Best tour in Arenal – Combo Tour

Best tour - Whaterfall - Volcano Hike - Hot Springs

Our day begins…Having been picked up by our guide at the Redlava office, or at your la Fortuna area lodging, we take you on a short drive to the departure point. Your bilingual naturalist guide will be with you all day to spot and tell about the nature you encounter, give historical/geological information and he takes care of the logistics and safety during your tour. We aim for around 10 persons per guide and if possible divide between Spanish and English; in a mixed group our guide speaks both.

We now go on a tractor cart that drives us up hill to a panoramic viewpoint. Seeing our destination in the distance we start our trek down the jungle staircase that leads to the bottom of the canyon. Around halfway we reach a high suspension bridge that needs to be conquered to continue.  Admiring the stunning scenery you will notice the ever increasing thunderous rumble of the huge mass of water crashing down. Reaching the lowest point the spectacular La Fortuna waterfall awaits us.

Be amazed by the lush vegetation on its 60mtr (200ft) high walls, the huge Volcanic rocks at its foot and the large amount of water splashing down its pool. You can take your time to admire its beauty while being cooled by its ever present spray. We highly recommend going for a refreshing swim in the crystal clear water. There are low current natural pools a bit downstream or you can venture to the main pool and brave the current and waves provoked by the falling water.

After concluding the somewhat challenging hike back up we take you to the little village of the Maleku Indians. Seated in their Palenke (main house) we enjoy a rest while learning about their culture, art and history. Interesting handy crafts will also be available for purchase.

Having been active for some hours the moment has come to enjoy a warm typical lunch. Good healthy food with options for those that have special requests or limitations. Next to the restaurant there is a butterfly garden and frog pond that can be explored. Being well fed we take a 15minute ride to the Arenal volcano reserve.

Following a trail that is cut out through the lava rocks we climb our way up the base of the Arenal. Being on these lava fields you get to appreciate the enormity of the natural event that this volcano provoked. Reaching the highest viewpoint you can enjoy the most spectacular panoramic views. Looking around you admire: the Arenal lake, the lush Jungle, the Northern Valley, the surrounding Lava fields and of course you can see the Arenal volcano looming over you in all its greatness.

Going down from the viewpoint we take a trail through primary forest where you can see big trees and other flora and fauna that make up the jungles intriguing ecosystem. During the day it will be possible to spot a variety of tropical birds, amphibians and very possibly Monkeys, Coatis and Sloths. After this, it’s time for a coffee break in the rancho of the park.

To finish the tour in the best way, we take you to the Relax termalitas natural hot spring resort located right at the foot of the Volcano. With its ingenious water distribution system they divert the naturally heated water to ten different pools with temperatures varying from hardly bearable to refreshingly cold. Here you can relax for about an hour and you can enjoy a complementary typical style cocktail. Around 5.30pm we get on the bus that takes you back to your departure point.