Our trip to Costa Rica was planned in less than a month. After we lost our Lucy in February 2021, we wanted to get away. I knew Marriott Vacation Club had recently opened up a resort in Costa Rica. SOMEHOW they had 5 days available in late March.
I quickly booked it and then started my research. I remembered a friend of mine was there recently, so I reached out to her and she gave me some really awesome tips.
The Marriott is set alongside scenic Herradura Bay. While knowing this would be beautiful, I know Costa Rica is a vast country and we wanted to see more. I saw that La Fortuna was a popular city to visit, which is home to Arenal Volcano – one of Costa Rica’s 6 active volcanos.
Arenal Volcano base
βWe flew into San Jose and had a driver take us to our first location. **I would recommend NOT renting a car, especially in this part of Costa Rica. The roads are not really paved, and streets are not well marked. At night it is very dark, and some roads are narrow with no guard rails on the side of cliffs. If you plan excursions, you can get picked up atΒ your hotel/resort**
We stayed for 3 days at Montana de Fuego in La Fortuna which was about 2.5 hours from the airport. We thought it was great! It’s pretty much exactly what you would imagine while staying in the Rainforest. We really wanted to experience the culture of Costa Rica! Right behind the resort was the Arenal Volcano, which most of the time is hidden by fog. This part of the county is the rain forest – its wet, has a lot of bugs and is somewhat chilly – but we LOVED it.
β**We are not usually ones that do guided tours but in Costa Rica I HIGHLY recommend them. All the tour guides are incredible and have such an eye for pointing out amazing plants and wildlife** In La Fortuna, all of tours we did were done through Canoa Adventura, they were awesome!
Some of the popular activities that we did on our trip:
βMistico Arenal Hanging Bridges:
It’s about a 30 minute drive from downtown La Fortuna and is probably the most visited attraction in the area. While it is very popular, at no
point did it feel super crowded. Our tour was 7 people, including the guide so it was very intimate and not overwhelming. The guide pointed out so many amazing species that we never would have seen without him – frogs, snakes, birds, sloths, ants and bats! The hike is a two-mile (3.2 km) loop through the jungle that takes you over 6 long suspension bridges. The trail was pretty easy, mostly paved, but it did get steep at times. The suspension bridges hang among the tree tops so the views are absolutely incredible.
La Fortuna Waterfall:
located within a rainforest and towering over 230 feet high, La Fortuna Waterfall is an amazing attraction. Youβll be able to see the beautiful waterfall from the viewpoint or walk about 984 feet down a steep but safe pathway and get up close to it! Swimming is allowed in the river. The hike down to the base is short (about 15 minutes), but the hike back upΒ is a bit more challenging. This path includes a 500-step paved staircase, which is not too bad as there are several places to stop and rest.
Arenal Volcano:
The Arenal Volcano Rainforest and Natural History along with the breath-taking lava flow, will take you through lush rainforest along the base of Costa Rica’s most famous volcano. The tour guide pointed out so many interesting plants and wildlife in the vibrant primary and secondary rainforest of the nature reserve that skirts the Arenal Volcano 1968 Park. Youβll then arrive at the observation point of the Arenal Volcano — this is the closest you can get to the base of the Arenal Volcano — and the perfect vantage point to take remarkable photos of the Arenal Volcano. This hike takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.
EcoTermales Hot Springs:
A perfect end to this very long day. We almost bypassed these but I’m so glad we didn’t. This place was incredible! There was a bar where you could get a cocktail to enjoy while in the hot springs, locker rooms and such a relaxing atmosphere. Afterward, our tour came with dinner at the hot springs which was fantastic!
Cacao tree
Safari by Raft:
Touring the quiet waters of the Penas Blancas on an inflatable raft, the guides pointed out so many amazing animals. We saw monkeys, toucans, crocodiles, sloths and even an ocelot! Our tour guide actually fell out of the raft because he was so excited by the sight of the ocelot. He said he has been doing this tour for 10 years and has been patiently waiting to see one! This also explained why we weren’t really seeing any monkeys until after this point! The tour finished at Rancho “La Cocina de Tita Yolando. Here we enjoyed a short tour in the garden and learned about coffee, chocolate, and sugar cane as well as the importance of these crops. After, we enjoyed sugar cane moonshine, coffee, freshly made tortillas and plantains.
Ziplining in Carara Adventure Park:
The adventure starts on a 15-minute ride to the top of the mountain. At the top, the guides go over step by step safety procedures you most follow. Then starts the descent to the bottom via a series of zip lines, including 15 platforms and 12 cables with a total cable distance of 3.5 kilometers.
ATV Tour with Riders Adventures:
This was a really fun tour! It was just us and the tour guide. We got to ride through the jungle, crossing rivers and eventually making it down to the beach- We had a blast!
Horseback Riding:
It’s safe to say I will not be horseback riding again, probably ever. It’s very rare I say anything is not recommended, but our specific experience was a little rough. The tour guide was great, it was just the 3 of us but I don’t know if the horse sensed my fear or what, but I did not have the best experience. The ocean scared the horses and stray dogs tried to bite the ankles of our horses making them scared and rowdy. Lol oops
Manual Antonio National Park:
The most visited National Park in Costa Rica. We walked through the rainforest and then along beautiful white sand beaches where basically everywhere you looked there was amazing wildlife. We saw sloths snoozing, monkeys playing (really close) and so many species of birds.
Its also worth noting that we went during easter weekend and this is apparently the busiest time for local Ticas and TIcos to vacation. This didn’t really hinder our experience but it did make for a lot more people present at the parks and beaches.
This Toucan graced us with its beauty while we were hanging out on our balcony!
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