# Arenal District, Tilarán Canton, Guanacaste Province

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/guanacaste/tilaran/arenal/

District · Tilarán Canton 

# Arenal

Arenal is a district of Costa Rica in Tilarán Canton, Guanacaste Province. It had an estimated **2,696 people** in 2021 on 73 km² (about 37 per km²). 17 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 87 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 2,696people (2021)
- 72.7km²
- 87mapped services
- 622 mtypical elevation

## How many people live in Arenal?

Arenal had an estimated **2,696 people** in 2021 — 12.3% of Tilarán Canton, 380th of 472 districts. There are 1,015 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Tilarán Canton figure of 1,013). Spread over 73 km², that is about **37 people per km²**, 356th of 472 districts.

19.2% of people are children under 15 and 11.7% are 65 or older; the median age is about 34 years (it is 33 across Tilarán Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 45 children and older people.

0–4 ****173**

5–9 ****171**

10–14 ****174**

15–19 ****193**

20–24 ****221**

25–29 ****248**

30–34 ****227**

35–39 ****204**

40–44 ****173**

45–49 ****153**

50–54 ****156**

55–59 ****150**

60–64 ****137**

65–69 ****106**

70–74 ****84**

75+ ****126**

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri).

## Where is Arenal?

Arenal lies in [Tilarán Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/guanacaste/tilaran/), [Guanacaste Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/guanacaste/), [Costa Rica](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/). It borders 5 other districts: [Cote](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/guatuso/cote/), [La Fortuna](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/san-carlos/la-fortuna/), [Tierras Morenas](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/guanacaste/tilaran/tierras-morenas/), [Tilarán](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/guanacaste/tilaran/tilaran/) and [Venado](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/san-carlos/venado/). By area it is the 186th largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 10.9% of [Tilarán Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/guanacaste/tilaran/). The centre of Arenal is about 107 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. It is about 14 km from Tilarán, the main town of Tilarán Canton. The centre point is at 10.5294° N, 84.8587° W.

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri).

## Things to see in and around Arenal

OpenStreetMap lists 3 named sights in Arenal: 2 monuments; 1 viewpoint.

- Restaurante Mirador Rondorama · viewpoint
- Los Heroes train sign 1 · monument
- Los Heroes train sign 2 · monument

### Nearby, outside Arenal

- Boat for La Fortuna · attraction, Tilarán8.4 km
- Cavernas de Venado · attraction, Venado10 km
- Blue Pass - Lago Arenal (Boat Tours) · attraction, La Fortuna12 km
- Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park · attraction, La Fortuna12 km
- Viento Fresco Waterfalls · attraction, Quebrada Grande14 km
- Beginning of the road to the cross viewpoint · monument, Tilarán14 km
- Arenal Volcano National Park · national park, La Fortuna14 km
- Viewpoint with large cross, 20min walking from busstation · viewpoint, Tilarán15 km
- Mono Carablanca · attraction, La Fortuna15 km
- Areal 1968 Volcano trails and MTB paths · attraction, La Fortuna15 km
- Waterfalls la Piedra Del Indio · attraction, Quebrada Grande15 km
- Viewpoint (especially good at sunset) · viewpoint, Peñas Blancas15 km

Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: Arenal

- Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica
- CurrencyColon (CRC)
- Country calling code+506
- LanguagesSpanish, English
- Plug typesType A, B · 120 V
- Driving sideRight
- Postcode format5 digits (#####)

### Nearest airports

- La Fortuna Arenal Airport (FON) · La Fortuna31 km
- Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) · Liberia75 km

### Nearest railway station

Rondorama (Arenal), about 6.7 km from the centre.

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:17) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:49, sunset around 17:19).

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling.

## Villages and localities in Arenal

Open gazetteers list **17 villages, towns and localities** in Arenal. Settlements here lie between about 580 m and 672 m above sea level (median 622 m).

- Arenal
- Cementerio
- Congo
- Dos Bocas
- El Carmen
- El Santuario
- Fraccionamiento Paraíso al Lago
- La Unión
- Las Flores
- Las Palmeras
- Las Pavas
- Mata de Caña
- Nuevo Arenal
- Sangregado
- Santa María
- Unión
- Zoológico

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

## Landscape and landmarks of Arenal

Named natural and historic features inside Arenal, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

4 rivers and streams.

- Quebrada Aquacatico
- Quebrada Engaño
- Quebrada Las Flores
- Quebrada Paniagua

### Coast and islands

1 lagoon.

- Laguna Ranita

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in Arenal and the best time to visit

Using the climate of Tilarán Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 27 °C) and the coolest is Dec (24 °C). About 1,443 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (289 mm) and the driest Feb (9 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **December to April**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 24 13 

Feb 25 9 

Mar 26 10 

Apr 27 40 

May 27 187 

Jun 25 177 

Jul 25 131 

Aug 25 175 

Sep 25 252 

Oct 24 289 

Nov 24 132 

Dec 24 28 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Arenal

Need Nearest mapped Distance 

Hospital Clínica Nuevo Arenal · Arenal 4.2 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.54526&mlon=-84.89385#map=17/10.54526/-84.89385) 

Bank Banco Nacional · Arenal 4.5 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.54490&mlon=-84.89655#map=17/10.54490/-84.89655) 

ATM Bank ATM · Monteverde 24 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.31783&mlon=-84.82366#map=17/10.31783/-84.82366) 

Petrol pump Gasolinera Arenal · Arenal 4.1 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.54530&mlon=-84.89240#map=17/10.54530/-84.89240) 

Hotel La Ceiba Tree Lodge · Arenal 1.2 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.51892&mlon=-84.86093#map=17/10.51892/-84.86093) 

Mall Centro Comercial Obando · Arenal 4.1 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.54539&mlon=-84.89219#map=17/10.54539/-84.89219) 

School Escuela Asentamiento IDA Nuevo Arenal · Arenal 1.9 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.54565&mlon=-84.86342#map=17/10.54565/-84.86342) 

College UNED - Centro Universitario Tilarán · Tilarán 14 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.47117&mlon=-84.96787#map=17/10.47117/-84.96787) 

Police station Delegación Policial de Arenal · Arenal 4.3 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=10.54590&mlon=-84.89376#map=17/10.54590/-84.89376) 

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km.

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Arenal

Places mapped inside Arenal in open map data, by type.

- Hospitals2
- Banks1
- Petrol pumps2
- Hotels34
- Shopping malls1
- Schools7
- Pharmacies2
- Restaurants37
- Police stations1

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Other districts in Tilarán Canton

- Cabeceras
- Líbano
- Quebrada Grande
- Santa Rosa
- Tierras Morenas
- Tilarán
- Tronadora

## Quick answers

- Where is Arenal?In Tilarán Canton, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
- What is the population of Arenal?2,696 (2021 estimate)
- What is the median age in Arenal?About 34 years (2021 estimate)
- What is the population density of Arenal?About 37 people per km²
- What borders Arenal?Cote, La Fortuna, Tierras Morenas, Tilarán and Venado
- What is there to see in Arenal?Los Heroes train sign 1, Los Heroes train sign 2, Restaurante Mirador Rondorama
- What time zone is Arenal in?UTC−6
- What currency is used in Arenal?Colon (CRC)
- What language is spoken in Arenal?Spanish, English (main languages nationally)
- How many villages are in Arenal?17 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap)
- What is the elevation of Arenal?Settlements lie between 580 m and 672 m
- What is the best time to visit Arenal?December to April
- Where is the nearest hospital to Arenal?Clínica Nuevo Arenal, about 4.2 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest bank to Arenal?Banco Nacional, about 4.5 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest ATM to Arenal?Bank ATM, about 24 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest petrol pump to Arenal?Gasolinera Arenal, about 4.1 km from the centre
- How many hospitals are in Arenal?2 mapped
- How many banks are in Arenal?1 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Arenal?2 mapped
- What is the P-code of Arenal?CR50807 (OCHA common operational dataset)