Tabacón Hot Springs

Balneario Tabacón (tel. 506/460-2020, fax 506/460-6229, info@tabacon.com, www.tabacon.com, 10 a.m.–10 p.m., $17 admission, $13 after 6 p.m., children $7), at the base of Arenal Volcano, on the edge of Arenal Volcano National Park, 13 km west of La Fortuna and six km east of Lake Arenal, is where the steaming waters of the Río Tabacón tumble from the lava fields and cascade alongside the road. A dip here is supposedly good for treating skin problems, arthritis, and muscular pains.

This Spanish colonial-style balneario (bathing resort) features five natural mineral pools and natural hot springs set in exotic gardens. The main stream (hot) and a side stream (cool) have been diverted through the grounds in a series of descending pools of varying temperatures between 27–39°C (80–102°F). Steam rises moodily amid beautifully landscaped vegetation. Even adults laugh as they whiz down the water slide. You can sit beneath a 20-meter-wide waterfall—like taking a hot shower—and lean back inside, where it feels like a sauna. The complex also has an indoor hot tub, plus a restaurant and three bars, including a swim-up bar in the main pool. Towels, lockers, and showers are available for a small deposit. Massages ($40 for 45 minutes), mud packs ($20), and other healing treatments complete the picture. You’ll fall in love with Tabacón by night, too, when a dip becomes a romantic indulgence (and a jaw-dropping experience if the volcano is erupting). It’s a staple with tour groups and gets very crowded.

The resort features a separate section—La Fuentes Termales ($6 admission)—100 meters further downhill. It has five steaming pools in landscaped grounds in a valley (lacking volcano views) below the hotel, from which you can glide, Rambo-like, by rappel on a canopy tour ($40 low season, $45 high season). It has toilets, changing rooms, and towels.

Previous concerns about theft from lockers and the car park seem to have been addressed.

Safety Concerns: Tabacón is a “high-risk zone” and lies directly in the path of the volcano’s eruptive path (the former community of Tabacón was decimated in 1968 by an eruption that killed 78 people; and in June 1975, an eruptive avalanche passed over the site of today’s Balneario). A potentially deadly avalanche occurs within the zone once every two or three years, often without warning, and it is unlikely that anyone in its path could get out of the way in time.