We had a nice and a bit lonely (if yo go early in the morning, you can avoid crowds) hike trough Arenal volcano national park. We took the public bus from Fortuna and hiked to park to hike in park.. 😁 all in all-managable. Our slow hiking took us about 2,5-3h, i don't think it's a whole day activity even with kids.. I do recommend to wear proper shoes and to take some snacks and water with you. And a rain jacket to, as weather is changing. After hike you can check out /hitchhike to free hot water springs or opt out for some of the beautiful but pricey hot spring resorts.

A stunning place to visit, even on a cloudy day. The views are amazing and the surrounding forest and lava rock trail make a good hiking trail. The climb can be a little step in places but it's well marked and overall easy to get round.

It is a nice enough park walk. Not at all challenging. I don’t see the need for a guide. Read up on the Volcano before you go and perhaps about the flora and fauna. We saw no wildlife though did hear some interesting bird calls. Vista was nice but not spectacular. You actually cannot get close to the Volcano as you are simply at its base and not very high up. It must be said though- for $15USD per person one would expect working toilets and some running water. One woman said the toilets were the worst she had encountered and I wouldn’t use them. The men’s apparently were no better. When I tried to tell a worker they were all clogged she did not respond. Definitely a blight on the park.

Good views. Nice walking trails. Little parts were challenging, where you had to climb the lava rocks, but otherwise easy. We saw some birds and heard lots of sounds.

If you are just looking for a easy stroll through the woods, then this place will not disappoint you. But if you are looking for a real hike, I would skip this place. Not worth the money. At the point of old lava flow there were good views of both volcano and lake Arenal. Otherwise nothing much to see here.