How to get from La Fortuna to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Why visit Puerto Viejo de Talamanca?

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a charming beach town on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. It offers an incredible fusion of culture. You’ll hear locals speaking creole, and find reggae music flowing from bars. All of these alongside traditional Costa Rican sodas and fancy international restaurants popular with expats.

You can feel the sense of community in Puerto Viejo, even if you’re just visiting for a few days. Travellers gather on the beach to play volleyball and new connections are made in the bars and the Saturday market that runs every week.

PRO TIP: There are two places called Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica. These are Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui (to the north) and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (to the southeast). Make sure you are going to the correct Puerto Viejo when booking and boarding your ride!

There are 3 ways to travel the 270 kilometers (168 miles) from La Fortuna to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. You can choose between the bus, minivan and private transfer. The journey takes 5 hours to 9 hours 40 minutes and the quickest way is by minivan. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus with tickets starting at 11,000 CRC ($22).

The indirect bus is the cheapest way to get from La Fortuna to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. Combined rates start from only 11,000 CRC ($22), about 1/4 the price of a minivan ticket. However, you will have to take 3 buses and the journey takes about 9 hours 40 minutes, excluding the possible waiting time for your connecting buses.

This bus journey includes a stop in San Jose. While it’s technically out of the way, it’s the only route available if you want to travel entirely by bus.

From La Fortuna, the first step is to take a bus to Ciudad Quesada, a business hub some 45 km southeast. Buses are available for this route every day from 05:00 in the morning to 19:30 in the evening.

Take a morning trip if you want to arrive in Puerto Viejo on the same day.

A ticket costs 1,510 CRC ($3) - 2,020 CRC ($4) and you can buy them at La Fortuna Bus Station. You might be confused with the schedules because there are two routes going to Ciudad Quesada: one via El Tanque (a bit faster) and another one via Chachagua (more scenic).

Either way, the buses arrive at Ciudad Quesada Terminal so we advise that you just take whichever’s leaving next.

Travel time from La Fortuna to Ciudad Quesada is about 1h 30m.

IMPORTANT: It’s worth noting that there is one daily bus that operates straight from La Fortuna to San Jose, but this arrives in the capital at 18:45, which means you won’t make it in time for the last trip going to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.

Buses operating from Ciudad Quesada to San Jose depart from the same terminal you arrive in, so you simply have to look around for the buses bound for the capital. They run from 04:30 on weekdays and 05:30 on weekends, until 19:45.

A ticket costs 2,680 CRC ($5.30) for the journey that takes around 3h 40m. Buses park at Terminal 7-10 in San Jose city centre. From here, it’s about a 500-metre walk to Terminal Atlantico Norte. This is where you’ll find buses heading to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. 

For the last leg of this bus journey, you will travel 220 km southeast from San Jose to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. The bus journey takes around 4h 30m and a ticket costs 6,800 CRC ($13.40).

Autotransportes MEPE offers several trips daily from 06:00 to 16:00. Make sure you’re in San Jose before 16:00 to make it to the last trip.

We also recommend taking a bathroom and food break before boarding the bus. The buses make only one restroom stop at MEPE Terminal in Limon, around 3 hours into the journey.

The minivan is a tourist favourite for its convenience. Although minivan shuttles are a bit pricey with fares from 34,000 CRC ($67), they are direct transfers that also offer free hotel pick-up and drop-off.

With a travel time of 5 to 6 hours, a minivan ride is 3.5 hours faster than the bus.

You can choose from three minivan operators when travelling from La Fortuna to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca: these are Caribe Shuttle, Interbus and Best Travel Puerto Viejo.

If you’re travelling in a group from La Fortuna to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a private ride could be a more practical and budget-friendly choice. Rates start from 138,000 CRC ($275) for a 3-seater private transfer. Divide the cost and that’s about 46,000 CRC ($91) per person.

If you are six in a group, a private transfer can be more affordable than a shared minivan shuttle.

We recommend booking your ride via BookAway, which offers different types of vehicles depending on the number of people in your group and your preferred level of luxury.

Private Transfer options from La Fortuna to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca