Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [169]
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Getting There & Away
The government has been planning to build a series of bridges across the several rivers that feed Laguna de Arenal’s southwestern shore for about 20 years. If completed, this would provide a road connection between Monteverde and La Fortuna, which would probably be the end of the eco-paradise formerly known as Monteverde. There are always a few scattered spots where some construction work is going on but, for the time being, they’re not making too much progress.
BUS
All intercity buses stop at the bus terminal (2645-5159; 5:45-11am & 1:30-5pm Mon-Fri, closes 3pm Sat & Sun) in downtown Santa Elena, and most continue on to the Cheese Factory in Monteverde. On the trip in, keep an eye on your luggage, particularly on the San José–Puntarenas leg of the trip, as well as on the Monteverde–Tilarán run.
Purchase tickets to the Monteverde and Santa Elena reserves at Hotel & Info Center Camino Verde, which can also make reservations for pricier trips with private companies. Destinations, bus companies, fares, journey times and departure times are as follows:
Las Juntas ₡960; 1½ hours; departs from bus station at 4:30am and 3pm. Buses to Puntarenas and San José can drop you off in Las Juntas.
Managua, Nicaragua (Tica Bus) ₡14,000; eight hours; a small shuttle bus (₡1000) departs from the bus station at 6am and brings you to the Interamericana in Lagartos, where you can pick it up.
Puntarenas ₡1235; three hours; departs from the front of Banco Nacional at 6am.
Reserva Monteverde ₡600; 30 minutes; departs from front of Banco Nacional at 6:15am, 7:20am, 1:20pm and 3pm, returns at 6:45am, 11:30am, 2pm and 4pm.
Reserva Santa Elena ₡1200; 30 minutes; departs from front of Banco Nacional at 6:30am, 8:30am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 1pm and 3pm, returns 11am, 1pm and 4pm.
San José (TransMonteverde) ₡2500; 4½ hours; departs the Santa Elena bus station at 6:30am and 2:30pm.
Tilarán, with connection to La Fortuna ₡1800; seven hours; departs from the bus station at 6am. This is a long ride as you will need to hang around for two hours in Tilarán. If you have a few extra dollars, it’s recommended that you take the jeep-boat-jeep option (see right) to La Fortuna.
There’s no direct bus to Cañas. Most people take a bus to Juntas, then transfer from there to frequent Interamericana-route buses for Cañas, Liberia and beyond.
CAR
While most Costa Rican communities regularly request paved roads in their region, preservationists in Monteverde have done the opposite. All roads here are shockingly rough, and 4WD is necessary all year, especially in the rainy season. Many car-rental agencies will refuse to rent you an ordinary car during the rainy season if you admit that you’re headed to Monteverde.
There are four roads from the Interamericana: coming from the south, the first turnoff is at Rancho Grande (18km north of the Puntarenas exit); a second turnoff is at the Río Lagarto bridge (just past Km 149, and roughly 15km northwest of Rancho Grande). Both are well signed and join one another about a third of the way to Monteverde. Both routes boast about 35km of steep, winding and scenic dirt roads with plenty of potholes and rocks to ensure that the driver, at least, is kept from admiring the scenery.
A third road goes via Juntas, which starts off paved, but becomes just as rough as the first two roads a few kilometers past town, though it’s about 5km shorter than the previous two options. Finally, if coming from the north, drivers could take the paved road from Cañas via Tilarán and then take the rough road from Tilarán to Santa Elena.
During our recent visit, the one and only gas station in Monteverde was indefinitely closed. Fill up in Tilarán or the Interamericana near Juntas. If you’re really in a pinch, there’s a black-market gas station in Santa Elena; ask any taxi driver for directions.
HORSEBACK
There are a number of outfitters that offer transportation on horseback (per person US$75 to US$100, five to six hours) to La Fortuna, usually in combination with