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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

La Fortuna Waterfall is a must-see (but beware the whistle)  

LA FORTUNA, Alajuela — Standing on the rocky bank of the pool under La Fortuna Waterfall was a lifeguard wearing a life vest, holding a flotation device and sporting a whistle around his neck to warn swimmers when they were doing something dangerous.

With my nephews Orpheus and Aladdin in the water, he would be needing the whistle. A lot.

Aladdin and Orpheus brave the "wading pool" in front of La Fortuna waterfall.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

This 70-meter (230-foot) waterfall is one of the most beautiful in Costa Rica and one of the top attractions in the Arenal area. It’s visited by 100,000 people a year, according to its website.

Catarata La Fortuna, 70m (230 feet) of roaring white water.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

Just 5.5 km southwest of La Fortuna, it’s easy to get to on a road that’s only partly paved but in pretty good condition.

The author drives the family from Lake Arenal to La Fortuna Waterfall.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

From the entrance, where you pay $11 to get in, it’s a 15-minute walk to the fall, with gorgeous jungle views all around. There are well-built stairs until about halfway down, when you move to an easily negotiable trail. When we visited, men were hard at work building an extension of the stairs all the way to the bottom.

Stairs don't get much better than this.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

Orpheus and Aladdin plunged into the pool ahead of me and fought the powerful current trying to wade/swim as close to the fall as possible. I found it’s nearly impossible to get very close because of the huge amount of water blasting outward from the place where the fall hits the pool.

Orpheus, center, followed by Aladdin and Karl.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

But Orpheus and Aladdin got close enough to earn their first whistle. The lifeguard warned them against getting too close, as the currents can suck you under in the deeper places.

La Fortuna Waterfall from a distance.
Karl Kahler/The Tico Times

I was in no danger of getting the whistle, as I couldn’t get too close if I tried. But it was fun to try staggering forward in waist-deep water with the spray blasting me in the face.

Orpheus decided to venture to the right, where the water gets deep, earning his second whistle. And when he appeared to ignore the warning, the whistle blew again, and again.

Orpheus ended up on the right shore and decided to walk back to the front around the edge.

Orpheus, busted by the whistling lifeguard, makes his way back to safety along the right shore while Aladdin looks on.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

I climbed out of the water and asked the lifeguard, whose name was John Ramírez López, what the dangers were.

“In the swimming area, you don’t want to go to the right or to the left, but head for a single point,” he said. “Over time the river changes, so you can walk in a circle around the pool, but it’s been raining here for four days, and so the water is really powerful. So it’s not recommended to get too close. Just go to one place.”

Lifeguard John Ramirez López is at left in red.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

He said he has to rescue people about two or three times a month, but all have survived, “gracias a Dios.”

“People get curious to walk around the edge,” he said. “There’s one part that’s pure sand and then it drops off, and you can’t kick your feet to go up. You have to take a deep breath and then swim under.”

Orpheus and Aladdin in the maelstrom.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

I’ll pass.

Soon Orpheus was back in the middle of the pool and was now venturing to the left.

A woman strikes a pose in front of La Fortuna Waterfall.
Karl Kahler/The Tico Times

“PEET!” went the whistle. And when that went unheeded, Ramírez whistled twice more.

“Is that your friend?” he asked me.

Stunning natural beauty. And the waterfall was also nice.
(Courtesy of Paul Collar)

“My nephew,” I said. “He’s kind of crazy. But very strong.”

In my opinion, this swimming area needs a big sign that tells people where to swim and where not to swim, and warns of the deep places and powerful currents that can suck you under.

A warning sign fails to warn swimmers not to venture into deeper waters to the right and left of the pool.
Karl Kahler/The Tico Times

We headed back, and I tried counting the stairs from the pool to the top. I might have miscounted where I stopped to chat with someone.

But I counted a total of 492.

IF YOU GO       

Getting there: You can take a taxi from La Fortuna for about $10, according to the waterfall’s website. To drive there, head south of town on the road toward La Tigra, and look for the sign instructing you to turn right shortly after Arenal Country Inn.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone number: 2479-8338
Admission: $11
For more info: http://cataratariofortuna.com

Contact Karl Kahler at kkahler@ticotimes.net.

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