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Doing La Fortuna Waterfall by car will allow you to have time to stay as much as you like in this magnificent landscape and enjoy fully this nature’s gift.
La Fortuna Waterfall is in a private reserve of 210 Hectares (518 Acres) owned by a community association. The region has thrived thanks to the entrance fees of thousands of visitors. It is adjacent to the Arenal Volcano National Park and creates a buffer zone between the pasture lands around and the pristine rainforests.
As you arrive at the reserve you will notice a good-sized parking lot where your car can remain safe while you pay a visit to the most popular waterfall in Costa Rica. Arrive early to get a good parking place.
After meeting your tour guide and paying for the entrance fee to the reserve, you will notice that the first part has bathrooms, a great viewpoint, souvenirs store, and the information center. But as you start walking you will see the stairway down the forest.
An approximate of 500 steps down and through the rainforest to reach the breathtaking bottom of the waterfall. The stairway is quite wide and as you go down you will start feeling as immersing in the wilderness.
Your tour guide will be pointing you the dozens of bird species of the area, and maybe if lucky, some of the wildlife that inhabits the reserve.
You will arrive at a platform at the bottom of the waterfall from where you can take a break and use it to take pictures and simply breath in the natural splendor.
Depending on the season you may take a swim in the pond underneath, or a bit below in a natural pool that the river forms.
After taking in all the colors, fresh damp air and sensations of La Fortuna waterfall, you may start climbing back up. You will notice that there are areas to take breaks on the way up.
Afterward, you may also want to visit the orchids and the butterfly’s trails where you can wrap up this homage to nature.
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