Special Considerations

The Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica's most active, is best observed during the evening or early morning hours. Heavy cloud cover is quite common throughout the day, especially during the rainy season. Several tour companies offer evening tours to the volcano, usually departing around 6:00 p.m. For those with vehicles, plenty of parking is available within the park campgrounds. The best location to see any lava activity is near the entrance, just off the main road; a portion of the cone collapsed forcing most of the lava to flow to that side. Providing the weather permits, any activity will be clearly visible from this vantage point. The park is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and costs $6.00 US to enter. The entrance off the main road is approximately 1-2 km ( 1 mile ) from the park entrance; signs are clearly visible.

How to get to Lake Arenal

There are three different routes you can take en route to Lake Arenal (Arenal Volcano), however, it depends on which end of the lake you are most interested. The eastern end of the lake (La Fortuna) provides access to the Arenal Volcano National Park and Caño Negro Reserve, while the western side of the lake brings you to the town of Tilarán, which is where most of the windsurfing related hotels and businesses are based.

Via La Fortuna

The most direct route is via San Ramon, for which there is a clearly marked exit sign off the auto pista (Interamerica Highway); which departs west of San Jose, past the airport and continues northwest past the coastal port of Puntarenas. The exit for San Ramon is approximately 31.5 miles or 50.5 kms from San José. Generally speaking, the road conditions are in very good condition, particularly once you get off at the San Ramon exit; your trip to La Fortuna will take between 2 1/2-3 hours. As a second alternative, you can exit the auto-pista just prior to the exit for San Ramon (approximately 23.5 miles or 37.5 kms from San José), at an exit for San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada).

This route to La Fortuna will take you through the small community of Zarcero, which has one of the most picturesque main squares in the country. The colorful gardens, which reside just in front of the church, are filled with hand trimmed hedges depicting arches, animals and other odd shapes. Zacero provides for terrific photographic opportunities. Once again, the road conditions are in very good condition, and your trip to La Fortuna will require a 3 hour drive from San José.

Regardless of which route you take, your drive through the northern zone of Costa Rica will be most enjoyable. Steep inclines, twisting turning roads, lined with small farms and green rolling hills is what you can expect to see en route to La Fortuna. Your trip north is perhaps one of the most scenic and enjoyable in Costa Rica. Both routes are clearly marked with roads signs directing you to the small community of La Fortuna or Lake Arenal.

Via Tilarán

For those whose prefer to visit the west end of the lake, you can take the Panamerican Highway towards Liberia, getting of at Cañas. There is a large sign on the right side of the road for Cañas, Lake Arenal and Tilarán; it is just after the red bull ring. Take this road straight to the end and turn left following it until it reaches Tilarán, approximately 21 kms (12.5 miles). You enter Tilarán at a fork, for those who want to continue to Lake Arenal, turn left at the fork and continue on straight. From this side of the lake, one can easily access the famous windsurfing spots which are concentrated on this end of the lake.