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I visited Costa Rica with a friend in July 2023. Since we didn’t want to rent a car, we relied on guided day trips to explore the country’s top attractions. Several of those attractions (hanging bridges, waterfalls, and hot springs) were located near Arenal Volcano National Park, so we booked a private tour to visit all of them in one day from San Jose. Here is the breakdown of the experience—and whether the 6+ hour round trip is actually worth your time.
La Fortuna Waterfall
We started at La Fortuna Waterfall after a very long drive (~3 hours) from San Jose. The waterfall itself is stunning—about 70–75 meters (230–246 feet) tall and surrounded by lush rainforest. However, getting to the base requires walking down (and back up) more than 500 steps. Since it was a hot and humid day and we weren’t planning to swim, our guide suggested skipping the hike to save energy for the rest of the day. While viewing the falls from the top was beautiful, in hindsight I do feel some FOMO of not seeing the water from below.
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park
Next, we visited Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, which was the highlight of the day. The park offers an immersive bird’s-eye view of the Costa Rican rainforest canopy via six large suspension bridges. We spent about 2 hours walking through the trails with the guide.
This is one place where having a guide makes a huge difference. Most of the wildlife is incredibly well camouflaged, and we would have missed almost everything on our own. For example, the strawberry poison dart frog hiding on a tree, or the eyelash viper that you can only see with binoculars. The guides also communicate with each other, which helped us find monkeys that had just been spotted nearby.
Los Lagos Hot Springs
We ended with lunch and hot springs at this resort. While the lunch was fine and offered great volcano views, the hot springs were a bit of a letdown. The pools were small and crowded, giving off “budget family water park” vibes rather than a relaxing spa atmosphere. We ended up leaving after only 30 minutes.
Verdict
Overall, I had a mixed experience. The hanging bridges were fantastic, but the hot springs were underwhelming. The waterfall was beautiful, but skipping the hike made it less memorable. Given how long the travel times were (especially since there was a lot of traffic on the way back), I recommend spending a night near Arenal instead if possible. That way, you can explore at a slower pace, do more hiking, and actually enjoy a nicer hot spring experience in the evening.
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