La Fortuna

...16 May, 2011


After unknowingly leaving San Jose $3,000 lighter, we headed north to the town of La Fortuna. La Fortuna's claim to fame is that it is located at the base of Volcan Arenal - which is considered on of the ten most active volcanoes on Earth. The town itself is nothing special, effectively a small town on a busy highway, however the area surrounding the town is spectacular.


The area is surrounded by lush tropical rainforests that lead all the way up to the top of the volcano. Temperature-wise, it was above 30 degrees Celsius and pretty humid the whole time we were there.

Stream and swimming
holes at the waterfall

Over the course of the few days that we were there, we spent time at a local waterfall - La Catarata de la Fortuna - which is 75 metres high and deep in thick rainforest.

Looking at La Fortuna
Waterfall from above

The waterfall itself is about seven or eight kilometres outside of town, and then a steep walk down a jungle track. Once you get down the bottom, the waterfall tumbles down from high above into a stream that winds it's way into a number of small swimming holes. Without a doubt, regardless of the fact that it was extremely hot and humid in the area, the water was the coldest water we have ever swam in.


The second main thing we did was spend half a day in some natural volcanic hot springs - Eco Termales. These natural springs have four different hot pools ranging in temperature of between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius, and one cold pool, that I don't know how cold it was, but it was the second coldest body of water we have ever swam in (after the stream at the bottom of the waterfall).


We spent three or four extremely relaxing (and locals say, healing) hours there one evening - well worth the time and money spent there.


Overall, we had a good time in La Fortuna, however it was here that we started to understand why people had been saying that Costa Rica is expensive. Food and drink, for example, is easily comparable to Australia! We thought that it was just tight backpackers complaining because they weren't able to get a meal of lobster and champagne for $5, so we took all the complaints with a very large pinch of salt, but alas, they were right.