Best Hot Springs In Arenal: We Compare All 12 La Fortuna Hot Springs

Hey readingandwritingposter!

Thanks so much for commenting! We’d love to see you make it to CR one day. Let us know if you have any questions whenever you make the trip!

Pura vida! 🙂

Hey Jessica Z!

Thanks so much for your kind comment! 🙂 Quick question: when you ask “which of these places has the best ambiance and most natural hot springs (not man-made pools),” do you mean between the various hot springs options listed above? Or between El Chollin and El Salto, as noted in your comment?

If you meant between the various hot springs options listed above, Tabacon is the only “natural river” hot springs (i.e., non-pool hot springs), even though part of its river is manmade. This being said, many of the other hot springs properties still offer natural hot springs (i.e., mineral water that flows from the volcano), but the water is simply collected in pools as you note. At nicer hot springs attractions, these pools aren’t the same as the man-made swimming pools that some travelers envision in their minds; the landscape and ambiance are much nicer. For more information about this, check out our related blog post Your Costa Rica Hot Springs Questions Answered!, specifically our responses to the questions “I’ve heard that Tabacon is the only ‘natural’ hot springs. Is this true?” and “Is Tabacon’s free-flowing river better or worse than the other Costa Rica hot springs pools?”

If you meant between El Chollin and El Salto, El Chollin would be the correct answer because it is a continuation of the river that flows through Tabacon. Though El Salto offers a Tarzan swing and a swimming hole, the water there is regular river water, not thermal water. For more information about both El Chollin and El Salto, don’t miss our articles:

Local Free Hot Springs In La Fortuna / Arenal
El Salto Costa Rica: Free Tarzan Rope Swing And Swimming Holes In La Fortuna / Arenal

Pura vida! 🙂