Mistico Hanging Bridges Tour + Ecotermales Hot Springs with Lunch
This tour starts with a guided tour of Mistico Hanging Bridges and ends with a soak in the hot springs at Ecotermales. It’s a great option if you won’t have a rental car because round-trip transportation is included from your hotel/vacation rental.
Mistico Hanging Bridges Guided Tour
Hanging bridges are a unique way to experience the rainforest canopy. The bridges at Mistico Hanging Bridges near La Fortuna/Arenal are some of the best in Costa Rica.
This guided tour will take you on a 2 mile (3.2 km) concrete path with 16 hanging bridges. It’s fairly easy, more of a walk than a hike, but is a nice trek through the jungle. The bridges are very safe/sturdy and not very shaky.
Along the way, a knowledgeable naturalist guide will point out birds and animals that you might not spot on your own. Animals that may be seen include coatis (racoon-like animals), howler monkeys, white faced capuchin monkeys, peccaries (wild-boar-type animals), lots of birds, snakes, and armadillos.
The guides we use for this tour are from a small, local company in La Fortuna. We have done many tours with them ourselves and their guides are excellent and very knowledgeable.
Ecotermales Hot Springs
After the hike at Mistico, you’ll be brought to Ecotermales for some time to relax in the hot springs.
The hot springs in La Fortuna are one of the most unique experiences in the area. The water is naturally heated by Arenal Volcano.
There are several options for hot springs resorts, but we like Ecotermales. It is smaller than some of the others and less commercial feeling.
Ecotermales has seven large hot springs pools with temperatures ranging from a warm 32°C (90°F) to a steamy 41°C (106°F). They also have two mountain-fed cold water pools for temperature regulating. The pools are nicely spread out and separated by lush tropical gardens. Servers come around taking orders for drinks while you’re relaxing.
Ecotermales limits the number of people to around 100/day so it is less busy.
Lunch or dinner at the hot springs is included. The meal is served buffet style or a la carte with an appetizer, entree, and dessert (depends on the number of people at the facility that day).
Cost of Group Tour (12 people max): $169 per person adults; $82 per person children ages 4-11. Rates plus 13% tax. Free for children under 4.
Offered: 8:00 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.
Duration: 7 hours door to door (approximate)
Includes: Round-trip transportation from your hotel or vacation rental, bilingual naturalist guide, entrance fees, water, fruit snack, lunch, and towels and locker at the hot springs.
Minimum Age: None. If you have a baby, strollers are available to rent at Mistico. The trail is stroller-friendly.
To learn more, read our posts, Mistico Hanging Bridges: A Treetop Rainforest Experience and Ecotermales: A Small, Upscale Resort in La Fortuna.
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