Hot Springs And Volcanoes Await On One Of Costa Rica's Best Scenic Drives

Getting to know Costa Rica by car is perhaps the best way to experience one of the most beautiful natural landscapes on the planet. Marked by mountains, forests, and volcanoes, Costa Rica is also home to an incredibly diverse amount of wildlife and flora, making it a prime location for birdwatching, hiking, and exploring.

Navigating Costa Rica can be difficult, and tours can be extremely expensive, so renting a car and making your own itinerary is the ideal way to make the most of your time there. Having the freedom to explore the country's rich, lush nature and navigate without the limitations of a guided tour is extremely freeing and an experience that will take you off the beaten track to places unknown. One of the best trips for outdoor adventures is the 81-mile road from San José to La Fortuna, an almost four-hour journey that will take you past volcanoes and natural hot springs. You'll soon discover that you don't have to venture far from the city to be thrust into the epicenter of Costa Rica's incredible nature.

Beginning in San José, this road trip takes around three to four hours to complete without stops, but make sure to allow ample time in each place to really take advantage of the uniqueness of these ecological sites. The traffic in San José can sometimes be quite heavy, but once you've navigated out of it and onto Route 1 on the Pan-American Highway, the drive is pretty simple. On the way to La Fortuna, you'll drive down curved roads, past small towns, and through endless resplendent forests.

Once at La Fortuna, you'll be within close driving distance of Arenal Volcano National Park, home to the Arenal Volcano as well as 53% of Costa Rica's bird species. You may be lucky enough to catch sight of the native aracari, a colorful bird from the toucan family. Beyond birds, Arenal Volcano National Park is home to over 131 types of mammals, 135 species of reptiles, and even jaguars.

The Arenal Volcano is the centerpiece of this incredible park. It majestically erupts (not literally!) from the dense, abundant forest. As one of Costa Rica's most famous landmarks, the volcano and its surrounding jungle are must-see spots. If you decide to stay in the area longer, you can also visit the lesser-known Chato volcano crater, which has over time become a gorgeous green lagoon. The area is a hiker's paradise that leads you over ancient lava fields, an intricate network of bridges, and the canopy of the jungle. Note that some of the park's more complex trails can only be traversed via horseback.

Within the national park's grounds, you'll also discover the oasis that is Lake Arenal and its wealth of natural hot springs. This incredible natural wonder dates back some 2-3 million years when tectonic shifts in the Arenal Valley began to form a lagoon. Due to its size and beauty, Lake Arenal has now become one of the top three destinations for windsurfing in the world. It is also a great spot for kayaking and fishing. The surrounding natural hot springs are something to write home about, with Tabacon Hot Springs and Baldi Hot Springs being some of the most popular and most beautiful in the area. If you're staying in one of the resorts on park grounds, you'll have almost exclusive access to at least one of the hot springs. 

There are plenty of car rental companies in the capital, including trustworthy names such as Europcar and Sixt, so you should have no problems finding a car to rent. Note that the road from San José tends to be quieter in the mornings, and La Fortuna can become busier on the weekends, with locals flocking to the hot springs. It may be a better choice to visit during the week if you'd like a quieter, more relaxed trip. A truly memorable, once-in-a-lifetime road trip through Costa Rica's spectacular landscape should be on everyone's travel bucket list.