Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna Waterfall: Full-Day Rain Forest Tour

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.00 (1 reviews)

Free cancellation

1/9

Duration12h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Down 500 Stairs to Costa Rica's Most Swimmable Waterfall

You're driven from Playa Hermosa to La Fortuna Waterfall, where you descend 500 stairs to swim at the base, then walk through Ecocentro Danaus spotting wildlife for an hour. Lunch at a local restaurant is included, along with private transport, water, and an air-conditioned vehicle. The day takes you from coast to rain forest and back without arranging logistics yourself.

12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit waterfall, reserve, lunch, and town

Walk down 500 stairs to waterfall
Swim and take pictures at waterfall
Walk in Ecocentro Danaus reserve
See wildlife like sloths and frogs
Have lunch at Rancho Perla
Visit souvenir store and take pictures

The Experience

You drive out of Playa Hermosa in a private, air-conditioned car heading inland toward La Fortuna, climbing into the foothills where the landscape shifts from coastal scrub to dense green. The Arenal Volcano and rain forest tour picks you up early and moves you through Guanacaste in stages — first the waterfall, then the reserve, then lunch — so the day has rhythm instead of feeling like a checklist. The vehicle is disinfected before departure and stocked with bottled water and WiFi, which matters less once you're in the forest but feels good to know.

La Fortuna Waterfall is the centerpiece, and it's not a gentle walk. You descend roughly 500 stairs through the canopy to reach the base, where the water drops hard and cold into a pool you can actually swim in. The climb back up is the part people remember — your legs will know it happened — but the payoff is real: the waterfall is one of the country's most photogenic, and you're not standing in a queue to see it. After that, you move to Ecocentro Danaus, a private reserve where an hour of easy walking through the understory puts sloths, poison frogs, and morpho butterflies within arm's reach. The pace is slow enough that a guide can point things out without rushing you past them.

Lunch happens at Rancho Perla after you've burned the morning's energy. You choose between a vegetarian plate, a local dish, or a gluten-free option — the menu accounts for the fact that people have different needs and preferences, not just different appetites. Then you head back to Playa Hermosa with the afternoon still ahead of you. The whole day runs full but not frantic, and the private car means you're not waiting for a group to board or a driver to make another stop.

What’s included

Your day includes private transportation from Playa Hermosa in a disinfected, air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water and WiFi on board, entry to La Fortuna Waterfall and Ecocentro Danaus reserve, an hour-long guided walk through the rain forest, lunch at Rancho Perla with your choice of vegetarian, local, or gluten-free plates, and return transport to your hotel.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Costa Rica Premier Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main Arenal rain forest and waterfall experience in one day without renting a car or coordinating multiple operators — the private pickup and fixed itinerary handle the logistics, leaving you to focus on the waterfall swim and the wildlife walk.