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3 Days in Costa Rica: Arenal and Monteverde (with Tour Prices Compared)
A short first look at Costa Rica's two most-asked-about inland bases: two days around La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano, then a day in the Monteverde cloud forest with a zipline and a night walk. Every paid stop is a tour we compared across booking sites, and the gaps are free time. If you'd rather stay put in La Fortuna, swap day 3 for Río Celeste.
Day 1: Hanging bridges and sloths in La Fortuna
- Morning: the Místico hanging bridges. The park's own guided walk was a tie at $54 on GetYourGuide (4.7 from 572) and Viator (4.7 from 1,694). Book GetYourGuide: its listing allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, while Viator's says all sales are final. It takes about 2–3 hours. To walk the bridges on your own instead, the admission ticket on GetYourGuide and the self-guided walk on Viator were both from $39; the extra $15 buys a guide who spots the wildlife for you.
- Afternoon: a sloth walk. The Bogarín Trail's guided walk was cheapest on GetYourGuide, from $45 (4.8 from 447), against $55 for the same trail's tour on Viator. It's about 2 hours. For a few dollars less, a sloth walk with a local snack on GetYourGuide was from $39 (4.9 from 738). Short sloth walks were also our pick for families with young kids.
- Evening: free. Wander La Fortuna town and get an early night; tomorrow is a long day.
Day 2: The Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna Waterfall and hot springs
- All day: the full Arenal day. Red Lava TSC's waterfall, volcano hike and hot springs day with lunch was cheapest on GetYourGuide, from $95 (4.8 from 3,895), against $105 for the same company's tour on Viator (4.8 from 2,604). It runs about 10–11 hours and includes park fees, lunch and the hot springs, but pickup is only in the La Fortuna area. GetYourGuide's listing allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
- Shorter option: if you only want the volcano and the springs, Red Lava's morning hike with lunch and hot springs was from $55 on GetYourGuide (4.6 from 1,092), against $60 on Viator. It's about 6 hours, which leaves the afternoon free.
Day 3: Monteverde ziplines and a night walk
- Morning: get to Monteverde. The road trip from La Fortuna to Monteverde takes up a good part of the morning (unverified; times vary by route and transport). It isn't in the price total below.
- Afternoon: the extreme zipline. Calypso Adventures' 3-hour course was cheapest on Viator, from $99.99 (4.5 from 82), one cent under the same course on GetYourGuide at $100 (4.7 from 368), where it has more reviews. For less, 100% Aventura's canopy tour was from $72 on GetYourGuide (4.8 from 840). Check age limits if you're bringing kids.
- Evening: a cloud forest night walk. The Kinkajou small-group night walk was cheapest in our matched row on GetYourGuide, from $32 (4.5 from 1,697), against $41 for Johnny Loves Nature's night walk on Viator, a different company. Cheaper still: a night walk with flashlights on GetYourGuide from $20 (4.7 from 453). Most walks last about two hours. Bring a rain jacket.
- Or swap in, staying in La Fortuna: Río Celeste. Red Lava's full-day hike to the blue waterfall and Tenorio Volcano was cheapest on GetYourGuide, from $76 (4.7 from 703), against $89 on Viator. Heavy rain can cloud the blue water, and you can't swim in the river inside the national park.
Adding the beach?
If you're carrying on to the coast, two cheap picks from the same comparison: La Muda's 2-hour beginner surf lesson in Tamarindo on Viator from $54 (5.0 from 761), and a guided Manuel Antonio walk on Viator from $22.95 (4.9 from 784). The cheapest Manuel Antonio prices can be for the guide only, so check whether the park ticket is included for the option you pick.
Rough cost per person
| Item | Cheapest site | From |
|---|---|---|
| Místico hanging bridges guided walk | GetYourGuide (tie with Viator) | $54 |
| Bogarín Trail sloth walk | GetYourGuide | $45 |
| Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna Waterfall and hot springs day with lunch | GetYourGuide | $95 |
| Monteverde extreme zipline | Viator | $99.99 |
| Monteverde night walk (Kinkajou) | GetYourGuide | $32 |
| Total, paid tours | about $326 |
That's $54 + $45 + $95 + $99.99 + $32 = $325.99 in "from" prices, before taxes, fees, meals (other than the lunch on the Arenal day), hotel and transport, including the transfer to Monteverde. On a tighter budget, the $72 canopy tour and the $20 flashlight night walk bring it to $286. Staying in La Fortuna and swapping day 3 for Río Celeste makes it $270.
Skip if…
- Skip the extreme zipline if you're nervous about heights or traveling with young kids; it's the priciest item, and the canopy tour is $28 less.
- Skip the guided bridges walk if you're happy spotting wildlife yourself; the self-guided ticket was $39.
- Skip the Monteverde day if you hate long drives on a short trip; Río Celeste keeps you in La Fortuna.
- Skip Río Celeste after heavy rain, when the water can turn cloudy.
- Skip the full Arenal day if 10–11 hours is too long for your group; the 6-hour morning hike with hot springs covers the volcano for $55.
A note on the season: rain and booking ahead
The drier months are generally December to April, and the Arenal and Monteverde area can see rain at any time of year (general guide, unverified). Pack a rain jacket for the night walk and the bridges, and check the forecast before Río Celeste. It gets dark early all year, around 5:30 PM (unverified), so night walks start soon after an afternoon zipline. If you add Manuel Antonio, book park tickets early: the listings we checked say they're sold only on the official SINAC site with passport details and sell out fast from December to April. Prefer free cancellation where you can, since "from" prices can rise for holiday dates.
See every price, rating and site side by side in the full Costa Rica this winter tours comparison.