A comprehensive guide including the key information you need to know for hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica.
A must-do activity when visiting La Fortuna de San Carlos is hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park (shortened to Arenal National Park).
The area is home to 2 volcanoes: the active Fortuna Volcano and the extinct Cerro Chato, and is split into 2 sections.
These are the Volcano Sector (also called Main Visitor Centre) and Peninsula Sector and within them there’s a host of wildlife along with fun trails to explore. The trails are short and relatively easy, meaning you can tackle all of them in the same day.
In this complete Arenal National Park hiking guide, find out about the different trails, entry fees, the wildlife along with practical tips to make the most of your visit.
Where is Arenal Volcano National Park?
The national park stretches from Lake Arenal to roughly 4 km west of the town of La Fortuna de San Carlos (La Fortuna for short). From Costa Rica’s capital city, San José, it’ll take you around 5 h to cover the 150 km journey.
How to get to Arenal National Park
To visit the national park, you’ll first need to get to La Fortuna. If driving from San José, the fastest way is via Ruta 1 Ctra. Interamericana and later Ruta Nacional treciaria 702. There are tolls on this route where you’ll need to pay.
Buses leave for La Fortuna daily at 8:40 from Terminal 710 in San Jose and cost 3,850 CRC ($8 US). The journey takes around 4 h 30 min and is direct.
La Fortuna is the most popular destination in Costa Rica, so you’ll need to arrive well in time to join the queue for a ticket. I recommend arriving at least 30 min before to guarantee yourself a seat on the bus.
From La Fortuna
You can drive or taxi to Arenal Volcano National Park from La Fortuna. Unfortunately, there are no direct buses.
If you really want to save money, you can get the bus from La Fortuna to Tilaran and ask the driver to drop you at the turnoff for the national park. From here you need to walk roughly 30 min to the Volcano Sector and 1 h to the Peninsula Sector.
However, I don’t recommend this. There are only 3 buses a day between La Fortuna and Tilaran and the extra walking will cut into your hiking time.
A taxi from La Fortuna to the Volcano Sector costs around $15 US. Uber also operates in the area and can be cheaper.
There’s also a tour agency called Monteverde ToursCR offering a 3-day unlimited shuttle pass for $25 US. With this pass you can visit all the main attractions in the La Fortuna area including Arenal National Park, La Fortuna Waterfall, El Choyin free hot springs and El Castillo.
This pass can save you a lot of money on taxis if you plan on visiting a few of these sites. Get in touch with Monteverde ToursCR directly to sort yours.
How much does it cost to enter Arenal Volcano National Park?
Foreign adults must pay 8,500 CRC ($17 US) to hike in the park. This gets you access to both sectors, but only if you visit both on the same day.
Another cost to factor in is getting between the sectors. You can walk the 2 km distance, which takes around 30 min, but if you don’t fancy this, then you’ll need a private vehicle or taxi. The good thing is that taxis usually wait at the entrances of the 2 sectors and can be bartered with.
Hiking trails in Arenal Volcano National Park
Both the Volcano and Peninsula sectors are open 8:00 – 16:00 with the last entry at 14:00. I would head to the national park early so you can do most of your exploring before the sun is high in the sky.
Volcano Sector (Main Visitor Centre)
This is the most popular of the 2 sectors and the 4 trails within it are all short and easy.
Heliconias Trail
At just 600 m long, this is the shortest of the trails in the Volcano Sector. It runs from the main entrance to the car park and is flat. The interesting thing about this trail is that it’s lined with bright pink lobster-claw or heliconia plants. You can complete Heliconias in around 20 min.
Las Coladas
The word ‘coladas’ means lava flows and refers to the volcanic rocky underfoot making up the last section of this 2-km hike. The rock flooded out of Arenal Volcano as lava during the last and destructive eruption in 1968. The majority of the trail is flat, earthy ground, but you’ll also need to cross a metal walkway along with climbing a couple of flights of steps.
The steps lead to a circular platform from where you can admire the volcano and Lake Arenal. In total it should take you around 1 h to walk this trail.
El Ceibo
This is a 3-km loop that runs off the Coladas Trail and is the longest route in the Volcano Sector. Again, it’s an easy trail and probably the best for spotting wildlife as it delves deeper into the forest. The trail is named after a huge, but now sadly fallen, ceiba tree – although the enormous trunk still stands.
I recommend taking El Ceibo Trail back to the main visitor centre area instead of Las Coladas. The round trip should take you roughly 1 h 30 min not including time at the viewpoint.
Vehicle Trail
This is a 1.3-km gravel road leading up to a viewpoint/shelter. There’s nothing interesting about the road itself, but from the viewpoint you can see Arenal Volcano in all its glory. This walk will take you around 45 min.
If you drive then watch out for the potholes. In general, the road is bumpy and, while I don’t think a 4X4 is necessary, it might be better to walk if your car is small or the bumper is low down.
Peninsula Sector
The Peninsular Sector juts out into Lake Arenal and has better views of the water. This is usually the least crowded of the 2 sectors and its 2 trails are also easy. In this sector you can also enjoy views of the national park from an observation tower.
The trails in the Peninsula Sector are Los Miradores (1.2 km) and El Tororoi (600 m) and it won’t take you long to conquer them.
Which Arenal Volcano trail is the best?
I enjoyed Las Coladas the most. The forest was full of beautiful plants and trees and we saw plenty of wildlife from insects to birds and other mammals like coatis – a close relative of the raccoon. The trail itself is fun too with varied sections and the final views of Arenal Volcano are great!
Can you hike around Arenal Volcano on your own?
You don’t need a guide to hike in Arenal National Park and all the trails are fairly easy to complete. Anyone with a moderate level of fitness can hike them and the trails are so well marked that it would be difficult to get lost.
Hiring a guide
While going it alone will save you money, you’re less likely to see wildlife in the national park. A guide will know what to look for and boost your chances of spotting fauna and flora.
Guided tours in Arenal National Park start at around $70-90 US for a half day and $140 US for a full day. Guide fees don’t include the park entry fee for you nor the guide – which you’ll also have to pay.
You’ll need to sort a guided tour before arriving at the park as there are no guides at the ranger stations. There are plenty of tour agencies in la Fortuna to do this.
Can you hike to the top of Arenal Volcano?
It’s illegal to hike Arenal Volcano and has been since 1998. There is a protective boundary in place and all trails leading toward the volcano have a clear end point which you must not cross. Breaking this rule can get you arrested and fined or potentially worse.
Arenal Volcano history of eruptions
For centuries Arenal Volcano was thought to be dormant following a major eruption that, according to radiocarbon dating, took place around 1525. But on July 29 1968, at 7:30 in the morning, the volcano suddenly exploded with destructive power, throwing huge rocks into the sky and spewing pyroclastic flows.
The eruption was deadly killing, 87 people and burying the small nearby towns of Abacón, Pueblo Nuevo and San Luís. Over the next 40 years the volcano went through periods of different levels of activity until finally settling down in 2010. Arenal Volcano is still active but it’s thought that it won’t erupt for at least another century.
Wildlife in Arenal National Park
The national park is teeming with wildlife. You can spot a range of monkeys including white-faced capuchins, howler monkeys and spider monkeys, and sloths and coatis. The park is also home to a number of birds such as toucans and the resplendent quetzal, as well as snakes and frogs.
How much time do you need in Arenal Volcano National Park?
To make the most of both sectors you should arrive early in the morning and spend most of the day. I recommend giving yourself at least 3 h to explore the Peninsula Sector and a further 4 h for the Volcano Sector. Starting your day as close to the 8:00 opening time as possible will allow you to hike in Arenal National Park without rushing.
When to go hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park
The dry season in Costa Rica typically runs December – April and is the ideal time to visit. The warmer, drier weather will make hiking more strenuous, but the trail conditions will be optimal.
Visiting during the wet season, which runs May – November, isn’t ideal. Trails are in a worse state and can be muddy and slippery. Also, increased cloud coverage can obscure Arenal Volcano, and the whole point is to see this amazing landmark.
Other things to do in Arenal Volcano National Park
There are plenty of great outdoor attractions in the park including more fun hikes and waterfalls.
La Fortuna Waterfall
This is the gem La Fortuna: a 75-m tall cascade that crashes into a turquoise pool below. You can admire the waterfall from different viewpoints and even swim in the pool. I’ve got a full guide to La Fortuna Waterfall here.
Cerro Chato
The smaller of the 2 volcanoes in the national park, Cerro Chato lies dormant and covered in a thick layer of lush green forest. An emerald coloured lake fills the crater and determined hikers who reach it are rewarded with a refreshing dip. Here’s my full Cerro Chato hike guide including important legal information you need to know.
Parque Ecologico Volcano Arenal
This is a private reserve separate from the Volcano and Peninsula sectors and entrance costs $17 US. What I love about these trails is that they lead to a viewpoint that’s very close to the volcano giving you a much better sense of its true size.
I liked the trails at Parque Ecologico Volcano Arenal more than those at the national park. Here the trails are actually challenging, especially the first section called Coladas de Lava 1535. This is an old lava flow which has been reclaimed by the forest. The underfoot is uneven and there are some steep points.
To reach the viewpoint, you can choose an easy route which horse riders take, or you can follow a harder path called Sendero Perezoso (Sloth Trail). Keep your eyes peeled for sloths hanging out in the trees. There’s also a large lake with a rope swing from which you can sling yourself into the water.
Can you swim in Lake Arenal?
While it’s possible to swim in Lake Arenal, it’s not that feasible. The lake has little beach so accessing the water is difficult. The best chance of swimming in the lake is at El Castillo, a small town around a 45-min bus ride from La Fortuna. Here there are paths down to the shore and a small beach.
What to bring to Arenal Volcano National Park
Make sure to wear decent shoes, clothing that’s comfortable for hiking and a waterproof jacket – especially during the rainy season. Pack plenty of water and bring snacks to keep yourself fuelled, especially if you plan on hiking in both sectors on the same day.
This region of Costa Rica is humid and hot, even more so during the dry season, so sunscreen is another essential. This will protect you while at the volcano viewpoints where there’s little to no tree coverage.
Finally, if you have a camera, then I’d bring it. On some of the trails you come quite close to the volcano and there are great spots to snap pictures.
Final things to know about hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park
You’re not allowed to camp or make fires in the national park and smoking is also banned. Lots of wildlife lives here so take out any rubbish that you bring in. Take care too when walking over rocky sections of trail; pumice can be fragile and might crumble under weight.
More Costa Rica adventure travel advice on A World Over
You have to go hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park when in La Fortuna. The iconic volcano is best seen from the trail viewpoints and there’s also the chance of spotting wildlife. My final tip is to try to get a group together so you can bring the cost of taxis down.
Check out my other La Fortuna travel guides for inspiration and help planning your trip to the area.