- What it is: A 225-hectare private nature reserve on the flank of Arenal Volcano, with 14 km of hiking trails, old lava fields from the 1968 eruption, and arguably the best up-close view of the volcano in the entire region.
- Cost: General entry is around $10 per person, which consistently gets flagged as one of the best hiking deals in Arenal. Guided tours with a naturalist are available separately.
- Hours: Open daily from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Early morning is strongly recommended for wildlife and clearer volcano views.
- Location: Just 12–13 km west of downtown La Fortuna along Route 142, a 15-minute drive. It sits right next to the Arenal 1968 reserve and borders Arenal Volcano National Park.
- Best for: Active hikers, photographers, wildlife lovers, and travelers who want the volcano experience without the crowds of the national park.
The Story Behind Mirador El Silencio
The name translates to “The Silence Viewpoint,” and it’s one of those rare places in Costa Rica where the name still matches the experience. The reserve sits directly in the path of the 1968 eruption, one of the most dramatic volcanic events in the country’s history. When Arenal erupted on July 29 that year, it wiped out the towns of Tabacón and Pueblo Nuevo and sent lava pouring down its western flank. The rocky black fields you hike through today are what that eruption left behind.
For decades after the eruption, this zone was considered too dangerous to build on, and it still falls inside the official high-risk area around the volcano. New construction is not permitted. What that restriction protected, by accident, is 100 hectares of untouched primary rainforest, meaning trees that have never been cut down. You can walk under 400-year-old ceibas, trumpet trees, and guarumos here, something almost impossible to do in most of Costa Rica’s more developed parks.
Unlike the government-run Arenal Volcano National Park right next door, Mirador El Silencio is a private family-owned reserve. That’s partly why it stays so quiet. There’s no tour-bus infrastructure, no souvenir shops, no long queues. It’s just trails, signage, a ticket booth, and a lot of forest.
What to See & Do at Mirador El Silencio
The reserve has six trails of different difficulty levels, and most visitors combine two or three for a 2–3 hour loop.
- Hike the Lava Trail (Sendero de Lava). The headline experience. A 1.2 km path that winds through the solidified lava flows from the 1968 eruption, ending at the main viewpoint. On a clear day, Arenal’s cone feels close enough to touch.
- Climb to the main mirador. A steady uphill through primary rainforest gets you to the highest lookout on the property, roughly eye-level with the volcano’s middle slopes. The view is widely considered superior to the one from the national park itself.
- Wildlife spotting in primary forest. Howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins, coatis, pizotes, leafcutter ants, toucans, parrots, and, with patience, sloths. Early morning is the golden window.
- Combine the rainforest and lava routes. Start on the shaded forest trails (cooler, more wildlife), then emerge onto the open lava field for the sun-drenched volcano views. It’s the most satisfying way to experience the reserve.
- Photograph from the lagoon. A small lagoon near the ticket area often reflects the volcano on still mornings, giving you a mirror-image shot you won’t get anywhere else.
- Pair it with nearby hot springs. Several of the top Arenal hot springs (Ecotermales, Baldi, Tabacón) are within 10 minutes of the reserve exit, making this the natural “hike-then-soak” combination most visitors end up doing.
Planning your first trip to Arenal? We can help you put the pieces together. From private shuttles to guided day trips, we design trips that go beyond the standard tourist loop and show you the Costa Rica we’d take our own friends to see.
Pura Vida!
