Taxi Boat Taxi Transfer from Arenal to Monteverde

Transport Taxi Boat Taxi Arenal Volcano to Monteverde

Taxi-boat-taxi Arenal to Monteverde or vice versa - the fastest way between these 2 places. The service has various names taxi-boat-taxi, van boat van or jeep-boat-jeep (although nobody uses jeeps anymore the name stuck!) and is a one-way transfer between Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna to Monteverde. Or you can do this trip the other way around. We use comfortable vans or small coasters for the journey.

Monteverde and Arenal Volcano are only about 136km apart but the shortest direct route by road is not possible because of the mountain ranges. The taxi-boat-taxi option is a quick and scenic travel option! And you can have a relaxing time as you slowly cross the Arenal Lake on a motorized, covered boat at the foot of the Volcano.

This is a shared taxi-boat-taxi service (you can book a private one, see below) and departs twice daily and takes approximately 3.5 - 4 hours, and provides door-to-door service for most hotels.

Morning      Leaves at 8:00 am from Monteverde and at 8:30 am from La Fortuna / Arenal.

Afternoon   Leaves at 2:00 pm from Monteverde and 2:30 pm from La Fortuna / Arenal

 Private       Anytime before 3.30 pm from Monteverde or 4.00 pm from La Fortuna/Arenal

Note that you do have to carry your luggage a short distance to and from the boat.  You can ask the driver for assistance.

*note there is an extra charge if your pick-up is outside the pick-up zone (such as the Hotel Observatory Lodge in El Castillo) this is not per person but per transfer. Please inquire about the exact charge.

Please inquiry about private services

More Journey Details..............

As the name suggests, the trip consists of a taxi ride (we usually use minivans or microbuses as they are FAR more comfortable than using a small jeep on these bumpy roads) to Arenal Lake, a boat across the Arenal Lake, and then another 25-minute taxi on to your hotel. In total, this breaks down into about 2.5 hours by microbus and 30 minutes by boat.

The alternative route to La Fortuna involves going around Arenal Lake, via Tilaran and Nuevo Arenal, which takes almost 4.5 hours of solid driving (assuming you don't get lost or fall into a bus-sized pothole.)  The public bus can take almost 8 hours due to a layover in Tilaran. This shortcut is a true timesaver!  The service is sometimes called the Jeep Boat Jeep, but the name is misleading since the actual land transportation is generally by minivan (also called a microbus).