FOR YOU, FOR FREE: 17 years' worth of firsthand Costa Rica trip planning and travel advice compiled into hundreds of articles, plus exclusive discounts. Created by a Costa Rican and a four-time published Costa Rica guidebook author. Welcome, amigos, and as we say in Costa Rica, pura vida!
Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️
Click on a photo in the gallery above for discount and tour information
Boat transportation across Arenal LakeThe boat dock at Arenal LakeRicky and Nikki; taking the van-boat-van service in 2011Ricky and Nikki; taking the van-boat-van service with the same driver in 2022Road 142; leaving La FortunaRoad 142; between La Fortuna and TilaranRoad 145; between Tilaran and MonteverdeRoad 606; arriving into Monteverde
Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS:
If you plan to travel from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa), know this.
La Fortuna, home to the Arenal Volcano, and Monteverde, a key place to experience Costa Rica’s beloved cloud forest ecosystem, are two of Costa Rica’s most visited destinations. Though the two destinations near each other geographically, they are separated by Arenal Lake and vast protected land belonging to the Arenal Volcano National Park and the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. As a result, travel from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa) is a multi-hour trek.
There are two main ways that you can travel from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde or from Monteverde to La Fortuna / Arenal. A handful of potential city-to-city transportation-inclusive tours also provide a means of traveling between the two destinations (see below for more information about city-to-city transportation-inclusive tours), but they’re less commonly used. Here are the two most popular ways to get from La Fortuna to Monteverde or vice versa:
Via ground transportation A rental car, shared shuttle service, private transfer service, or taxi can be used to get from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa)
Via combined ground and boat transportation A combination of a shared shuttle service and a boat can be used to get from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa)
Monteverde does not have a domestic airport, so flying to and from the destination is not an option. Continue reading below to determine which mode(s) of transportation would be the best for you.
Not sure whether you should visit La Fortuna or Monteverde? Don’t miss our related blog post:
Travel from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa) via ground transportation
In some areas of the country, including Puntarenas (in the central Pacific region) and Paquera and Playa Naranjo (on the Nicoya Peninsula), Costa Rica operates large ferries that can transport travelers, rental cars, shuttles, and private transfer service vans between destinations. Unfortunately, large ferries do not operate on Arenal Lake; smaller tourist boats and speedboats transport travelers across the lake. None of these boats are equipped to carry vehicles on board, so if you plan to rent a car in Costa Rica, your only option is to drive around the lake. This drive, from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa), takes approximately three hours to complete when the most popular route, through Nuevo Arenal and Tilaran, is taken. When departing from La Fortuna, you’ll find the first half of the drive is conducted on a paved, albeit curvy, road (Road 142). The last half is driven on bumpy roads that climb in elevation to the mountainous Monteverde area. For a more in-depth analysis of the roads around Monteverde and La Fortuna / Arenal, please see our articles linked below.
Do you plan to drive yourself from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde or vice versa? Don’t miss our related blog posts:
Travel from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa) via combined ground and boat transportation
If you aren’t tied to a rental vehicle, you can take a shared shuttle service, a private transfer service, or a taxi from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa), just like most other routes in Costa Rica. To enjoy a scenic boat ride across Arenal Lake that showcases the Arenal Volcano, take the popular van-boat-van service. This service, sometimes referred to as the jeep-boat-jeep service or the taxi-boat-taxi service, combines ground transportation from Arenal / La Fortuna to Arenal Lake, boat transportation across the lake, and ground transportation from the lake to Monteverde. The reverse route can be taken from Monteverde if you’re destined for Arenal / La Fortuna.
What is the van-boat-van service?
The van-boat-van service provides a way of traveling between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde that skips the entire drive around Arenal Lake. Specifically, it trades about 1.5 hours of drive time for a lovely one-hour boat ride across the lake. Conveniently, each aspect of the van-boat-van service (i.e., the two ground transportation services and the boat transportation service) is handled by the tour operator you book the service through, taking the worry and hassle out of coordinating vehicles, boats, and arrival/departure times. Similar to shared shuttle services and private transfer services, which connect Arenal / La Fortuna with Monteverde and provide pick-ups and drop-offs at hotels in each area, the van-boat-boat service is a door-to-door service. You can be picked up and dropped off at La Fortuna- and Monteverde-area hotels, and your luggage stays with you as you travel between the two destinations. Though service departure times vary across tour operators, most companies operate the service to and from La Fortuna and Monteverde twice daily, once in the morning (around 8:00am-8:30am) and again in the afternoon (around 2:00pm-2:30pm). Reservations are required.
Will taking the van-boat-van service help me avoid the bumpy drive to Monteverde?
Unfortunately, no. The roughest road that falls along the route between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde is Road 606, which you’ll encounter either just before you arrive at Monteverde (if coming from La Fortuna) or just after you leave Monteverde (if traveling to La Fortuna). You’ll travel this bumpy stretch of road in a vehicle regardless of whether you take the van-boat-van service, whether you drive yourself around the lake, or whether you arrange for a shared shuttle service, a private transfer service, or a taxi to take you to Monteverde from La Fortuna / Arenal (or vice versa).
The above being said, if you elect to take the van-boat-van service between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde (or vice versa), you’ll avoid most of the drive on the paved Road 142 that is known for being curvy.
The cheapest way to travel between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde
As we explain in our related blog post Costa Rica Transportation: 15 Ways To Get Around Costa Rica, although private transfer services seem expensive (they’re priced for the entire vehicle and not per passenger), depending on the number of people you travel with, they may be the most cost-effective method of traveling between destinations in Costa Rica. A similar lesson also applies to van-boat-van services: van-boat-van services may or may not be the cheapest way of traveling between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde, depending on the number of people you travel with.
If you’re a single traveler, or if you’re traveling with one, two, or three other people, you’ll find the cost of the van-boat-van service (approximately $30-50 USD per person) to be the least expensive option. (Shared shuttle services are usually more expensive, averaging $50-60 USD per person for the route between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde.) Private transfer services, on the other hand, average about $200-250 USD per group (typically for one to eight passengers) for the route between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde. So, if you’re visiting Costa Rica as part of a group of five or more individuals who intend to split the cost of a private transfer service, this method of transportation would be the least expensive option overall.
It’s virtually impossible to compare the cost of the van-boat-van service to the cost of renting a car in Costa Rica and driving yourself around Arenal Lake. This is because the calculation would be influenced by a variety of factors, including the type of vehicle rented, the amount of insurance purchased, the duration of the rental period, the vehicle pick-up and drop-off locations, and whether optional add-ons (such as a child car seat rental or a GPS system rental) would apply. With the price of gas these days, though, that factor alone is likely to make driving a more expensive option and the van-boat-van service a more affordable alternative.
Are you considering making a day trip between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde? Don’t miss our related blog post:
Best ways to travel between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde
Choose to travel by rental car if:
You want to have the freedom of driving yourself
You want to make a direct trip without any scheduled stops along the way
You want to make stops along the way, such as at shops or restaurants scattered around Arenal Lake
You want to make significant or out-of-the-way detours along the way, such as to the Liberia, Bijagua, or Venado regions
You want to take a route other than the most common route (i.e., the route through Nuevo Arenal and Tilaran), such as the route through San Ramon to the Pan-American highway (with access to Monteverde from the southeast) or the route through Canas to the Pan-American highway (with access to Monteverde from the southwest)
You need to schedule a departure from Arenal /La Fortuna or Monteverde at a specific time of day
You would find it a challenge to climb into and out of a vehicle and boat twice while carrying your luggage
You would prefer to skip the hotel pick-ups and drop-offs of other travelers utilizing the same transportation service
You would prefer to avoid boat transportation (i.e., if there is a fear of water or if boat rides induce motion sickness)
Choose to travel by shared shuttle service if:
You don’t want to have the responsibility of driving yourself
You want to make a nearly direct trip, with only one quick bathroom stop scheduled along the way
You have no interest in making stops or taking significant or out-of-the-way detours along the way
You don’t care which route is taken
You have a flexible trip itinerary that allows for a departure from La Fortuna or Monteverde at the shared shuttle service provider’s scheduled time
You would find it a challenge to climb into and out of a boat while carrying your luggage
You won’t be bothered by the hotel pick-ups and drop-offs of other travelers utilizing the same transportation service
You would prefer to avoid boat transportation (i.e., if there is a fear of water or if boat rides induce motion sickness)
Choose to travel by private transfer service if:
You don’t want to have the responsibility of driving yourself
You want to make a direct trip without any scheduled stops along the way
You want to make stops along the way, such as at shops or restaurants scattered around Arenal Lake
You want to make significant or out-of-the-way detours along the way, such as to the Liberia, Bijagua, or Venado regions
You want to take a route other than the most common route (i.e., the route through Nuevo Arenal and Tilaran), such as the route through San Ramon to the Pan-American highway (with access to Monteverde from the southeast) or the route through Canas to the Pan-American highway (with access to Monteverde from the southwest)
You need to schedule a departure from Arenal /La Fortuna or Monteverde at a specific time of day
You would find it a challenge to climb into and out of a boat twice while carrying your luggage
You would prefer to skip the hotel pick-ups and drop-offs of other travelers utilizing the same transportation service
You would prefer to avoid boat transportation (i.e., if there is a fear of water or if boat rides induce motion sickness)
Choose to travel by van-boat-van service if:
You have an interest in boating on Arenal Lake and/or seeing the Arenal Volcano from the lake
You have no interest in making stops or taking significant or out-of-the-way detours along the way
You have a flexible trip itinerary that allows for a departure from La Fortuna or Monteverde at the van-boat-van service provider’s scheduled time
You would not find it a challenge to climb into and out of a vehicle and boat twice while carrying your luggage
You won’t be bothered by the hotel pick-ups and drop-offs of other travelers utilizing the same van-boat-van service
You aren’t bothered by boat transportation (i.e., you don’t have a fear of water and you don’t experience motion sickness)
You would prefer to minimize ground transportation as much as possible, including the curvy sections of Road 142 that the van-boat-van service avoids
Travel from Arenal / La Fortuna to Monteverde (or vice versa) by city-to-city transportation-inclusive tours
As we describe in our related blog post Costa Rica Tour Transportation: How To Use Tours To Travel Between Destinations, Costa Rica offers several adventure tours that include transportation between two cities in their rates. Fortunately, a handful of city-to-city transportation-inclusive tours cover the route between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde.
If you enjoy horseback riding, there is a full-day experience that combines the van-boat-van service with a leisurely horseback riding tour. If you’re in search of a more physically challenging experience, you can elect to participate in a full-day mountain biking tour that can begin and end in either La Fortuna or Monteverde. (Note: the mountain biking tour option is temporarily unavailable.) For a lighter experience, the van-boat-van service can be combined with a coffee tour. Each of these three tour types provides an opportunity to experience a fun activity on a day partly consumed by transportation demands.
Map of La Fortuna Costa Rica
Map of Monteverde Costa Rica
Pura vida!
Do you have questions about the different ways you can travel between La Fortuna and Monteverde, when you should make the trip, or which company you should use for the transfer? No problem! When you’re ready, make an appointment here to communicate with me (Nikki) privately and we can discuss these and other topics to get your questions answered fast and your Costa Rica trip poised for success. Pura vida, amigos! 🙂
Hey, Costa Rica Travel Blog reader, thank you for visiting and reading our blog! We're truly grateful for your time and preference.
Do you know that your spam-free reading experience is most important to us? Unlike some other Costa Rica blogs, we do not to sell your personal information, and we choose not to display ads, sponsored content, or affiliate marketing on our blog so we can keep your visit as distraction- and junk-free as possible. Because we prioritize your privacy, we don't earn money when you visit us, when you sign up for our e-course, or when you click on our links, which means the time and work we put into this blog—including its 300+ articles—is entirely voluntary! If you find our content valuable, and you'd like to thank us for making the trip-planning process easier and your Costa Rica vacation more enjoyable, please consider making a small donation ($1, $2, $3, or an amount of your choosing) to our blog. Doing so is a great way to pat us on the back if you feel we deserve it. 😊 Pura vida, amigos!
Click on the button above to donate through PayPal. (If you cannot see the PayPal button above, click here.) A PayPal account is not required to make a donation; credit and debit cards are also accepted. PayPal donations are confidential; we never see your payment details.
Love our blog? Check out our other Costa Rica-related projects, too:
Summary
Article Name
Best Ways To Travel From La Fortuna To Monteverde (Or Vice Versa)
Description
Need to travel between Arenal / La Fortuna and Monteverde? We outline the best ways to get from La Fortuna to Monteverde and vice versa!
The comment section of this article has moved! If you have a question or comment about our article above or Costa Rica travel in general, please post it in our Questions and Answers Forum on DIY Costa Rica, our sister website, where you can also access our private Costa Rica recommendations, our Costa Rica Destination Tool, and our Costa Rica Recommendations Map. See you there, amigos! 🙂
Thank you. Really good tips here. I have a question. My husband and I will be 2 weeks at flamingo beach. Have a rental for a portion and want to visit Arenal or Monteverde. Can we see both with 2 days and one night in La Fortuna and take a taxi/boat over and enjoy Monteverde as well? What are your thoughts? Dislike paying for extra nights when the 2 weeks are already paid. Thank you. KO
Yes, absolutely! It will require a fair bit of driving and you will want to fit in as much as possible in both locations to make the most of your visits while at each, but it is possible. If you plan to spend one night in the La Fortuna area, our best recommendation would be to depart from Playa Flamingo early in the morning and drive directly to La Fortuna. Once there, participate in the tours/activities that interest you, then spend the night at your desired La Fortuna hotel. The next morning, wake up very early and drive around Arenal Lake to Monteverde (no need to take the taxi-boat-taxi here as you will have the rental car). Plan to participate in the tours/activities that interest you in Monteverde, then depart later in the day for Playa Flamingo. 🙂
This may seem like a silly question, but are there any opportunities for bathroom stops along the way on the van-boat-van trips between Monteverde and Arenal? I always have to go to the bathroom while I’m traveling and it can be quite inconvenient haha.
That’s not a silly question, that’s an important and practical question! 😊 Unfortunately, there aren’t scheduled bathroom breaks along the route. The route consists of a drive from the departure destination to the lake, a boat trip across the lake, and a drive to the arrival destination, and there aren’t bathrooms at the stops you’ll make along the way. 🙁
We are thinking the same. We have a group of 7 coming from playa tamarindo (2 days 1 night). we were thinking of doing jeep-boat-jeep. how long does jeep-boat-jeep?
Hi, thank you for this your blog has been very useful!! We are looking to do this journey in around a months’ time, do you recommend that we book the boat transport in advance or just wait until we are there?
Thank you so much for your kind comment! 😊 We always recommend booking in advance, and this goes for everything you plan to use for your trip—accommodations, tours/activities, and transportation services, including the van-boat-van service. In a pinch, though, you can usually find spaces on one of the boats since there are usually always boats available to cross the lake.
Not at all! The road requires some slow and cautious driving, as several sections have curves and some parts of the road can get bumpy as you arrive at Monteverde, but there’s usually very little traffic, regardless of the time of day you plan to visit. For more information about driving to La Fortuna and driving to Monteverde, don’t miss our related blog posts:
Several companies operate the van-boat-van trip across Arenal Lake. A few of the more popular companies to do so from La Fortuna are Desafio Adventure Company, Ride Costa Rica, and Aventuras Arenal.
The van-boat-van costs about $30-50 these days. Please see the websites for Desafio Adventure Company, Ride Costa Rica, and/or Aventuras Arenal for exact pricing.
Pura vida! 😊
Author
Posts
Viewing 14 reply threads
The forum ‘Costa Rica Travel Blog Forum’ is closed to new topics and replies.
Short on time? Use our FREE electronic quick guide to instantly locate the exact Costa Rica advice or information you need among the hundreds of articles on our blog. No email or personal information required.
This website uses cookies to operate and provide you with the best user experience possible. To ensure you're aware of and okay with this and our other privacy-related practices, please review our Privacy Policy, then click the button below to accept it.
If you do not accept the policy, we respect your choice 100%. Unfortunately, several of our website’s features, including our Questions and Answers Forum, rely on cookies to operate. Most are also run by themes, plugins, and other add-ons to our website that we do not and cannot control, which means the cookies you receive are mainly provided by third parties. Because simple actions like reading our articles, asking a question, and even visiting our website’s homepage require the use of cookies, it is not possible to explore or use our website without them. If you would prefer not to receive cookies, we kindly (and sadly) ask that you do not visit our website. (Alternatively, you can try setting your browser to remove or reject browser cookies before visiting our website, but you may find that our website doesn’t function properly without them.) By visiting or submitting information through our website, you acknowledge and accept our use of cookies, and the use of third-party cookies. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for understanding!
Remember my preference
In order for our site to remember that you accept our policy, please enable the Strictly Necessary Cookie.
If you leave the Strictly Necessary Cookie disabled, we will not be able to save your preference. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to accept the policy again.
Tagged: arenal, costa rica, costa rica travel, costa rica travel tips, jeep-boat-jeep, la fortuna, monteverde, pura vida! eh? incorporated, taxi-boat-taxi, tourism, transportation, travel, travel tips, van-boat-van