Before you go

Free means no admission and nothing you are required to buy. Free with conditions means there is something you should know: hours, risks or indirect costs such as transport. Whatever we could not verify is under review, not in the catalogue.

Each page shows three different dates, the last text update, the last time the sources were checked and, if there is one, the last in-person check. Right now no page has an in-person check.

Distances are driving estimates from La Fortuna's central park, calculated with OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops.

The Northern Zone follows the Caribbean rainfall pattern. It rains all year, with relatively less rain in February, March and April, and the wettest period runs from May to December or January. Always carry an umbrella or rain jacket.

The volcano is often clouded over; no view is guaranteed.

The national emergency commission (CNE) issues rain alerts for the Northern Zone. Before heading to rivers or mountain roads, check for active alerts and whether roads are open.

A river can rise powerfully in one or two minutes, and it does not always turn brown first. When you arrive, work out how you would get out, never leave children alone and think about how long it would take you to leave.

Even if it is not raining where you are, it may be raining upstream. Avoid rivers in narrow gorges, follow the signs, do not go in drunk and avoid pools you do not know.

In natural hot springs, keep your head out of the water and watch children. This is the Ministry of Health's advice because of the very rare risk of amoebic meningitis.

In September 2026 the U.S. Embassy issued a traveller alert after deaths in the country's rivers and waterfalls.

Arenal is not erupting; its magmatic activity stopped in 2010 and it remains under scientific monitoring. According to an OVSICORI volcanologist, the main risk today is rockfall, not an eruption.

Climbing the cone and entering Cerro Chato are prohibited. The national park can only be visited through its official sectors and trails, which charge admission. See what isn't free.

Do not touch, catch or feed wild animals. The law fines anyone who feeds them without SINAC authorisation.

Costa Rica has 144 snake species and 24 are venomous. Wear closed shoes in vegetation, do not put your hands into holes and use a torch at night. If bitten, call 9-1-1 and go to a health centre immediately; do not cut the wound, apply a tourniquet or use ice.

Take your rubbish with you. Single-use plastics have been banned from protected areas since 2020.

ADIFORT runs a recycling centre in La Fortuna that takes cardboard, glass, plastic, scrap metal and electronics. We could not find its address or opening hours.

A river, waterfall or viewpoint existing does not mean you may cross any land to reach it. The Water Law says nobody may enter private property to use the water without the owner's permission.

Illegal routes into restricted areas often start on private farms. Enter protected areas only through official, signposted entrances and during opening hours.

From San José, the direct bus to La Fortuna leaves from the Atlántico Norte terminal, which replaced the old 7-10 terminal in 2025, and arrives at La Fortuna's bus station. We found no official operator timetable; check before you travel.

Travel guides and the bus company Transpisa mention a bus between La Fortuna and Tilarán along the lake, but it is not in ARESEP's fare list and we found no official timetable. We found no reliable bus route to El Castillo. Fares and routes are in how to get there.

Red taxis charge fares set by the regulator ARESEP; since September 2026 they can also be booked through Uber (Uber Taxi option) at those same fares.

Do not leave anything valuable in parked cars, especially at rivers and trailheads, where break-ins have been reported.

Emergency number: 9-1-1. It covers the whole country, the call is free and it works from any phone, even without credit. If you call without a SIM card, describe clearly where you are.

The Red Cross responds to emergencies in La Fortuna. In October 2026 it reported that, because of its financial crisis, it is considering scenarios such as longer response times or suspending water rescues. Prevention matters more than ever.

We have no verified accessibility data for the free places in this guide. The only information we found is for a paid site, the Península sector of Arenal Volcano National Park, which has a 1.2 km trail adapted for people with reduced mobility.