By air
Liberia (LIR) or San José (SJO), ~3 h by road
North America · Costa Rica
Arenal, Costa Rica
A volcano, hot springs and hanging bridges
Getting there
Best time to visit
December to April — dry season
Don't miss
Arenal Volcano
The La Fortuna Waterfall
The Hanging Bridges
Lake Arenal
Things to do
The hanging bridges
Hot springs
Ziplining
Kayaking on Lake Arenal
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Rain gear, swimwear
A quieter corner
The Río Celeste's blue river in Tenorio
Questions travellers ask
When is the dry season around Arenal?
December to April. Pack rain gear and swimwear.
How do I get to Arenal?
Fly into Liberia (LIR) or San José (SJO), then allow about 3 h by road.
What is there to do around Arenal?
See Arenal Volcano and the La Fortuna Waterfall, walk the Hanging Bridges, soak in the hot springs, go ziplining and kayak on Lake Arenal.
What's a hidden gem near Arenal?
The Río Celeste's blue river in Tenorio. Refuel on casados and gallo pinto.
About Arenal
- Mountains
- Forest
Where it is
Arenal is a cone-shaped volcano about 1,630 m high in the northern lowlands of Costa Rica, in Alajuela province, rising above the town of La Fortuna, with the large reservoir of Lake Arenal on its western side.
History
Arenal was thought to be dormant until it erupted violently in July 1968, burying three small villages, among them Tabacón. It then stayed active for more than four decades, often throwing out glowing lava, until it quietened in 2010, while a dam built in 1979 tripled the size of Lake Arenal for hydroelectric power.
People
La Fortuna, the town at the volcano's foot, grew from a village of farmers and cattle ranchers into a busy tourism centre after the eruption made the volcano famous. Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos and speak Spanish, and the Maleku, an Indigenous people who keep their own Chibchan language, live near Guatuso, about an hour to the north.
Known for
- Views of the volcano's near-perfect cone
- Hot springs heated by the volcano
- The Arenal Hanging Bridges
- The La Fortuna Waterfall
- Windsurfing and kayaking on Lake Arenal
Did you know?
Lake Arenal, the largest lake in Costa Rica, once produced most of the country's electricity, and from November to April its strong, steady winds draw windsurfers and kitesurfers.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.