Arenal National Park, and of course the volcano, is a symbol of Costa Rica. It is famous for the amazing scenery, the wildlife and some of the best Instagram spots in the country. When we were staying at Lomas Del Volcan in La Fortuna, we made sure that a day was spent here. This post is about our day trip to Arenal National Park. I’ll also include everything you need to know to plan your perfect day. Enjoy!
A Bit About the National Park
Arenal National Park is just outside of La Fortuna. It is a good 20 minute drive away from the town along the main road. I would say that the journey here is easy. Whilst the roads in Costa Rica are not great in general, they were good in this area.
The National Park is actually vast and covers a whopping 29,692 acres. Within this space are plenty of different habitats to promote the high biodiversity enjoyed in the area, along with two volcanoes. This surprised me when I was planning my trip. I knew about the mighty Arenal, the larger and most active of the two. However, I was unaware of the Chato volcano. This houses a large lake at the top and is inactive nowadays.
In the Park you will be able to see ancient lava plumes and natural secondary forest. When we were walking about we also saw tonnes of wildlife. These were predominantly birds, such as vultures, parrots and jay magpies, but we did hear howler monkeys and toucans, and even spotted a pit viper. If you are lucky, you may even see tapir here.
Hiking in Arenal National Park – The 1968 Trail
The best activity to do on a day trip to Arenal National Park has to be hiking. This was high up on our list when we booked our trip and is a must-do. We booked our trip through Swiss Travel and I would highly recommend them. Our tour guide, Carlos, was genuinely great and knew a lot about the area. He was able to point things out that we wouldn’t have seen and advised us as we walked around. If you book a tour, then admittance will usually be included. However, if you are self-driving, then it costs $17.00 USD per adult and $5.00 per child.
There are a range of different trails that you can complete in Arenal, but we opted for one of the 1968 trail. This is so-named as this is the year Arenal first erupted, and the trail has some of the best views of the volcano. You have two choices; the longer yellow trail or the shorter red. Our tour completed the red route, which took about 2 and a half hours.
The terrain on the 1968 Trail is as you would expect. There are some challenging parts, particularly when climbing over the ancient lava, but overall it is very tourist friendly. Even in torrential rain, we could get by on trainers. I would say though that it probably isn’t appropriate for people with mobility issues. There were a few steep parts that definitely got slippery in the rain.
What to Bring to Arenal National Park
A day trip to Arenal National Park is slightly unpredictable. Given the position of the park (between two mountain ranges) the weather conditions can change quickly. On our day, we set off under blue sky and within half an hour there was a thunderstorm.
Ponchos, or a good raincoat, are a must. I prefer the former as it keeps your entire body dry, plus many good hotels just loan them out. Trust me; you don’t want to stuff a wet raincoat into your luggage. Along that thought, I would also suggest suncream, a hat etc., just in case the weather gets warm.
Lastly, the Arenal National Park is arguably one of the best places in Costa Rica to take photos! If you can, bring a camera with a good zoom lens. This will allow you to take photos of the different wildlife you might meet along the way.
For a more in depth look at what to pack, read my post on what to bring to Costa Rica. A lot of the things here are applicable to the National Park.
Other Things to Do
In Arenal National Park there really are so many different activities that you could do. Perhaps most famously are the hot springs. Some hotels have actually access to these. To save you a fair bit of money, I would always recommend the free hot springs. These are located just outside of La Fortuna and a taxi here is super easy. The free hot springs is basically just a warm river, so aren’t that luxurious. However, large hotels like the famous Tabacon charge north of $80USD for a day pass…
If you think that the weather is warm enough without a hot spring, and don’t want to hike, then the Park has you covered too. You can go rafting, take a night tour, climb hanging bridges and even ride through on horseback. The official Arenal National Park website is great and has loads of information. You can also check out my blog post on things to do in La Fortuna for more inspiration.
Day Trip to Arenal National Park | Final Thoughts
A day trip to Arenal National Park is an absolute must for any adventurer in Costa Rica. Without a doubt, it was one of the highlights of our trip to the country. I just love the contrast between the landscape here with pretty much every other biome in Costa Rica. It is really unique and the fauna and flora really reflect that. If you want an adventure, a day trip to Arenal is a must.
