About Lake Arenal

Lake Arenal is located in Costa Rica next to the Arenal volcano National Park. Lake Arenal sits among the hills of Guanacaste. Lake Arenal is a picture-perfect, man made lake with an area of 33 square miles; the largest lake in Costa Rica. It is surrounded by rolling hills, partly pastured and partly forested.

In 1973, the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE), built a 88 meter long, 56 meter tall dam at the eastern end of the valley, raising the level of the lagoon and creating what is now Lake Arenal (taking three years to fill up). So although it is “man-made”, it did begin as a smaller, natural lagoon.

Lake Arenal is a hydroelectric project that currently produces the majority of electricity fot the entire country which produces 70% of Costa Rica’s electricity. Under the water of the lake, lies the abandoned town of Arenal.

In Lake Arenal besides the great view of the Arenal Volcano you can spend morning or afternoon fishing and they are two species of fish, the Machaca and the bass. Lake Arenal is surrounding by rainforest to explore many kinds of birds, monkeys, toucans and much more.

All Arenal Volcano hotels are 3 to 10 miles away from Lake Arenal and National Park.

Many consider Lake Arenal the world's foremost windsurfing area. To do windsurfing you must drive about 40 minutes from La Fortuna or Arenal Volcano.