Arenal Volcano View and Lava Trails

I’m a destination wedding photographer in Costa Rica, and Arenal 1968 is a truly special place in La Fortuna for engagement sessions, elopements, and weddings. When the weather is clear, the views of the Arenal Volcano from different areas of the property are absolutely stunning. And even on cloudy days, the magic remains — the atmosphere becomes more moody and dramatic, creating a beautiful setting full of emotion. From certain spots, you can also enjoy views of Lake Arenal and the surrounding mountains, adding even more depth to the scenery. The property is extremely photogenic, with charming natural spaces that work perfectly for photos even when the volcano isn’t fully visible. Every corner has its own character and visual appeal. If you’re dreaming of a photo session in a natural setting filled with beauty and atmosphere, this place should definitely be on your list. Pura vida, Joice Dahianna

We walked the old trail 1968 (yellow). You should be pretty agile to complete this trail. I saw children doing it, however, some parts are steep or a little hard on the quads. The red path of the trail is an extension that goes around the lake. There was a mix of sun and rain so always good to bring a rain jacket. You will most certainly see the leave cutter ants and other creatures. The view of the volcano is breathtaking. Enjoy! I believe we paid 26$ US each person. They sold bottles of water at reception for 2 and 4$.

The Trail was nice, a little and easy hike through the rainforest. Don't park right at the entrance, but drive up the 600m to the first large parking area. Start your hike there. After the round-trip, you can drive all the way to the very top. We saw some nice wildlife on the hike. View on the mountain was mediocre, nothing special. From la Fortuna you have a better view, the lavatrails are already covered in rainforest so.. nothing too fancy to see.

This trail is absolutely stunning. Just walking around and enjoying the pure forest nature is a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, there were a lot of clouds, so we only caught a brief glimpse of the volcano. At the end of the trail, there’s a small restaurant with absolutely great food—you must try some of their treats.

This was the one hike I wanted to try in the area and we were not disappointed. We did the longest trail and it was truly beautiful. We stopped at the end for a refreshing drink and talked about how great the day was. We also tried the new naatural waterfall springs they opened up down the road and it was a hidden gem. It is not heated but way worth it after a day of hiking.

If you're like me you'll probably want to know as much as possible beforehand to be best prepared for the experience. So I'll try to give you a few details, which hopefully help a bit. First of all the entrance area offers plenty of parking space. We arrived there mid of August 2025 at around 8:30 and were the 2nd car at the parking lot plus one guided tour entering the trail ahead of us, which we overtook pretty quickly. The good thing about the round-trip trails is that you don't have to make a decision in advance. All three trails (red, yellow and green) start at the same point and then divide some time later. So you can make the decision at each bifurcation depending on how you feel at that point of your hike. The green trail is more like a stroll and avoiding any of the lore difficult lava area. Which also means you're missing the vista platform, which the red and the yellow trail offer. We originally planned to do the Red trail, but after going up and down through a lot of lava, my 19 y/o daughter and I decided at the fork between the red and yellow trail to take the yellow trail instead. The best parts were already behind us (going through the lava and the jungle) and we also had had our share of steep steps and loose rocks. We weren't sure if the yellow trail was really the easier way (surely it's the shorter way with only 3 km vs. 5 km for the Red trail), because right at the fork the yellow trail continues to go down steeply. But that fortunately ended pretty quickly and the rest of the yellow trail was quite pleasant. I can't say what you're getting to see extra taking the red way, but it looked to us like more of the same and definitely some additional up and down. Since we had covered a lot of jungle already during our days in Monteverde, I don't think we missed something that we hadn't seen before. I will add a map of the park for your convenience and also a few photos of the trail itself showing the worst parts you'll encounter so that you can make a good decision. We covered the yellow trail in roughly 1 hour. We were slowed down by the many steps up and especially the steps down, since you have to watch your step to not end up putting your foot on loose rocks and pumice stone. We also took plenty of photos. All in all it's a great walk, but even in the morning with only 25 degrees Celsius you'll be sweating profoundly due to the height differences you need to cover. I'll give the yellow trail a medium difficulty rating. It's not an easy stroll and you have to watch your steps, but it is doable if this is not your first 5 km walk. Bring solid footwear and don't even think of bringing a stroller. You will definitely regret it unless you choose the green trail. Even without a guide, we got to see a single (male) coati right at the beginning of the trail, plenty of different birds, a big frog, a few butterflies, a small dragon fly, plenty of ants and lots of lava rocks and jungle. We've had enough guided tours in Monteverde, so we didn't want to spend too much time listening to detailed explanations here again. But if this is your first tour in the jungle, you might want to consider taking a guide to get to see more of the animal life, which you'll otherwise most likely miss.

Very lovely hike, not demanding for an able bodied, moderately fit person. Despite a cloudy day with a couple fits of rain, we enjoyed the trails immensely. The Lava Flows are nothing much to look at but the forest and the views were pleasant. The whole experience cost us (me and my partner) 52$ (26$ pp) which is a bit on the pricey side.

You get a good view of the volcano, but it's not worth the admission cost. We spent $52 for the 2 of us, saw the volcano before our hike started, and then did the longest hike. The hike had one view point near the beginning, where we could have cut our hike shorter and taken the quicker path back to the base. The hike was difficult to do in parts, due to the rocks and elevation. At the end, you have a view point that is nice, but similar to what you would see at the beginning.