If you only do one adventure activity in La Fortuna, make it an ATV our with Power Wheels Adventures – so put your thumbs to the throttle & go off-road, we guarantee you’ll have a wheely wheely good time!
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Private ATV Tours with Power Wheels Adventures
La Fortuna is the adventure capital of Costa Rica & while we were in town, we here at DIY Travel HQ road-tested many of the activities on offer.
The ATV Tour with Power Wheels Adventures was the one we were most excited about – it lived up to expectations & was one of our favourite things to do in Costa Rica.
* Don’t forget to purchase travel insurance before any trip to Costa Rica. We’ve been using World Nomads for over 10 years – it’s the best-value provider we’ve found & we’ve also never had any issues on the few occasions we’ve had to make a claim.
Power Wheels Adventures offer private-only ATV Tours, so it’s just you & your party (partner, kids, family, friends). There are several different tours to choose from, ranging in time & terrain, but all can be customized to suit your needs. For example, you can set your own tour time so you can fit more into your day.
With a private tour, you have the full-attention of the guides (you will likely each have your own) so you can feel comfortable going at your own pace. Don’t forget to bring a camera or smartphone – the guides are happy to help you take as many photos as you like!
Getting Started at Power Wheels Adventures
The VIP treatment begins with a hotel pick-up to the main office, 1.5kms on the main road from La Fortuna.
Here, we met with Jeff, the founder of the company. A California-native, Jeff first visited Costa Rica on holiday some years back, taking a couple of ATV tours along the way. When he decided to move permanently & settle in La Fortuna, he saw a gap in the market for customized, personalized private tours & so Power Wheels Adventures was born.
We had a quick tour of the office, including the ATV workshop with a full-time mechanic. It’s always reassuring to know that your vehicle is going to be road-worthy!
We were fitted with rubber boots & helmets, then we headed out to meet our ATV’s. We were introduced to our guides, who gave us a short lesson in operating the ATV. Before we knew it, we were then on the road!
We drove slowly around the back streets, testing the throttle & brake (very important!), with the guides on their own ATV’s close at hand. We were pretty nervous as it had been over a year since either of us had even driven a car – and that was on the other side of the road, Aussie-style!
But after the training session, we felt comfortable in the hands of our guides, Gato & Joel, and were ready to put metal to the pedal… or thumbs to the throttle!
How to Ride an ATV with Power Wheels Adventures
- Use your right thumb to accelerate
- Use both hands to brake
- Change gears by pressing buttons on the left side or with your left foot – watch the guide ahead for hand signals
- Lean forward & accelerate when climbing uphill
- Lean back & brake when going downhill
ATV Tour Course with Power Wheels Adventures
There are several ATV tours to choose from with Power Wheels Adventures but we went with their most popular, “ The La Guaria Bosque Finca/Rio (Farm/ River) Tour”.
We couldn’t have asked for more, it was a fantastic course! We rode through a private farm, all 400 acres of it, passing through steep hills & low valleys, going up, down & around the foothills of Arenal Volcano. It’s a pity that Arenal is no longer erupting (dormant since 2010) but we had more than enough thrills to keep us happy!
The ATV tour really lived up to its name as we certainly did ride through all types of terrains. From gravel to dirt roads, unpaved & back roads, we also passed through villages, farms & jungle areas, even crossing rivers & bridges – such a blast 🙂
We didn’t think about it before, but an ATV tour is actually an awesome way to explore the local area around La Fortuna. We got glimpses of the village life & farmland around the village of La Guaria, so you don’t need to rent a car to go off the beaten track!
ATV Tour Landscape with Power Wheels Adventures
All the while, I couldn’t stop taking photos! It wasn’t the safest driving but the landscape was too incredible to resist. The guides could see that it was a compulsion of mine & they indulged me greatly, taking us to the best lookouts & stopping at many scenic spots.
One of the highlights was when we drove up to the Mirador, a 150m high viewpoint. From here, we could see the whole, lush green valley & the meeting point of the Palma & Arenal rivers. It truly took our breaths away.
Of course, our guides Gato & Joel took photos of us here, as they did throughout the tour.
On one muddy stretch, they even let us go back & forth a few times so that we could get the perfect capture on camera!
And here’s our best take: 🙂
Oh yes, you’ll definitely get muddy but that’s all part of the fun, our favourite part in fact! Just know that the faster you go, the muddier you’ll get but you also don’t want to take it too slow or you’ll probably get stuck in the mud – so the choice is yours 🙂
That happened a couple of times too & again our guides were very patient & helped us to get out of the mud unscathed.
Another highpoint was towards the end of the course, when we actually rode our ATV’s across a running river. On the other side of the riverbank was a tranquil forest, where we stopped for a break (not the 1st by the way).
We wished we had our swimmers with us as that would’ve been a really refreshing dip in the most beautiful of environments, not to mention washing away a lot of the mud .
It was the perfect way to finish the ATV tour with Power Wheels Adventures, before the final ride back to reality.
ATV Tour Wildlife with Power Wheels Adventures
The wildlife we encountered on the ATV tour with Power Wheels Adventures was an unexpected bonus.
Not long after we rode away from the office & entered the farm, our guides pointed out a sloth high up in the trees – no idea how they spotted it but they obviously have experience & well-trained eyes!
Further along on the ride, up on a hillside, one animal we couldn’t miss were the cows that were blocking our path! There were about 15 of them, big white cows, grazing peacefully on the grass. They weren’t really disturbed by us at all.
It was only when we got really close with our ATV’s that there was a bit of stand-off with a few cows. We stared each other down, before inching closer with our vehicles until the cows finally made way for us!
Finally, at the riverbank, the guides found a tiny dart frog for us – I believe it was a strawberry poison-dart frog. They can be poisonous to humans but we touched them & held them in our hands so I assume this frog at least was not that harmful!
Monkeys, toucans & all sorts of birds are also apparently common so while you’re out on the road, keep your eyes & ears peeled.
Top Tips for an ATV Tour with Power Wheels Adventures
- Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty – you will get wet & muddy!
- Bring socks (you’ll be given rubber boots to wear) & a change of clothes/footwear (including a towel) – you can hose down at the office after the tour & there’s also a shower you can use
- Wear a swimsuit if you want to have a dip in the river near the end of the tour
- Bring a camera, GoPro (with clips) or smartphone for photos
- The guides will provide you with bottled water on the tour
- It’s suitable for all ages, no experience necessary!
In a Nutshell
Address: 1.5 Km west (toward the volcano) from the center of La Fortuna
Prices: ATV tours from $95.00, The La Guaria Bosque Finca/Rio (Farm/River) Tour $139.00 (2.5 hours)
Contact:
- Phone: 506-2479-1348 or 506-8543-6333
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Power Wheels Adventures
Read their Tripadvisor reviews here
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*** The Final Word: Don’t miss the ATV Tour with Power Wheels Adventures in La Fortuna, Costa Rica – you won’t regret it! ***
Have you ever ridden an ATV? Where?!
* We received a complimentary ATV Tour with Power Wheels Adventures, thank you to Jeff for hosting us. We only recommend fun, value for money activities & experiences that we believe our readers would enjoy. As always, all opinions are our own.
Visited in January 2017
Comments
Wow! I may not be as brave as you to drive the ATV on my own still, but maybe in the future I could cross that one out of my bucket list. Haha Great pictures and informative post! You looked like you had tons of fun.
We are glad you enjoyed reading our post, Shernice. You always have the option to ride ‘shotgun’ on the ATV, but that might be even more difficult since you don’t have handle bars to hold on to. Our guides at Power Wheels judged our ability & chose an appropriate course so we never felt at risk. All you have to do is let your thumb off the throttle if you want to slow down. It was a great day out so definitely keep it on your bucket list.
Ahh love this article! I’ve been looking into going to CR at the end of 2017, and La Fortuna is on my list. I hadn’t thought about ATVing, but it looks like so much fun!!
It was a blast & our favorite activity in La Fortuna. We didn’t have ATVing on our radar until we started looking at top TripAdvisor activities & came across it. You can’t argue with 5 stars there!
This looks like so much fun! Can’t believe that action shot with the mud splashing everywhere! Looks like you guys had a great time!!!
We really did! Shout out to our guides Joel & Gato for taking a lot of awesome pictures. We were very impressed with the quality of the shots they were able to capture with our camera & Power Wheels didn’t charge extra like a lot of other tours in La Fortuna. Talk about great value! Are you going to give it a try sometime?
This sounds like so much fun :O love the picture of Arenal volcano- it must have been so cool to drive through this landscape!
It was fantastic! We went all over the farm from ponds, to hills, to fields with Volcano Arenal never far away.
This looks insanely good! Even though I am afraid of motorbikes and I don’t usually ride one, I think that I would definitely try the Power Wheels Adventures! I already know how to ride the ATV thanks to your directions! 😀
P.S. I would definitely get a waterproof case for my phone!
ATV’s are much simpler than motorbikes. Even Sheena had no problems & she hasn’t perfected riding a bicycle yet. 🙂
If you want a waterproof phone case check out the one in our Christmas list & found on Amazon.
This looks SO FUN! My family are big ATV riders, but I’ve only been able to do it a couple of times because of my busy schedule. I would love to do it in a place like Costa Rica, though!
ATVing is like sky diving where you can do it everywhere, but certain landscapes & course terrain are preferable to others.
Fun fun fun! Thanks for the handy tips and information about the tour company. It’s good to know about companies that provide a unique experience coupled with great customer service. Cannot beat that!
No you can’t! A good product will get you half-way, but great customer service will win over even the most hard to please customers.
Thank you for your story and useful tips regarding Power Wheel Adventures in this beautiful part of Central America. I have not visited Costa Rica yet but it is definitely on my travel bucket list.
We had expectations for Costa Rica, & they have lived up to them & then some. We didn’t expect so many beaches in the country since the rest of Central America is really lacking. ATVing was also not on the radar until we started searching things to do in La Fortuna on TripAdvisor either. It’s nice to have an open schedule so you can add places on a whim, but this is one activity not to miss regardless.
Gosh! This looks like such an amazing experience. My experience in driving ATV has only been within the compound walls of dirt tracks in the city I stay. I would so love to explore the pristine surroundings of a place as beautiful as this. Love the picture of the drive in the mud puddle and of the tiny little frog.
That picture is amazing, & we were happy to have seen the poison dart frog which came as a surprise. We didn’t expect that on an ATVing tour & would have never found it on our own in Costa Rica! It sounds like you at least have some experience so doing a tour like this in the future would be right up your alley.
I’ve never driven an ATV before but it looks like great fun! I love that you can drive over any terrain, even shallow rivers and rocks. Good to hear you got a training session beforehand – I would be totally clueless otherwise!
The tires must be solid rubber as nothing seemed to faze them. I was surprised I only got stuck once as well, which was after I really went at the deepest part of a muddy section. It’s surprisingly easy to drive an ATV & shifting doesn’t happen much besides terrain changes so you can set it & forget it.