The town of La Fortuna is located on the slopes of the Arenal Volcano, a picturesque rural town to experience the rural life of Costa Rica. With fresh air and beautiful natural landscapes, La Fortuna has transformed its economy from agriculture and livestock to the ecological and adventure tourism industry. Although it seems that time has stopped, nevertheless there is a lot of activity during the day with the nature and adventure tours as well as at night with the bars and restaurants that surround the central park.
Tourism has become the main industry here since the first eruption of the Arenal Volcano.
At first glance, La Fortuna stands out as one of the most prosperous districts in Costa Rica, in a radius of approximately one square kilometer it concentrates all the services accessible to the inhabitants of the town and tourism. ‘La Fortuna has several food outlets, pharmacies, bookstores, ice cream shops, shoe stores, supermarkets, three banks, public schools and tourist information centers throughout the area. La Fortuna is a successful case of economic insertion through tourism .
Since the explosion of the volcano, in 1968, many of the families switched to the new industry, opening their houses to accommodate visitors. Then restaurants began to emerge, and shortly after offering guided tours of the volcano and other natural attractions. Today, the visitor has a wide menu of options to choose from.