Photo courtesy of Hotel Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa
🇨🇷 Costa Rica · La Fortuna, Alajuela
Photo courtesy of Hotel Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa
🇨🇷 Costa Rica · La Fortuna, Alajuela
♨ Temperature
39°C
⛰ Altitude
600 m
⚗ pH
7
💧 TDS
960 mg/L
🌊 Flow rate
180 L/s
📅 Established
1987 (resort)
✓ Verified on 2026-08-13
Tabacón springs originate high on the slopes of Arenal, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and flow through a dense tropical garden into a series of cascading natural pools. The waters are gently mineralised with sulphur and bicarbonate, warm but not scalding, and set against the backdrop of steaming Arenal Volcano — creating one of the world's most extraordinary spa landscapes. Tabacón is a 5-star resort and member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Virtuoso, Signature Travel Network, Select, and Serandipians — with an award-winning spa set in open-air bungalows and cuisine inspired by Costa Rican traditions.
| Sulphur (H₂S) | 1.8 mg/L |
| Bicarbonate | 480 mg/L |
| Calcium | 110 mg/L |
| Magnesium | 44 mg/L |
| Silica | 65 mg/L |
The Tabacón hot springs are located within the Arenal Volcano National Park buffer zone — a region of immense geological significance. The indigenous Maleku people of the region have oral traditions connecting the volcanic hot springs to ancestral healing practices and creation narratives. The springs are part of the natural heritage of the Cordillera de Tilarán.
Costa Rica's environmental philosophy — Pura Vida (Pure Life) — infuses the Tabacón experience. The cultural norm of experiencing nature's gifts with gratitude and care, rather than exploitation, shapes how the springs are managed and experienced. For local communities, the volcano and its waters are not a commodity but a living presence in their cultural landscape and a source of community identity.
The Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort is certified under Costa Rica's Blue Flag Ecological Programme. The resort channels spring water through natural cooling to achieve therapeutic temperatures without external energy. Rainforest reforestation programmes buffer the watershed, and the resort pays conservation taxes that fund the Arenal Volcano National Park's management and wildlife protection.