Arenal Natural Hiking Trails: Secret Swimming Spots

This isn’t your usual touristy stuff.

Our hiking trails will take you to secret swimming spots near waterfalls! You’ll see lots of cool plants and animals along the way.

It’s a chance to really have fun and explore Costa Rica’s wild side.

Come join us in the rainforest – it’s going to be amazing!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • El Bosque de Tío Victor - Embark on a 5 km hiking journey featuring natural swimming pools, primary rainforest, self-guided trails, birdwatching, five stunning waterfalls, and a diverse array of exotic flora and fauna from the rainforest.
    This is a fantastic chance to explore an untouched primary rainforest up close. Participate in this rainforest…
What's Included
  • Walking sticks
Location
El Bosque de Tío Victor
Calle Llano Trepo
At the reception/ entrance to the hiking trails.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(16 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
839alondrap
Mar 10, 2026
Waterfalls and swimming pools - Beautiful forest, medium difficulty trails, riverside hike and waterfalls, recommend! You can swim and take pets
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Verely
Feb 12, 2026
Spectacular hidden gem! - Let’s start from where it started: Dyhana. I was trying to understand if our 9 year old daughter would like this place. I Whatsapped Dyhana (which turns out is Tio Victor’s daughter) and wow! She was disarmingly kind, informative, caring from the very beginning. Having somebody on the other side that cares makes all the difference in the world while you live far far away. We finally made it to meet Dyhana She is even more delightful in person. The entire family is! And so is the history of this oasis. Ahhh the forest! Magical, mystical, spectacular! The waterfalls are so beautiful and the stream is just refreshing enough that you do want to stop and enjoy it from time to time. The hike is the perfect length (5 km), with mixed terrains impeccably kept and with discreet railing when somebody like me with arthritis needs the extra help. Our 9 year old kid old loved it so much that we had trouble extracting her. And finally: the entry ticket is reasonably priced making it affordable for all. Bottom line: SPECTACULAR in every way. Thank you!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bogumiła
Jan 18, 2026
Great fainforest experience - Great place to walk rainforest and take a bath in rover ponds❤️ Nicely roued trail for fot people, remote, privacy guaranteed
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Axel
Nov 10, 2025
Very nice and cheap excursion at a local family business - I found this excursion via Google when I was looking for an alternative to the many expensive trips, and I was very pleasantly surprised from the beginning: by the clear and friendly communication of the operator Diana (first via whatsapp and then also in real life). I was the only participant of the trail when I arrived, Diana gave me information and some instructions and then the adventure started 🤠 Very nice challenging trail (there are forks here and there where you want to follow an easy or more challenging path). You get a bamboo stick, you really need it to keep you straight on some pieces. You should also bring good, waterproof walking shoes (not a smooth sole), and mosquito repellent. (Also need some physical fitness and courage!) And then enjoy the adventure!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
656kristelr
Sep 16, 2025
Beautiful trails - A great place to visit more than once! - I had the opportunity to talk to both the mother & daughter of this business, and both seem to be genuine and kind people. They talked to me about how they worked hard to ensure that the trails stayed as natural as possible, and they definitely did a good job of that. The forest itself is beautiful, and for most of it you're walking next to a clear stream, which sometimes create small waterfalls that you can swim near. During my visit I saw some cool animals, such as the central american agouti as well as two non-venomous snakes (which were quite shy and fled immediately, but were a thrill to see nonetheless!) There were also a few birds, but honestly just seeing the variety of trees and plants was enough. It's hard to find trails where you have so many options for swimming, so this was definitely a 10/10. Just make sure to bring reliable shoes with good grip! Personally I didn't even need bug spray (which is bad for the water anyway).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Molls
Jul 31, 2025
AMAZING! GO HERE! - 10000/10. it was amazing. extraordinary. make sure you have good grippy hiking shoes!! it says 15$ per person but it was actually 10$. if you are not in shape you would still like it! The extreme hiking trail went to the swim spot #2 and the spot #1 was very close to the entrance. Extreme hiking trail has rope, you'll be fine!!! they also provided walking sticks!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kate_c
May 4, 2025
Hidden gem. Pleasantly challenging. Not crowded. - This is a hidden gem in the Fortuna area! We are here during the slow season, and we were the only people who visited the trail today! The trails were very natural. We are frequent, experienced hikers and found it pleasantly challenging. We did all of the available trails, including the Extreme Trail. The swimming hole at the very end was incredible!
Review provided by Viator
Triviageek
Mar 30, 2025
Non touristy waterfall hike. - Great 5mi/7km hike through rainforest past several small waterfalls and pools that you can swim in. Very few other people
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeremy
Feb 14, 2025
Must see - Amazing natural trail! Bring good trail shoes if you really want to enjoy it fully. Peaceful and nice water holes and water falls. This is a don’t miss especially if you don’t have technical trails where you come from. You might even have their sweet dog follow you during some of your walk
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Molly_b
Jan 16, 2025
be aware of river... - be aware of river crossings but beautiful and fun trail! use the stick they have and bring extra socks
Review provided by Viator
From $16
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).