Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs
Overview
Learn about the natural history of Arenal Volcano and the surrounding jungle and then unwind at the Baldi Hot Springs on this afternoon and early evening tour. The conical Arenal Volcano has a fascinating history including a deadly eruption in 1968. While it has not erupted in several years, it is still considered active and still displays plenty of signs of life such as the volcanic hot springs and frequent steam that emanates from the iconic volcano.
There is also plenty of life around the volcano in the form of jungle and wildlife. The wildlife reserves at the base of the volcano contain thousands of plants and trees that provide habitat to many species of wildlife including monkeys, sloths, iguanas and much more. With a little luck your bilingual guide will be able to point them out and tell you all about them.
Baldi Hot Springs is one of the most popular hot springs in Arenal. Following the hike you will be brought to the resort to relax and bathe in the soothing springs. The Baldi Resort provides 25 thermal hot springs pools of varying temperatures. You can also enjoy the water slide or just lounge around in the relaxation areas.
Transportation will be provided back to your hotel following your visit to the hot springs. The Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs tour is a great way to spend the late afternoon and evening for anybody that would like a slow paced hike followed by absolute relaxation. In total, your hike will last approximately two hours and is usually performed on the El Silencio Trail, though this is subject to change. The hot springs portion typically lasts around two to three hours, but it must be mentioned that all times are subject to change based on a variety of factors which are out of our control. The tour includes a certified guide, transportation, and entrance to the private reserve and hot springs.
What to Bring
- Insect Repellent
- Binoculars
- Camera
- Sturdy Shoes
- Bathing Suit
- Clothes To Change Into
- Towel
- Cash If Using The Locker At Baldi
- And Rain Gear
Location and Availability
The Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs is available from Arenal, Arenal Zone 2, and Arenal Zone 3
Tour Times
- 8:00am
- 2:00pm
Tour Type
- Hot Springs
- Wildlife Hike
Recommended Ages
2 and up
Location
Latitude: N 10° 28' 59.19"
Longitude: W 84° 40' 49.24"
Reviews
- Overall 90% (65 Guest Ratings)
- Experience: 88%
- Expectations: 87.1%
- Guides: 93.7%
- Logistics: 91.1%
- Value: 89.5%
02/12/2019
both tours were splendid
07/26/2017
Felt Disney-esk; but at least a nice & clean place. One of the too few things to do in the evening in this area.
04/14/2017
Tour guide was knowledgeable and great..it rained but that cannot be helped. Baldi Springs was all right, not worth the money charged. I would skip it next time around..
04/06/2017
The volcano tour was a disappointment. The location disappointing, the guide has a lot of info but rattled it off too fast, without making eye contact, it was clearly memorized and he had no interest or investment in what he was saying, The 'nature' part of the tour was a joke! a short hike through a sparse strip of trees that were supposed to be 'primary rain forest' with nothing to see but ants!
03/26/2017
I can't say enough about the hike up to see the volcano and the tour through the rain forest. We were able to see a lot of unique animals.
02/11/2017
The tour was very good and the guide so informative. Baldi Springs was nice but we enjoyed the quieter natural Eco Termales. There was too much noise and crowds at baldi to be relaxing.
12/05/2016
Roy our driver and guide was wonderful very informative had a wonderful time
07/11/2016
Wonderful, we didnt get enough. I would have liked to spend a day there with the kids. We didnt want to since we went back to san jose early
05/17/2016
Great for beginner hikers. The views are beautiful. Lucked out on good weather, otherwise rain would have dampened the experience. Definitely apply bug spray.
02/16/2016
I absolutely loved the guide who took us on a nature hike at Arenal Volcano. He was very friendly, his English was very good, and he explained everything very eloquently. No complaints at all!!! The Baldi Hot Springs were nice and welcome after our hike. However, it was somewhat of a shock to be in a crowded Las Vegas-style venue after the beautiful and peaceful time in the forest. It didn't quite follow and I would have preferred to have done these two activities on separate days. Just a thought...
02/04/2016
Wonderful
05/27/2015
We greatly enjoyed the Arenal Volcano hike. It was informative, fun, and beautiful. We were disappointed by the Baldi hot springs. We were not expecting to be dropped off at a resort. The hot springs seemed more like man made pools. The place was nice, but it was a bit too much resort for us.
04/22/2015
This was an experience like nothing before and was so much more then we expected. We experienced the sights and sounds of animals as well as the beautiful views. And the hot springs were huge! With so many different pools it was definitely a place to go and relax.
02/28/2015
Wish it had been longer.
02/15/2015
Arenal Volcano
I can't comment much on the volcano trip as we really didn't see much because of the cloud and rain. The guide though was excellent and passed on lots of information to us. We never actually got to see the volcano as it was cloudy the whole time we were in the La Fortuna area.
Hot Springs
We probably should have arranged to be there earlier in the day as at night in the rain you can't see much. I went on 2 of the water slides and the stairs are not lighted and it is very hard to see where you are going on the stairs or when you are on the slides. There aren't many lights anywhere so more lights would have been better. My wife liked it, but to me it was just a bunch of pools of hot water, more of a waterpark than a spa but that is only my opinion. The water is pretty warm so in reality, how long can you spend sitting in a hot tub without overheating? I did jump into the cooler pools but that only give you temporary relief until you go back into the warm pools. From my perspective, this is probably the only thing that I wouldn't do again. There is a free hot spring river just a few miles away, I preferred that. I also didn't like the money grab for a locker, $6 USD to get a locker and lock, this should have been covered with the entrance fee, a deposit I would have been okay with.
01/18/2015
We were expecting natural hot springs not the resort type hot spring
01/14/2015
Our guide, Carlos, was very informative, friendly and taught us a lot of interesting things about Costa Rican wildlife.