A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers La Fortuna vs. Tena for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit La Fortuna or Tena?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for La Fortuna and Tena. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.

Where Should I go: La Fortuna or Tena?

La Fortuna

La Fortuna is in San Carlos, in the province of Alajuela. It is the closest town to Arenal Volcano, and the area is often simply refered to as Arenal. The volcano itself is active and has been constantly erupting since 1968. It erupts on average 41 times a day. This area of northern Costa Rica is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country.

Tena

Tena is the capital of the Napo Province, an attractive and quiet city in the Amazon rainforest, and is known as the "cinnamon capital" of Ecuador. Tena has a friendly population, lots of backpacker infrastructure, a gorgeous setting surrounded by jungle-covered hills and a high concentration of surrounding rivers where white-water lovers from around the world come to paddle and kayak. The town provides a gateway to exploration into Ecuador's most accessible part of the great Amazon rainforest, which does not leave visitors disappointed. Beyond being a base for discovering the jungle and its wildlife, Tena is also a hub for adventure sports which are abundant in the area. Tena is a charming place where many travelers find themselves hanging around quite happily before or after a trip into the rainforest.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Adventure Tours to Costa Rica, The Best Eco Tours in Costa Rica, The Best G Adventures Tours to Colombia, and The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Bogota.


Which place is cheaper, Tena or La Fortuna?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in La Fortuna is $123, while the average daily cost in Tena is $61. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for La Fortuna and Tena in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    La Fortuna $51
    Tena $23
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    La Fortuna $102
    Tena $46
Compare Hotels in La Fortuna and Tena

Looking for a hotel in La Fortuna or Tena? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in La Fortuna


Hotels in Tena


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: La Fortuna Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    La Fortuna $21
    Tena $16

Hired Cars and Shuttles in La Fortuna

Some specific examples of transportation prices in La Fortuna:

  • Transfer From Liberia Airport To Arenal La Fortuna San Carlos: $42
  • Arenal La Fortuna to Liberia Airport (LIR) - Departure Transfer : $211
  • From San Jose Airport To Arenal - La Fortuna - PRIVATE TRANSFER: $295
  • From San Jose: One way shared transfer to La Fortuna: $74
  • Guided Tour to Arenal Mistico Hanging Bridges with Transfer: $79
  • La Fortuna Private Transfer to San Jose Airport : $231
  • One Way Private Transfer - La Fortuna to your Selected Location: $128
  • One-Way Private Transfer from La Fortuna (Arenal) to Liberia Guanacaste Airport: $241
  • One-Way Private Transfer from La Fortuna (Arenal) to San Jose, CR Intl Airport: $218
  • One-Way Transfer from La Fortuna to Monteverde through Arenal Lake: $57
  • Private One-Way Transfer from/to La Fortuna to Papagayo Peninsula: $289
  • Private Transfer Arenal / La Fortuna town to San Jose Airport (SJO): $200

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Tena

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Tena:

  • Transfer in Private Car from Bucaramanga Palonegro Airport (BGA) to Bucaramanga: $15
  • Round trip transfer in Private Car from-to Palonegro Airport(BGA) to Bucaramanga: $29
  • Private transfer service from or to Medellín Airport: $46
  • Roundtrip transfer in private minivan Medellin airport (MDE)- Guatape: $84
  • Private Transfer from Villavieja to San Agustín: $150
  • Popayan to Cali Private Transfer: $272
  • Popayan to Cali Private Transfer: $272

Is it cheaper to fly into La Fortuna or Tena?

Prices for flights to both Tena and La Fortuna change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    La Fortuna $47
    Tena $26

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in La Fortuna

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in La Fortuna.

  • Farm to Table Cooking Class : $43
  • Skip the Line: Mineral Hot Springs Full Day Ticket w/ Optional Lunch or Dinner: $47
  • Typical Costa Rican Cooking Classes in La Fortuna: $48
  • Costa Rican cuisine Cooking Class at Rancho Don Lelo: $54
  • Costa Rica The Chela Cooking Experience : $55
  • Costa Rican Cooking Class: $57
  • Cooking Class "Cook Like a Local" La Fortuna: $63
  • Private typical cooking class with a Costa Rican family: $70
  • Rainforest Night Walk and Authentic Costa Rican Dinner from La Fortuna: $71
  • Horseback Riding and Cooking Class with Lunch : $72
  • Cooking and Salsa Dance Lesson Combo : $74
  • Private cooking class in organic farm at La Fortuna: $75

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    La Fortuna $44
    Tena $14

Tours and Activities in La Fortuna

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for La Fortuna are as follows:

  • La Fortuna Waterfall Admission Ticket: $20
  • Skip-the-Line La Fortuna Waterfall Admission Ticket: $20
  • Petting Zoo Interactive Farm Experience: $20
  • Three hours walking tour around the deep Tropical Rain Forest: $20
  • Café Experience in Bijagua : $25
  • Frog Sanctuary Tour at Night : $29
  • Birdwatching Tour in La Fortuna: $29
  • Don Olivo Chocolate Tour: $30
  • Excellent Wildlife Tour in Bijagua de Upala: $30
  • Guaranteed Red eyed Tree Frog & Amphibians Tour: $30
  • Guaranteed Sloth Watching Tour: $30
  • Sloth and Monkey Wild Life Tour : $30

Tours and Activities in Tena

Here are a few actual costs in Tena for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Full Day Adventure Laguna Negra-Páramo de Ocetá from Mongua: $20
  • 4-Hour Private Walking Tour along Ruta de Las Flores: $42
  • Unique experience flying paragliding: $50
  • Gastronomic Private Walking Tour in Popayán: $50
  • Private Guided Tour to Hanging Stone Susa Cundinamarca: $55
  • Medellin Paragliding Tour : $65
  • Private 2-hour Diving Experience with Instructor: $65
  • Scuba Diving Private Tour in San Andres: $130
  • Popayán Tour from Cali: $216
  • Coffee Night Plan 2D/1N -2H to Medellin-Real Coffee Experience!: $239
  • Popayan and Silvia Town Private Tour from Cali: $240

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    La Fortuna $11
    Tena $10

Sample the Local Flavors in La Fortuna

Also in La Fortuna, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Wine Tasting Experience : $135


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between La Fortuna and Tena, we can see that La Fortuna is more expensive. And not only is Tena much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since La Fortuna is in Central America and Tena is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Tena would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Tena and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in La Fortuna would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in La Fortuna than you might in Tena.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is La Fortuna Expensive? and Is Tena Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, La Fortuna or Tena?

La Fortuna has a larger population, and is about 4 times larger than the population of Tena. When comparing the sizes of La Fortuna and Tena, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.