We could not find any free place where camping is allowed near La Fortuna. Camping is not permitted in Arenal Volcano National Park, the lake has been a protected area since July 2026 and its use rules do not exist yet, and on private land you need the owner's permission.
What does exist is paid campsites: one 1 km from downtown and several on the lakeshore. Here they are, with what we could verify and what still needs confirming. Call or message before you go.
Campsites with a published location, per the source cited on each card
Paid campsites 6
Paid
Camping La Fortuna
Around La Fortuna · 1.1 km · 3 min from the central park
The only campsite we found next to town, 1.1 km from the park by road. Its Instagram is active, but it does not publish prices.
Why it's well placed
It is the closest option to downtown La Fortuna.
Getting there
Northeast of downtown, according to the OpenStreetMap point. We found no published address.
Booking
Through Instagram. OpenStreetMap lists the phone number 6248-0679, which we did not see on any of the campsite's own channels.
What we don't know yet: Price · Facilities (toilets, showers, electricity) · Whether you can bring your own tent or rent one · Whether pets are allowed
Equipped, covered tents in a private ecological park near the volcano, booked through Airbnb. According to the listing, the rate includes hot-spring tickets. It is not the national park.
Includes
According to the listing: entry to the park and its trails to the lava flows, a covered tent with mattress and sheets, drinking water, grills, basic kitchen gear, a shared bathroom and hot-spring tickets. Kayaks and paddleboards cost extra.
Getting there
Airbnb shows an approximate area near Tabacón; the exact location is given when you book.
Booking
We only found bookings through Airbnb, which shows the price once you pick dates. We found no official website for the park.
Site rules
The listing asks guests to recycle and not leave trash, and it allows pets.
What we don't know yet: Price per night · Whether you can camp with your own tent or book without Airbnb · Exact location and the park's official channel
What we don't know yet: Price per night · Whether they rent the tent or you bring your own: the title says "Tents for Rent" but it only lists an air mattress
Dam and eastern lakeshore · 23.5 km · 31 min from the central park
A campsite with a view of the lake and the volcano, on the Tilarán side, 23.5 km from La Fortuna. It has showers, electricity and Wi-Fi, according to local press.
Price
₡7,000; children under 10, ₡4,000 (Voz de Guanacaste, December 2025). We could not see prices on the campsite's Facebook page.
Includes
Toilets, showers, parking, small sheltered huts with tables, a washing sink, electricity and Wi-Fi (Voz de Guanacaste).
Why it's well placed
Views of Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano, and short eucalyptus trails to a lookout (Voz de Guanacaste).
Getting there
In Arenal district, Tilarán canton (according to OpenStreetMap). The map point comes from the link published by Voz de Guanacaste.
Booking
Through Facebook. Voz de Guanacaste lists the phone number 8326-9229, which we could not confirm on any of the campsite's own channels.
Site rules
Pets allowed if supervised and under control (Voz de Guanacaste).
What we don't know yet: Current price and whether it is per night (the article says "entry fee") · Phone number: another source we could not open gives a different number · Arrival hours and whether they rent tents
Tronadora and Viejo Arenal · 75.1 km · 99 min from the central park
A family campsite on the lakeshore in Tronadora, near Tilarán, with toilets, showers and electricity. Handy for splitting the trip to Monteverde or Guanacaste.
Price
₡7,000 per person; children under 3 free (Voz de Guanacaste, December 2025). The campsite does not publish prices on its Instagram.
Includes
Electricity, toilets, showers, grills, picnic tables and a grassy area (Voz de Guanacaste).
Why it's well placed
Direct lake access for water sports, boat rides and fishing (Voz de Guanacaste). It is 75 km from La Fortuna, at the western end of the lake.
Booking
By WhatsApp or phone on 8859-8990 (the campsite's Instagram profile). Voz de Guanacaste also lists 2693-1370.
Site rules
Pets allowed if supervised and under control (Voz de Guanacaste).
What we don't know yet: Current price and whether it is per night · Whether they rent tents or you bring your own · Arrival hours, campfires and quiet hours
Camping is not allowed in Arenal Volcano National Park. SINAC only publishes daytime visits and its list of services includes no camping area. Arenal is not among the parks SINAC opens for camping either. To sleep near the volcano, use a private campsite outside the park.
Leaving the authorized entrances is fined. The park has two authorized entrances (Coladas and Península sectors) and climbing the cone is prohibited. Entering unauthorized areas of a national park carries a fine of almost ₡1.4 million (CR Hoy, May 2026).
Lake Arenal has been a protected area since July 2026. Law 10963 made the reservoir's water surface a National Landscape and created a 50 m buffer strip around it. What is allowed there will depend on a Management Plan and a Public Use Regulation that had not been published as of 25 October 2026, and the law does not mention camping. Meanwhile, no rule authorizes free camping on the shore: use an established campsite or get the landowner's permission.
Costa Rica has no general permission to camp. On private land it depends on the owner's authorization, and no one may enter private property to use water without the owner's permission (Water Law, article 12).
A riverbank is not public land. The Forestry Law protects a strip on each side of rivers and streams (15 m in flat rural areas, 50 m on steep land), but according to the Attorney General's Office that strip can remain private property. It gives no right to camp.
Do not pitch your tent next to rivers or streams. It rains all year here, with less rain in February, March and April, and rivers rise fast. In July 2026 a tropical wave caused incidents in San Carlos, and the CNE asks people to stay away from riverbeds and not to cross swollen rivers. Check CNE and IMN alerts before you set out.
Campfires are prohibited in protected areas. In the national park only gas stoves are allowed, in designated areas. On private land, SINAC advises never lighting a fire in strong wind, clearing the ground and putting it out completely before leaving. At a campsite, also follow the owner's rules.
Wildlife, trash and snakes. Do not touch or feed wild animals, and take your trash with you. Costa Rica has 144 snake species and 24 are venomous; most bites happen below the knee, so wear closed shoes (rubber boots are best) where snakes may be present.
Tronadora and Viejo Arenal · 75.9 km · 100 min from the central park
A point on the lake for outings and fishing. An OpenStreetMap point labels it "Wildcamping", but the municipality only mentions outings and fishing, not camping.
Price
The Tilarán municipality says there is one free entrance and another that charges a small fee, without giving the amount.
Getting there
A few kilometres from central Tronadora (Tilarán municipality).
Since July 2026 the lake has been a protected area and the rules for using its shore do not exist yet.
What we don't know yet: Whether overnight stays are allowed and who manages the land · Whether the paid entrance is that of Camping Bahía de la Península
El Castillo · 24.2 km · 36 min from the central park
An OpenStreetMap user marked it in 2019 as a free camping spot, which is why it shows up in map apps. No source says who owns the land or that camping is allowed.
Camping on private land requires the owner's permission.
What we don't know yet: Who owns the land and whether they allow camping · Whether it is the same land as El Fósforo Camping Zone (paid) very close by
