My first destination while staying at La Fortuna was the Arenal volcano, one of the best volcano tours in Costa Rica. It is the main touristic attraction, being an impressive volcano with its peak over 5300 feet high. Majestic and impressive, you can hear the volcano rumbling during the night, and at night, hot lava flowing through the volcano slopes can be seen. The wildlife around the area is rich. There are so many things to do at Arenal that I started immediately after arriving to La Fortuna, a town located 4 miles from the volcano.

The Arenal is currently inactive, and scientists say that is actually in a “sleep” phase. It was one of the most active volcanoes of the world, from 1968 to 2010. Since it is located at the Arenal Volcano National Park, there are a lot of activities to do besides watching the colossus. There is hiking in the park, Costa Rica bird watching tours, and biking, suspended bridges across the park, an aerial tram, and more adventure.

I started with a tour in the Arenal hanging bridges over the national park. It provides an unmatched chance to see the wildlife closer, the birds, reptiles, plants and trees, from another perspective. It takes between 90 and 120 minutes to complete depending on your pace. Wheel chairs and baby strollers are allowed in this part, due to the accessibility of the bridges and trails that connect them.

The adventure continued with a hiking tour of the volcano and the national park. It is a guided tour with an experienced guide, and the trails are well-marked and have an easy or medium difficulty, so practically anyone can take this tour. Across the tour, you can appreciate the volcano from different angles, and it also has great views of the Arenal Lake.

After the walk, we were taken to one of the marvelous hot spring, where I had a much needed relaxation time after all the adventure. I had a tasty dinner, and I’m ready to go to bed after the first day of my Costa Rica adventure travel in Arenal Volcano National Park.