Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
La Fortuna
Pop 10,000
First impressions of La Fortuna may be somewhat lacking, what with all the tourists and
uninspired cinder-block architecture. But, with time, this town's charms are revealed.
Horses graze in unimproved lots, spiny iguanas scramble through brush, sloth eyes peer
from the riverside canopy and eternal spring mornings carry just a kiss of humidity on
their breath. And always, there's that massive volcano lurking behind the clouds or spark-
ling in the sun.
For most of its history La Fortuna has been a sleepy agricultural town, 6km from the
base of
Cerro Arenal
(Arenal Hill). On the morning of July 29, 1968, Arenal erupted viol-
ently after nearly 400 years of dormancy, and buried the small villages of Pueblo Nuevo,
San Luís and Tabacón. Soon, like moths to a flame, tourists from around the world started
descending on La Fortuna in search of fiery night skies and the inevitable blurry photo of
creeping lava. Since then, La Fortuna has served as the principal gateway for visiting Vol-
cán Arenal. It's still one of the top destinations for travelers in Costa Rica, even though the
great mountain stopped spewing its molten discharge in 2010.
Certainly, the influx of tourism has altered the face, fame and fortunes of this former
one-horse town. But the longer you linger, the more you'll appreciate La Fortuna's underly-
ing, small-town
sabanero
(cowboy) feel.
Sights
Ecocentro Danaus
BUTTERFLY FARM
US$16/11, guided night tours US$35; 8am-4pm Mon-Sat, 9am-3:30pm Sun, night tour 5:30pm)
This reader-recommended center, 2km east of town, has a well-developed trail system
that's good for birding, as well as spotting mammals such as sloths, coatis and howler
monkeys. The price of admission includes a visit to a butterfly garden, a ranarium featur-
ing poison-dart frogs and a small lake containing caimans and turtles. Reserve in advance
for the excellent night tour.
