Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa

At the base of Arenal Volcano in the La Fortuna district of northern Costa Rica, Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa is the most established of the volcano-side lodges in the Arenal region, with the specific distinction of channelling the naturally heated waters of Tabacón River through its own thermal garden — a series of pools of varying temperatures fed by water that has been heated geothermally as it passes beneath the volcano. The 103 rooms, suites, and villas are set within a garden of tropical vegetation with direct access to the thermal complex, and the combination of a consistently active volcano visible from the grounds, the primary forest of the Arenal Conservation Area, and the thermal waters gives this landscape a geological and biological vitality that makes it one of Central America’s most compelling natural settings.

The thermal garden’s pools range from near-bathing temperature to genuinely therapeutic heat, and the SEPAK Spa extends the volcanic wellness tradition with treatments using volcanic ash, thermal mud, and local botanical extracts from the surrounding cloud forest. Dining draws on the agricultural abundance of the northern lowlands — the palm hearts, yuca, plantain, and river fish of the Sarapiquí region — in menus that engage honestly with the culinary geography of the location rather than defaulting to an international luxury menu. Guided walks in the Arenal Conservation Area, night wildlife tours, zip-lining above the forest canopy, and boat trips on Lake Arenal are arranged through the activities programme.

Tabacón’s conservation commitments are grounded in the Arenal Conservation Area, whose protected status the resort actively supports through community tourism partnerships, reforestation programmes on degraded agricultural land, and a decade-long programme of wildlife corridor maintenance between the volcano’s forest reserve and the lake shore habitats below.