Lake Arenal Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Lake Arenal. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Full Day Tour With Hanging Bridges, Waterfall and Volcano Hike

• Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs Day Trip From Guanacaste

• Morning Arenal Volcano Hike & Mistico Hanging Bridges Combo

• Lake Arenal Private Paddle Board Experience

• Moonshine Sunset Cruise on Lake Arenal

It costs nothing to visit Lake Arenal and admire its views, but attractions by the lake, including Arenal Volcano National Park, do charge entrance fees. Sightseeing tours can be a convenient way to see this part of Costa Rica, with kayaking and boat cruises on the lake starting from roughly US$70, and bike tours running closer to US$90.

Yes, Lake Arenal is well worth visiting in Costa Rica, as it's at the center of one of the country's most popular regions. Around the lake, you'll find plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities, as well as attractions such as Arenal Volcano and the Mistico Hanging Bridges. But it also provides a great setting for scenic outdoor activities such as kayaking and paddleboarding.

Per one customer who booked the Moonshine Sunset Cruise on Lake Arenal, "Beautiful ride on the lake at sunset. Very calm and slow. Our guide, Juan Carlos, was so knowledgeable about everything—history, zoology, botany, etc. On the way there in the van, he was able to spot and stop for many animals. He had great binoculars on a tripod to view through and took amazing photos for us all evening. We stopped to see sloths, toucans, snakes, monkeys, and other birds. Just amazing."

No, you don’t need to go on a tour to visit Lake Arenal and the surrounding national park, the Arenal Volcano National Park. It’s possible to visit independently, and many people do. Guided tours are best for wildlife spotting or visiting places where it would be easy to get lost independently, such as hiking in the national park.

Some private boat transfers make crossing Lake Arenal possible rather than going around by road. Taking a combination of shuttle buses and ferries is a popular way of traveling between La Fortuna, on the northern side of the lake, and Monteverde, on the southern side, as it cuts about two hours of road travel off the journey.

No, swimming in Lake Arenal is not advisable. While the water is clear and calm and watersports like kayaking and windsurfing are popular, there are crocodiles in the lake. While crocodiles aren’t known to have attacked anyone in Lake Arenal, humans have been attacked and even killed elsewhere in Costa Rica, so it’s wise to be cautious.

The ideal amount of time to spend in the Arenal area is three days. Visitors usually spend time in the Arenal Volcano National Park near Lake Arenal, west of the park. In three days, you can hike on the volcano, visit hot springs and waterfalls, kayak on Lake Arenal, and admire the volcano views from the lake.

Yes, there are crocodiles in Lake Arenal, as there are in many places throughout Costa Rica. Lake Arenal was created in the 1970s as a source of hydroelectricity for Costa Rica, so the crocodiles may have either been accidentally (or even deliberately) released here or arrived through irrigation canals.

There are tons of fun things to do when you're done visiting Lake Arenal. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Costa Rica:

• La Fortuna Waterfall

• Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park

• Arenal Volcano National Park

• Manuel Antonio National Park

• Rosario Islands

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Costa Rica.