Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to La Fortuna

What to expect when visiting La Fortuna

La Fortuna translates to “The Fortune” in English, which seems pretty accurate as you feel like you’ve hit the jackpot while visiting here. As the gateway to Arenal Volcano National Park, La Fortuna attracts hiking and nature lovers eagerly waiting to explore the park’s two volcanoes — the still active Arenal and the inactive dormant Chato.

And let’s not forget about the incredible views that this laidback town is blessed with too. From virtually any spot in La Fortuna, you can see Arenal Volcano standing guard over the area.

3 ways to get from Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna

The bus is the cheapest way to get from Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna. Combined rates start from as low as 9,900 CRC ($19.10). There are no direct buses for this route though so you’ll have to take 3 buses. And while those transfers are quite simple, travel time will take at least 8 hours 30 minutes.

You’ll also have to go out of the way to San Jose if you want to travel completely by bus. We’ll leave it to you to decide whether the savings are worth this long journey.

First, you’ll have to take the bus for 4h 30m from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to the capital city of San Jose. That’s roughly a 220 km ride northwest.

Autotransportes MEPE offers several daily trips from 02:00 to 15:00. We highly recommend that you take one of the earlier buses. It’s easier and safer to travel on unknown roads during the day. Also, keep in mind that you have to be in San Jose before 17:45 to be able to catch a connecting bus.

Buses depart from MEPE Bus Stop in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca city centre. You can buy your tickets at the terminal for 6,700 CRC ($13).

Buses operating from San Jose to Ciudad Quesada depart from Terminal 7-10. That means that upon arrival at Terminal Atlantico Norte, you’ll have to get out of the bus station and walk around 350 m to find your next bus ride.

From San Jose, there is only one bus that goes straight to La Fortuna. This departs at 08:40 in the morning. That means that you can catch this only if you take the earliest bus from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, which departs at 2:00 AM.

If you start your journey at a later time, then you can instead take an indirect bus via Ciudad Quesada, a town about 95 km north of San Jose. Bus trips for this route are more frequent.

You can expect a bus departure every 20 to 50 minutes from 05:45 to 17:45. A ticket costs around 1,550 CRC ($3) and you can buy them at the bus station.

Buses park at Ciudad Quesada Bus Terminal after around 3 hours.

Upon arrival at Ciudad Quesada, you can find your connecting bus to La Fortuna at the same bus station.

There are two bus routes from Ciudad Quesada to La Fortuna — one is via El Tanque (a little bit faster) and another one is via Chachagua (more scenic). If there is no specific route that you prefer, you can simply take the earliest bus available. Buses operate every day from 05:00 to 22:10.

Ticket prices start from 1,600 CRC ($3.10) and you can just buy them from the driver. You will be dropped off at La Fortuna Terminal in the town centre.

PRO TIP: The bus trip can be tiring, but you need to be careful of your luggage. Bag thieves are plenty, especially in San Jose. When storing you bigger bags at the luggage compartment, make sure they’re in before boarding the bus and don’t forget to get your luggage ticket. Keep all your valuables in a smaller bag that can fit on your lap. It’s best not to put anything on the overhead bin.

The minivan shuttle is the most convenient option for solo travellers and small groups. Shared minivans are door-to-door transfers so you can just wait to be picked up at your hotel. With a minivan, you can get from Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna in 5 to 6 hours.

It’s a bit expensive with rates from 39,000 CRC ($76), but well worth the time and hassle you save compared to taking an 8.5-hour indirect bus.

Some of the trusted minivan companies operating on this route are Interbus and Best Travel Puerto Viejo.

Rates start from 141,000 CRC ($275) for a 3-seater private transfer from Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna. Divide the cost and that’s just about 47,000 CRC ($91) per person.

But if you’re in a group of at least six people, getting a private transfer is a bit cheaper than a shared minivan shuttle.

BookAway offers several vehicle choices depending on the size of your group.

Private Transfer options from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to La Fortuna