Arenal in Five Days
One basecamp. Five days of the Costa Rica most people drive right past.
The journey
Most travellers give Arenal a day and tick the volcano off a list. This is the other version: five unhurried days, airport to airport, from a single basecamp in La Fortuna. We meet you the moment you land — San José or Liberia, whichever suits your flights — and don't leave your side until you fly home, so all you do is show up. In between: a lost-world canyon, whitewater, the turquoise river before the crowds, the canopy, and water you have to yourself.
The ground you'll cover
One basecamp, and the days that radiate out.
The dotted spokes are the days you head out from the basecamp. Open any stop below to see it in full.
The journey, day by day
Five days, handled.
- Day 01
We meet you at the airport
Your guide is waiting as you land — San José or Liberia, whichever suits your flights. From there it's a scenic drive into the Arenal valley, the volcano rising in the windshield. Settle into your stay, ease into the hot springs as the light goes, and gather for the welcome dinner — an evening at a local chef's table, a handful of courses made in front of you. The trip starts the moment you land.
- Day 02
Jurassic Canyon
Into the canyon the buses skip — ferns, jade water, hidden cascades past the spot everyone knows. Semi-private, unhurried. Back by afternoon for the hot springs — then, after dark, a guided walk into the forest as it wakes: a red-eyed frog, an eyelash viper, eyes flashing in the canopy.
- Day 03
Whitewater
A morning on the river — private rafting through the jungle on the Balsa, the good kind of adrenaline. The afternoon is yours: back to the hot springs, or a quiet finca and a good coffee.
- Day 04
Río Celeste, the local way
Out early to the impossible turquoise before the buses arrive, then the swim only locals know — off the map, no one else in the water. The day everyone photographs, done the way almost no one gets to.
- Day 05
The canopy, then home
A last morning in the treetops — the ziplines, the forest falling away beneath you — before the drive back to the airport, in time to fly home.
Prefer a quiet send-off? Swap the canopy for a dawn with the birds. The Patient Hour
Yours to shape. Every day is yours to swap or slow down. Tell us what you have in mind, and we'll build it around you.
What’s included
- Airport transfers, both ways
- Four nights' lodging in La Fortuna, in your chosen style
- Every experience above — private guide and transport throughout
- Hot springs
- Rafting and ziplining
- Daily breakfast and a welcome dinner
- All park fees
Not included
- International flights
- Some lunches and dinners
- Gratuities
- Travel insurance
The essentials
What you can count on, before a word is exchanged.
Airport to airport
Five days, four nights. Fly into San José or Liberia, whichever suits you; we meet you there and return you there. You never touch a logistic.
Private
The journey is yours and your party's alone.
Where you stay
Entirely your choice, from relaxed and characterful to the most exclusive address in La Fortuna. We build the journey around the comfort you want.
Pricing
Each journey is composed individually — priced on enquiry, never from a fixed list. Tell us who's travelling and how you like to stay, and we prepare a proposal made for you.
Season
At its best in the drier months (December–April); runs year-round.
Plan this journey
Tell us who’s travelling and how you like to stay. We build the rest.
Priced on enquiry — composed for your party, never from a fixed list. We reply personally, usually within a day.