Here’s the perfect way to spend 5-days in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. If travelling from the UK, you’ll most likely fly directly to San Jose airport with British Airways. La Fortuna is located 4-5 hours away from San Jose city.
Day 1: Arrive in San Jose
If your flight arrives in the evening, I suggest spending the night in San Jose. Just relax in your hotel, as you’ll have an early morning the next day. However, if you are going to be spending a day in San Jose, book yourself a walking tour. More information has been shared below.
🏨Hotel: Selina Hostel
Selina is a great hostel chain for solo travellers. Private room options are available, lots of activities are offered to travellers daily (including massages, dance classes and even yoga) and there is a restaurant downstairs where you can grab your breakfast, lunch and dinner.
🚕 Transport: Take an orange taxi from the airport. The journey is about 50 minutes with traffic and costs $25.
Tour operator: Central Market Bites and Sights Walking tour
An amazing way to start or end your time in Costa Rica. This 2.5-hour tour includes tasting many exotics fruits, foods and coffee. San Jose isn’t really suited to tourists yet, so a guided tour is the best way to see the city. It was worth every penny!
Day 2: Transfer from San Jose to La Fortuna
Your shuttle will pick you up from your hotel at 8am. The journey will take 4-5 hours and includes a snack and toilet break along the way. Check into your hotel, then later in the evening, I suggest you go on your first tour.
🏨 Hotel: Suwa Villa Arenal
A new private boutique hotel located in the town centre, with a clear view of the Arenal Volcano. This hotel is the perfect place to spend your time in La Fortuna. You get all the amenities needed, including free access to a washing machine and dryer, a kitchen to cook food, jacuzzi, outdoor seating, Netflix and more. An ideal hotel for solo travellers or couples for its quiet intimate vibe and elegant decor.
5pm Tour: Rainforest sloth tour and nocturnal walk
The tour operator will collect you from your hotel. In a group with a professional guide, you get the chance to spot sloths, snakes, spiders, frogs and more wildlife.
Day 3: Mistico Hanging Bridges, Arenal Volcano Hike and La Fortuna Waterfalls Day Tour
The best way to see all these sites is with a tour guide in one day. It will be a long day (7am to 5pm) of hiking and wildlife spotting so be prepared.
➜ 7am Tour: Green Vacations Costa Rica (Viator)
Lunch will be provided at the end of the tour at a local Soda. You’ll then be dropped back off at your hotel.
Mistico Hanging Bridges: Good for wildlife spotting. Don’t worry if you’re afraid of heights, it’s not really scary. The bridges move just a little bit, but you still feel very secure.
Arenal Volcano Hike: Make sure you pack layers, sunglasses, an umbrella and very comfortable hiking shoes.
La Fortuna Waterfall: There are many steps to take, so remember to take your time. I changed into water shoes which were far more comfortable walking up and down the steps. Also note that the water is very cold.
Day 4: Coffee tour and Ziplining
➜ 10am Tour: Northfields Coffee Tour
Start your morning at 10am with a relaxing coffee and chocolate tour at Northfields. The activity includes lots of coffee making and chocolate tasting.
➜ 3pm Tour: Ecoglide Arenal Park: canopy tour
Rain or shine, get ready for some immersive action ziplining across the Costa Rican jungle. Great for families, solo travellers and moderate thrill seekers. The staff at Ecoglide are professional, so you’ll feel perfectly safe. It’s a lot of fun, so I encourage you to book it, even if you’re afraid of heights. Don’t worry, you won't feel butterflies in your stomach! Professional photographs are also available at the end for around $15.
Day 5: White Water Rafting and Hot Springs
➜ 9am Tour: Arenal Rafting Company
For first-timers, book class 2 / 3. I was nervous at first, but rafting was my absolute favourite activity on this trip! It’s thrilling, fast-paced and seriously just lots of fun. Most people don’t fall out of the raft, and if you do, you have a life vest on and just need to float on your back. I couldn’t recommend this activity enough! The water isn’t cold, so wear something light and waterproof, along with water shoes. You’ll get soaked but the scenery is unmatched!!
➜ 2pm Choose a Hot Springs
Finish your day at a hot spring. There are many, which offer different vibes and at different prices. The most popular hot springs in La Fortuna are:
Tabacon Hot Springs
Pricey, this location is pretty and very quiet, with lots of Instagrammable photo opportunities. Tabacon depends on what you are looking for. For me, It wasn’t as luxurious as I expected. The changing rooms were very basic for starters. Sadly, Tabacon was my least favourite activity on this trip. Since it’s a natural hot spring, everywhere was full of rocks and there weren’t many places to comfortably sit, unfortunately. Also, the water wasn’t as hot as I like (104 degrees) and the place was smaller than expected - very intimate in an awkward way (it seemed best suited for couples or hotel guests). It’s pretty for the first five minutes, but not worth £80 in my opinion.
Baldi Hot Springs
Baldi was my favourite hot spring. It offered everything you’d want, music (in some areas), a vibrant atmosphere in some places, quiet in others and the water was piping hot! As a solo traveller, Baldi had a better vibe than Tabacon - I spent 3 hours here. There are lots of places to comfortably sit and if you’re into photos, there are places for that too. A bonus for some is that there are water slides. Baldi was better value for money overall. You can also book on the day once you arrive.
Eco Termales Hot Springs
I didn’t visit this hot spring but have heard good things. It’s also the cheaper option on this list. There are many hot springs in La Fortuna, some that are free, so explore your options.
Day 6: Chocolate Plantation Tour, ATV (Quad Biking) or Horse Riding
It’s up to you how you choose to spend your day. Continuing with two activities a day, I did the Eden Chocolate Tour, where we spent over 2 hours on a chocolate plantation, followed by Tabacon Hot Springs in the afternoon.
The difference with the Eden Chocolate Tour compared to Northfields is the size of the plantation, which is much bigger. You also do more chocolate making. Both tours are great though.
➜ Anytime Tour Suggestions:
ATV Quad Biking
Horse Riding
If you want a more relaxing day, you can always opt for a spa treatment. There are many spas available in La Fortuna.
Day 7: La Fortuna back to San Jose
Starting at 8am, your shuttle bus will drive you back to San Jose. Some will stop at the airport, so if you have an afternoon flight the same day, you’ll have enough time to catch it. Alternatively, if your flight is the next day, I’d suggest staying in San Jose again.
➜ Tour options:
If you didn’t do the walking tour when you arrived in San Jose, do it before you leave. There isn’t much to do in San Jose, so below are your best options - or simply relax at your hotel and prepare for your flight home.
National Theatre tour (around 3pm)
Jade museum
🏨 Hotel: Park Inn by Radisson
Located on the 10th floor, I got a great view of San Jose - even better at night. The food at this hotel was also delicious, with breakfast included.
Pura Vida! Happy travels 😊.
Have a great vacation!