Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) → La Fortuna (Arenal) transfer

After leaving the airport the driver heads west along the highway towards the coffee-growing towns of the western valley, then turns north into the mountains. The road climbs through pastures and cloud-covered ridges and drops on long series of bends into the San Carlos plains. Depending on traffic and road works, the provider may go via Ciudad Quesada or via San Ramón.

There is no motorway on this route. Trucks and buses are common, overtaking places are limited, and rain in the afternoon slows everything down, which is why the engine time is far longer than the distance suggests.

Hotels are spread out. Some are in La Fortuna town, within walking distance of restaurants and tour offices. Many others line the road west towards the volcano and the lake, including the hot-spring resorts, and a few lodges sit up dirt tracks in the hills. Give the full hotel name when booking so the driver can plan the last kilometres.

For an international flight, plan to leave La Fortuna about seven and a half hours before departure: up to four and a half hours on the road plus around three hours at the airport. With a morning flight this means a very early start, so many travellers move to the Central Valley the day before.