Mistico Hanging Bridges Entrance Fee & Important Facts

Get ready to explore the amazing hanging bridges of Arenal, Costa Rica.

This concise guide will focus on Mistico Hanging Bridges entrance fee and important facts you need to know before you go.

When Arujan and I visited this park last year, we didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, we almost didn’t even get in (because we didn’t purchase our tickets in advance… learn from my mistakes).

But, WOW, I am so thankful we got in, this was one of our BEST days in Arenal, Costa Rica.

You will navigate through a 2 mile trail through Mistico Park, encountering 16 bridges, some grounded and others hanging bridges.

As you explore, admire the lush green rainforests and search for diverse Costa Rican wildlife.

Keep reading for the price break down of the Mistico entrance fees & tours.

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Mistico Hanging Bridges Entrance Fee & Tours

There are multiple different tours and tickets at Mistico Hanging Bridges Park.

The most important thing I can leave you with is to book your tickets in advance.

You must book ahead in order to get a spot.

The tours are offered in Spanish or English, as most tourist attractions and areas of Costa Rica speak English.

Prices listed below are in USD and updated April 2024.

Mistico Hanging Bridges Entrance Fee: General Tickets

Mistico Hanging Bridges entrance fee for general tickets: is $21 – $32, depending on age.

These tickets give you entrance into the park and allow you to visit at your own pace.

We purchased the general entrance. For reference, we spent almost 3 hours, taking our time in the park.

Click here to purchase your general admission ticket in advance!

Natural History Guided Tour

Mistico Hanging Bridges park offers a guided tour, called the Natural History Guided Tour.

Tickets range from $18-$48, depending on age.

This tour is offered at many different times and is 2.5 hours in length.

The languages tour is offered in are English, Spanish and French.

This tour is a best seller.

Book your Natural History Guided Tour in advance here.

Arenal Bird Watching Tour

This tour is for the bird lovers in your group. The Arenal Bird Watching Tour is offered daily at 6:00 AM.

Prices range from $50-$61 and the tour is 2.5 hours in length.

Check out this specialized bird tour here for booking.

Twilight Tour

The Twilight walk is offered at 4:30PM daily. This tour is great for finding nocturnal animals.

You will be given a flashlight and will be accompanied by a guide as the general entrance to the park closes to the general public at 4:30PM.

The tour is 2.5 hours in length.

Check the Twilight tour out here!

Night Tour

The Mistico Night Tour is offered even later than the twilight tour, starting at 6:00 PM daily.

Make sure to wear longer pants and bring a jacket for this tour, it can get colder in the dark.

You will be provided a flashlight and a guide to lead you through the park, with many nocturnal animals to see!

The tour is 2.5 hours in length.

Click here to book your Mistico night tour.

Do you Need to Buy Mistico Hanging Bridges Tickets in Advance?

Yes, you DO.

We made the big mistake of showing up to the park without tickets. 

We were turned away, sat in our car by the entrance and debated what to do. Luckily, they let us in because they were under capacity that day. 

Do NOT make this mistake and purchase your tickets in advance.

How to get to Mistico Hanging Bridges

Driving to Mistico Hanging Bridges

The drive to Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges from La Fortuna is very straight forward.

It is a 30 minute drive (approximately 20 kilometres), along Route 142.

This is slightly past Arenal Volcano National Park so if you haven’t seen the entrance to the park yet, keep going.

We visited Mistico Hanging Bridges as a stop on our drive from La Fortuna to Monteverde, Costa Rica. As you continue along Route 142 for 72 kilometres. Consider this if you are going from La Fortuna to Monteverde

Shuttle to Mistico Hanging Bridges

There is an Easy Hop Shuttle that can take you to and from Mistico Hanging Bridges Park back to your accommodations in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. 

They have different payment options, but if you solely want a round trip ticket to and from Mistico Park, it costs $6.

Check out Easy Hop here for a ride.

Best Time to Visit Mistico Hanging Bridges

Best Time of Year

Overall, the best time to visit Costa Rica is during the dry season of December to April. Dry season is typically the best for wildlife viewing in Costa Rica. 

However, the lush and vibrant greens of the rainforests are best seen in the rainy season from May to November. The best time to see birds in Costa Rica is during the rainy season.

So, you have to choose between dry season with wildlife and rainy season greenery, with birds. 

Best Time of Day

The best time for wildlife viewing in Mistico Hanging Bridges is early morning and late afternoon/evening/night.

The twilight and night tours will offer great wildlife viewing opportunities. 

If you want to visit and avoid the crowds, opt for earlier or later in the day.

Is Mistico Hanging Bridges Worth it?

Yes, in my opinion, Mistico Hanging Bridges is well worth the visit.

The views, the wildlife sightings, the lush rainforests, it is what Costa Rica is made of!

There are 16 bridges in this park, that is a LOT of bridges to spend time on. The park trail is 2 miles in length and the experience is AMAZING.

We preferred Mistico Hanging Bridges to any other cloud forests we visited.

Can you do Mistico Hanging Bridges Without a Guide?

You can definitely do Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges without a guide.

We opted to purchase the self-guided general entrance tickets.

We completed the trail on our own for about 2 hours, we loved going at our own pace and enjoying the quiet nature. 

Tours are a great opportunity to have more wildlife sightings and get a lot of historical information on Costa Rica and the park.

What to Wear at Mistico Hanging Bridges

The number 1 mandatory attire for Mistico Hanging Bridges are closed toe shoes. This is to protect yourself from any wildlife or insects that you may step on.

Otherwise, light weight, exercise clothing is your best bet when visiting Mistico Hanging Bridges. 

I wore running shoes, shorts and a moisture wicking workout top. My husband wore running shoes, jogging pants, a T-shirt, sunglasses and sun hat.

We both were very comfortable along the trail and did not need anything else. 

If you are visiting in the rainy season or evening; I recommend bringing a rain jacket and umbrella. 

When packing for Costa Rica, don’t forget a water bottle to stay hydrated.

Accessibility at Mistico Hanging Bridges Park

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges has a 1 mile, wide, paved trail for those who need a safer and more accessible path. 

The path includes six fixed bridges and 2 hanging bridges that are optional on the trail. 

Mistico Hanging Bridges offers electric scooters for rent to use on the trail and electric carts to transport you around the facilities.

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Final Thoughts on Mistico Hanging Bridges Park

As you plan your Central America travels, Mistico Hanging Bridges Park should DEFINITELY be on your Costa Rica itinerary.

I hope this Costa Rica travel guide helped break down the different tour options and Mistico entrance fees for you.

You will love getting lost on the hanging bridges of Mistico Park, seeing the magical wildlife and being one with the nature.