Arenal Hanging Bridges: Visiting One of La Fortuna’s Top Sights

A Bridge Cutting Through The Misty Canopy At Arenal Hanging Bridges

Arenal Hanging Bridges is one of the top attractions for visitors to La Fortuna, Costa Rica. It’s a sprawling rainforest contained within Mistico Park where you cross over six suspension bridges hanging high above the ground as you traverse the park’s main trail. Of course, because it wouldn’t be Costa Rica without the country’s popular wildlife, you also have the chance to see all sorts of unique animals, too.

But is Arenal Hanging Bridges worth your time when La Fortuna has so much else to offer or is it just a gimmick? What can you really expect with a visit here? In this post, I’ll answer those questions and more to help you plan your trip to La Fortuna!

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Table of Contents

Arenal Hanging Bridges Summary

Hours:	Mistico Park offers day and night tours* Self-guided tours are from 6:00 – 3:50
Length of Visit:	Guided tours are 2.5 hours
Cost:	Tours range from $32 to $54
Highlights:	Evocative views of bridges spanning the rainforest, A chance to see Costa Rican wildlife

*While researching La Fortuna, you may see Arenal Hanging Bridges referred to as Mistico Park or even Mistico Hanging Bridges. While confusing, all three names refer to the same place.

One Of The Bridges Spanning A Gap Between Trees At Arenal Hanging Bridges — The views from the six different bridges are worth the price of admission almost by themselves.

What to Expect During Your Visit to Arenal Hanging Bridges

The following describes a guided tour of Arenal Hanging Bridges. If you’re doing a self-guided tour, the trail is relatively straightforward, so you’ll see many of the same things. However, you’ll miss out on the local knowledge guides have and may miss opportunities to see some of the wildlife.

Checking In

Upon your arrival at Arenal Hanging Bridges, the first thing you’ll see is the large main office with people starting to mill about. After parking, head to the office windows to either purchase your ticket to the park or redeem your reservation. If you’re doing a guided tour, they’ll give you a slip with your guide’s name on it. You will then wait for your guide, who will introduce themselves and start your tour.

The check-in process was a bit chaotic just because of all the people standing around, but it went pretty smoothly. This time is also a good opportunity to use the restroom or buy water if you need it since you won’t be able to again for about 2.5 hours.

Once you’ve met up with your guide, your tour of Arenal Hanging Bridges begins. It doesn’t take long till you’re in the rainforest crossing the park’s namesake bridges, searching for wildlife, and taking in the views.

Walking Through Mistico Park

Tours follow a general route but aren’t set in stone. Because of the unpredictability of the wildlife at Arenal Hanging Bridges, your guide may linger in certain spots and even circle back to areas you’ve already been if they get an alert on their walkie-talkie about animals making sudden appearances. The number of people actively visiting may also impact the route you take. Our guide decided to go in the opposite direction from what he normally does to avoid several other large groups starting their tour at the same time as us.

Because of that, I’m not going to give a step-by-step guide to the tour. Rather, here are some of the highlights you can expect:

The different bridges are all fun to cross over and offer great photo ops. Be prepared if you have a fear of heights: The bridges can sway back and forth quite a bit as you and your group walk across.

My Wife Walking Across One Of The Bridges At Arenal Hanging Bridges — If Michelle can do it while hauling a baby in a carrier, you can, too!

The Region Around Arenal Hanging Bridges — It was a rainy and overcast day, so our views weren’t great for pictures. It was still impressive in person.

While we didn’t get to see any big-ticket animals like monkeys or sloths, we did still see several different species of wildlife, including an eyelash viper, a tarantula and a beautiful hummingbird. Guides can’t predict what you’ll see, but the uncertainty is kind of exciting, which makes seeing anything feel like a big treat.

A Small, Emerald Blue And Green Hummingbird At Arenal Hanging Bridges — It’s not a monkey or a sloth, but this little hummingbird was so stunning with its vibrant coloring. If it weren’t for our guide (and the other groups standing around looking), I would have thought it was just a flower because it was so tiny.

Just being in the tropical rainforest is a great experience. Unless you live in a tropical climate, everything here feels unique, from the trees and exotic flowers to every bird flittering among the foliage. Take your time to take it all in.

A Tree With Spread Out Branches In Arenal Hanging Bridges — These trees were my favorite thing in Arenal Hanging Bridges. They’re all over the place and look like paintings in the sky.

Pink Flowers Hanging Down From A Tree At Arenal Hanging Bridges — These are just one of many examples of some of the exotic flowers you’ll see at Arenal Hanging Bridges

Our guide, Anderson, was excellent. He was easy to talk to and provided plenty of interesting information on the La Fortuna region. All the guides carry scopes for observation. They’ll also take high-quality photos with them that they’ll share with you at the end of the tour. Guides alert each other via walkie-talkie of any animal sightings going on in the park, too.

Arenal Hanging Bridges Tickets

Arenal Hanging Bridges offers six different tours, as well as several tour options for things to do throughout the region. This post only concerns those tours at the park itself. Check out their website for more information on other tours they provide.

The most basic option is the Self-guided Hanging Bridges Tour for $32. With this tour, you can still access the full, 2-mile loop trail and all six of the hanging bridges at your own pace. However, I wouldn’t recommend a self-guided trail unless you’ve been here before and have a keen eye for spotting wildlife.

Arenal Hanging Bridges’ most popular tour is the Hanging Bridges Guided Tour. For just $12 more than the self-guided option, you get an experienced tour guide who can provide interesting info on the park and the surrounding area while helping you find animals throughout the park. Guides carry high-definition scopes to zoom in on wildlife for observation and photos. At the end of the tour, they’ll share any photos they took with their group.

Visitors have three other guided tours to choose from: the Arenal Bird Watching Tour, the Night Walk Among the Treetops, and the Twilight Walk in La Fortuna. Each tour costs $54 and comes with its own pros and cons.

For example, the birdwatching tour starts early at 6:00 a.m. to catch birds as they start their day, but the downside is the fact that the tour starts at 6:00 a.m. Each of the nighttime tours gives you the chance to see nocturnal animals, but you may miss out on animals that are on the move during daylight hours. The twilight walk is a bit earlier, starting around sunset, but you’ll still likely miss out on certain animals you’d see during the day.

Getting to Arenal Hanging Bridges

Getting to Arenal Hanging Bridges is pretty easy. If you’re driving from La Fortuna, you’ll head west out of town on Route 142 towards Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal for about 25 minutes.

Just a bit past the entrance to Arenal Volcano National Park, you’ll go along a dam with the lake to your left. Near the end of this stretch of road is a turn-off to the right. Take this turn and follow the windy road uphill till you arrive at the parking lot for Arenal Hanging Bridges.

If you’re coming from Nuevo Arenal, the other major tourist town in the area, you would take Route 142 towards La Fortuna and turn left right before crossing the dam on Lake Arenal.

Mistico Park offers transportation for those guests without a rental car. You can arrange transportation with them by contacting their office directly ahead of your visit. There are public buses from La Fortuna, but none of them go directly to the park’s entrance.

Is Arenal Hanging Bridges Worth Your Time?

I think so. A visit to Arenal Hanging Bridges gives you a wonderful chance to explore the Costa Rican rainforest without having to go too far off the beaten path around La Fortuna. The bridges were fun to cross and offered great views of the forest and surrounding area. And while we didn’t get to see much in the way of wildlife, what we did see was interesting. All the lush vegetation was equally impressive.

I definitely recommend visiting Arenal Hanging Bridge on a first-time trip to the area. I’m not sure I’d return on a second visit, but that’s due to how much variety La Fortuna offers visitors. If I were to go back, it would be to try one of the nighttime tours.

Looking Across A Suspension Bridge At Arenal Hanging Bridges — Who’s ready to visit Arenal Hanging Bridges now?

Where to Stay Near Arenal Hanging Bridges

People hoping to visit Arenal Hanging Bridges have plenty of options when it comes to choosing where to stay. La Fortuna, one of the larger towns in the area, is just 20 minutes away and has plenty of hotels and hostels.

We stayed at Hotel El Silencio del Campo during our time in La Fortuna. Hotel El Silencio del Campo is a boutique, family-owned hotel just outside La Fortuna along Route 142.

I can’t recommend this place enough. Of the three places we stayed during our time in Costa Rica, Hotel El Silencio del Campo was hands down my favorite, despite also having a great time at the other two accommodations.

The rooms are cozy and each bungalow comes with a spectacular view of Arenal Volcano, the grounds are lined with pretty vegetation that attracts birds throughout the day, the food was all very tasty, and it has a a relaxing hot spring right on the property. It’s expensive, but it’s the perfect place to relax after a day sightseeing around La Fortuna.

Arenal Volcano From Hotel El Silencio Del Campo — Who wouldn’t want to stay at Hotel El Silencio del Campo with this view?

Frequently Asked Questions About Arenal Hanging Bridges

Is a guided tour worth the extra money?

Absolutely. Guides carry high-resolution scopes and cameras to help spot wildlife during tours. Guides can even share any photos they take with you at the end of your tour. You’ll also get interesting stories about the park and area from guides.

Without our guide, it would have mostly just been a walk through the rainforest. It still would have been interesting, but we would have missed out on a lot. If we ever go back, I’d still get a guide again just to have someone point out wildlife and unique plants.

A Tiny Curled Up Yellow Snake On A Leaf At Arenal Hanging Bridges — This blurry photo is the best I could get of this snake. The photo shared to us by our guide is so, so much better. We also have great close-ups of a tarantula and bees leaving their hive.

What should I wear when visiting Arenal Hanging Bridges?

The two most important things are comfortable shoes and a rain jacket. You’ll be hiking for 2.5 hours, and even though most of the hike is on paved paths (of varying quality), comfy sneakers are a must.

You’re also hiking through the rainforest, emphasis on the rain. Even during the dry season, it’s still common to experience rain during your time at Arenal Hanging Bridges. So, bring a rain jacket and, if you wear glasses like me, possibly a hat.

Beyond those two things, athletic wear that dries quickly if it gets wet is recommended. You shouldn’t need anything for cold weather, but be prepared with a jacket or hoodie in case you’re visiting in the morning or night when temperatures can be a bit cooler. You may also want to consider bringing a pair of binoculars so you don’t have to wait to use the guide’s scope while its being used by others in your group.

When is the best time to visit Arenal Hanging Bridges?

The best time of day to visit is early in the morning. You’ll have the best opportunity to see wildlife during the early morning hours. The park is also likely to be less crowded during this time.

As far as the time of year, that’s up to your preferences. If you want less rain and you’re okay with bigger crowds, visit between December and April. If you prefer smaller crowds at the expense of rainier weather, visit from May to November.

Do I need to buy tickets ahead of time?

No, but it is encouraged to do so, especially if you want a guided tour. It’s possible for guided tours to sell out during Costa Rica’s high season from December to April.

Is Arenal Hanging Bridges child-friendly?

Tours are possibly a little long for some children, but Arenal Hanging Bridges has enough to see to keep them entertained. This is especially true if you’re fortunate enough to see lots of wildlife.

If you’re coming with infants, bring a carrier rather than a stroller. Paths are mostly paved, but they’re bumpy and can be a bit steep in places. It’s much easier to just use a carrier during your tour.

Walking Along The Trail At Arenal Hanging Bridges — These trails aren’t very conducive to strollers. The bridges are particularly precarious for strollers.

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