Spend your day on a private hiking adventure through the Arenal Volcano National Park. Experience the natural beauty of La Fortuna as you navigate the trails and passes that wind through its stunning landscapes. When the day is done, relax and unwind with a dip in a natural hot water river before returning to your hotel.

Navigate steep jungle trails and natural craters with a professional guide
Extreme hike through Arenal Volcano National Park
Experience the beauty of Costa Rica's jungles
Relax with a dip in a natural hot river with a complimentary cocktail
Round-trip hotel transportation and lunch included

What's Included

Lunch
Professional guide
Pickup and drop-off from hotels in La Fortuna area
Cocktail in the Hot-springs
Hotsprings Resort Entrance fee
Haging bridges Entrance
Park Entrance

Dinner not included

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Parada de autobuses
702, Alajuela Province, La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Red Lava Office in La Fortuna Bus Terminal

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:00 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required; Use "Special Requirements" field upon checkout to advise information
A 5 hours of hike is involved
The itinerary may change due to weather conditions or issues with trails

Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

It is definitely a vigorous hike though so if you are not physically active at all it might be too much for you.

There are sections where you need to use a rope to help you repell down or climb up the hillside, and it can be a little more hairy when the ground is slick and muddy from the rain.

Reviews

4.5

115 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 115 reviews

Beautiful Experience

Phoebe_L, Mar 2023

Christian was our tour guide through Red Lava Tours. We had a wonderful time and saw many critters on our tour! One of the La Fortuna waterfall after lunch. We have seen a lot of waterfalls but this one stood out. Plus you can swim at the waterfall! Christian was very kind and put lots of effort into explaining the ecological connections between the organisms we saw an lots of fun facts. Definitely would do again!

Amazing views

Traci_G, Feb 2023

Our tour guide Marco from Red Lava Tours was fantastic. Really made the experience. We enjoyed the day very much. Weather was foggy so we didn't get to see the volcano, but the day was still filled with so much beauty and was a very fun filled day.

On the Road, Jungle, volcano, hanging bridges, and hot springs.

Jonathan_F, Jan 2023

Excellent company to book. Christain was our guide and he gets 6 stars. It’s a long day and you better be in half decent shape.

Great day

Pablo_B, Jan 2023

Hanging Bridges was the most awesome part, followed by the hot springs and falls. The volcano hike was forgettable, even if their would have been a view

REQUEST MARCUS

Reiss_A, Dec 2022

This was the perfect day trip! REQUEST MARCUS! Marcus we a very knowledgeable and personable guide - he ensured we truly got the most out of this day! 10/10 would recommend!!

Truly a full day of amazing activities!

Elisabeth_P, Dec 2022

Although we faced some rain and fog, this day tour was amazing. Our guide was able to spot some wildlife, including a sloth. He stopped on the road and was able to get great pictures of the sloth for all of us! The hanging bridges was a bit of an upward hike, but it was worth it for the views in the forest and on site. The waterfall is 500 steps down. It is gorgeous and worth the effort. We unfortunately didn’t have a good view of the Volcano during our hike, but spotted some one-day only orchids. Altogether, it is a great and fun day for those who like more physical challenges.

Full day

WILLIAMD_W, Nov 2022

Great guide all day nice lunch spot saw lots of wildlife and adventure driver was great and scenery the best

Great full day trip!

Hila_L, Nov 2022

Great trip, Isac the guide was excellent and very friendly. We enjoyed the hanging bridges (and the animals there ☺️). Try to come on a day that the Arenal volcano is visible and not covered by clouds. If you do not have hot springs in your hotel I recommend booking the tour with the hot springs included.

Red Lava Company - stay away!

April_C, Oct 2022

This tour is with Red Lava company and they are awful. I booked this- they told me it might get canceled because they needed more people. I told them to go ahead and cancel because there were other companies I could book with. They would not. They kept me waiting to know if I was going to be confirmed for the next day. Hours later they informed me more people signed up and my trip was confirmed. Sounded good. Long story short- More people did not sign up, instead they sold my booking to another tour company without informing me, and apparently without informing that other company of all the details. No communication on the issue to either sides. That other tour company was actually amazing. The problem was - I was the only one in their cohort with the Red Lava package so that by end of day my "Hot Springs" experience was a sheet show. We arrived at Baldi with the rest of the group only to be told I didn't have a ticket there. Baldi didn't know why. This tour group didn't know why. I didn't know why. All because Red Lava did a fumble of a pass off. Only after using the Viator app and checking all my confirmed tickets and messages, questioning Baldi once more, my tour guide calling his boss, waiting around for 30 minutes, the rest of my group stuck in confusion, did we finally find out that my tour was actually with another company. A call to Red Lava resulted in them saying nope- I couldn't go to the Baldi hot springs, that my tour guide needed to bring me back to the Red Lava offices instead. This premature departure from the group that I had spent the whole day with was a shock to all of us. And I returned to their office not even knowing if there was still a Hot Springs (I had paid for one) on my itinerary, or what the hell was even happening. My tour guides were also upset. They told me Red Lava is notorious for this kinds of problems. The hostel I stayed at also told me that Red Lava frequently forgot to pick up people who booked with them. They also told me that the owner often comes to their restaurant and leaves without paying. These guys are selfish and just want money with the least amount of concern for their customers. I confronted the owner once they took me to the office. He told me that they worked hard to make sure I could still go on any tour and actually lost money giving me to the other company. I was apparently supposed to be impressed by this. Seems to me like the equation reads: You have an unhappy customer + You lose money = You're bad at business. They did finally take me to a hot springs, alone (wasn't the whole point to avoid me being alone on the tour). The hot springs they took me to looked like it was built in a wal-mart parking lot with posters and potted palm trees for ambiance. The "cocktail" that was included in my ticket was served to me in a mini plastic dixie cup, mixed behind closed doors inside of a van! Red Lava is flashy, their office is by the bus station - they promote and they collect customers but they are greedy and gross.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

As other reviews show we enjoy our work and our customers enjoy our tours. Are we perfect...no..sometimes things happen..when they do we solve or compensate for them because we are consious of our responsabity and we genuinely aim to have people leave this very special place with positive feelings about it. In short this is what happened. She was the only customer this day. Instead of canceling we decided to pass her reservation through to a collegue that had a similar tour going out. They charge more and don't include any hotsprings though. I thought it to be a good solution so the customer could have her tour, even if this meant a financial loss to me (can't win 'm all). At the end we would take her to the hotsprings so to comply with the itinerary. Just me trying to do something with the best intentions. Likes mentioned this other company doesn't include any hotsprings. Apparently some in the group she was in payed $50 extra to go to the Baldi hotsprings. It now appears that this, paying additional part, was lost to the lady writing this review. We could have added this at a similar extra price. In the short interaction I had with her I was truly surprised by the hostile approche she took. She did the tour that she (as stated in her review) enjoyed but now we had a problem she said: "You need to take me to the hotsprings". I was very aware of this and told her that this was clear and that that was exactly the thing we were going to take care off. I did ask her why she spoke in the tone of voice that she did since for me it was unclear what was bothering her. Since the wish to go to Baldi wasn't expressed by her we took her to the hotsprings that are included in our tour. Not as fancy as Baldi but always a very nice spot to end our active day. Apparently this fell short of her expectation which caused her to sit down and write this review. I do wish for all involved that she does a bit more research about a product before purchasing. This way she knows what she is entitled to and there is no need for unfunded accusations.

Y & H Adventure

YITZHAKC_R, Sept 2022

I had an amazing time in this tour and the food was also delicious. Cristian Campos was our guide, awesome personality and very funny. Definitely recommend others to do it and try this tour if you want to have fun and build memories in CR. PURA VIDA!

Amazing, breathtaking

SaraMorena_E, Mar 2022

This hike is sooooo amazing! The view of the volcano is breathtaking: you don’t want to miss it! Our tour guide Carlos was amazing! So kind, patient and knowledgeable! He showed us so many plants (and made us smell them too!). He had a smile on his face the whole time, and so did we!! We did so many things in one day, so the hot springs at the end was a great treat.

Best Tour in La Fortuna to See Everything

Luiza_C, Aug 2021

This was an exceptionally awesome tour that I didn't expect. Unfortunately the original "extreme" hike portion was revised to a similar tour (due to cancellations by others). And the tour included a relatively easy hike at the foot of Arenal volcano, a visit and swim at La Fortuna waterfall, and a visit to the hot springs. It was a FULL day of constant new activities with extremely knowledgable and interactive guide who knew tons about the wildlife we encountered - he went out of his way to enthusiastically show us new things and discuss their history in the area. As there isn't much to do in La Fortuna town, a tour that fills up the whole day with exploration and activities is ideal. One of my favorite tours in Costa Rica and not to be missed!

Nice full day activity

Rasmus_J, Mar 2020

Very nice day with various different activities. We were very happy with our guide. Bring your best hiking shoes.

Fabulous tour and Superb guide!

Deborah_C, Dec 2019

This tour was my favorite day of my vacation! The tour was well planned and our guide (Christian Campos) was Superb! He absolutely loves his country and all it has to offer. He is friendly, funny and very informative. We saw magnificent landscapes, spectacular wildlife and had a wonderful homemade lunch and snacks. I would highly recommend this tour!

Gorgeous views, tons of wildlife sightings and a great workout!

laureli_c, June 2019

This was the perfect start to my Costa Rica Trip! The hike was gorgeous!! We spotted so much wildlife thanks to our amazing guide! The views were absolutely stunning! It is definitely a vigorous hike though so if you are not physically active at all it might be too much for you. You don't actually climb up to the top of a volcano. The tour used to include climbing to the top of Cerro Cato but currently the government won't allow it so for the second part of the hike we went to a second nature preserve. It was definitely the more mellow part of the hike, but we were able to go swimming in the pool of a gorgeous waterfall, cross hanging bridges and spot a lot of wildlife including Howler Monkeys! We ended the day going for a dip in a natural hot spring. It was the perfect way to end a truly incredible day!

Great Informative Tour!

Mary J, May 2019

This tour has a great variety including a scenic hike, nature walk, and soak in the hot springs. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and plants and made even the more vigorous part of the hike a ton of fun. Highly recommend!

Fun

Neema_T, May 2019

I would consider the hike to be of moderate level. Definitely has you breathing hard but absolutely worth it. Amazing sights!! The lunch provided was pretty good. There was a hold up for some reason where we were sitting around for awhile waiting. The waterfall unfortunately was not that pretty but the rest of it was great. The hot springs were nice as well. Carlos was a great guide.

Fantastic Day!

Dennis_T, Apr 2019

Right so as a young active couple we opted for a hike. This is far more than that, it's a very active day which plays out in a very relaxed way starting off with a 2 hour hike, our guide was very knowledge as to what plants were edible their names and uses which provided us with continuous entertainment. After a walk with stunning views of the volcano we had a small but delicious lunch. We were bussed off to a nature reserve where we completed another hour or so walk, visiting a local volcano museum and an observatory with Monkeys, Coati and loads of colourful birds. Next we took a bus to the hot springs these are located under a bridge, a very local experience. Absolutely spectacular, unbeknown to many our guide had collected volcano Ash clay on route and applied this as a face mask for all those willing. A drink later we were bussed off back to our resorts/hotels. Would reccomend for children and active adults alike the total distance morning is around 4-6km and in the afternoon 2-3km. A special thanks to Uriel, however I am unsure of the spelling.

Shuttle never showed up

GoPlaces42306000013, Nov 2018

They messed up the reservations and we were never picked up at our hotel. Things happen and I understand but when I called, they were very argumentative and tried blaming me. After almost an hourof arguing with them they finally conceded to their mistake and they did give me a full refund

Worth the challenge

Tristan S, Aug 2018

Let me start by saying this is not a hike for those who aren’t in the best shape, older or have health issues. My girlfriend and I both have athletic builds, but I am in average shape, and we both found this trail difficult and tiring at times. There are sections where you need to use a rope to help you repell down or climb up the hillside, and it can be a little more hairy when the ground is slick and muddy from the rain. There is a lot of going up and down for the 6 miles you spend hiking through the forests around Arenal. With all that said it is truly a great experience. You can’t come to La Fortuna without experiencing the beauty of the forests around Mt. Arenal. If you’re lucky you’ll get to see some awesome wildlife like birds, snakes, insects, sloths and monkeys. Both Santiago and Daniel do an excellent job of explaining the ecosystem and the wildlife that inhabits it while also having fun with the group. After the main difficult hike you will hike to Arenal observatory and hotel to enjoy so cookies and coffee. Afterwards you stop by a small restaurant to get some to get some road beers before heading to the hot “springs”. The hot spring is actually the Tabacon River which is naturally warm from the geothermal activity of the volcano and is a popular spot for the locals. You spend about an hour here and enjoy some vodka Fresca shots from guys. For what you pay, the experience you get to enjoy with great guides, this is hands down a must tour for anyone who isn’t afraid to go out on an adventure and experience the beauty of the La Fortuna countryside.

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