La Fortuna is a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
of the
San Carlos canton, in the
Alajuela
Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of the province, it i ...
province of
Costa Rica.
Toponymy
"La Fortuna" is Spanish for "The Fortune", and aptly named due its ample supply of tourist attractions and extremely fertile lands. Although there is a common myth that the town got its name due to its sparing from the
Arenal Volcano
Arenal Volcano ( es, Volcán Arenal) is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica around northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. The Arenal volcano measures ...
's eruptions, the town actually got its name before the latest eruption cycle and was named for the fertile lands ("The Fortune") where it is located.
History
La Fortuna was created on 5 February 1952 by Decreto Ejecutivo 15.
Originally called "El Burío", La Fortuna was founded in the mid 1930s by settlers that came from
Ciudad Quesada
Quesada is a district of the San Carlos canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica. It is the head city of the canton of San Carlos. Although Ciudad Quesada is the official name, it is commonly referred to by the area name of San Carlos. Ciu ...
,
Grecia (canton)
Grecia is a canton in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.
Toponymy
It is named after the country of Greece.
History
Grecia was created on 27 July 1867 by decree 20.
Geography
Grecia has an area of km² and a mean elevation of metres.
Th ...
,
Alajuela
Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of the province, it i ...
and other parts of the region. In 1968, the
Arenal Volcano
Arenal Volcano ( es, Volcán Arenal) is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica around northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. The Arenal volcano measures ...
erupted to the west, causing extensive damage and casualties, including 82 deaths. The eruption did not reach the village of La Fortuna. This catastrophe, nonetheless, changed the geography of the whole region, making it one of the most visited tourist destinations of Costa Rica.
The town and surrounding province was founded by a small group of people, namely Elias Kooper, Alberto Quesada, Jose Garro, Rufino and Isolina Quesada, Juana Vargas Ricardo Quiros, Juan Ledesma, Red Porfirio, and Julio Murillo. This group and a few others were dedicated to the cultivating of the land and are largely responsible for its development.
Geography
La Fortuna has an area of km²
and an elevation of metres.
Arenal Volcano
Arenal is often cited by scientists as being in the top 10 or top 20 of the world's most active
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Ear ...
es. La Fortuna is less than from the peak of Arenal and less than from the
Arenal Volcano National Park
Arenal Volcano National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal) is a Costa Rican national park in the central part of the country, part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area. The park encompasses the Arenal Volcano, the most active in t ...
entrance, which is west of the peak, whereas La Fortuna is east of the peak.
Cerro Chato
The Cerro Chato, also known as the
Chato Volcano
Chato Volcano, sometimes called "Cerro Chato" (Spanish for "Flat Hill"), is an inactive volcano in northwestern Costa Rica northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. It is southea ...
is a dormant volcano that first erupted 38,000 years ago and last erupted 3,500 years ago. One of its eruptions paved the way for the nearby
La Fortuna Waterfall. Cerro Chato has two peaks, Chatito (little Chato) and Espina (Thorn), as well as a 1,640-ft (500-m) crater filled with green water. At an elevation of , Cerro Chato stands much shorter than its neighbor Volcano Arenal, but this also makes it hike-able. Classified as a difficult hike and at times a "climb," it is recommended only for hikers of good physical condition. The average hike lasts 5 hours, and can be very muddy when it rains. Due to certain minerals in the water, some advise no swimming, however most locals disagree and swim in it regardless.
Demographics
For the
2011 census, La Fortuna had a population of inhabitants.
There are 9 small communities with a total of 15,383 inhabitants, making it the fourth most populated district of the canton, just behind the districts of
Quesada, Aguas Zarcas
(es), and
Pital.
Transportation
Road transportation
The district is covered by the following road routes:
*
National Route 4
*
National Route 141
*
National Route 142
*
National Route 702
*
National Route 936
Tourism
In addition to the volcanoes, La Fortuna has tourist attractions such as the
La Catarata de la Fortuna waterfall, several resorts with natural
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by c ...
s temperate enough to bathe in, other
day spa
A day spa is a business that provides a variety of services for the purpose of improving health, beauty, and relaxation through personal care treatments such as massages and facials. The number of day spas in the US almost doubled in the t ...
services, and day-trips that involve horseback riding,
whitewater rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
, hanging bridges, a "sky tram,"
zip-line
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bo ...
s, mountain biking, kayaking, stand-up paddleboards, ATV or dirt bike rentals, "butterfly farms," the Venado Cavern tours,
bungee jumping, Laguna Cedeno, El Salto Swimming Hole, and
canyoneering
Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a type of mountaineering that involves travelling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other Outdoor activity, outdoor activities such as walking, s ...
.
Transportation
There are a few taxis in the town that can be called if needed, but most tourism companies provide their own means of transportation. Additionally, there are car rental locations and even ATV's and dirt bikes if one wishes to go off-roading.
La Fortuna is served by
Arenal Airport, east of town.
Hot Springs
Throughout La Fortuna we can find several natural hot springs with temperatures ranging from 30° to 50° Celsius, which emanate from the depths of the volcano through rivers located in the earth’s crust. Arenal Volcano naturally heats the water of many, such as Tabacon River, Ecotermales Hot Springs, and hot springs located on hotel property such as Titokú of Kioro, Arenal Paraiso, Royal Corin, Los Lagos pools, and Baldi Hot Springs. There are also other hot water sources that are either not currently being exploited for tourism, or are being so in an incipient manner.
Climate
Due to being in the tropics, the climate of La Fortuna and
Costa Rica in general does not vary greatly like those areas in the temperate zones. The four seasons are not all experienced in La Fortuna, which means one can expect close to 12 hours of daylight at any time of the year. The biggest changes in temperature are the effect of the wet and dry seasons. With the dry season being more subject to direct and intense sunlight, there is a resulting higher average temperature of above 25 C (77 F). The wet season, however, usually includes higher levels of humidity which may be perceived as very warm. The annual average temperature in La Fortuna is between 20 C and 26 C (68 F to 78 F).
Medical Care and Local Business
La Fortuna has a medical clinic, but serious injuries may require a
medical evacuation. La Fortuna also has a veterinary clinic, dentist office, police station, gas station, 3 banks, 3 groceries, restaurants (in addition to those in the resorts), a post office, thrift shops, clothing stores, and a hardware store.
References
{{Districts of Alajuela Province
Districts of Alajuela Province
Populated places in Alajuela Province
Tourism in Costa Rica