• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
MytanFeet

MytanFeet

Costa Rica Travel Blog

  • Home
  • Start
  • About
  • Blog
  • Deals
  • Contact
    • Work with us

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk – Get High Up in the Rain Forest

July 24, 2017 By Sammi 6 Comments

Before Arenal and La Fortuna became a leading tourist destination in Costa Rica, it was a vast farming area. Blessed with such fertile and rich soil, locals raised livestock and grew crops as their livelihood. But everything changed when Arenal Volcano erupted and people attracted to the powerful volcano that made international headlines back in 1968 started to visit the area.

As Costa Rica become a top eco-tourism country, one family decided to preserve the 600 acres of land given to them near Arenal to maintain the rich biodiversity living within. This ambitious project grew immensely over the next decade and is now one of the top attractions in the Arenal area: the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges.

The concept of the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges is simple: To protect flora and fauna while offering visitors a safe environment to discover the rain forest in a sustainable way. So if you’re looking to experience the famous hanging bridges of Costa Rica or want a nice hike in Arenal to learn about the rain forest and see wildlife, the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges is the best place to go.

Mistico-Arenal-Hanging-Bridges-Entrance

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Map

Though this park now has more activities other than hiking, the hanging bridges are still the highlight. The 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) hanging bridges trail has 10 regular bridges and 6 hanging ones with the tallest standing at 148 feet. The bridges allow for spectacular views of the rain forest and Arenal Volcano.

Here is a map of the Arenal hanging bridges trail.

Mistico Arenal Hanging bridges map
Hanging Bridges Arenal Map

Arenal Hanging Bridges Trail

The hanging bridges trail is extremely well maintained and the bridges are in excellent shape so this is a hike for all ages. It is not too difficult: no steep hills and not many steps.

We went on a guided hike of the Arenal hanging bridges with Jacamar Naturalist Tours so that we could learn more about the rain forest and the Arenal area. From the moment we started walking, our guide stopped and pointed out a myriad of different flowers and plants we’ve never seen before.

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges - guided tour
Arenal hanging bridges guided walk

The trail’s design makes you feel like you’re walking deep into the rain forest, rather than in a well maintained park as you’re immersed in a sea of deep green and surrounded by a symphony of cicadas, tropical birds and monkeys.

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges - guided walk
Arenal Hanging Bridges

The tropical rain forest in the Arenal area houses a plethora of wildlife and the hanging bridges are an excellent way to see them.

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges - bridge
Hanging Bridges Arenal

Birds such as toucans and mammals like sloths and monkeys are just a few of the many creatures you can run into on the hike. We were extremely lucky to see several animals thanks to the sharp eyes of our guide.

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridge - viper
Green viper
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridge - howler monkey
Howler monkey
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridge - owls
Owls
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridge
Snake
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges - motmot
Rufous Mot Mot

Many of the animals, like the snakes and Mot Mot were just hanging out close to the hanging bridge so we got a very close look at all of them.

The viewpoints along the hanging bridges are breathtaking. One of the highest bridges, the Arenal View Hanging Bridge has a great view of the volcano and rain forest.

Mistico-Hanging-Bridges-bridge
Arenal View Hanging Bridge

On a clear day, it is impressive the see the towering volcano looming in the distance!

Watch our video below to see more of the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges. We did the hanging bridges and La Fortuna waterfall combo tour which is a popular tour to see 2 highlights of Arenal.

Can you do the Arenal Hanging Bridges self guided?

Yes. If you don’t want a guide, you can purchase the entrance ticket and do a self guided walk. We saw many self guided groups, but I personally enjoyed having a guide and highly recommend it for first time visitors or those who want to learn more about the area. A guide will point out various plants, flowers and wildlife and teach you about their importance in Costa Rica. Additionally, the tours include transportation which is nice if you’re not renting a car.

Read more thoughts about booking guided tours in Costa Rica in this post.

What to know about the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges

Don’t touch anything or stray off the path

It is imperative that you do not stray off the path or touch things without supervision. Many animals, such as snakes hide on trees and in plants so you don’t want to accidentally get too close to them. Also please do not walk off the path as it is destructive.

Wear closed toed shoes

If you don’t, you need to sign a waiver just in case you get bit by an animal or step on something, the park can’t be liable. We wore our KEEN closed toed hiking sandals which worked very well but even though we had a toe bumper, we still had to sign a waiver.

Arenal Hanging Bridges Entrance Fee and Hours

The park is open every day from 7:30 AM to 3:50 PM (last entrance).

Takes about 2.5 hours for a guided hike

And it takes about 2 hours for a self guided hike.

It’s better to go in the morning

Especially in rainy season as it is typically sunny in the morning and rainy in the afternoon so it’s better to go in the morning. That way you can also do other activities after the hanging bridges. Many tours combine activities such as hanging bridges + La Fortuna waterfall.

Reservations are required

You can book on their website if you’re going on your own. If you book a tour, then you don’t need to do anything extra as the tour company will make the reservation for you.

If you are interested in this tour, we offer a special 7% deal for all Mytanfeet readers!

Read about other things to do in Arenal here.

Penas Blancas Safari Float

Horseback riding

Canyoning

Visiting Monteverde too? Check out our 5 day Arenal and Monteverde itinerary.

Filed Under: Activities and tours Costa Rica

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Blue says

    February 26, 2020

    Hi Yeison and Samantha,
    Thank you so much for your guide! It has been extremely helpful.
    Question:
    We are renting a car, staying in La Fortuna and have 2 full days. We are interested in going to Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, Arenal Volcano National Park, and the Bogarin Trail. Are the roads in good condition for all of these places? Also, is Google Maps reliable with driving times?

    Reply
    • Sammi says

      February 26, 2020

      Roads are in good condition to those places, to the naional park has some unpaved roads but nothing horrible. They are not very far apart so Google Maps works well there.

      Reply
  2. Liza Bisaillon says

    February 14, 2020

    Hello !
    Thanks for your awesome guides. You are my number 1 source for planning my Costa Rica trip !
    We will be traveling from Arenal to Monteverde and would like to stop at at Mystico on our way.
    Is it safe to leave our car with all our luggage at Mystico while we visit?

    Thanks,
    Liza

    Reply
    • Sammi says

      February 14, 2020

      Hi Liza, Mistico does have a large parking lot and it’s very popular so there are always tour buses and other cars there. Just be sure to lock your doors and try to leave your belongings as covered as possible and park closer to the office.

      Reply
  3. Phoebe says

    July 8, 2019

    Are these hanging bridges comparable to going through the cloud forest in monteverde? Not sure if I can swing monteverde and arenal

    Reply
    • Sammi says

      July 9, 2019

      They’re not as high and the scenery is different (rainforest vs cloud forest)

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Primary Sidebar

About Mytanfeet

Hi! We are Yeison and Samantha

Mytanfeet is full of local tips, detailed guides, photos, videos and maps to help you plan the perfect ​trip to Costa Rica.

Our Costa Rica City Guides

Tamarindo Costa Rica Travel Guide
Sponsored Ads
Costa Rica Destinations Map

Special rent a car rates for Mytanfeet readers

Check Rates or Reserve

Footer

About

Who are we ?
Contact us
Copyright & Disclaimer

Travel

Get $20+ Airbnb credit
Start here
Destination Map
Join our YouTube Channel

Exclusive deals

Save up 20% on Car Rentals
7% off Arenal tours
White water Rafting special
See all our exclusive deals

Mytanfeet LLC Copyright© 2013 - 2021 - Thank you for supporting our Travel Blog!

MytanFeet
  • Home
  • Start
  • About
  • Blog
  • Deals
  • Contact
    • Work with us