Travel Arrangements

cara814 asked 8 years ago

My husband will be coming down to CR for an 8 day trip in early March 2017. We are planning on staying 2 nights in Arenal, 2 nights in Monteverde and the rest of the trip in Tamarindo. I was wondering what your recommendations for travel between those 3 places would be. It seems the easiest option may be to rent a car, but a little nervous about the drive to and from Monteverde. I also read somewhere that rental car insurance won’t cover if you travel off highways. Not sure the truth in that. I’ve read that there are options for adventure travel to and from Arenal and Monteverde, but not sure how travel is from Monteverde to Tamarindo. Or is there an option to rent a car in Monteverde to travel to Tamarindo. It would be nice to have the option to travel to other beaches close to that area. Thank you!

1 Answers
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 8 years ago

Hi cara814, 
In early March the weather is usually very dry so the roads should be in pretty good condition for getting to and from Monteverde. Otherwise the roads will all be paved to the other destinations you mentioned. A few posts that can help you decide if driving is right for you are: 1) Driving in Costa Rica: What to Know Before you Go 2) Driving to Monteverde: Best Routes and Road Conditions 3) Road Conditions of Specific Routes in Costa Rica. If you don’t feel comfortable driving between some places, you could use shuttles to get around mostly and just rent a car near Tamarindo to explore locally. The rental car company we get a discount for our readers with has a location near there and can even deliver the car to your hotel for free. If you do need shuttles, let us know and we can help you arrange them. Happy planning!  

cara814 replied 8 years ago

Thank you for the respone. If we decide not to rent a car, is there an option for a shuttle from monteverde to Tamarindo?

Jenn and Matt Staff replied 8 years ago

Hi Cara, yes, a private shuttle we often use charges $219 and the trip is about 4 hours and includes some stops. Shared rides (on Interbus) are $64, take a little longer and only leave at 9 am. If you need the private company’s info, let me know and I will email it to you.