The Arenal Volcano near the small village of La Fortuna, was a dormant volcano for thousands of years, until suddenly the volcano erupted in 1968 and was active for over 42 years until 2010. Every night streams of glowing molten rocks and massive explosions could be viewed. Those dramatic views are gone, at least for now, but the volcano still offers an amazing view with her picture-perfect conical shaped top which is often covered in clouds.
There are some wonderful things to do around Arenal Volcano National Park. If you like hiking, there are a couple of nice trails. A real fun hike with kids is hiking up the volcano to the Arenal waterfall and go swimming afterwards to cool down before walking down again.
Or you can visit the hot water springs. We unfortunately only drove past it, as we were time constrained. But from friends who went after us we heard it really is worth a visit.
We decided to do the ziplining and canopy walking experience in Monteverde Cloud forest in stead of the Arenal region. The Monteverde area is the most famous one in Costa Rica for zip lining. But if you’re not planning on visiting Monteverde this is also a very good spot to do these wonderful activities.
We did go on a night safari. During this hike you’ll get a chance to spot one of the most iconic and famous residents of Costa Rica, the red eyed tree frog. The frog is really small and fits on the finger of a young child. But that’s not the only wild life to see around here. We saw sloths, even a baby one (unbelievably cute), blue jeans frogs, glass frogs, splendid leaf frog and many more whose names I really don’t recall. Did you know that Costa Rica is home to more than 150 know species of frogs and toads and researchers even believe there are a lot more yet to be discovered? Isn’t that incredible!
Here is a list of some awesome things to do in La Fortuna with kids. If you follow this list you will for sure see all the major highlights of this wonderful spot. Use it as a check-list. It works really well.
- Hike up Arenal Volcano;
- Visit Lake Arenal and go kayaking;
- Hike to La Fortuna Waterfall;
- Do a night safari and admire all those beautiful frog species and more. For bookings check out Ecocentro Danaus;
- Go ziplining and canopy walking at Sky Adventures Costa Rica;
- Soak in Arenal Volcano Hot Springs (not recommended for children under 12) in Tabacon.
Nayara Resort Spa & Gardens
702 road 21007, Provincia de Alajuela
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
+(506) 2479 1600
www.arenalnayara.com
Price range
$$$$
Location
Hidden in a lush paradise near La Fortuna in the heart of Arenal Volcano National Park.
Accommodation
The rooms are tropical and wonderful. Unfortunately no connecting rooms possible, so we booked two Rainforest villas next to each other. All the rooms have a beautiful wooden private terrace with Jacuzzi, and offer a view on the Arenal Volcano. The bathroom is huge and also has an outdoor shower.
Dining
The hotel has 4 restaurants and also offers a private dining option. While having breakfast in the restaurant or lunch at the pool you will be greeted by the house parrot Carlota.
Services and amenities for kids
For an overview of the services and amenities for kids at this hotel click here. Amenities provided by the hotel in green.
Extra info
The hotel is divided into the adults only Nayara Springs hotel and the family welcoming Nayara hotel. The hotel has been named one of the world’s best resorts by Travel & Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler and Trip Advisor. The service is wonderful. We absolutely loved this hotel, with its beautiful rooms, great spa and delicious restaurants.
The weather in La Fortuna is affected by both sides of the country. The Pacific and the Caribbean. Generally speaking the best weather is experienced from December – May. But also July and the beginning of August can be quite nice weather wise.
September and October are the months with the most rainfall.
Costa Rica is home to more than 150 frog species