La Fortuna de San Carlos is the name of the main town close to the “must-see” touristic destination of Costa Rica, the Arenal Volcano area. This town was historically populated by farmers and ranchers, but in 1968 when the Arenal Volcano made its big eruption, this region started to be an attractive point of interest for visitors.
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La Fortuna de San Carlos is located in the northwest of the country. Here is a map of it, as well as the places of interest that you can visit from there:
History
The history of this area is very interesting; the Arenal Volcano was active from 1968 until 2010, throwing lava constantly during this entire period, an impressive natural show of fireworks that started attracting visitors from all over the world. The big touristic boom started in the 1980s, that’s when the local population started to realize that tourism could generate a much better income than agriculture or cattle farming, and many of the locals started building lodging options for the rapidly-growing number of tourists. This history of this area says positively that the numbers of tourists kept growing consistently and by the 1990’s La Fortuna de San Carlos had already a very well-built touristic platform, including several restaurants, hotels (big and small), tour operators, tourist shops, etc.
Nature
Nowadays the volcano is not active, but the beauty of this area keeps attracting visitors from all over the world, because of the intense natural beauty of the whole region; its rainforests, rivers, lakes, caves, mountains, the volcano and all of the activities that have been created around this natural beauties, for the tourists to enjoy during their vacation in Costa Rica.
Hotels
The type of hotels offered in this area goes from modest hostels to very luxurious five-star resorts, some of them among the most upscale of the country. Some of these fine accommodations have their own hot springs on-site, where the tourists can enjoy the mineral waters and diverse spa treatments.
Activities
Among the many activities that can be done in La, Fortuna de San Carlos are adventure activities, nature activities, or cultural activities. On the adventure side, there is zip-lining tours (we consider this place as the best in the country for this activity), white water rafting tours, waterfall rappelling tours, horseback riding, kayaking, stand-up paddling or mountain biking tours. On the nature side, there are several options too, like visiting the rainforests of the Arenal Hanging Bridges, the impressive La Fortuna Waterfall, numerous nature walks (daytime and nighttime), among others. On the cultural side, walking around the streets of La Fortuna de San Carlos can be a cultural experience of its own, but there are also tours from Arenal/ La Fortuna town offered to the local farms where the visitors would learn the traditions and the everyday living of the people who live in this area and still work on the fields.
Places of interest
Some important places of interest can be reached from La Fortuna de San Carlos on one day tours; these are some of these places:
The Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge
This one of the best places to observe Rainforest & Wildlife of Costa Rica, a safari boat type of tour can be done here. The Cano Negro Wildlife Tour is recommended for families and nature-animals’ lovers.
Blue River
The famous and amazing Blue River or “Rio Celeste” at the Tenorio Volcano National Park: Beautiful nature hiking can be done here, to admire the local rainforest, the blue waterfall or the “tenideros”, the specific place where a clear watercolor river turns into a blue color river! For those who are interested in moderate-high hiking, the Blue River Tour fits perfectly to your interest.
The Venado Caves
These caves are the best spelunking that can be done in the whole Arenal Volcano area. During the Venado Caves Tour, you will see and learn about underground formations and geology of Costa Rica.
Cerro Chato
This is a dormant volcano right next to the Arenal Volcano National Park, where some of the best nature hiking in Costa Rica can be done. Adventurous people can take advantage of the Cerro Chato Hiking Tour where you have a lot to see and enjoy.
La Fortuna Waterfall
This is one of the most famous and beautiful waterfalls of Costa Rica that can be accessed by foot and where the visitors can even swim, La Fortuna Waterfall Tour is recommended for people in moderate-good physical conditions.
With this endless number of options, we can easily say that La Fortuna de San Carlos could be the perfect place for a Costa Rica Family Vacation; a Perfect Honeymoon; a great Nature Trip; an Adventure; or simply for a Romantic Getaway; either one of these types of trips can be enjoyed here, in one single destination.
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