Arenal Volcano National Park is one of the most most visited national parks in Costa Rica with several hiking trails and view points, making it a great activity from La Fortuna. It’s also an excellent way to experience and see an active volcano up close.
Read our Arenal Volcano National Park to plan your visit.
Arenal Volcano National Park
There are two sectors of the national park: the Sector Peninsula and the main visitor center. Each sector can take around 4 hours to hike through the trails, so you can arrive at the park at 8 AM when it opens, leave around noon and plan another activity in the afternoon.
Entrance Fee and Hours
The Arenal Volcano National Park entrance fee is $15 + tax USD for adult foreigners and $5 USD + tax for children. The main visitor center is open daily from 8 AM to 4 PM. The Peninsula sector is open daily from 8 AM to 5 PM, last entry is at 4 PM.
Park tickets are for one time entrance only so if you want to visit both sectors, you will have to visit both in one day. Just show your park ticket to the office.
Payment for park tickets are by credit card only – no cash payment accepted.
How to Get to Arenal Volcano National Park
The closest town to Arenal Volcano National Park is La Fortuna, about a 20 minute drive away. La Fortuna is the main town and tourism hub of the area. Arenal Volcano is 148 kilometers (92 miles) northwest of San Jose.
Driving
Main Visitor Center:
The drive from La Fortuna to Arenal Volcano National Park (main lava flow trails) is about 20 minutes. You don’t need a 4×4 for Arenal Volcano National Park and you can set your GPS or navigation device destination as “Arenal Volcano National Park Visitor Center” which will lead you to the main parking lot of the lava flow trail sector.
Sector Peninsula:
To get to the Peninsula Sector, you need to set your navigation device destination as “Volcan Arenal Sector Peninsula National Park.” This will lead you to the office of the Peninsula sector which is in a completely different area than the main visitor center. It is about a 30 minute drive from La Fortuna.
The road is not paved once you turn off the main road, so drive carefully if you don’t have a high clearance car.
Public Bus
Unfortunately there isn’t a bus that goes all the way to either park entrances. To get to the main visitor center of the park, 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. However, this walk will be around 45 minutes or so as it is a couple miles away to the visitor center.
This is the same for the peninsula sector, you can ask the bus driver to drop you off near the bridge but you will have to walk about an hour or so to the Peninsula office.
We do not recommend doing this as it is complicated and there are not frequent buses to take back to La Fortuna. If you don’t have a car, we recommend to take a taxi.
Taxi/Uber
There are some Ubers in La Fortuna and around the national park. For official red taxis, there are many in the main park of La Fortuna. It can cost approximately $10-25 USD per way in an official taxi/Uber.
Arenal Volcano National Park Sectors and Hiking Trails
The national park now has two sectors: The Peninsula and the Lava Fields Sector. Both are wonderful for leisurely hiking.
Mirador and Lava Field Trails Sector
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 (2.1 miles and 1.2 miles), going through secondary forest and lava fields.
Arenal Volcano Facts: There are 2 volcanoes in this national park – Arenal and Cerro Chato. Cerro Chato is completely dormant. Arenal Volcano is active, although it is now only smoking. Before 2010, it used to spew lava and rocks.
Lava Flow Trail
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. Nowadays, visitors can hike through the leftover lava rocks of the eruption.
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.
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 for the weather as it is not as hot.
Make sure not to walk off the trails and never touch any trees, leaves, bushes, etc. Snakes, frogs, insects, etc. can be living in there!
Pro tip: Always bring a rainjacket, no matter what time of year you are visiting. This area is proper rainforest! Also we highly recommend closed toed shoes like sneakers, comfortable walking shoes, trail running shoes, light hiking shoes. Get our Costa Rica packing list for more tips.
Arenal Volcano National Park Sector Peninsula
There is another sector of the national park that has breathtaking views of Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano. It has two well marked, flat trails with viewpoints to enjoy.
As these trails do not go through any lava flow or rocks, they are better for those who may not be able to walk for long periods of time on uneven surfaces. It is less crowded than the main visitor center and has an observation tower with spectacular views of the volcano and lake.
The Los Miradores trail is 1.2 km (.7 miles) and El Tororoi trail is 600 meters (.4 miles) one way. You can easily do both!
Can You Visit Arenal Volcano On Your Own?
Yes! You can visit the Arenal Volcano National Park on your own – you do not have to go with a guide. However, if you want to learn more about the volcano, the surrounding rainforest and the area, having a guide is wonderful. They will also point out wildlife and share interesting facts about the area.
Our partner offers a tour of the Peninsula Sector for views of Lake Arenal combined with a boat ride to see a close view of Arenal Volcano. Want to book this tour? Book it here with our La Fortuna tours discount!
You can also watch our video below on the Lake Arenal boat + Peninsula trail tour!
Hiring a Guide to Arenal Volcano National Park (no transportation)
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 (no transportation), you can hire a guide from any of the tour companies in La Fortuna.
Generally how it works is that you will pick them up at their office in your rental car, they’ll go with you to the places you want to go for the guided activity and then you will drop them off back in town. Depending on the company and the guide, it costs around $70-90 USD for a half day and $140 USD for a full day. You also need to purchase park tickets for your group and the guide.
*If you want to book a tour or hire a guide, contact us! *
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 since the forests on that side of the volcano were destroyed but you can see some birds like toucans, parrots and oropendolas.
If you want to see sloths, you should check out the Bogarin Trail. It’s an easy 1 kilometer trail through a forest in downtown Fortuna that is home to many sloths and birdes!
The Peninsula Sector however has a lot of wildlife as it is a mature secondary rainforest. There are more possibilities to see animals like monkeys, agoutis, peccaries and birds.
Arenal Volcano National Park Weather
This area experiences typical tropical weather with a rainy and dry season. Dry season is roughly December to April, rainy season is May to November. However, as this area is proper rainforest in the Northern Highlands, it can rain any time of the year, even in the dry season.
When it comes to seeing the volcano clearly, it’s a bit of luck but it is possible to see it clear anytime of the year. 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.
If you’re visiting during rainy season, make sure to pack properly for rainy season!
Arenal Hotels
Here are some of our recommendations in La Fortuna and near Arenal Volcano.
- Arenal Observatory Lodge: Closest hotel to the volcano and only one actually in the national park.
- Arenal History Inn: A very nice mid range option located close to town. Has 10 standalone bungalows and gardens, includes hot breakfast.
- 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.
- Selina La Fortuna: Fun hostel in downtown, ideal for digital nomads.
- Nayara Hotel: Gorgeous luxury hotel with nice pools, spa and lots of wildlife on the property. Stay at the adult only Nayara Springs for an ultra private and romantic getaway.
If you’re looking for a luxury stay, check out our list of luxury hotels in Arenal. You can also check out Airbnb and VRBO for vacation rentals.
More Costa Rica national park guides here!
This post has affiliate links
Kristin says
Hello – Hanging Bridges requires advance timed tickets. Do we need to purchase the entrance fees for the volcano and waterfall in advance?
Sammi says
No those can be purchased upon arrival
Enrico says
Hello, amazing blog! We are planning to visit both sections of the park but we won’t have a car. Is it possible to walk from one section to the other? Would you advise against it? The distance wouldn’t be an issue for us but I’m wondering about safety. Is it common to see people walk along the road? Thanks for all the useful information you provide!
Sammi says
There is a road that connects the two but it’s quite long and you barely see anyone walking it since most people just visit one sector and then drive to the other.
Aidan says
Hello,
We are going to be staying in the Arenal area for 3 nights but will not have a car. Where is a good home base to stay in the area?
Sammi says
Downtown La Fortuna (more budget hotels) so you can easily walk to restaurants and everything (plus all tour companies provide transportation from downtown)
Alexandra says
I could see on videos that the weather at the volcano park was rather cloudy. Should we apply sunscreen nevertheless?
Sammi says
I always recommend to put on sunscreen even if its cloudy because Costa Rica is so close to the equator
Karen says
My 20 yr daughter and I will be traveling to CR March 1st-6th. We will be flying into Liberia and out of San Jose. We plan to spend the first 2vmaybe 3 nights in the LaFortuna area. What is your opinion of Tabacon Resort and Spa? Thank you so much!
Sammi says
We haven’t stayed there (in the resort, only visited for their hot springs) but I’m sure you can find plenty of reviews on hotel booking sites
Helena says
Hi! Thanks for the great info! I would like a view of the volcano but aren’t necessarily interested in the hikes or seeing it close up. Is the La Fortuna area generally good for viewing the volcano from afar such that I won’t need to spend time and money visiting the park? Thank you for your advice!
Sammi says
You can get a good view of the volcano from all over La Fortuna, even the town park if it’s clear out or you can even drive on the road to the national park and there are some openings through the forest where you can see the volcano if its clear
Oscar says
Thank you for all the information it’s really helpful!
My wife and I are going late August and definitely have added this to our to-do list. Day trip to Arenal National Park and finishing the day in the Tabacon Hot Springs 🙂
Wendy says
We’ll be traveling from San Jose in the morning so was planning to do this hike in the afternoon after lunch. We won’t have a car but didn’t want to book a tour for this and wanted to just hike and explore on our own. Is there a way to just arrange transportation to and from the park from Hotel Los Lagos?
Sammi says
You should ask your hotel to help arrange transportation, you could also check the Uber app because last time we were there, we saw like 2 Ubers. But there is no public transportation directly to the park, the only option is taxi or private shuttle arranged with your hotel which would be easiest as the driver needs to know to wait for you.
Faith says
Do the taxi drivers charge to wait for you while you hike?
Sammi says
Some might – I would recommend to either pre-arrange a pick up time or get your taxi drivers phone number so you can call him when you’re done so he doesn’t have to sit in the parking lot and wait for you the whole time
Catherine Bove says
I love your blogs. I was wondering if you know of places with longer hikes (without a guide) in the Tenorio/ Arenal areas other than the national parks. We love hiking but have found it very hard finding places to go for hikes longer than 5-6 km. Trying to find non-touristy places to hike.
Thanks for any help! And again, Love your blogs!!!!
Sammi says
Most hikes in Costa Rica are around 5-6 kilometers, the national park has a few different trails so you can go around and walk all of them, same with the Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forest where they have multiple trails so you can walk all of them.
Brandyn says
For hiring a guide, are you saying the guide would be $50/day instead of 50-70/person by booking a tour? Any suggestions for hiring a guide (best company)?
Is the park an all day destination or a half day?
Sammi says
Hi Brandyn, I just checked the prices (I hadn’t checked the recent prices for guide hires) and it’s actually around $90 USD for half a day but depends on the guide and company you hire from and how long you want them for.
Renee says
We only want to hike one morning in Arenal because the kids won’t want to do more. Where will be the most exciting place for kids ages 3 to 18? Little kids will be in back packs and others can handle any type of hike. We already did the La Fortuna waterfall and the older kids when waterfall rappelling. Besides going to Proyecto Asis, we haven’t seen much wildlife yet. We haven’t seen the volcano yet and not sure if the national park is better or AOL? Or Mistico hanging bridges. Where should be go?
Any other must do’s in this area with kids? We can split up.
Sammi says
Any of those are great, the hanging bridges is fun if you don’t plan to see hanging bridges anywhere else. The national park and AOL does give really stunning views of the volcano.
Silvia says
Hi! thank you for your blogs as i used them to plan my trip to Costa Rica next February. I have a question. To go to the Arenal Lake, do i need to go through the Arenal Park? How much is it to go to the lake?
Sammi says
TMost people who go to the lake are doing tours like kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, fishing, etc. but there is a public access, it’s not free through, visitors have to pay an entrance fee
John says
Sammi,
Great articles! For Arenal Volcano National Park, do I need to reserve the entrance ticket in advance or I can just buy the ticket at the visitor center? How about La Fortuna waterfall?
Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi John! You can buy them at the park office, same with La Fortuna waterfall. No need to purchase in advance.
Yohan says
Hey Sammy,
Can I fly my drone from inside the park?
Sammi says
No, drones aren’t allowed inside national parks.
Kirsten Gaucher says
That last photo titled “View of Arenal in February” – where is that photo taken from? It seems it is from a higher vista nearby. Is there a hiking trail that we can go on to get that view? Thanks
Sammi says
That photo was taken with our drone, there aren’t any viewpoints or trails that go that high 😉
Diane Schulle says
Is there any place you can rent a wheelchair to take on the hiking trails? We are traveling with an elderly parent who has trouble breathing when walking a short distance in the humidity.
Also, how humid does it get in July?
Sammi says
Hi Diane, unfortunately not that I know of. You can maybe check for a private clinic in La Fortuna and see if they have any for rent. July does get more humid since it rains more but usually in July (around beginning to mid), we have our “little summer” so the weather dries up a bit but this is general, I can’t say for sure exactly when it will be or how much drier it will get. There is a new universal trail in Arenal Volcano National Park that is not too long that she could probably do.
Kendall says
Can we pay in either USD or colones for entrance to the park?
Sammi says
Yes either is accepted.
Susan Van Mell says
Your $15 pass is also good for the penninsula trail, but you need to hike that on the same day.
PS: It was cloudy when we got to the viewing area, but we followed your advice and waited a bit till it cleared. Thank you for all the great tips!!!
Travis says
Hi Im thinking about going on a hike without a guide. Will it be easy to get a taxi to pick me up at the park?
Sammi says
Hi Travis, there aren’t any taxis just waiting there so my recommendation is if you take a taxi, get the phone number of the driver so you can call him or coordinate with him a time for hi to pick you up. You can also see if the park office rangers can call you a taxi too.
Harvey Tait says
Thanks Sammi. Makes sense now.Thanks for explaining. Your site is awesome.It was a great reference for my first Costa Rica trip, using it now for my upcoming second one.
Sammi says
You’re welcome, yeah it is pretty confusing since all the trails and names are so similar. Glad the blog has been helpful for your trip and that you’re visiting again!
Sammi says
Hi Harvey, the name of the trail in the national park is called “Sendero Las Colada 1968.” Sendero in Spanish means trail. Then there is a private reserve right next to the national park called “Arenal 1968.” They are not the same thing. I actually wrote a post about the Arenal 1968 private reserve here and they also have a trail called “Sendero Colada 1968.” I know that is confusing because they all have the same trail names but Arenal 1968 and Arenal Volcano National Park are two separate places but both have trails called “Sendero Colada 1968”.
Harvey Tait says
You mention here that the National Park is best for best for hiking and seeing the volcano and lava trails, and that Sendero Colada 1968 is in the national park. Elsewhere you say that Sendero Colada 1968 is a in separate private park and you prefer that trail to those in the national park. Kind of confusing.
Sammi says
Hi Nicky, it is open on Christmas, same hours.
Nicky says
Hi Please can you tell me the opening times of the park over Christmas. Is it open on Christmas day? Thanks Nicky
Kendra says
Hello, thanks so much for your informative blog. I was wondering if the trails through the national park are considered to be through the rain forest? My husband would really like to experience the rain forest while we are in costa rica and we were thinking about taking a day trip to Arenal. Also, do you have any companies that you would recommend for a day trip to Arenal from Liberia? We are having trouble finding one that includes transportation to and from. Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Kendra! The trails through the national park go through some rain forest and lava fields. It doesn’t go deep into the rain forest in the national park though because it goes through the side where the lava from the 1968 eruption came down so the forest is just growing back. If you want to see more of the rainforest, the Mistico hanging bridges park is a great place to hike through the rainforest and get good views of the area. You can read about the tour here: Mistico Arenal hanging bridges
From Liberia, we work with a tour company called Shaman Tours. It is owned by a local Costa Rican and he does operate the one day Arenal tours from Liberia and that part of Guanacaste with round trip transportation included. I’ll email you the info!
Mary Ellen Reimers says
We are planning a trip this month to Mistico Park. Can we pay the entrance fee and tour the park on our own and take the hike to the waterfall? Also thinking of zip lining in Arenal park- do we have to reserve a time or just pay and get in line?
Thanks
Sammi says
Hi Mary, yes if you have your own transportation you can make reservations for Mistico and do your own self guided hike. Then you will need to drive or take a taxi to the waterfall since they are not in the park. For ziplining, we recommend making reservation so you can secure your spots as they only run 1-3 tours a day and if its already full, you will have to wait until later that day when they have space or even the next day if it is super busy.
christine says
Have you ever heard of a national park pass, like in the US? Or a flat fee that allows you into parks for a certain date range?
Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Christine, unfortunately there isn’t a national park pass in Costa Rica. You will have to pay the entrance fee for each park you go to.
Angela says
If Arenal National Park closes at 4 pm, does that mean you have to leave by 4 pm or you have to arrive by 4 pm?
Sammi says
You will need to leave the park by 4 PM so they will start looking for people and having them leave.
Marc says
We would like to drive to Arenal Volcano park by car. Will we be able to find certified tour guides outside the park entrance? Or is that something that has to be booked in advance thru a tour company with transfers from our hotel? We would prefer to use our own transportation, but would like to use a guide. Thanks in advance for your help and all of this invaluable info.
Sammi says
Hi Marc, there aren’t any guides for hire at the national park entrance. What you can do since you have a car is to hire a guide from a tour company who will ride in the car with you so you won’t need to pay for a full tour, just the guide. You can hire one from Jacamar, our partner company in La Fortuna. Their guides are my favorite (ask for Jairo!).
Vanessa says
Hello. We have a zip lining reservation with sky trek at 3pm. Do you think we could still do the short trails here. We would be driving from alajuela too. R we tight on time?
Sammi says
If you leave a lot earlier and arrive at the park around noon you could because the ziplining will take a couple of hours and the hanging bridges will be about 1 hour or so.
Sammi says
Hi Michael! The hanging bridges are inside their own private park called Mistico Hanging Bridges Park, they aren’t part of the Arenal Volcano National Park. They do require reservations so if you have your own car, you can make reservations, drive yourself and do a self guided hike. You can also book the hike with a guide too if you want.
Michael says
Hi there!
I keep reading about the hanging bridges but haven’t seen any info on them other than tour packages. Are these only accessible from a tour company or are they apart of the National PArk trails?
Thanks!
Leslie says
How much are the books to purchase?
Sammi says
Hi Leslie, which books?
Kelly says
We are debating between the Arenal 1968 trails or hiking the trails in the National Park. Would you choose one over the other? I’m thinking both might be repetitive. We are all adults (20s to 50s) and very athletic.
Sammi says
Hi Kelly! We actually just did the Arenal 1968 trails yesterday, although the national park is nice we do recommend the 1968 trails more because it’s right next to the national park with slightly better views since the trails are more well maintained. You still get awesome views, get to walk over the lava fields and has a very nice parking lot and facilities. I’ll be writing a post about the Arenal 1968 very soon!
Grace says
What would be the best trail if hiking with a 5 and 9-year-old? Thanks!
Sammi says
Either one is great for kids but I do recommend the Coladas trail so you can see the lava fields and go up to the viewpoint 🙂
Sammi says
Booking a shuttle is the best way. That is a very long route (driving 5 hours) and a bus would take way too long and a taxi would be too expensive. If you’d like quotes for shared shuttles, we work with Interbus, a shared shuttle company and give 10% off to our readers. You can email us for quotes here: Contact Mytanfeet
Sandra says
How would you recommend getting to La Fortuna/ Arenal from Manuel Antonio? Public Transportation? Taxi? We won’t have a car so I don’t know if its even possible but would love to see the volcano.
Delilah Guzman says
The current foreigners fee is now $15.00 for the National Park entrance. I thought it was still worth it as we ended up spending about 2 1/2 hrs on the Las Coladas/ceiba tree trails plus got a nice view of the Volcano from the Mirador side trail with only one other person stopping there for pictures.
Sammi says
THanks for the update. National park entrance fees are going up a lot!