to freshen up and get ready for canyoning (waterfall rappeling). Lunch is included. Get our La Fortuna canyoning discount here!
- La Fortuna waterfall morning, lunch, safari float afternoon
- Kayak/SUP in Lake Arenal, lunch, La Fortuna waterfall
- Horseback riding 8 AM, La Fortuna waterfall and then lunch
Don’t forget to check our La Fortuna tours discount and feel free to contact us if you’re interested in an excursion that isn’t on the list.
More La Fortuna Resources
Plan your visit to La Fortuna with our following blog posts.
La Fortuna: Detailed city guide with information on how to get there, where to stay, what to do, where to eat and much more
Where to stay in La Fortuna: Our recommended hotels to stay in La Fortuna, with various price points. Also includes best neighborhoods
Best things to do in La Fortuna: Our recommended half and full day tours in La Fortuna for all travelers
Best hot springs in La Fortuna: Details and reviews of the many hot springs resorts in La Fortuna to help you decide which one to visit
The Springs 2 days hot springs pass: Get our discount on the Springs hot springs day pass. This is one of the most beautiful resorts in all of Costa Rica and they sell day passes for visitors to enjoy their huge hot spring resort.
Driving to La Fortuna from Guanacaste: Our guide on this mini road trip with recommended stops for bathroom, food and views.
Driving to La Fortuna from San Jose: Our guide with recommended stops for bathroom, food and views.
What to know about driving to La Fortuna after landing: This post will help you decide whether you should drive to La Fortuna after landing right away or wait until the next day
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Serena says
Will I be able to catch a taxi from hanging bridges to the water fall?
Sammi says
Maybe but I wouldn’t count on it 100%, there may be some red taxis hanging out around or Ubers but not a ton
Lynne Oldham says
We are going to La Fortuna falls next month. We are going to do it self-guided without a tour. I saw your info about pricing–do you book the tickets in advance or when you arrive?
Sammi says
You can buy tickets at the park
Sammi says
Hi Lori, you probably can if you and your husband are fairly fit and strong because it is quite steep and there are a lot of steps (over 400). There are places to rest along the way on the platform and there are handrails so you can take it super slow but I would say you and your husband would need to be in decent shape to be able to carry both up and down. You can go into the reserve and take a peek to check how it is before you go down though and decide since I can’t really say that yes you can or no you can’t as it’ll depend on the parents’ fitness level but that is my recommendation.
Lori says
Hi ,
We have three small kids- ages 5, 3, 6m and would like to go to La Fortuna Waterfall. DO you think it is possible? Our 6m and 3 year old will be in a baby carrier. Is it too steep?
I would love any all all itinerary suggestion for travel with small kids in Costa Rica.
Krista says
Do you have to pay the fee if you just want to view the waterfall from the top and not take the steps down?
Sammi says
Yes, you have to pay the fee to go inside the park, you can’t see the waterfall or any of the viewpoints from outside the park.
Zoaib says
How deep is the water; do we need life jackets for people who cannot swim?
Sammi says
For swimming, they don’t recommend it for people who cannot swim because the pull of the waterfall can be very strong, the pool does get a bit deep and is dangerous for those who can’t swim.