Arenal Volcano National Park: A Majestic Volcano in the Rainforest

Arenal Volcano National Park is the second most visited national park in Costa Rica with several hiking trails and view points, making it a great day trip from La Fortuna.

The 29,692-acre park is one of the best national parks for first timers and one of the must do things in Costa Rica. Majority of travelers stop by Arenal at one point of their trip so check out our guide to Arenal Volcano.

This post has been updated March 2018.

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• Facts
• Location
• Directions
• Entrance Fee and Hours
• Activities
• Wildlife
• Weather
• Where to stay
• Tips for visiting

Arenal Volcano Facts

There are 2 volcanoes in this national park – Arenal and Cerro Chato. Arenal used to be Costa Rica’s most active volcano whereas Cerro Chato is completely dormant.

In 1968,the Arenal Volcano eruption destroyed the towns of Tabacon and Pueblo Nuevo. It was one of the worst natural catastrophes in Costa Rica and locals remember it to this day.

Arenal Volcano is currently active. It used to spew lava and throw rocks before 2010 but after 2010, it has been quiet and only smoking. However, Arenal Volcano is still very active and people from all over the world visit to see this majestic volcano in the rainforest.

Location

Arenal Volcano National Park is in the northern lowlands of Costa Rica. The main town near the park is La Fortuna which is the main tourism hub where all the tour companies, restaurants, hostels and other businesses are.

Map of Arenal Volcano National Park

Arenal Volcano is 148 kilometers northwest of San Jose in the province of Alajuela, district of La Fortuna.

How to Get to Arenal Volcano

You will need to get to La Fortuna, the town first.

Driving

From San José: The shortest way from San Jose to Arenal is through Inter-Americana highway passing through San Ramon and La Tigra. This route takes about 3 and a half hours.

From Liberia: Take InterAmericana highway south, turning left to Cañas and pass through Tilarán. Drive all the way around Lake Arenal to reach the national park, turn right  This route takes roughly 3 hours.

You do not need a 4×4 for this route, all the roads are completely paved. It does get quite curvy and windy however so make sure to take anti-nausea medicine if you easily get car sick. Click here to get our Costa Rica car rental discount!

Shuttles

There are many shuttle companies that service from San José/Liberia to La Fortuna. The cost of a one way ticket per person is around $54. Private shuttles are also available and cost around $180-200.

We have a partnership with Interbus to give our readers 10% off their shared shuttle. Click here to request a quote or book your shuttle.

Bus

There are direct public buses from San Jose to La Fortuna. Public buses cost around $5, takes about 4-5 hours and leave 3 times a day: 615 AM, 840 AM and 1130AM from San Jose.

From Liberia, you need to first take a bus to Canas, then Tilaran and then to La Fortuna. I suggest taking the 10 AM bus from Liberia to Canas, there are tons of buses about every half hour from Canas to Tilaran and then take the 12:30 PM bus to Fortuna. Tilaran to Fortuna runs at 7 AM, 12:30 PM and 3:30 PM and costs 2,690 colones.

Flights

La Fortuna has its own airport. Domestic flights are available via Nature Air and Sansa and cost around $150 one way depending on where you are coming from.

Taxi Boat

If you are coming from Monteverde, there are companies that have taxi/water taxi services between Monteverde and Arenal. This takes around 3 hours and costs around $25 per person.

Arenal Volcano National Park Directions from La Fortuna

The national park entrance is on main road from La Fortuna to Tilaran. The entrance will be on your left hand side coming from Fortuna and it turns into an unpaved road. There are plenty of signs so you can’t miss it. Drive about 10 minutes on this road and you will see the parking lot and entrance on your left hand side. You don’t need a 4×4.

Unfortunately there isn’t a bus that goes all the way to the park entrance, the closest the bus can take you is at the intersection off the main road and then you will need to walk or hitch a ride the rest of the way.

If you don’t have a car, you can take a taxi or book a tour to the park with a tour company that includes transportation. Last time I checked, a taxi ride from La Fortuna to the national park costs around $20 one way.

Entrance Fee and Hours

The Arenal Volcano National Park entrance fee is $15 for adult foreigners. The park is open daily 8 AM to 4 PM.

Arenal Volcano National Park Hiking Trails

The national park is best for hiking and seeing the volcano and lava trails. The trails, Sendero Colada 1968 and Tucanes are relatively short at 3.4 and 2 kilometers, going through secondary forest and lava fields.

Lava Flow Trail

Follow the Coladas de Lava (Lava flow) trail and you will walk out of the forest and through some lava fields. You will come to a clearing of lava rocks where you will get a spectacular view of the volcano. If it’s a clear day, you can see it in all its glory!

Tip: If the volcano is covered in clouds, wait at least 15-20 minutes. Right before this photo was taken, the volcano was nowhere to be seen so we waited for 30 minutes and the clouds went away for a few minutes, allowing us to see Volcan Arenal.

At the lava rocks, you can see Arenal Volcano on one side and Lake Arenal on the other. If it’s a sunny day, you can see all of the rolling hills surrounding the lake and it is simply breathtaking.

You don’t need to be in super great shape to hike the national park as the trails aren’t very long or steep. There is a short section up to the lava rocks where it is a little steep and you need to be careful walking around the rocks so if you have bad ankles/knees or have a lot of trouble walking on rocks or on uneven surfaces, we don’t recommend it.

The rest of the hiking trails are fairly flat through the forest and tall grass.

El Ceibo Trail

There is also a short trail to a large Ceiba tree, Sendero El Ceibo. This tree is huge!

You can easily spend a couple of hours walking through the park and enjoying the scenery. The best time to go is as soon as it opens in the morning so you have more chances to see birds and not run into as many people.

Self Guided or Guided Hike

You can hike on your own in Arenal Volcano National Park or you can book a tour that includes transportation and a guide. It’s nice to go with a guide who can explain more about the volcano, the eruptions and landscapes so you can appreciate the importance of the volcano. A guided tour costs around $70 per person.

There are no guides at the ranger station to hire so if you want a guide, you will need to find one beforehand. If you have a car and want to hire a guide (not book a full tour), you can hire a guide from any of the tour companies in La Fortuna. They will ride with you in your car and costs around $40-50 for the day.

Word of caution: It is illegal to hike up Arenal Volcano. If anyone offers you a tour up the volcano, they are illegal tour operators offering an illegal tour. There have been situations where tourists have gone with a non-certified guide and got injured or lost and had to be rescued. Please do not take up any offer to go up the volcano, there are no trails and is very dangerous.

Other Arenal Volcano National Park activities

Outside the national park are a ton of fun activities including hot springs, La Fortuna waterfall, ziplining, white water rafting, canyoning, hanging bridges and horseback riding. There are also other private reserves for hiking, such as Arenal 1968 which is next to the park. This reserve also has great hiking and viewpoints of the volcano and is open until 6 PM.

Check out our top picks for things to do in La Fortuna and Arenal!

Wildlife

Though the La Fortuna and Arenal area is a great place for wildlife, the national park isn’t the best. There is not as much wildlife due to the forests of the side the volcano erupted on being destroyed but you can see some birds like toucans, parrots and oropendolas.

You will need to go to the primary rainforests around La Fortuna and near the lake to see more wildlife.

Arenal Volcano National Park Weather

This area experiences typical tropical weather with a consistent rainy and dry season pattern. The weather can be quite unpredictable in rainy season with sunny mornings and rainy afternoons. Temperatures are usually in the high 80’s to low 60’s at night.

When it comes to seeing the volcano clearly, it’s a bit of luck. Dry season doesn’t bring as much clouds but even if it looks completely cloudy, keep an eye out. When we visited last July, it rained almost 3 days straight but we got a few minutes of the volcano 100% clear! Early mornings are the best times to see the volcano completely clear, around 6 AM.

Dry season (December through end of April) can reach up to the 90’s Fahrenheit, especially if you are staying down in the La Fortuna town area. The Nuevo Arenal area (around Arenal Lake) is cooler and can get quite chilly during rainy season which is from May to November.

We usually visit in July and it always rains when we’re there but we still get some moments of sun. We have also visited during November where it poured down rain all day long so pack properly for rainy season if you come during those months!

Arenal Hotels

Here are our other hotel recommendations.

• Arenal Observatory Lodge: Closest hotel to the volcano and only one actually in the national park.
• Arenal Kioro – Luxury hotel with a spa, private springs and a jacuzzi in each room.
• Hotel Las Colinas – Eco friendly budget to mid range hotel in La Fortuna.
• Baldi Hot Springs Hotel and Spa – Went to their hot springs which was so much fun. They have water slides and excellent food.
• Hotel Magic Mountain – Great breakfast, great pool area and comfortable rooms. A standard mid to high range hotel.
• Hotel La Fortuna – Budget friendly hotel in the middle of town. Good breakfast, convenient location.
• Arenal Backpackers Resort – Big pool, tents and shared dorms and on-site restaurant. Not right in town, but close.
• Selina La Fortuna: Fun hostel in La Fortuna town.
• Hotel Montana de Fuego: Close to the national park entrance and has a great view of the volcano. Has their own hot springs, spa, hiking trails, tubing, horseback riding tour and cultural tour on property.
• Nayara Hotel: Gorgeous hotel with nice pools, spa and lots of wildlife on the property. Stay at the adult only Nayara Springs for a romantic getaway.
• Princesa de la Luna Lodge: If you want something more rustic, check out this eco-lodge that has its own hiking trails, river and mud baths.

If you’re looking for a luxury stay, check out our list of luxury hotels in Arenal.

You can also check out Airbnb. Read about our Arenal Airbnb here.

Tips for Visiting Arenal Volcano

• Hiking: You don’t need to wear hiking boots or shoes. You can wear running shoes, trainers or hiking sandals as the trails are well laid out. You do need to have closed toed shoes as you will be walking on rocks.
• If you’re visiting in rainy season, I highly recommend bringing a rain jacket and waterproof backpack.
• We highly recommend visiting the national park with a guide but if you’re on a budget or would rather do it yourself, that’s perfectly fine too. You can get a map at the entrance and signage is very clear so you can’t get lost.
• Don’t walk off the trails or touch the trees/bushes. There can be snakes or frogs living there!

More Costa Rica national park guides here!

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Marino Ballena National Park

Irazu Volcano National Park

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