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Travel + Leisure named Arenal one of the top 15 places on Earth to hike an active volcano.
The depth of the waterfall canyon you rappel into on the guided adventure, five descents in all.
Hanging bridges and easy trails for little legs, ziplines and canyons for teenagers, all in one place.
The Arenal Volcano, the engine behind Costa Rica's adventure capital.
Costa Rica's Adventure Capital, Sized for the Whole Family
In short: The Arenal Volcano region is Costa Rica's adventure capital, and the range runs from gentle to thrilling in one place. Little ones cross hanging bridges through the canopy and walk easy waterfall trails; teenagers zipline over the rainforest and rappel into a 350-foot waterfall canyon. The three Nayara resorts sit inside that landscape, so a family can match each day to the ages and energy in the group.
Arenal is known as Costa Rica's adventure capital, and there are more opportunities for eye-opening discovery than we can count.
The reason it all sits in one place is the volcano itself, which built the canyons, rivers, lava fields, and waterfalls that families come to explore.
This is part three of our five-part series on the best family resort in Costa Rica. Part one is the overview of Nayara Gardens, the family flagship. Here we map the adventure, gentle to wild, and how to match it to your family. The full series is listed at the end.
The Volcano That Made the Playground
Arenal stands 1,633 meters above the lowlands of northern Costa Rica, a near-perfect cone less than 7,500 years old. After more than 400 years of silence, it woke in July 1968 and then stayed active for 42 years straight, one of the longest eruptions on Earth since 1750, before settling into dormancy in 2010.
That history is why the adventures exist. The geothermal heat warms the hot springs. The old lava flows, now cooled and green, became hiking trails inside Arenal Volcano National Park. The fertile volcanic soil grew one of the most biodiverse rainforests in the Western Hemisphere, full of the wildlife you spot from the bridges and trails. The destruction became the foundation for everything here.
For the full story of how the mountain was born and what 42 years of fire created, see our companion piece, Arenal Volcano: A Timeless Natural Wonder.
Hanging Bridges Through the Canopy
The gentlest adventure in Arenal is also one of the most memorable. A network of hanging bridges carries you through the rainforest at canopy height, where the walk is mostly flat and paved between bridges, easy for small legs and manageable for grandparents. From the spans you look down into the treetops and out toward the volcano, eye to eye with the part of the forest most visitors never see.
This is where the wildlife appears: toucans crossing between trees, howler monkeys overhead, a sloth folded into a branch if your guide has a sharp eye. It is the adventure that doubles as the family's wildlife morning, and it asks nothing more than comfortable shoes. A guided walk turns it into a lesson, with a naturalist pointing out what the canopy is doing all around you.
Canopy-height bridges, flat enough for little legs and grandparents alike.
Zip-lining Over the Rainforest
For older children and teenagers, the canopy becomes a flight path. Ziplines run cable to cable across the treetops, the volcano showing through the gaps in the green, in a series of runs that build from gentle to genuinely fast. Guides handle every clip and harness, brief each rider before the platform, and ride alongside younger guests so the first launch is a thrill and never a worry.
It is the moment teenagers come for and the photo the whole family wants. And because the platforms are spread through the forest, even the walk between runs is part of the adventure, with the chance to spot the wildlife moving below.
Into the Canyon: A Guided Rappel Adventure
For families with teenagers chasing the headline adventure, this is it. Your journey begins with a guided 4x4 ride deep into the lush heart of the rainforest. After you are fitted with safety gear and given a full briefing by expert guides, who teach you the art of rappelling, the adventure truly begins.
Over the course of the experience you rappel five times, descending into a breathtaking 350-foot canyon. Your path takes you down three cascading waterfalls, a dry rock face, a canyon wall, and the thrilling "monkey drop," an exhilarating combination of rappel and zip line. Between each descent you traverse pristine forest trails, with the chance to encounter monkeys, sloths, tropical birds, and reptiles.
After the final rappel, you return to the home station, freshen up, change into dry clothes, enjoy a hearty traditional Costa Rican lunch, and take an easy ride back to the hotel. The resort's team can confirm age and ability requirements and book it as part of your stay.
Matching the Adventure to Your Family
The trick to an Arenal adventure week is range. A family with a four-year-old, a fourteen-year-old, and grandparents does not need one activity everyone tolerates; it needs a different one each day, scaled to who is along. The hanging bridges and easy waterfall walks suit any age. The ziplines suit older children and teenagers. The canyon rappel is the teenage headline. A calm river float reveals wildlife without a hard hike, and a coffee or chocolate tasting balances a big day.
The resort's guides help match each day to the ages and energy in your group, and there is always a slower experience on hand. The wildlife runs through all of it; for the animals themselves, see part two, sloths and wildlife in the Arenal rainforest.
Where to Stay in Arenal
All of this sits at the doorstep of the three Nayara resorts, which share one rainforest estate around the volcano. Nayara Gardens is the family choice: suites that sleep four, kids' classes, and wild sloths on the trails. Nayara Springs is the adults-only romance and wellness address. Nayara Tented Camp is the luxury-glamping option and the most high-end of the three, with tented suites, private plunge pools, and a family tent and larger multi-family suites.
For the family overview, start with part one, the best family resort in Costa Rica. To weigh Gardens against every other luxury family hotel in the country, see part five, which family hotel in Costa Rica is right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What adventures can families do near the Arenal Volcano?+
Is ziplining in Arenal safe for kids?+
What is the canyon rappel adventure?+
Are there gentle activities for young children and grandparents?+
Where should a family stay for Arenal adventures?+
The Nayara Gardens Family Series
Five connected guides to the best family resort in Costa Rica: the wildlife, the adventure, the all-inclusive question, and how Nayara Gardens compares to every other luxury family hotel in the country.
- Nayara Gardens: The Best Family Resort in Costa Rica
- Sloths and Wildlife in the Arenal Rainforest
- Family Adventures Around the Arenal Volcano (You're Here)
- All-Inclusive in Costa Rica: What's Included, and Why to Go Beyond
- Which Family Hotel in Costa Rica Is Right for You?
- Travel + Leisure: the world's best volcanoes to hike, including Arenal
- SINAC: Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
- Arenal Volcano: A Timeless Natural Wonder: the geology and history
- The best family resort in Costa Rica: the series overview
Adventure at the Foot of the Volcano
Hanging bridges, ziplines, and a canyon rappel, all from our rainforest resorts, built for the whole family.
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