Mirador el Silencio in San Carlos

Buen lugar para ir.Nice place for to go and walk. Nice view good trails I suggest you to do this tour with a nature guide

We went there to do a hike that was recommended by a local guide. I wanted to walk on lava rocks and wanted something easy because I have a baby (6 month oldin a carrier. I wouldnt qualify the trail as easy (with a baby in a carrierbut it is doable if you are with another person. Going down, I sometimes had to lean on my husband. Make sure to have good hiking shoes. It is a short distance and offers amazing views (up close to the volcano, lake arenal, a green pond). It is worth it and it is also less expensive than other places (it was 8$usd per person).We only crossed 2 small groups of hikers so it definitely isnt crowded but it could have been because it was low season (end of september). But it does seem to be less known than the other places around.They were paving the road up to the parking lot so it should be a smoother ride when they are done!Staff is friendly and responsive. The evening prior (9pm), I wrote to them on whatsapp and they answered me right away!

Well maintained hiking trails that take you up to a lava flow, down in the valley past a green lake, and all through the jungle. The view of Arenal is unmatched. The trails are not very busy so this is a good place to spot birds and other wildlife when it is not raining. Amazing experience.

Absolutely beautiful! Great hike for a breath taking view of the volcano and the city!We came here as part of our tour with the Red Lava TSC and our tour-guide Julio told us a great story of the history of the city and the volcano.

We came here with our tour through Red lava in la fortuna. It was uncrowded and quiet. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience here.

Amazing hike with an array of different terrains like fields, jungle/rainforest and volcanic trails. Not to busy compared to other hikes.

Amazing! So cheap ($7so we did this instead of the national park. There was no one else there. Great trek through the jungle, incredible views of volcano, Arenal lake and green lake, as well as 1968 lava.

So glad we found this place! Super affordable and great hikes, and we were among the only people on the trail. I think its a good alternative to the national park which is much more crowded and had a long line to get in. We did a trail through the jungle which was fascinating, saw tons of wildlife including poison dart frogs and some really interesting birds. Then came out to the lava trail with amazing views of the volcano. We got lucky and had a clear day!

Awesome spot, not busy at all. Did not see a single person on the whole hike, and the Arenal views are amazing. Did not do the whole treck due to time constraints, but paths #6 & 8 alone are worth it for sure. You can hike up the base of the volcano through lava trails, see both lagoa Azul + Arenal at the top, and get some great sights of the volcano itself; weather permitting. Much recommended if you like to get off the beaten path a bit.

Amazing trail! If you’re looking for something less touristy, definitely go here!

Nice hike, a bit off the road. Perfect if you like nature and tranquility. About 2 hours of walk. Price is 5000 per adults

A really beautiful reserve, the price is much lover then Arenal national park and you are nearly alone. We went on all the trails and saw many different monkeys, insects, colibrís and coyotes. The rainforest is what you would expect after watching Planet Earth with David Attenborough. Bring alot of water and good shoes and enjoy!

Nice walk, not expensive and not very crowded. Felt more relaxed than other parks. Good view of the volcano.

Lovely park with great hikes and even better views!

Beautiful hiking trails with not many people. Saw a number of different birds and heard monkeys. Some of the trails are pretty steep so not for all levels of hikers.

Entrance is $8 and I didnt see animals. Nice walk in the jungle and good views of the Volcano. You can get the 11am public bus and come back with the 5pm one.

Can really recommend this area for a hike in the jungle near arenal volcano. The ranger is really friendly and even sent us pictures he took with his drone. There‘s an entrance fee but it‘s not too high. Not very crowded which makes it even better.

This was recommended on a Facebook group I’m in and also by my La Fortuna Airbnb host. It has cheaper admission than some other lava trail hikes but remember you need to bring cash. We saw a few animals (birds, lizards, snakes, only heard monkeysbut the great thing here was the hike on the lava trails and the views of the volcano. Incredible!!

Great hiking, we saw some coatis, two tucans and some other cool birds. The trail through is easy and beautiful.

Beautiful place. Good hiking trails but not too much wildlife if you go by yourself. Admission is 5000 colon and cash only. One of the best hiking deals in the area.

We really enjoyed hiking the trails here for a few hours, we didnt pass anyone so much quieter than Arenal National Park! There are several routes you can follow, with great views towards the volcano. The trails are mostly shady but they do have some steep sections so bring water and wear hiking shoes!

Fabulous moderate hikes. Good variety of terrain, some easier, some steeps, jungle, pastures, lava flow. Great views of the volcano. Family friendly. 5,000 mil when I went and I thought that was worth it for the upkeep of the trails. I appreciate that it’s not paved at all, but instead more wild.

Great place to hike!! We did most of the trails for about 3.75 miles of hiking. Beautiful and for the price of $9 per person best value in the area!!

Absolutely worth it. Entrance fee is only 5000 colones per person. The trail goes though jungle, over grassy lands and a lava field. We didnt see lots of animals, but it was also in the middle of the day, were most animals take a siesta.You absolutely have to take good shoes (no flip flops or sandals). The path is often quite steep and when passing the lava field there are sharp rocks.

Such a beautiful place. You van choose different hikes and make it as easy or difficult as you like. We did almost every hikes except 1 and 4 and it was stunning. A big applause for the people who maintain this park!

A nice walk through the rain forest and up to the 1968 lava fields. Map shows expected animals to see along the way, however saw nothing, the proverbial you should have been here yesterday. Stopped and saw a sloth on the main highway before we got there. We did the entire loop of 6+km, saw a few birds. Parts of property still used as cattle pasture. Recent maintenance (last 10 yearsis lacking as much of trails have washed out steps, broken handrails, frayed and missing safety cables. No credit cards accepted. 9$.

Best hidden gem for a great hike! We drove to the top parking area and went left to see Lago Verde and the Arenal views (smooth walk over grassy hillsthen hiked up to the lava rocks to get closer and better views! The lava rocks hike was steep over shifting rocks and the waking stick provided at the entrance was a life saver. The views were so worth it and there was almost no one around. One tour group came through, but we took our time and felt like we have a private hike!

The top has a great view and unique contrast of green plants against the black lava rocks. The highlight of this hike are the different trails up. You get to hike through the jungle and experience the wildlife. There are 5 different trails up and down which have different levels of difficulty and distance. This also makes the hike less crowded. We didnt see anyone until we reached the top.

Dont miss out on this one! Its a Beautiful moderate hike. Bring insect repellent. In the end you can decide to go through the jungle or road. The jungle part is alot longer than expected. If you go really early you might be able to see some animals

Easy hike from entrance. If you are really lazy you can go up by car. but than you will not see any wildlife on the trail...

Private secondary forest with a great view of the Arenal Volcano. Plenty of Costa Rican fauna and flora, we got to see insects and birds weve never seen before.

Great trail trough jungle. Si recommend to choose the longest part.

I have really enjoyed hiking there. I was worrying it was not big enough but it was solid 2 hours of constant walking. So many different areas. Overall very satisfied and exceeded my expectations , Great value for money considering we are in touristy area. I think children 4-5 and over can do most of the trails.

This was a fabulous hike. We spent nearly 4 hours in the park, did a self guided hike of all the trails, had a picnic lunch at the top of the Lava trail, and LOVED the variety of scenery! We briefly met 2 tour groups and otherwise had the trails to ourselves. Moderate difficulty. Awesome!

It was muddy, rainy and cloudy but I still thought it was a fun trail to hike. Some of the paths were kind of tough and werent just a leisurely stroll but on a clear day Im sure its not so bad. There were hardly any people here as well which was great

An excellent place to see Arenal volcano! The view is awesome! There are multiple trails to the foot of the volcano, you can choose any of them.

Excellent place to visit La fortuna Volcano and to see the local fauna and flora. Entry fee is 4000 colones, half price of the national park and it worth it!!

Hidden gem! Very few people on these trails! The trails are a bit more primitive, but not too difficult to navigate. There are some parts of the trail that have cows grazing on them, these parts are optional, just know that theres lots of cow dung in these areas.

This is an amazing preserve and a best kept secret at only 4000 colones a person, it is a true deal! The 1968 Lava field is cool. The change in ecoystems is a must see. We saw a spider monkey!

Saw spider monkeys, very cool. Trails are nice, beautiful jungle. Staff very friendly. Bring bugspray, the amount of mosquitos is insane here.

Beautiful hidden jewel...bring cash for entry and water for the hike(s)...you choose how many you feel to take (7 total). You will find easy to difficult sections but you should never miss is "the lava 68 trail"....it rewards you with the most imponent view of Arenal Volcano plus sections of solidified lava fields from the 68 eruption.

We stumbled upon this location by accident when looking for the official Arenal Volcano park. I wish we had planned to go here and given ourselves more time. Great hiking!

We had a guided hike of trail #6 (part way up the side of the volcanoand trail #4 (through the jungle). Our guide was very personable and knowledgeable. The scenery was fabulous. It was super windy on our volcano hike. We heard and smelled monkeys on the jungle hike. We saw lots of birds and gorgeous plants. We were served fresh fruit at the end of the hike which was very enjoyable. On the way to the trailhead, the driver spotted a sloth way up in a tree. We stopped and the guide used a scope so we could all see it. We were even able to take photos through the scope. I would recommend this tour.

Highly recommended!! We went for a hike without much expectations. We were pleased to discover a more untouched side of this area, we were all alone in a beautiful hike through thick rainforest leading to a spectacular view of the volcano. Don’t miss !

Best hiking trails in fortuna for only $8 per adult! Breathe taking views from the top! If you stay late enough you can see the red eyed frogs by the main entrance. Impressive little creatures.

Take the long route around, including to the 1968 lava flow limit. Its a trip! So many terrains.The photo is not far from the highest point just as a thunderstorm was blowing through.

Great hike, long enough but not too long, and not too difficult. Great view of the volcano. Great mix of rainforest, open air, and lava rock at the top. Would recommend to anyone looking for a great private, 1.5-2 hour hike.

This place was stunning. We saw one other family walking the trails so it was very peaceful. We walked trail 3 and saw loads of monkeys, Trail 5 for a good view of lake arenal, trail 6 (the lava trailand trail 2 on the way back down. This last one was quite steep. The views were amazing. Take plenty of water as it was very humid all the way round.

We enjoyed the hiking trails at el Silencio. They were easily managed and well marked. The vista views were fantastic. The best part was that we felt we were the only hikers in the area. Well worth the stop even if you only have an hour or two.

We were the only ones there. No need for a guide. Several trails to choose from. There are many openings where you exit the forest for a moment and the views are breathtaking.