Costa Rica → National Parks → Arenal

Arenal National Park

If you are looking at a map Arenal is located on our central northern plains. This land-locked national park is also the home of our largest artificial lake which lies to the West of the peak. The majestic Lake Arenal was enlarged to 3 times its original size to form a 33 sq ml basin that feeds the hydroelectric dam that produces 70% of the republic’s electricity. The lake is very popular among fishermen because its waters are loaded with rainbow bass, a freshwater fish with subtle color graduations on its scales it is fished in a similar fashion to the Rainbow Trout. This fish, locally known as guapote (handsome one) is not only pretty, but very tasty as well. The lake also enjoys a world class reputation with windsurfers and sailboarders because of its year-round strong and steady winds. Bracketing the volcanic peak on the other side is yet another water source: in addition to the lake, the national park is surrounded by numerous hot springs heated by the peak. You can tour these pleasant byproducts of volcanic activity, the picture perfect crater and lush jungles: contact our expert travel agents for information on visiting this beautiful park.

The great diversity of flora and fauna found throughout the country is one of the reasons why national parks in Costa Rica cover such a great area: many species are unique to one single area so they can’t be found anywhere else. Arenal is only one of the parks that comprise the national park system which strives to protect more than 221 mammal species, 150 amphibians, 215 reptiles, 830 bird species, 366000 species of arthropods and 1080 species of fresh and saltwater fish. Hand in hand with animal protection goes the conservation of vegetation as part of the habitat conservation. The park system protects almost all existing vegetation macro types like forested savannah, scrub, páramos, flooded forest, deciduous woodland, evergreen forests, umbrophilic forest, mangroves, swamps, herbaceous swamps, cloud forests and the marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, marshes and sandy beaches. Among the approximately 10,000 species of identified vascular plants that are protected, roughly 1600 are orchids: about 4% of the world’s species. Come view some of these wonders in Arenal National Park.

We provide several options of tours for protected areas. You can whiz through the canopy tour zip lines in the Cloud Forest when you visit Monteverde then hike old lava trails in Arenal National Park, wrapping up your trip by snorkeling among the coral reefs in Cahuita. Or go directly to the Osa Peninsula and visit Corcovado National Park, then head north to the Ballena Marine Park and dive in the Isla del Caño biological reserve, finishing off the adventure by going north to manuel antonio national park and exploring this coastal wonder in the company of a bilingual guide. Making tours of national parks is one of the ways to support the efforts in conservation, and we can help you make it possible by arranging transportation and accommodation as well as the aforementioned tours. It has been proven that building conservation awareness is vital and essential to the maintenance of biodiversity, and that by spreading the information about the animals, plants and habitats of Arenal National Park's specific areas, you are also spreading the net of protection and increasing the chances that these areas will still be here for your children and grandchildren to enjoy.