How to Spend THREE Days in La Fortuna, Costa Rica: 3-Day Itinerary

Looking for the best way to spend three days in La Fortuna? You’re in the right place!

While living in La Fortuna, we explored everything from jungle trails and hanging bridges to thermal hot springs and volcanic viewpoints. It’s the perfect base for adventure because you can spend the day chasing waterfalls and spotting sloths, and still have time to unwind in the evening.

Of course, with so much on offer, putting together an itinerary can feel overwhelming, so we’ve done the hard work for you! This three-day La Fortuna itinerary covers the area’s top highlights, and we’ve shared our go-to favorite restaurants and hangout spots. Let’s get into it!

Itinerary Overview

La Fortuna is a compact town, and it’s easy to get around here. Most of the hotels are close to the main town, and the top attractions are usually just a short drive away. We often rented a car while living here, which we enjoyed for the freedom and flexibility it afforded us. The roads here are generally well-maintained, although you will encounter a bumpy rural route every now and again – but hey, that just adds to the adventure!

With that said, you don’t have to rent a car if you don’t want to. Most tours offer hotel pickup and drop-off anyway, and it’s easy to arrange a local taxi when you need one. The choice is yours, and you can always check out our guide to renting a car in Costa Rica if you need more info.

Day 1: Start your La Fortuna adventure by spotting sloths and other amazing wildlife on a guided nature walk, then in the afternoon, we’ll dive into Costa Rica’s coffee and chocolate culture with a hands-on tasting tour. Finally, we’ll wrap up the day with a rainforest night walk which includes an authentic Costa Rican dinner – yum!

Day 2: Wake up early for the ultimate adventure on this full-day tour of La Fortuna Waterfall and Arenal Volcano tour – trust me, it will be worth it! After an action-packed day, unwind with dinner at our favorite restaurant. 

Day 3: Begin your morning exploring the Mistico Hanging Bridges, and then for the afternoon, you can choose your adventure! Either soar above the jungle on a zipline tour or enjoy a safari float along the Penas Blancas River. Finally, you’ll end your trip with a serene evening at a peaceful hot spring spa – bliss.

Day 1

Breakfast – Soda Sabores Lulu

Right in the heart of La Fortuna, Soda Sabores Lulu is a cozy spot to start your day. Aim to get there around 7 am so that you have plenty of time to enjoy breakfast before heading out on the morning tour. It’s a home-style spot with a welcoming atmosphere, and if you want to have breakfast like a true Costa Rican, we recommend ordering the gallo pinto. Did you know it’s the country’s national dish?

The meeting point for the tour is less than a 5 minute drive from breakfast, so no worries about rushing to get there on time!

Morning – Glimpse the magic of sloths in the wild

There’s only one way to kick off an epic three days in La Fortuna, and that’s this guided sloth-watching tour! We recommend a 8 am start so that you’ll catch the three-toed sloths during their most active period of the day. The tour lasts about 1.5-2 hours, so you should be back around 10 am, with enough time to relax before your afternoon activity.

The walk through the rainforest is short and easy, so even little ones will be able to keep up! Going with a guide really makes all the difference, because you’ll spot so much more with the help of their eagle eyes – this is what they do for a living, after all. 

As well as sloths, you’re also likely to spot colorful frogs and exotic birds on this tour. Hopefully, you might even see some baby sloths, which are just the cutest thing ever.

If you’re not renting a car in La Fortuna, you can arrange transport with the tour operator in advance for peace of mind. Hotel pickup and drop-off is available for an additional fee, and it’s nice not to have to worry about getting yourself to the meeting point and back.

This walk makes wildlife spotting both fun and approachable – and we’re not the only ones who think so. With over 1,000 glowing reviews, I think it’s safe to say that this tour is a crowd favorite.

Mid-day – Explore La Fortuna

With your sloth-walk wrapping up at 10 am, that will leave some time to explore La Fortuna’s downtown area. There are lots of cute shops, cafes, and restaurants that will just be waking up (Costa Rican time is nice and slow!). Spend a bit of time wandering around and be sure to stop by Parque de La Fortuna, which is a small but beautiful park in the heart of the city.

Your next activity starts at 12:30 pm and includes hotel pickup, so make your way back to your accommodation with adequate time!

Afternoon – Taste the freshest coffee and chocolate

Coffee and chocolate are two of Costa Rica’s biggest exports, so this afternoon we’ll sample lots of both on this top-rated coffee and chocolate tour. It’s one of the most popular tours in La Fortuna, and with good reason! 

The tour starts at 12:30 pm and lasts for about 2.5 hours, and it includes hotel pickup and drop-off, which makes everything super easy. The same goes for tonight’s Rainforest Night Walk and Dinner, which also includes hotel pickup and drop-off, so you won’t have any stress about transport all day.

This experience itself takes place at a family-run farm just outside of La Fortuna. We did this exact tour, and the first thing that struck us upon arrival was just how beautiful the farm was! We saw lots of tropical birds in the trees, so be sure to bring your camera!

Then, as we explored, we visited 8-10 tasting stations where we got to try fresh coffee, chocolate, and sugarcane juice. We learned all about the process of making each product, from picking coffee cherries out in the field to roasting and grinding the beans.

My favorite part of the tour was definitely getting hands-on with the chocolate-making process. We helped to mix the chocolate, and we tried a ton of different varieties, from super sweet milk chocolate to 100% cacao.

This tour will wrap up around 3 pm, which will give you a couple of hours to relax and refresh at your hotel before your final activity for the day!

Dinner/Evening – Go on a night walk

All of that coffee and chocolate should have you feeling pretty energetic, so now it’s time for a night walk through La Fortuna’s rainforest. This tour starts at 5 pm, but it includes hotel pickup, so you won’t have to worry about rushing off to a meeting point.

This morning’s tour took you into the rainforest, but it truly comes alive after dark. But of course, it’s not very wise to wander off into the jungle by yourself at night, so going with a guide is a must. Plus, you’ll see so much more with a guide to help you! 

We love this tour because it gives you a chance to see creatures that are rarely active during the day. You’ll follow an easy trail along mirrored lakes and through lush forest, spotting nocturnal frogs, bats, birds, insects, and even small mammals. Your guide will even take you to a frog sanctuary where you’ll see some of Costa Rica’s most eye-catching amphibians, including tiny dart frogs and red-eyed tree frogs! 

The tour wraps up with a traditional Costa Rican dinner prepared on a wood-burning stove. This way of cooking gives the food so much flavor, so you’re in for a real treat. Then, you’ll be dropped back off at your hotel at around 9 pm. It’s been a jam-packed day, and we have an early start tomorrow, so we recommend staying in and getting a fairly early night tonight.

Day 2

Full-day – See La Fortuna Waterfall and Aernal Volcano

The spectacular Arenal Volcano is arguably La Fortuna’s most famous attraction, so today is dedicated to exploring it, with a few other fun stops along the way! We had the best time on this full-day tour, and it makes it so simple to explore the region’s best natural attractions without worrying about navigation and logistics. 

It’s a full 11-hour adventure starting bright and early at 7:30 am. Fortunately, hotel pickup is included, which makes life a lot easier!

The day kicks off at the La Fortuna Waterfall, where you’ll hike through lush rainforest and cool off with a swim at the base of the falls. I warn you, the water is pretty chilly, but it’s so worth it. 

From there, the tour continued into Arenal Volcano National Park, where we explored jungle trails with the help of our local guide. He taught us about the volcano’s history and surrounding ecosystem as we explored and admired the panoramic volcano view – it was breathtaking! 

After the viewpoint, we stopped at the Maleku Indigenous village to learn about Costa Rica’s cultural roots, and we stopped by a beautiful butterfly garden. Finally, the day ended on the best note possible with a soak in the park’s natural hot springs with a drink in hand.

You’ll get back to your hotel in La Fortuna at around 6:30 pm. Book dinner for 7:30 or 8 pm so that you have some time to shower and change before heading out for a well-deserved evening meal.

Dinner – Travesia

After a full-day adventure, it’s time to indulge in a delicious dinner at Travesía Restaurant, which is one of La Fortuna’s most elegant spots. This was where we would go to treat ourselves when living in La Fortuna! 

We recommend making a reservation, though, because this is THE place to go for meat and seafood downtown.  Personally, I love the sea bass, but the beef tenderloin or smoked ribs are also great choices for meat lovers. Often, we opt to share the mixed grill, which comes with chicken, seafood, and steak plus three hearty sides. You may well fall asleep in a food coma afterwards!

Day 3

Morning – Visit the Mistico Hanging Bridges 

It’s your last morning in La Fortuna, so today’s the perfect time to slow down a little and take in the rainforest from above. The Mistico Hanging Bridges are one of the most scenic spots in the area, offering an incredible mix of nature, wildlife, and panoramic views of the Arenal Volcano. We highly recommend going with a guide because it really made our experience so much better!

This guided tour starts at 9 am and lasts about 1-2 hours, which means you’ll have plenty of time to explore before heading back to town. Since transport isn’t included, it’s best to arrange a taxi from town (about 30 minutes each way) and keep the driver’s number for your return. Alternatively, if you have a rental car, the drive is straightforward and the roads are well-marked.

On the tour, your guide will lead you along a trail that winds through lush rainforest for about 3.2 km (2 miles), which covers 14 bridges – and 6 of them are the famous hanging bridges! It’s so much fun to walk across them. The swirling mist and birdsong made me feel like I was in a movie. 

Our guide helped us spot so many amazing tropical birds, howler monkeys, and even some tiny frogs. I definitely wouldn’t have seen those on my own! And we’re not the only ones who had a great time because the tour has over a thousand 5-star reviews – read them here.

Lunch – Rain Forest

After your morning adventure, head to Rain Forest, a local restaurant that serves up yummy Costa Rican food. It’s open all day, so it makes a great lunch stop before your next activity. 

The menu here focuses on hearty Costa Rican classics, so if you haven’t tried grilled tilapia or azteca soup, now’s the time! This is a family-run spot, and the staff could not be sweeter, so if you’re not sure what to order, they’ll be happy to help you decide! Most mains cost between $10 – $15 USD, which also makes this one of the best value meals in town. 

Both of this afternoon’s tours offer hotel pickup and drop-off, so once you’ve finished eating, head back to base and wait to be picked up before the next tour. Rain Forest is super central, so it shouldn’t take long to get back.

Afternoon – Option 1: Go ziplining!

It’s no secret that Costa Rica has some of the best ziplines in the world, but I’m going to take it a step further and say that the best ziplines in the country are right here in La Fortuna! So if you’re craving adventure this afternoon, why not go soaring over the rainforest on this epic zipline tour?

There are a few zipline tours in La Fortuna, but we think this one is the best because it features 12 ziplines and lets you fly right over the town’s famous waterfall. We had so much fun on this adventure, and we had such a great time getting to know our guides along the way!

This tour starts at 1 pm, and hotel pickup is included. It lasts for 2.5 hours in total, so you’ll finish up at around 3:30 pm. This gives you a little time to relax and catch your breath before heading to the hot springs this evening.

Afternoon – Option 2: Float along the Penas Blancas River and spot wildlife

If you’re seeking a more peaceful afternoon, then head out on this floating safari down the Peñas Blancas River! It starts at 2 pm and lasts around 4 hours, with pickup and drop-off included from most hotels in town.

This relaxing river adventure is the perfect contrast to La Fortuna’s more high-adrenaline activities. You’ll gently float down the Peñas Blancas River on a sturdy raft, surrounded by rainforest. You’ll be with a local guide who will help you spot wildlife hiding in the treetops, including howler monkeys, toucans, and iguanas. If you’re lucky, you might even see some crocodiles lounging along the banks, which is pretty thrilling!

The guides will also share stories about life in La Fortuna along the way, and since there’s no paddling involved, you can just sit back and listen. Halfway through the float, you’ll stop for a quick break to enjoy fresh fruit and cold drinks before continuing downstream. It’s the ultimate lazy afternoon in the jungle – no wonder it has hundreds of 5-star reviews!

Dinner/Evening – Ecotermales Fortuna

It’s your final night in La Fortuna, and we’ve got the perfect spot to end your trip on a high note. Ecotermales Fortuna is easily one of the best choices around. These natural hot springs are tucked away in lush rainforest surroundings, and they feel a whole world away from town, even though it’s only about an 8-minute drive or taxi ride. 

Ecotermales is a really special place. Visitor numbers are limited, so it has an intimate atmosphere, and it never feels crowded. At night, the pools are softly lit, and you can relax as you listen to frogs croak and crickets chirp all around you. The interconnected pools flow naturally through the rainforest, and each one is a little different in temperature, so you can move between cool, warm, and hot water until you find your favorite. Some even have small waterfalls that you can stand under for a natural shoulder massage.

And as if all of that weren’t enough, this is also one of the few hot springs with an excellent onsite restaurant, so when you’re done soaking, you can grab a yummy local dinner and a smoothie or tropical cocktail afterwards and toast the end of a fantastic few days. Cheers! 

Related Read: If you find yourself with some extra time, see our complete list of the best things to do in La Fortuna and add a few more activities to your itinerary!

Where to Stay in La Fortuna

Because La Fortuna is such a big tourist town, there are a ton of amazing places to stay. We even wrote an entire blog about the best hotels in La Fortuna. However, to make it super easy, we’ve narrowed it down to our top places for each price point. So keep reading to find one that suits your needs (and budget!).

Luxury – $$$ 

Luxury travelers should stay at The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal, which is one of the most exclusive properties in La Fortuna! This five-star resort delivers a true tropical escape with sweeping views of Arenal Volcano and everything you could dream of for a relaxing getaway.

The highlight here is the network of 28 natural hot spring pools, each with different temperatures and tucked among lush gardens. It’s the ultimate place to unwind after a day of exploring. The resort also features a large main pool, a swim-up bar, a full-service spa, and several restaurants and lounges serving excellent Costa Rican and international cuisine. Plus, many of the rooms have private terraces overlooking the volcano.

Rooms typically cost $600 USD and up! Check availability and book your stay at The Springs Resort & Spa at Arenal on Booking.com.

Mid-range – $$

Those with a medium budget should check out Casa Luna Hotel & Spa. I stayed here on my first visit to La Fortuna and loved it! The property is beautiful, with a large pool and four hot tubs surrounded by nature, as well as a tropical garden. 

One of my favorite things about staying here was the fact that all the rooms have views of the volcano and the rainforest. The hotel also includes a delicious breakfast, which makes life nice and easy when you have an early start, as we do for days 2 and 3 of this itinerary!

Rooms typically cost between $150 and $250 USD per night. Check availability and book your stay here!

Budget – $

Hotel Villas Vista is our top choice for a budget-friendly stay! Located just slightly outside of downtown La Fortuna, giving you incredible views of Arenal Volcano. But, it’s still walkable to downtown so it’s the perfect balance of serene escape, and convenience!

You’ll have an eintre villa to yourself, and while they are simple and rustic, they are comfortable and private. The grounds are lush and well-kept, and guests consistently rave about the breakfast.

Prices start at $85 USD per night, which is honestly a steal for this location and accommodation. See all of the options and book your stay here!

Pura Vida!

Three days is the perfect amouont of time to dive into La Fortuna’s vibrant culture. We love the charming downtown, and how almost everything revolves around outdoor activites. La Fortuna is truly an adventure lover’s paradise, so don’t be afraid to try something new!

Before you go, check out all of our Costa Rica blogs! We have traveled all over this beautiful country, and even have lived here, so we know the in’s and out’s of exploring. Here are a few related blogs to inspire your next destination – cheers!

3 Best ATV Tours in La Fortuna

The 3 Best Arenal Volcano National Park Tours from La Fortuna

3 Best Rio Celeste Tours from La Fortuna