How to get from Monteverde to Tamarindo

Why visit Tamarindo?

Tamarindo is a popular surf town on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. What we love about this town are the amazing water activities both on the surface and underwater. It has a diverse marine life, making it perfect not just for surfing but for diving and snorkelling as well.

This once-quiet fishing village is also a common gateway to Las Baulas National Marine Park, which is a nesting territory of the leatherback sea turtles. Offering beaches, adventure, restaurants, bars and shops — there is a long list of things to do in Tamarindo.

There are 4 ways to travel the 160 kilometres (99 miles) from Monteverde to Tamarindo. You can choose between the bus, shared minivan, private transport and car rental. The journey takes 2 hours 40 minutes to 6 hours 45 minutes and the quickest way is by shared minivan. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus with tickets starting at 5,000 CRC ($10).

We recommend taking the minivan from Monteverde to Tamarindo if you’re travelling with one or two people. The minivan is a direct option with fares starting from 28,000 CRC ($55), including free hotel pickup and drop-off. Travel time is about 2 hours 40 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes.

The rate of the minivan may look expensive compared to the low-priced bus ride, but it comes with the advantage that you can travel door-to-door from Monteverde to Tamarindo. If you travel by bus, you’ll have to take 4 buses just to complete this supposedly short journey.

You can choose from six companies operating minivans for this route: RideCR, Monteverde Shuttle Bus, Jorge’s Taxis and Shuttles, Maple Tico Tours, Montetravel and Interbus.

Monteverde - Hotel List

Standard

Tamarindo - Hotel List

08:00

2h 40m

10:40

14:00

2h 40m

16:40

Montetravel

From 30,000 CRC ($60)

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• 24/7 customer support

30,000 CRC ($60)

08:00

2h 40m

10:40

Check on BookAway

• 24/7 customer support

38,000 CRC ($75)

14:00

2h 40m

16:40

Check on BookAway

We don’t recommend taking the bus from Monteverde to Tamarindo unless you’re on a budget. You will need to take 4 buses and travel for around 8 hours (that includes the waiting time for your connecting transfers).

But with combined fares from 5,000 CRC ($10), the bus is definitely a more budget-friendly option compared to the minivan or taxi.

TIP: Be mindful of your luggage when taking a bus in Costa Rica. Don’t leave your bigger bags until they’re safely inside the compartment below the bus, and make sure to get your luggage ticket! Keep all your valuables in a smaller bag that you can put on your lap. Your bag’s safer where you can see it than on the overhead bin.

Still want to take an indirect bus from Monteverde to Tamarindo? Here is a step-by-step guide:

First, you’ll take a bus from Monteverde to Tilaran, a town located 50 km northwest.

Transportes Monteverde Hermanos Soto runs four trips on this route from Monday to Saturday. Morning departures are at 05:00 and 07:00, while afternoon buses leave at 12:00 and 16:00. On Sundays, there are only two trips—at 07:00 and 16:00.

Try to be at the bus station at least 30 minutes prior to departure time to make sure you can get a seat. A bus ticket costs around 930 CRC ($1.80) and travel time takes around 2h.

Buses depart from Monteverde Bus Terminal and arrive at Tilaran Bus Station.

Next, you’ll travel further west to the town of Cañas. Buses depart from the same station you arrive at, which is Tilaran Bus Station.

Reina del Campo is the sole bus operator for this route. Their buses are available almost every hour from 05:00 to 20:20. You shouldn’t have a hard time finding their blue and white buses at the terminal.

The bus journey from Tilaran to Cañas takes around 45 minutes. Ticket prices start from 815 CRC ($1.60).

Buses park at the Cañas Bus Terminal.

From the Municipal Terminal in Cañas, you will once again travel northwest, about 50 km to Liberia.

Reina del Campo is also the main operator for this route. Their buses are available every 30 minutes to an hour from 04:30 to 21:30. A ticket costs around 1,820 CRC ($3.60) and the journey takes 1 hour.

You can also travel with Colorado de Abangares, although their buses do not depart as frequently as those of Reina del Campo.

You are to get off the bus at Liberia Bus Terminal.

Finally, from Liberia Bus Terminal, you’ll transfer to another bus bound for Tamarindo, located 80 km southwest.

Buses for this route are available every 2-3 hours from 03:50 to 18:10. You can choose from two bus operators: Transportes La Pampa and Transporte Inteligente de Guanacaste.

Buses arrive at Tamarindo Bus Stop, which you can find in the town centre, just a few hundred metres from the beach.

The bus trip from Liberia to Tamarindo takes around 1h 30m - 3h. Fares start from 1,510 CRC ($3) - 2,020 CRC ($4).

Driving on your own is another popular option when travelling to Tamarindo from Monteverde. It’s not exactly the fastest or most convenient. You’ll be passing through mostly paved roads, but also some winding hills on the first part of the journey.

All throughout, you can expect picturesque landscapes from Monteverde to Tamarindo!

IMPORTANT: If you’re thinking of driving from Monteverde to Tamarindo, you’ll have to rent your car elsewhere. There are no car rental shops in Monteverde.

Driving directions from Monteverde to Tamarindo

Driving from Monteverde to Tamarindo takes about 3 hours for locals, and 4 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes for tourists who are not so familiar with the roads.

From Monteverde, head out northwest to Santa Elena and follow the winding roads of Route 620 towards Candelaria. Then head southwest to Route 145 until you reach La Irma. Turn left on the Panamerican Highway and then left to Route 18 across Puente La Amistad.

Transfer to Route 21 once you reach Pueblo Viejo de Nicoya and then Route 160 on Santa Cruz. Finally, turn right on Route 152 and follow the road until you reach Tamarindo.

Where to rent a car in Monteverde

There aren’t any car rental agencies in the small town of Monteverde. If you’re planning to drive to Tamarindo, you’ll need to rent a car before you arrive. If you’re already in Monteverde without one, you can have a car delivered from the nearest agency — but it will cost more!

Instead, we recommend renting a car in San Jose, that’s if you’re starting your Costa Rican journey in the capital city and ending it there as well. Prices are cheaper when you have the same pickup and drop-off point, starting at 15,000 CRC ($30) per day.

You can ask your hotel for car rental recommendations, or simply book one online. We suggest checking Skyscanner for the best car rental deals (and flights), but occasionally you might find even better prices on Kayak. Both are reliable search engines, which make it easy to search for the cheapest car deals and apply relevant filters.

When you travel in a group, a private ride can be more cost-efficient than a shared minivan. A 5-seater taxi costs 100,000 CRC ($200) from Monteverde to Tamarindo. Split the cost and that’s about 20,000 CRC ($39.50) per person if you are travelling in a group of 5 people.

You can ask your hotel to arrange a taxi or book a private transfer online. We recommend booking a ride with BookAway because they offer more spacious cars that come with professional drivers.

Private Transport options from Monteverde to Tamarindo