Add dates

La Fortuna Safaris & wildlife activities

Our most recommended La Fortuna Safaris & wildlife activities

La Fortuna: Sloth Tour in the Wild

1. La Fortuna: Sloth Tour in the Wild

The Arenal area is well known for its diverse wildlife, and as well as the 2 different Sloth species: two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. Another most wanted species sought for their colors, unique features and history are the multicolored toucan and the blue jeans dart frog. On your search for these three beautiful animals, your knowledgeable guide will drive you around La Fortuna's beautiful spotting areas, where you will search for wildlife together. Birds, iguanas and monkeys are among the animals that you might also encounter whilst on this enjoyable safari. Breakfast and snacks are arranged according to the customers' best interest, and all the animals that you will encounter on this tour will be in their natural habitats. At the conclusion of your tour, you will be returned back to your nearby accommodation.

La Fortuna: Arenal Rafting Balsa River Class 2 & 3 Rafting

2. La Fortuna: Arenal Rafting Balsa River Class 2 & 3 Rafting

Get picked up from your accommodation in La Fortuna and set off for the beautiful Balsa River. Meet your expert guides who are rafting specialists who have competed around the world. After a quick orientation and safety instructions, climb aboard your raft to begin your wet adventure. Begin your 2.5-hour rafting tour as you navigate thrilling class 2 and 3 rapids. As you paddle downstream keep your eyes peeled for native wildlife including sloths, monkeys, exotic birds, and a lot more.  Halfway through the trip, take a well-earned rest stop on the riverbank. Here, take the opportunity to freshen up with a swim or enjoy some fresh Costa Rican fruit as a light snack.

La Fortuna: Evening Frog Safari

3. La Fortuna: Evening Frog Safari

After beginning your tour at 5:45PM, you will be able to live the experience of the only natural frog sanctuary in La Fortuna by night. This is your opportunity to view colorful frogs and other wild animals of the rainforest when they are more active and more easily observed. At least 28-species of frogs have decided to make the Arenal Oasis ponds their home. The native plants of Arenal are carefully maintained, in order to create the perfect habitat for these amphibious creatures. This unique private wildlife reserve sits inside a rainforest refuge that connects the tropical areas of the Arenal Volcano and the Burio River. Your local guide will prepare you with a flashlight to assist you in finding these unique creatures, and at the conclusion of your tour you will be returned back to your La Fortuna accommodation.

La Fortuna: Peñas Blancas River Safari Float

4. La Fortuna: Peñas Blancas River Safari Float

Experience the abundant wildlife and undeniable beauty surrounding the Peñas Blancas River as you drift downstream for an enchanting and unforgettable river safari experience. Relax as an expert naturalist guide takes care of the rowing, leaving you free to admire the lush rainforest canopy. Keep an eye out for monkeys, sloths, reptiles and other species. Snap photos of the lazy iguanas sunning themselves on the passing braches or grab your binoculars to catch a closer look at some of the rainforest's native bird species. Upon exiting the river, pay a visit to a traditional Costa Rican family home. Here, get a glimpse into daily life for locals and sample some traditional Costa Rican delicacies before getting dropped off back at your hotel.

Arenal Hanging Bridges Half-Day Tour from La Fortuna

5. Arenal Hanging Bridges Half-Day Tour from La Fortuna

Discover a natural paradise of walking trails and 6 hanging bridges on the interpretative nature paths of Mistico Park. Get closer to nature and see the flora and fauna from a more intimate perspective as you get the chance to walk on the forest floor, swing from the branches or soar over the tree canopies like an eagle! Take in the amazing views at Waterfall Bridge, and learn more about the rainforest from a naturalist guide. Hear about the animal life, geography and history of the region, and get some breathtaking views of the volcano, depending on the weather.

La Fortuna: Guided Twilight Wildlife Safari

6. La Fortuna: Guided Twilight Wildlife Safari

You will be picked up from your hotel lobby in La Fortuna. After 25 minutes of driving, you will arrive at the Peñas Blancas River. Before you start, your guide will provide an orientation talk about how to conduct yourself while sitting on the boat. Following this, your tour will begin. Ride in your raft at dusk. Enjoy the mystical way the light disappears from the sky during the sunset, and savor the jungle's peaceful darkness. Your bilingual river guide, trained as a naturalist, will do the rowing, and you will appreciate the nocturnal wildlife of the Peñas Blancas River. With the boat's specially designed lighting system, you will then embark on a magical journey, discovering that most mammals are in fact nocturnal. Upon exiting the river you'll visit the "Hidalgo Family Home”, where you will have the opportunity to experience and appreciate a piece of Costa Rican culture, and get a taste of a traditional Costa Rican snack.

La Fortuna: Caño Negro - Río Frio and Traditional Lunch

7. La Fortuna: Caño Negro - Río Frio and Traditional Lunch

Enjoy pick-up from your hotel in a comfortable bus and travel to Los Chiles. Board the boat and begin your river adventure. Experience a 2.5 hour floating safari through a tropical rainforest, as you arrive at the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge.  View hundreds of resident birds and watch them eating. Observe the wood stork in its natural habitat and keep an eye out for the neotropic cormorant, which makes its nest in the area. Travel along the river and see spider monkeys, turtles, three-toed sloths and caimans. Indulge with a typical Costa Rican lunch at a restaurant, complimented with regional fruit, natural juices and coffee. 

La Fortuna: Small-Group Sloth Watching Experience

8. La Fortuna: Small-Group Sloth Watching Experience

After being picked up from your hotel at your chosen time, you will start this exciting journey into the sloths' territory, which is within a small family-friendly eco-project just 5 minutes from La Fortuna. The project has a path of 1500 meters (a little less than a mile) which is suitable for adults, families, and children of all ages. You will venture into the forest for 2 hours, where you will be surrounded by plants, a river bordering the property and of course, the Guarumo Trees (Cecropia obtusifolia), which are the favorite food of sloths in Costa Rica. During this tour, you will learn about the importance of the sloths' protection, as illegal trade has grown due to its increasing popularity. Because of this, Ecoterra Expeditions, along with the Rodríguez family, are maintaining this privileged area to protect the sloths in Costa Rica. Your specialized guide will be an expert in locating these sloths, so you can be guaranteed of a sloth observation during your tour. It's important to remember that the sloth is a solitary animal and spends most of its time sleeping and resting on the treetops. The two-toed sloth and three-toed sloth can be observed in the route, and now and then, visitors may have the incredible experience of watching the mother with its offspring. Your naturalist guide will supply high-quality optical gear to provide a 100% satisfying observation without any impact to the naturally smiling sloths. At the end of this natural experience, you will be driven back to your hotel where you will be left understanding just why you cannot come to Costa Rica without seeing a sloth.

Arenal: Hanging Bridges Walking Tour

9. Arenal: Hanging Bridges Walking Tour

Located near the Arenal Volcano, the Arenal Hanging Bridges is an environmentally friendly network of trails and 16 hanging bridges that take you up into the canopy of the Arenal Volcano area's lush tropical rainforest. Now you can immerse yourself in the area's stunning panoramic nature views as you travel down a web of trails. Your professional guide will tell you about the area's biodiversity. Learn about how this environmentally sound project was constructed, as you enjoy getting closer to the rainforest. View tropical birds in their natural habitat, and get up close to rare flowers and other rainforest vegetation. Listen to frogs echo through the forest and spot interesting insects. If you're lucky, you might even see an ocelot! In addition to the plants and wildlife, the hanging bridges also gives you spectacular views of the surrounding area, including the Arenal Volcano.

La Fortuna: Ecocentro Danaus biological Reserve Guided Tour

10. La Fortuna: Ecocentro Danaus biological Reserve Guided Tour

Enjoy a 2-hour guided walk through Ecocentro Danaus Reserve with a naturalist tour guide who will help you spot the local wildlife as well as tell you more about the Costa Rican ecosystem. Discover a wide variety of flora and fauna along the easy trail in the forest reserve.  This biological reserve is located just few miles outside of La Fortuna, near Arenal Volcano. The Ecocentro works with conservation programs, with training on environmental education and sustainable use of the land. We will take you through a secondary forest, and you will be able to see a wide variety of plant and animal life in a relatively small area. Trails are quite easy, and you will appreciate a diversity of plants, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, insects, among others with the assistance of a well-trained naturalist guide. Trail runs 600 meters in a circular shape and is accessible to all audiences. The ecological reserve additionally has another path of about 350 meters of natural regeneration that culminates in a tree nursery. During this tour, you can see a butterflies farm and a natural lagoon, visit the Maleku Indigenous Cultural House, a garden of orchids, do some bird watching, and have the chance to see and photograph wildlife.

46 activities found
Sort by:
Page 1 of 3

Frequently asked questions about La Fortuna

What top attractions are a must-see in La Fortuna?

The must-see attractions in La Fortuna are:

What are the best day trips and excursions from La Fortuna?

The best day trips and excursions from La Fortuna are:

Arenal Volcano

Other Sightseeing Options in La Fortuna

Want to discover all there is to do in La Fortuna? Click here for a full list.

What people are saying about La Fortuna

Overall rating

4.5 / 5

based on 87 reviews

Really glad we chose a kayak over raft. You can get ahead of the group so can spot more wildlife and can go at your own pace. Our guide (Alfredo) was great, really reassuring and patient. Also had lots of knowledge about wildlife, river and Costa Rica in general. We saw loads of animals, including monkeys, toucans, iguanas and crocodiles. Good amount of time on river (but could've spent all day kayaking!). The snack and short chocolate talk at the end was an added bonus and nice way to end the tour.

Our guide, Daniel, was very friendly and helped us feel comfortable on our beautiful horses, morena and pinto. We enjoyed riding to the waterfall site, even spotting a sloth along the way. The waterfall itself was incredible, and overall we loved the experience.

Although it wasn't raining, we saw 15 species of frog, a boa constrictor, several baby eyelash pit vipers, a fer-de-lance, and even a velvet worm! It was an incredible evening.

This tour was great. Pepe was our guide and he was great too. Very informative and interesting. Pickup is offered. Highly recommend this tour.

We had an excellent time. Saw a lot of different wildlife. Our guide Diego was fantastic! Would recommend this tour.