Hello Mary!

One quick question… when you mention “hike over to the Mistico hanging bridges”, do you mean that literally (i.e., you want to travel between the waterfall and the hanging bridges on foot)? Or do you just mean that you’ll drive yourselves from the waterfall to the hanging bridges and then hike the hanging bridges? If it’s the former, unfortunately Catarata Rio Fortuna and the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park sit too far from one another to reach via walking. If it’s the latter, your plan is doable if you keep to a very strict schedule.

If you’re able to drive yourselves between attractions, you can plan to participate in Arenal Mundo Aventura’s 8:00am canopy zip-lining tour, which should wrap up around 11:30am. From there, you’ll need to drive up the road to Catarata Rio Fortuna (this drive takes a little under 10 minutes) and hike the waterfall as quickly as you can. Since the last permitted entry at the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park is 2:00pm, and the drive between Catarata Rio Fortuna and the Mistico Park takes a little over half an hour, you’ll need to plan to leave the waterfall by 1:15pm at the latest. This means you’ll have about an hour to explore the waterfall, which is possible if you hike quickly and don’t plan to swim in the river at the waterfall’s base. Of course, if you opt to tour the bridges during the evening (as part of the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park’s Night Tour experience), you’ll have a more relaxed day and plenty of time to enjoy the waterfall since the night tour doesn’t begin until 6:00pm.

As for touring the hanging bridges during the day versus the night, the two tours provide two different experiences (though the property you’ll visit is the same with either). If you tour the bridges during the day, you’ll be treated to stunning views of rainforest canopy and the Arenal Volcano, and you’ll have an opportunity to see diurnal birds and wildlife. In contrast, the purpose of the night tour, which is run in the dark, is to discover nocturnal birds and wildlife.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hello Mary!

Thank you so much for your patience! 🙂

It’s definitely possible to walk between Arenal Mundo Aventura’s Ecological Park and the entrance to Catarata Rio Fortuna. To do so, you’ll walk up the road from Arenal Mundo Aventura’s park (Road 702) and turn left onto the side road that has a dozen signs (one is for the waterfall). If you use Google Maps, it calls the side road “Diagonal 301”. The road ends at the entrance to the waterfall. The duration of the walk will depend on your speed, but on average it can be walked in a little less than 1 hour.

For walking between Catarata Rio Fortuna and the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, this feat would be quite lengthy. I’ve never tried walking the route, but I would assume the distance would take up much of your day. It’s not a particularly safe route to traverse as most of the way you’ll be walking along curvy highway that doesn’t have a shoulder (while speedy cars zip by), and there are several remote stretches of the highway that cut through dense forest. There are plenty of ways to get out to the Mistico Park, however (if you won’t have a rental car and still want to visit), including via the use of a taxi or Mistico Park’s paid transportation service.

Pura vida! 🙂