Four Days of Nature in Costa Rica’s Rainforest

It’s likely that you will land at the airport in the afternoon. Once you collect your luggage from baggage claim, be prepared to put it all and your carry-on through another scanner to get out of the airport. Car rental pick up is easy as representatives are waiting with their company signs to take you to the offsite offices.

It’s best not to waste any time and get on the road so you can arrive in La Fortuna before it gets dark. The roads are very winding, steep hills and there are limited places to overtake. Slow and steady will get you to La Fortuna safely.

We stayed in Casa Perezoso at Eden Organic Farm and Bungalows, which is an organic cocoa farm set in the rainforest. For a very reasonable price, they prepared and served a traditional Costa Rican dinner of rice, beans, salad, grilled chicken and plantains to us on our covered patio. Eating dinner in the rainforest at night was a memorable experience. The loud sounds and the rain falling on the roof and leaves was the perfect soundtrack for our first night in the rainforest.

There’s no better way to start the day than relaxing in spa-like pools filled with water warmed by a real volcano! Surrounded by rainforest, parrots flying among the treetops and the soundtrack of waterfalls and rainforest sounds, you can enjoy the beautifully curated Ecotermales Hot Springs.

Reservations are necessary to ensure you can spend time at the Ecotermales, which is just outside of La Fortuna. They limit the number of guests at any one time and it was definitely not crowded. We chose the morning time slot to go (it opened at 10 am the day we went) and we arrived just before it opened. It was a great experience being one of the very first people to arrive. We had some of the pools completely to ourselves. Spend the morning leisurely drifting between the different temperature pools. Our favorite pool was the one with a volcanic sand base. It was a bit cooler than the others, but we found a hot corner where we lounged on the volcanic rocks, sipping our fruit mocktails. After that, the changing rooms and showers were extremely clean and hairdryers were provided, so we were ready to go for lunch.

We went for lunch at the most unique Costa Rican “soda”. Soda y Restaurante Rodriguez was tucked away down a small side road just outside downtown La Fortuna. Set in an open-air treehouse built on many different levels, the soda is decorated with hundreds of small signs filled with quotes and messages from previous guests. It is run by a fabulous woman who is a walking, talking menu. She was really accommodating with the menu options for the one vegan in our group. The food was delicious and very typical of Costa Rica. Once we had ordered, the owner brought us a sign along with paint so we could make our own sign to hang up.

After lunch, we headed to Sloth, where we went on a sloth tour. Our guide, Jason is a sloth expert. He cared greatly for the well-being of the sloths, and before we set off, he explained how we needed to be quiet and respectful of the wildlife and habitat. Within the first 5 minutes, we had found our first sloth and then we had a steady flow of sightings. Jason helped us take photos of the sloths using our phones through his telescope.

We ate dinner in La Fortuna. Parking can be a bit tricky, but we found a paid parking lot just off the main street. I’d highly recommend parking here as they have security and it’s pay on exit using a credit card or cash in the machine.

We had reservations at the La Fortuna Waterfall for 9 am, saving us waiting in line to buy tickets. We even had a sloth sighting from the parking lot before we went in! When the weather is dry, you can swim in the natural pool by the waterfall. The day we went, it was closed to swimmers as there had been so much rain. The waterfall was so full it would have been dangerous. The official information is that it’s 500 steps down, which takes 15 minutes and 30 minutes to come back up. We got down and up in less than half of that. The waterfall is truly spectacular and was one of our favorite experiences.

We stopped for coffee at Vita Cafe just by the entrance before we left. Great coffees and selection of milks to suit all our tastes.

We went back to La Fortuna for lunch at the Organico, an organic cafe/restaurant that has a varied menu. I am still thinking of the passion fruit dressing on my salad! The passion fruit smoothie was incredible!

In the afternoon, we booked the Chocolate Tour at Eden Organic Farm (where we stayed). Our guide showed us around the cocoa farm. We saw cacao pods at all stages of development on the trees. We then participated in making an authentic chocolate drink and making our own chocolates with a selection of toppings. My favorite topping combination was coconut and cinnamon.

We were planning to visit the viewpoint of the Arenal volcano on our way to our next hotel, but it was raining and the volcano was covered. If the weather is clear, I highly recommend stopping here to explore the lava fields and capture stunning photos of the volcano and its majestic peak.

We stayed overnight at La Mansion Inn in the Queen Villa, aka honeymoon suite with incredible lake views. It was very spacious for four people with two bedrooms (it had capacity for five people. We went for a drink at the bar just next door. We enjoyed margaritas while watching hummingbirds drink nectar and brightly colored tropical birds fly in the treetops. After dinner in the hotel restaurant, where all the staff were extremely friendly, we decided to have an early night.

This was our travel day to get to the Guancanaste coast. After a typical Costa Rican breakfast, we headed out on the winding lake roads bound for the Pacific beaches. As we drove away from the rainforest, we saw monkeys on the side of the road, parrots flying overhead and fabulous lake views. We stopped to enjoy the expansive lake views with a fresh fruit smoothie at Cafe Macadamia.