Hike To La Fortuna Waterfall, Costa Rica - Price, Hours, Tours & Photos

Piscoandbier at La Fortuna waterfall in Costa Rica

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La Fortuna Waterfall is one of the most popular and best waterfalls in Costa Rica.

Located in the adventure town La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano, Catarata La Fortuna is among the top tourist attractions and things to see for travelers during their Costa Rica trip.

In our guide, we’ll talk about all the things you need to know for visiting La Fortuna Waterfall in Costa Rica, including, the entrance fee, opening hours & waterfall tours.

La Fortuna Waterfall, Costa Rica

Table Of Contents

Visiting La Fortuna Waterfall Costa Rica
Hike To La Fortuna Waterfall
Best Time To Visit La Fortuna Waterfall
Swimming At La Fortuna Waterfall
Facilities
How To Get To La Fortuna Waterfall
La Fortuna Waterfall Entrance Fee
La Fortuna Waterfall Hours
La Fortuna Waterfall Map
Nature Hike To La Fortuna Waterfall
Summary: Quick Facts & FAQs

Visiting La Fortuna Waterfall Costa Rica

Vista of La Fortuna Waterfall from view platform — Vista of La Fortuna waterfall from view platform

If you are staying in or around La Fortuna or the Arenal area during your Costa Rica vacation, La Fortuna waterfall is a must-see!

Fed by the Arenal River, Catarata La Fortuna or Catarata Río Fortuna, as the locals say, drops an impressive 70+ meters / 230 feet and is one of the most famous waterfalls in Costa Rica.

The waterfall in La Fortuna is a popular tourist attraction in Arenal and visited by lots of nature enthusiasts.

La Fortuna Waterfall Hike & Swimming

Admiring Costa Rica waterfall La Fortuna in Arenal — Vista point along the stairs down to the waterfall

When we got to the Catarata La Fortuna it was rather crowded, because it was in the middle of the day. However, as soon as it started to rain, almost all of the people left and we had the waterfall to ourselves. Who cares about rain, when it is hot and humid anyway, right?!

When walking the seemingly thousands of steps back up to the top, it was actually quite nice to have some refreshing rain.

Short Hike To La Fortuna Waterfall

Ok, maybe not a thousand steps, but the stairs to La Fortuna waterfall have over 500 steps each way. While the hike to the waterfall isn’t long or on a rough path, it can be a bit exhausting climbing those stairs back up. But anyone that is able to climb stairs and in OK physical shape can do it. It’s just a matter of how long it is going to take.

How Long Does It Take To Hike To La Fortuna Waterfall?

Climbing down the flights of stairs should be fairly quick and be accomplished in around 20 minutes without photo stops along the way.

Down at the waterfall you can easily spend more than an hour taking photos and swimming in the waterfall pool. Maybe you will have a snack too.

Hiking up those 500+ stairs can take you some time, depending on how fit you are. There are some rest areas with benches along the stairway to take a break. Plan at least half an hour to get back up.

Best Time To Visit La Fortuna Waterfall

Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall Arenal, Costa Rica — Majestic white splash

Even though La Fortuna waterfall is very popular and can get crowded at times if you are a bit patient you might get the chance to have it to yourself.

Pro tip: Visit in the morning or late afternoon hours and you won’t find many people at the waterfall. Travel off-season to encounter fewer people visiting Costa Rica.

Swimming At La Fortuna Waterfall

If you were wondering if you can swim at La Fortuna waterfall, you will be pleasantly surprised. Yes, swimming is allowed at the La Fortuna waterfall. However, be careful and don’t get too close to the white water as the gushing water is strong and can drag you down.

There are also some tranquil pools on the other side to relax.

Facilities

There are toilets and showers on site, as well as a souvenir shop and an orchid garden. You also have to option to eat a Costa Rican meal at their restaurant.

How To Get To La Fortuna Waterfall Costa Rica

Piscoandbier walking towards majestic splashing La Fortuna waterfall in Costa Rica — Going for a swim

La Fortuna waterfall is located at the base of the Chato Volcano, just outside of La Fortuna in Arenal. You can easily get there with your rental car.

Directions To Get There By Car

Find directions to La Fortuna waterfall here.

Taxi To La Fortuna Waterfall

You can also take a taxi from downtown La Fortuna to the waterfall. A taxi should cost you around 15 USD each way, depending on if you negotiate.

Driving From San Jose To La Fortuna Waterfall

The drive from San Jose to La Fortuna waterfall is about 130 km / 80 miles and takes a little less than 3 hours without traffic.

How Much Does Visiting La Fortuna Waterfall Cost?

The entrance fee to La Fortuna waterfall is $18, which is rather on the expensive side. However, everything is very well maintained and safe. It didn’t always use to be like that. And you wouldn’t want to miss this waterfall in Costa Rica. It is very impressive and one of the must-see things when traveling in Costa Rica.

La Fortuna Waterfall Hours

The entrance hours for visitors are from 8 am in the morning until 4 pm in the late afternoon.

La Fortuna Waterfall Map

Find a map of the waterfall here.

Tours & Nature Hike To La Fortuna Waterfall

There is an awesome waterfall hike tour where you’ll explore Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna waterfall, and hot springs.

On another La Fortuna waterfall tour you adventure over incredible suspension bridges in the rainforest, see the volcano and Catarata La Fortuna waterfall.

Find more La Fortuna waterfall tours here!

Summary: Quick Facts & FAQs

Piscoandbier in front of Catarata La Fortuna waterfall in Costa Rica — Admiration for the tall waterfall

How Tall Is The La Fortuna Waterfall In Costa Rica?

Costa Rica waterfall La Fortuna is an impressive 70 meters / 230 feet tall.

How Long Is The La Fortuna Waterfall Hike?

The hike to La Fortuna waterfall itself is pretty short, but therefore pretty steep. You won’t have to hike miles and miles through the Costa Rican jungle, but rather climb some pretty sweet 500 steps that lead to and from the waterfall.

Rio Celeste Or La Fortuna Waterfall?

If you only have limited time and need to decide between Rio Celeste or La Fortuna Waterfall, here are some differences that can help you decide on which one to visit:

Height: La Fortuna waterfall is a lot higher than the Rio Celeste waterfall
Color: Rio Celeste is as the name gives away, turquoise. In fact, it’s incredibly blue and something you probably haven’t seen before.
Hike: The hike to the waterfall in La Fortuna is a lot shorter, you only have to climb up and down the stairs, there isn’t much of a hike beforehand. On the contrary, to see the Celeste waterfall you need to hike a little bit to get there.
Swimming: You can’t swim at Rio Celeste, whereas at La Fortuna waterfall you can swim
Price: Both entrance fees are about the same.
Location: From San Jose, it is easier and faster to get to La Fortuna waterfall. You can’t do Rio Celeste from San Jose in one day.

Is La Fortuna Waterfall Worth It?

In our opinion, visiting La Fortuna waterfall was absolutely worth it. The entrance fee of 18 Dollars is steep and so is the hike up and down the 500 steps, but you will be rewarded for your efforts with an amazing powerful waterfall and a refreshing swim down at the bottom.

We were glad we did this short but steep waterfall hike and can only recommend doing it, if you are up for it.

What To Bring To The Waterfall Hike?

Packing List

More Costa Rica Waterfalls

Stairs leading to Rio Celeste waterfall in Tenorio Volcano National Park in Costa Rica — Catarata Rio Celeste

For inspiration on which other waterfalls in Costa Rica to visit, check out our guide to the top Costa Rica waterfalls. We’ll talk about Llanos de Cortes waterfall, Rio Celeste waterfall, La Paz waterfalls, and many more.

La Fortuna Waterfall Guide

We hope you found this guide helpful and got inspired to visit Costa Rica’s most popular waterfall. It’s a can’t miss when in Costa Rica. Maybe you even got curious about an adventurous La Fortuna Waterfall hike to explore more of the Arenal area.

Either way, have lot’s of fun!

Julia & Felipe

Follow our adventures on Instagram! @piscoandbier