Best Hanging Bridges in Costa Rica: Comparing 4 in Arenal and Monteverde

Hey Ashley!

Con mucho gusto (you’re welcome!), and you’re right: the hanging bridges are tons of fun to cross! 🙂

Pura vida!

Hey alongourway!

Great! Can’t wait to hear about your experience with Selvatura in more detail when you finish writing about it.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Qikese!

Thank you so much for the kind compliment! We’re glad you find our blog helpful. 🙂

For the hanging bridges, all of those that we list in our article charge an entrance fee so unfortunately, none are free. This being said, if you don’t want to tour the bridges with a guide, you can simply visit them on your own, pay the entrance fee, and walk around by yourself.

In regards to wildlife, this depends entirely on the time of day and year that you plan to visit. When do you plan to travel?

Guided tours (if you’re open to them) are highly recommended. Our related blog post Costa Rica Guided Tours: Are They Necessary, Valuable, And/Or Worthwhile? explains when and where tour guides can make a world of difference.

Regardless of whether you decide to tour the hanging bridges with or without a guide, don’t miss our discounts for hanging bridge experiences:

Hanging Bridge Discounts

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Josie!

Great question! Perhaps I will begin by asking this: do you plan to visit the La Fortuna (Arenal) region during your trip? If so, we would recommend touring the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. While we love the hanging bridges at the Sky Adventures Arenal, the hanging bridges at the Sky Adventures Monteverde Park, and the hanging bridges at the Selvatura Park (Monteverde), none are as accessible as the hanging bridges at the Mistico Park.

The Mistico Park has a variety of trails, including an accessible trail that’s better suited for the elderly and/or travelers with disabilities. (They also have a lovely garden you can stroll around.) Although the accessible trail skips more than half of the park’s bridges, it offers a shorter tour (in duration) and bypasses the highest part of the park (the accessible trail’s slope is less than half of the regular trail’s slope). As a side note, the Mistico Park offers flat trails without steps, non-slip material, and guardrails to hold on to along the way.

As for a guided tour, a private tour is always an option (albeit, a more expensive option). Alternatively, you can tour the bridges on your own and skip the guide altogether. If you think it would be beneficial to have a guide (you can evaluate this for yourself by reading our related blog post Costa Rica Guided Tours: Are They Necessary, Valuable, And/Or Worthwhile), you can ask the guide to stick to the accessible trail.

One last thought: make sure the elderly members of your family are comfortable with heights and swaying bridges. Many elderly travelers have a fear of heights and/or balance issues, and if this is the case for members of your family, skipping the hanging bridges altogether might be best.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Crystal!

Oh, I’m so glad! Thanks so much for reporting back about your experience. 🙂

Pura vida!

Hi Aaron!

Great question! I wouldn’t, for the reasons outlined in our related article: How To Make A Day Trip To Monteverde From La Fortuna / Arenal (Or Vice Versa). Also, as a heads up (in case you do decide to make the trip), the drive to Monteverde from La Fortuna is closer to 3-3.5 hours.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Kristen!

There is no option to zip-line inside the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. So, if you’d like to tour the hanging bridges at the Mistico Park, you can do as you suggest and tour the bridges there and zip-line elsewhere in La Fortuna. Alternatively, if you’d rather zip-line and tour hanging bridges at the same place, you can do so at the Sky Adventures Arenal Park.

Pura vida! 🙂