Arenal 1968 Lava Trails

"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."

Olaf Arlt

"What an amazing hike! We did the red loop and it had beautiful views, well kept trails, and lots of wildlife. The staff was amazing— the woman working at the entrance gate was very friendly and knowledgeable, she gave us a thorough rundown of all the trails with what landscapes and wildlife we could expect to see. To top it all off the trail ends at the cafeteria where we enjoyed a cerveza with beautiful views of the volcano. The entrance fee is a bit pricey ($26) but with our experience I think it is well worth it. It was a great way to start our stay in La Fortuna!"

Jane Snider

"We did the 5km trail which I can definitely recommend. Some parts are more open like the viewpoint, while others are more dense jungle areas. The black lava rocks are beautiful to walk through. Bring good shoes!"

Milan Cools