Getting to Arenal and La Fortuna: Every Way In, From SJO, Liberia or Your Last Stop
Where you start and what time you land decide the route. Here is each option side by side, with the times and the catch.
Marta Daví
Most travelers reach Arenal by road. From San José airport (SJO) or Liberia airport (LIR), a private driver takes about three hours and a shared shuttle about three and a half to four. From Monteverde you can go around Lake Arenal by road or cross it by boat. Sansa flies small planes into La Fortuna, and a public bus runs from downtown San José. The vehicle matters less than two other things: where you start, and whether you can arrive before dark.
La Fortuna is the town at the foot of Arenal Volcano. Hotels, shuttles and drivers use the two names for the same place, and so does this guide. For hot springs, tours and hotels once you are there, start with the complete Arenal and La Fortuna travel guide.
TL;DR
- From SJO, the Toorizta private transfer to La Fortuna is scheduled at 3 hours and costs from $190 per vehicle (up to 4). The shared shuttle is scheduled at 4 hours and costs from $60 per person.
- From Liberia airport, the Toorizta private transfer to La Fortuna is scheduled at 3 hours and costs from $228 per vehicle (up to 4). The shared shuttle leaves once a day, with pickup around 9:30 am.
- Night falls early in Costa Rica all year, around 6 pm. If you land in the late afternoon, sleep near the airport and drive up in the morning.
- From Monteverde, the Lake Arenal boat crossing (jeep-boat-jeep) and the road around the lake both take most of a morning.
- Sansa flies San José to La Fortuna in about 30 minutes, but you still need a ride from the airstrip, and seats cost far more than a shuttle.
Which way into Arenal fits your trip?
Start with the row for where you are coming from. Times are the scheduled durations for our own transfers, and prices are the current Toorizta prices.
| Starting point | Private transfer | Shared shuttle | Other ways in |
|---|---|---|---|
| San José airport (SJO) | from $190 per vehicle (up to 4), about 3 h | from $60 per person, about 4 h | Rental car, Sansa flight, public bus from downtown |
| Liberia airport (LIR) | from $228 per vehicle (up to 4), about 3 h | from $62 per person, about 3 h 30 min, one morning departure | Rental car |
| Monteverde | from $228 per vehicle (up to 4), about 3 h 30 min | from $61 per person, about 4 h | Jeep-boat-jeep across Lake Arenal |
| Tamarindo | from $300 per vehicle (up to 4), about 4 h | from $62 per person, about 5 h 30 min | Rental car |
| Manuel Antonio | from $312 per vehicle (up to 4), about 5 h | from $62 per person, about 5 h 30 min | Rental car |
| Puerto Viejo | from $506 per vehicle (up to 4), about 5 h 30 min | from $70 per person, about 6 h | Rental car |
| Tortuguero (La Pavona dock) | from $228 per vehicle (up to 4), about 4 h | None in our catalogue | The boat to La Pavona first |
| Río Celeste | from $180 per vehicle (up to 4), about 1 h 30 min | None in our catalogue | Rental car |
| Bocas del Toro, Panama | None in our catalogue | from $92 per person, about 11 h with the border | None simpler |
Private transfers are priced per vehicle for up to four people and take up to eight, with a small charge for each extra person. Shared shuttles are priced per person. With three or four people, a private transfer often costs about the same as four shared seats, and you choose the pickup time.
From San José airport (SJO)
SJO is the most common way in, and the drive takes about three hours. The road leaves the Central Valley, climbs through coffee country and cloud, then drops onto the San Carlos plains. On a clear day the cone of Arenal comes into view on the final stretch.
The best private transfer from SJO to La Fortuna is a door-to-door driver who tracks your flight. Ours meets you at arrivals with a name sign and costs from $190 per vehicle (up to 4). You book it on the product page, or you send us your flight number and we set it up. The shared shuttle costs from $60 per person, with one morning and one afternoon departure each day. It runs on a fixed schedule, so a delayed flight can mean missing it.
For the full route, including the two roads north, the stops worth making and how much a rental car changes, read San Jose to Arenal: how to get there, shuttle prices and scenic stops.
The landing time matters more than the vehicle. If your flight lands after mid afternoon, the last hour of the drive happens in the dark on a mountain road with fog in the high sections. We wrote a whole piece on that one decision: a late landing at SJO shouldn't cost you your first day in La Fortuna. It goes through each landing time and says when to stay near the airport.
From Liberia airport (LIR)
Liberia works well if your trip also includes the Guanacaste beaches or if your international flight is cheaper there. The private transfer to La Fortuna is scheduled at three hours and costs from $228 per vehicle (up to 4). The road crosses the dry Guanacaste lowlands, then climbs inland and follows the shore of Lake Arenal for the last part, with the volcano ahead.
The shared shuttle is where LIR arrivals get caught. Ours costs from $62 per person and runs once a day, with pickup around 9:30 am. A traveler on r/CostaRicaTravel described the problem well: their flights all landed "around 2:30pm, and most of the main shuttles to Arenal/La Fortuna depart at 3pm." After immigration and bags, that is too tight. If you land in the afternoon, you have two reasonable options. Take a private transfer straight away and arrive close to dusk, or sleep in Liberia and take the morning shuttle.
For more on flying into LIR versus SJO, see getting to Liberia.
Can you fly to La Fortuna?
Yes. Sansa flies between San José and La Fortuna (airport code FON) in about 30 minutes, according to Sansa's La Fortuna page, checked 31 October 2026. The same page says it runs daily flights and up to three a day depending on the season. The planes are small, so check the baggage allowance before you book.
The flight makes sense if you are short on time or connecting from another domestic airport. For most travelers it is the expensive choice. Seats are sold per person, and you still need a ride from the airstrip to your hotel. A family of four usually pays less for a private transfer that goes door to door.
Is there a public bus to La Fortuna?
Yes, from downtown San José, not from either airport. Transportes San Carlos runs the route. Its San José stop moved in May 2025, when Terminal 7-10 closed. CRHoy reported that the company moved to Terminal Atlántico Norte in Barrio México and called the change temporary at the time. Older guides still send travelers to 7-10, so confirm the current stop and departure times with the company the day before you travel.
The bus costs much less than any shuttle. In exchange you first get from the airport to downtown with your luggage, and the trip takes longer than by car. From Liberia there is no simple bus option, and we would not plan an airport arrival around one.
From Monteverde: around the lake or across it
Monteverde and La Fortuna are close on the map, but no road crosses the lake, so every route goes around it or over the water.
By road, our private transfer is scheduled at 3 hours 30 minutes and costs from $228 per vehicle (up to 4). The shared shuttle costs from $61 per person, with one morning and one afternoon departure.
The other way is jeep-boat-jeep. A van takes you from your Monteverde hotel down to Lake Arenal, a boat crosses the lake, and a second van takes you on to your La Fortuna hotel with your luggage. The operator, Jeep-Boat-Jeep Monteverde, listed these prices when we checked on 31 October 2026: a shared 8 am departure at $33 per person, a shared 2 pm departure at $40 per person, and a private service at $260 for up to five people. It gives about 3.5 to 4 hours door to door. The road leg on the Monteverde side is the long one, about 1 hour 45 minutes by the operator's estimate. The lake crossing is the scenic part, with the volcano in front of you on a clear morning.
The two take about the same time. Choose the boat for the views and the road if you have heavy bags, small children who get seasick, or rain in the forecast. For the Monteverde side of the trip, including the bridges MOPT opened in 2026, see getting to Monteverde.
From the beaches, the Caribbean and Panama
These are long road days. Leave in the morning so you arrive in daylight.
From Manuel Antonio (and Quepos), the private transfer is scheduled at 5 hours and costs from $312 per vehicle (up to 4). The shared shuttle costs from $62 per person, with one morning and one afternoon departure.
From Tamarindo, the private transfer is scheduled at 4 hours and costs from $300 per vehicle (up to 4). The shared shuttle costs from $62 per person and takes longer because it collects passengers along the way.
From the Caribbean coast, the shared shuttle from Puerto Viejo costs from $70 per person and the private transfer costs from $506 per vehicle (up to 4). Shuttles also leave from Cahuita (from $70 per person) and from Punta Uva and Manzanillo (from $70 per person). Plan on six hours or more.
From Tortuguero, there is no road out of the village. You take the boat to La Pavona dock first, and our private transfer to La Fortuna (from $228 per vehicle (up to 4)) starts from there. The boat is not included in that price, so book it with your lodge.
From Bocas del Toro in Panama, a shared shuttle runs to La Fortuna for from $92 per person, with the boat transfer and breakfast included. It takes about 11 hours with the border crossing, so have your passport ready. The same route runs the other way for from $92 per person. From Bocas to San José, ask us and we will check the current options.
If you are visiting Río Celeste as a day trip or a stop on the way, the private transfer between Río Celeste and La Fortuna costs from $180 per vehicle (up to 4) each way and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Do you need a rental car in La Fortuna?
Not to get there, and often not once you arrive. Many Arenal tours include hotel pickup, and the town is compact. A car helps if you stay out toward El Castillo or along the lake road, or if you want to visit Río Celeste and the waterfalls on your own schedule.
If you do want a car, a common plan is to arrive with a driver and pick up the car in La Fortuna the next morning. That way you don't drive a mountain road you have never seen, after a long flight, in fading light. Our page on renting a car in Costa Rica explains what the vehicle choice really changes.
Leaving La Fortuna
The same routes run the other way, and most departures are morning ones. To Manuel Antonio, the shared shuttle costs from $62 per person and the private transfer costs from $312 per vehicle (up to 4). To Monteverde, the shared shuttle costs from $61 per person and the private transfer costs from $228 per vehicle (up to 4), and the jeep-boat-jeep also runs in that direction. Back to the airports, the private transfer to SJO costs from $190 per vehicle (up to 4) and to Liberia costs from $228 per vehicle (up to 4). Each product page lets you book directly.
For a flight home, leave a wide margin. A four-hour road day and an international check-in should not be planned tight against each other.
Ask us about your way in
Send us where you are starting, your landing time or checkout time, and how many people are traveling, including the ages of any children. We will tell you which way in fits, including the dull answer when the right move is a night near the airport.
Message us on WhatsApp or write to us with your dates. Getting the first leg right is how the rest of the trip falls into place.
In this guide
- A late landing at SJO shouldn't cost you your first day in La Fortuna
- San Jose to Arenal: How to Get There, Shuttle Prices & Scenic Stops (2026)
The complete Arenal guide
Where to stay: the main guide
Things to do: the main guide
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