How to Spend 3 Days in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

With 3 days in La Fortuna, Costa Rica there’s plenty you can see and do. Located about 2.5 hours from San Jose in the Northern Highlands, La Fortuna is considered the gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park, an area known for natural hot springs and, of course, the Arenal volcano. As one of the most popular destinations in Costa Rica, it certainly can’t be missed.

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Good to know…

If you’re planning a trip to Costa Rica, then you can’t miss La Fortuna aka Arenal. I was a little confused when researching for our trip, but La Fortuna and Arenal are essentially the same place, and people will use them interchangeably. Geographically La Fortuna and Arenal are different, but when planning a trip just know that people are talking about the same area.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1: La Fortuna waterfall in the morning, afternoon rafting tour
Day 2: Arenal 1968 Hike, afternoon rappelling tour
Day 3: Relax and enjoy the hot springs

Where to Stay in La Fortuna

There are many places to stay in the La Fortuna/Arenal area. Whether you’re on a budget or looking to have a 5-Star experience there’s somewhere for you.

We stayed at the beautiful Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa. Tabacon had a stay 2 nights get the 3rd one free special on their website when we went, which helped us save money on our accommodations. Plus, as guests of Tabacon we were able to visit their amazing hot springs as many times as we wanted during our stay.

Tip: Always check a hotel’s actual website to see if they offer any exclusive deals.

On the other hand, if you’re a fan of The Bachelor or Keeping up with the Kardashians and want to have their Costa Rica experience, then you’ll want to stay at The Springs Resort. The Springs is an absolutely stunning property and even has its own adventure center. Also, all the rooms have a stunning view of Arenal volcano.

Where to Eat + Drink in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Tucanes

Tucanes is one of the restaurants on the Tabacon property. We had dinner here one night and it was amazing. Try the lava stone steak and the exotica dessert. It sounds strange but it’s surprisingly good. Moreover, the ambience of this place can’t be beat.

Anch’io

Anch’io was recommended to us by one of the ladies working at a chocolate shop nearby. The ambience is really pretty, and the food is good. We tried a pizza and a couple of pasta dishes and they were all tasty.

Organico Fortuna

I really wanted to try this place while we were in La Fortuna, but we ran out of time the morning we were meant to go. They serve smoothie bowls, coffee, juices, plus a bunch of other stuff. Organico Fortuna would be a great pit stop before or after visiting the La Fortuna waterfall.

Other Food Recommendations:

What to Do in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

There’s plenty to do in the Arenal/La Fortuna area from enjoying the hot springs to waterfall rappelling. I highly recommend going white water rafting and checking out the La Fortuna waterfall.

Some things to do:

Also, check out my post: 10 Epic and Amazing Things to do in La Fortuna/Arenal for more suggestions.