Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica

Arenal Hanging Bridges Park with the Arenal volcano in the background, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is known for its beautiful rain forests and exotic animal populations. The people of Costa Rica have done an incredible job preserving the natural wonder of their country through public and private means. 

One of the six hanging bridges in the park

You can visit many of these rain forests in Costa Rica, but one of the most visitor-friendly is the Arenal Hanging Bridges.

The moss on this tree makes it look like a painting

I call it visitor-friendly because you don't have to be experienced outback trekker to enjoy it. Everyone from kids to grandparents can hike the trails.

Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, Costa Rica

The trails are well-kept and extremely easy to navigate.

Wild banana plant

Guides are available, but you can also walk the trails yourself.

Looking down to another hanging bridge

We opted for a guide and I'm glad we did. He showed us lots of wildlife we would have never seen had we been on our own, like the poisonous snake hiding in the tree. He was no danger to us as he was quite a ways away, but it was fascinating to see the reptile in the wild.

Hard to spot, but right there in the middle of the picture is a curled up snake

I was also mesmerized by the cut leaf ants. You can't really see them in the picture because the leaves they are carrying dwarf them, but I stood there for at least fifteen minutes watching hundreds of ants take their massive burden from the tree back to their home.

Cut Leaf Ants hard at work

The real attraction of the park is, of course, the bridges.

Arenal Hanging Bridges Park

There are 15 bridges throughout the 600+ acre park and six of them are hanging bridges. They are all sturdy, but some sway more than others. Also, some of the hanging bridges span deep gorges, embrace that tingling up your spine as you look down!

The Arenal Volcano is visible from the Arenal Hanging Bridges Park

If you go: The Arenal Hanging Bridges Park is two hours from Juan Santamaria International Airport and three hours from Daniel Oduber International Airport. You'll need a car or hired transport to get there. Lots of tours are available, book online. While the Arenal Hanging Bridges Park is a relatively easy 2 Amile walk, some of the trails are uneven and some climbing is necessary.

Arenal Hanging Bridges Park

There are loads of other tours in the area including volcano tours, horseback tours and zipline tours.
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