Digital Nomad’s Guide to La Fortuna
La Fortuna is a somewhat gritty, but also very tourist-y town. It lives under the shadow of the magnificent Arenal Volcano, has a lot of great food, and is surrounded by numerous beautiful hot springs.
(Want to know what Costa Rica sounds like? Unfortunately I couldn’t find much local music I liked, but here’s a playlist of great bands and artists from elsewhere in Central and South America.)
Coffee Shops
Arábigos
Av. 327, Provincia de Alajuela, La Fortuna, 21007, Costa Rica
Arábigos is a stylish cafe in an excellent location. It’s got plenty of seating and pretty good coffee. It’s a nice place to start the day.
(Photo: Marc Z. Goldgrub)
Bogarin Coffee Shop
21007, Provincia de Alajuela, La Fortuna, 21007, Costa Rica
A nice cafe right next to the Bogarin Trail, where you can see an array of beautiful birds and Costa Rica’s beloved sloths (which look like cute Star Wars puppets).
(Photo: Marc Z. Goldgrub)
Restaurants
Organica Fortuna
F9C4+VHR, Alajuela Province, La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Not 100% plant-based, but a very vegan-friendly organic restaurant with a small shop in the back. A bit pricey, but high quality.
(Photo: Marc Z. Goldgrub)
Jungle Bowls
Av. 142, Edificio Antiguo Jireh, diagonal a la Iglesia Católica, Alajuela Province, La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Exceptional plant-based bowls and smoothies restaurant with a nice outdoor seating area.
(Photo: Marc Z. Goldgrub)
The Green Spoon
Alamo Rent a Car 50 metros al Sur, De, Provincia de Alajuela, La Fortuna, 21007, Costa Rica
Also not 100% vegan, but super veg-friendly and the food is on point. It shares its outdoor seating area with Jungle Bowls.
(Photo: Marc Z. Goldgrub)
Parks and Recreation
Selina La Fortuna
Avenida 325 75 meters east of the bus terminal La Fortuna Provincia de Alajuela CR 21007, Provincia de Alajuela, La Fortuna, Costa Rica
I don’t usually post about hotels, but Selina is a hotel, a co-working space, and a restaurant. It’s got free yoga every afternoon for guests, spa services, and social events in the evening. It may be the most interesting place in La Fortuna proper.
(Photo: Selina)
Baldi Hot Springs
142, Provincia de Alajuela, San Carlos, Costa Rica
Other than hiking Arenal, the most hyped thing around La Fortuna is checking out the hot springs, and Baldi is the most hyped hot spring spot. It is extremely lush and beautiful…but also a bit bougey, and I would not recommend coming alone because you may look weird and out of place (speaking from experience 😅).
(Photo: Baldi Hot Springs Resort Hotel & Spa)
Drugs and Alcohol
Alcohol: Legal drinking age in Costa Rica is 18.
Cannabis: Recreational cannabis is prohibited, although personal possession is reportedly not subject to criminal penalty (subject to certain details). Regulated medical cannabis use was approved in 2022.
Psychedelics: Costa Rica is famously an ayahuasca retreat hotspot, as the substance is unscheduled. Most other psychedelic substances, however, are explicitly prohibited.