Directions to Monteverde , Costa Rica
Monteverde is the area comprised of the towns of Santa Elena, Cerro Plano and Monteverde.
"Do you know the way to San Jose?". That's all right, We'll assume your already there. So, you want to get out of San Jose as fast as possible (believe us, you really do) and you want to get to the cloud forest of Monteverde. There are limited options as far as getting up the mountain, the one you choose will depend on your budget, time frame and the type of traveler you are.
Glossary of Places:
Costa Rica is a small country with a lot of nooks and cranny's. Major cities and hubs for transportation are San Jose, Puntarenas, Cuidad Quesada, Liberia, Limon and San Isidro - That is to say that these cities are the originating points for most of the countries bus routes and thus the principal road ways. Below are some of the places mentioned in discussing transport to Monteverde.
Guacimal The roads coming from the highway via Lagartos and Sardinal become one about half up the mountain and Guacimal is a village near the juncture of these two roads.
La Irma is the name of the turn off to Las Juntas. "La Irma" is the name of the service station found at this intersection and is an acknowledged stop for busses. From here you can connect with busses headed about anywhere. Good for reaching places across the Tempesque bridge like Samara and Nosara.
Las Juntas or Juntas de Abangares is a small town set about 8 Km off the highway. From this town is a route to Monteverde.
Lagartos is the exit on the Pan American that the public busses take to Monteverde. This turn off is located just before the Lagartos River and bridge if your heading towards the north.
Liberia is a city in the North of Costa Rica with an International airport. It is central in routes heading to the northern part of the Nicoya Peninsula.
Monteverde is the town in the mountains cloud forest and is made up of three village; Monteverde, Santa Elena and in the middle, Cerro Plano.
Puntarenas is a port town known more for its myriad of smells than for its beaches. Ferries to Montezuma leave from here and there are frequent busses to between San Jose. Puntarenas is a good size city for Costa Rica and is a good hub for bus travel.
Santa Elena is the commercial and "downtown" of Monteverde.
Public Bus to Monteverde
There are public busses to Monteverde from San Jose, Puntarenas, Las Juntas and Tilaran. Rates average about 1500 Colones or 3 $USD. Routes are well established and very functional for getting around cheaply. Busses pick up people along the way and can sometimes be crowded. On a few routes you can buy your tickets in advance at the station. There is no way to buy tickets unless your physically at the station so don't ask us.
San Jose to Monteverde
- Busses depart twice daily from from the "Coca Cola" area of San Jose. Times are 6:30 am and 2:30 pm. The station is the "old Puntarenas" bus stop and the busses to Tilaran leave from this same depot. The ride takes at least 5 hours. The bus makes a 15 minute stop at a restaurant in Sarmientos, located a little ways after turning off the highway at Lagartos, and a little more than halfway on your journey.
Puntarenas to Monteverde (via Lagartos) - Departs once a day at 2:15 pm. This bus leaves from the bus stop on the beach - not the station of Puntarenas. Wait across the street from the station, there are a couple of roofed shelters with benches and people waiting - just ask around. Takes about 3 1/2 hours.
Puntarenas to Monteverde (via Las Juntas) - This one leave Puntarenas at 1:30 pm or there about and goes to Monteverde via the old mining town of Las Juntas de Abangares. This route is not as direct but gets into Santa Elena and gets into Santa Elena about 45 minutes before the Puntarenas bus that passes via Lagartos. This bus is practical for anyone coming from the beaches in the north or Liberia since it can be caught from the turn off at the highway which goes to Las Juntas. This turn off is called "La Irma".
Tilaran to Monteverde - If you find yourself in Tilaran you can take a bus at 1:00 pm to Monteverde. Duration of a little over 3 hours. This would be primarily used if you are coming from La Fortuna and didn't take our taxi - boat -taxi shortcut.
Driving to Monteverde
If you plan to rent a car you should get a 4x4 vehicle, not only for the traction but for the clearance as well - you don't want to return the car minus the front end as a result of scraping along the "roads" in Monteverde. First off you need to understand that Costa Rica's only complete north-south route is the Pan American highway, also called route number one. This road enters Costa Rica from Nicaragua and runs south on the pacific slope of the country, passes though San Jose, and continues on to Panama. If your heading from San Jose to anyplace north of Puntarenas (Guanacaste and beaches on Nicoya for example) you will follow the Pan Americana. Those coming from the south will reach Monteverde by turning off at the entrance to Sardinal and driving up the mountain, passing through Guacimal, until reaching Santa Elena. If your coming from the north it may be more practical to come up via Las Juntas. There is also entrance from Tilaran if your driving from the Arenal Volcano. Monteverde is by no means a hub for transit. Many people pass from Monteverde to Arenal or vice versa, otherwise, from Monteverde you usually go on to Puntarenas or San Jose, and from Arenal you either head back to San Jose or continue to The north of the Nicoya Peninsula. These is good advise unless you enjoy defensive driving and dodging pot holes, and are looking to spend more time in your car.
So lets recap... There are three roads into Monteverde:
Road from Sardinal - This is an exit on the Pan American highway. Sardinal is further south on the highway and offers pavement half the way from Sardinal to Guacimal. This is the route to take if your coming from San Jose. Driving from San Jose to Monteverde will take a little over 3 hours. From San Jose to Sardinal turn off is about two hours, from Sardinal to Monteverde allow about an hour and a half. Traffic will influence you on this route. Certain times of the year or days of the week increase travel to the beaches and this crates a clog in this artery of Costa Rican transit.
Road that heads out towards Las Juntas and branches off on another road that will take you to Tilaran - This road is also unpaved. If your traveling between Monteverde and locations in northern Costa Rica you probably want to come via Las Juntas de Abangares. Las Juntas is located just off the highway at a turnoff called "La Irma" after the gas station located at this junction. From Las Juntas to Monteverde allow around 2 hours. If your going to our coming from Tilaran it takes a little longer depending on road conditions.
Road from Lagartos - Lagartos an exit on the Pan Americana located between Las Juntas and Sardinal. This is the route the public bus takes and is not paved. If your driving there is really no reason to take this road.
Drivers should plan to travel during daylight hours as the winding roads are in very poor and sport sheer cliff edges with vertigo inducing drop-offs.
Collective Shuttles to Monteverde
There are 2 major collective shuttle service operators. They are Interbus and Fantasy Bus. Theses companies offer shuttles to a large number of destinations at rates from $29 - $45. Services are door to door for most major hotels. Trips to Monteverde leave every day at 9:00 am or 2:00 pm from San Jose. For other routes search our database.
Private Transfer
Desafio can arrange private transportation from any where in the country to your destination. Transport is in a comfortable mini van or 4x4 vehicle with chauffer. This is great for airport pick ups. You just tell us when and where to pick you up. For a price quote contact us.
Fine. How do I get out of Monteverde?
From Monteverde there are daily public busses to San Jose at 6:30 am and 2:30 pm. There is a public bus at 6:00 am going to Puntarenas via Lagartos and another at 4:30 am going to Puntarenas via Las Junta / La Irma. At 7:00 am there is a bus to Tilaran. Collective shuttles depart for the most part in the morning hours. We can arrange a private transfer anytime to anyplace.
Visit or site ArenalVolcanoTours.com to learn How to get to Arenal.
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