Planning La Fortuna With Children

October 31, 2026

A family trip to La Fortuna works best when safety rules come first and the fun is chosen around them. This page starts with what to avoid, then lists the places that suit children. Prices are in US dollars and rounded.

Safety rules for the whole family

Swim only where the water is calm and shallow. At La Fortuna Waterfall that means the pool at the base, never beneath the plunge and never from the rocks.
Keep children out of rivers after rain, because levels rise quickly.
Skip the free hot river below Tabacon and the El Salto rope swing. Neither has a lifeguard, and the rocks are slick.
Teach children to look at wildlife but never to hold, touch or feed it.
Keep valuables with you, since thieves break into parked cars.

Water and warmth

Baldi Hot Springs combines 25 pools with waterslides, and it opens daily from 9am to 10pm. Nobody needs a reservation. Children under 5 enter free. Between 5 and 10 years the ticket is $38, or $56 when a meal is added, and anyone 11 or older pays the adult fare of $51. Prices include IVA. A $10 cash deposit covers a towel, and lockers rent for about $7.

At EcoTermales the child rate for ages 5 to 11 is about $30, rising to about $46 with lunch or dinner. Kalambu is the thermal water park built with families in mind, and kalambu.com has its present opening hours and prices.

Animals and forest

The Bogarin Trail is a 2.5 km walk at the edge of town, open from 6am to 8pm. A guide costs about $45 per person, against $20 without one. The guide’s role is to find frogs, birds and perhaps a sloth. Night walks are $60 and demand quiet and a torch with no flash.

Mistico Arenal threads 16 bridges along a 3.2 km route, six of them suspended up to 45 m high. Entry begins at $32 plus tax. Everyone needs shoes with covered toes and a firm sole.

At Arenal Observatory Lodge you can use 800 m of wheelchair-friendly trail and climb The Nest, a viewing tower about 28 m high. Entry costs around $20 to $22.

When children are old enough for more

Pure Trek takes canyoning guests from age 5. Its regular trip costs about $103 and includes four rappels. Parents know best whether their child copes with heights and cool water.

A note on the waterfall steps

Reaching La Fortuna Waterfall means about 500 steps down, and the same up again. Children under 8 or 9 are admitted free, and adults pay about $20. Plan rests and carry water.

Planning tips

Pack sun cream, a rain layer and spare dry clothes.
Reserve popular slots in school holiday weeks.
Check minimum ages before you pay.

Official pages: Baldi day pass and Mistico Park .

Family tours: GetYourGuide .