One of the most popular routes for visitors to Costa Rica is from San Jose to La Fortuna. Although driving in Costa Rica may seem scary (you have probably already read some horror stories), many of the routes and destinations are easy to get to with good roads and this is one of them. The worst part of this route will be getting out of San Jose but once you’re out of the chaotic capital city, it’s smooth sailing from there.
Here is our guide to driving from San Jose to La Fortuna and vice versa.
San Jose to La Fortuna Route
There are 2 ways from San Jose to La Fortuna: by way of Naranjo and Ciudad Quesada and by way of San Ramon. You can take either way but the San Ramon route is the shortest and is the one I’ll be going over in this article.
How Far is La Fortuna from San Jose?
The distance between San Jose and La Fortuna is about 130 kilometers or 80 miles. The distance between SJO Airport and La Fortuna is about 115 km or 72 miles (remember the SJO Airport is not in San Jose, it’s in Alajuela).
The drive time from San Jose to La Fortuna is about 3.5 hours depending on how much traffic there is in San Jose.
Road Conditions
The San Jose to La Fortuna road conditions are in good shape. The route goes through several small towns with all paved roads. It does get a bit curvy at one point though so I do recommend going slow.
You can perfectly drive a sedan for this route, no high car or 4×4 necessary.
Driving Directions for San Jose to La Fortuna
If you have Waze, I highly recommend using that as your GPS. Since Waze chooses the shortest route most of the time, it will automatically pick the San Ramon route but make sure to check before you hit let’s go.
From San Jose, you need to get onto the Panamerican highway to Puntarenas and exit at “San Ramon” on the right. Depending on traffic, it could take around 1.5 hours. You will pass Palmares right before the exit.
After you turn onto the San Ramon route, you will drive through the town. There are plenty of signs so follow the signs to La Fortuna and continue onto Route 702.
When you are on Route 702 and out of San Ramon, it is a very straight forward drive. Just continue on the road and you will see signs for La Fortuna and Arenal. You’ll pass small towns of Angeles Sur, La Tigra, Santa Clara and Chachagua. This is the part that gets fairly windy and from there, it’ll take around 2 hours until you reach La Fortuna.
La Fortuna to San Jose Route
Here is a video of us driving from Arenal to San Jose via San Ramon. I included all of the turns and clips of most of the towns.
You will head east from the park in La Fortuna past La Fortuna Backpackers Resort and drive towards Chachagua. It’s very straight forward and there are signs the entire way.
Can I Drive this Route at Night?
Even though the roads are paved, it is recommended not to drive from San Jose to Arenal at night because it gets very curvy and windy at one point and the signs are very difficult to see in the dark. Even if you have a GPS or Waze, it is recommended not to especially if it is raining. There is a couple points during this route where there is nothing around so you don’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in case something happens.
It gets dark at 6 PM every day in Costa Rica so if your flight gets in after that, I recommend staying the night in San Jose and leaving early the next morning for Arenal.
Any Points of Interest Along the Way?
You’ll pass through several small towns but mostly you’re driving through a lot of farming areas. But once you are in San Ramon, there are some beautiful waterfalls just 6 kilometers from the city center, Las Musas waterfall park. There are five waterfalls, hiking trails, a playground and even a public pool so that is a nice place for families and not far from town.
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Driving from Guanacaste? (Liberia, Tamarindo, Playas del Coco, etc.) Check out our guide to driving to Arenal from Guanacaste!
Curious about other routes for your trip? Read our Costa Rica road conditions post for more information.
Steve says
Hello,
Thanks for all the helpful info. Our family of 4 lands SJO around 6pm on July 30. We would like to visit La Fortuna/Arenal, Tortuguero Nat’l Park, and Manuel Antonio National Park before flying back home on Aug 11 or 12. Thinking 3 nights in La Fortuna, 3 at Tortuguero, and the rest at/near Manuel Antonio NP (looking at the Hotel Villas Lirio). Can you offer any advice on the ideal sequence and also recommend a transportation plan (especially for the portion getting to/from Tortuguero)? We like the idea of taking a boat to Tortu and then a plan out of there (although I haven’t been able to see how much the flight out would cost)… Thanks much.
–Steve
Sammi says
Hello Steve! Just sent you an email
Deana says
We are flying into San Jose in a few days. Staying first night in San Jose the headed to The Treehouse Hotel in San Carlos. From there, we will spend a couple of days near La Fortuna. Is the drove to San Carlos all paved? Should we stop anywhere along the way?
Sammi says
The route from San Jose to La Fortuna is all paved, you an see the route in the video and read more about it in the post 🙂
Sammi says
Hi Cat,
Here are some links that will be helpful:
Customs and immigration in San Jose and Liberia AIrport
SJO Airport – San Jose: Private transfer is most comfortable for group of 7.
Poas Volcano National Park
Peace Lodge and La Paz waterfall gardens park
You can definitely stop by Poas/La Paz on your way from San Jose to La Fortuna.
You can take the boat across Lake Arenal to get to Monteverde but cars are not allowed, someone will have to drive.
Things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna
Cat says
Hi Sammi,
My group of 7 adults are traveling to Costa Rica the middle of March. We are arriving in San Jose about 7:30PM and have gotten a place to stay the first night. We have rented a large 4×4 for the trip and it will be delivered the next morning at 9am. We are staying 2 nights in La Fortuna and 2 nights in Monteverde before heading back to San Jose for the last night. So basically, we have 5 days on the ground. This will be the first trip for all but 1 of us.
My questions are:
a) What is a reasonable amount of time to allow for clearing customs when we arrive?
b) What will be the best/least expensive method for us to get from SJO to where we are spending the first night?
c) A friend from Costa Rica suggested stopping at Poas and La Paz Waterfall on the way north. Is this an advisable route to take in order to see more on our first day? Are there any other places you might suggest along the route?
d) I have heard that driving to Monteverde is quicker and prettier than taking the ferry. Which route do you suggest we take for getting to Monteverde?
e) One person in the group may be limited by recovery from an injury. We were thinking ATV riding for sure, but were also trying to find activities to include him on more. Any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated.
Thanks for ALL the great information and keep it coming!!!
Cat
vikas says
Hi, our flight is reaching at 4:05 PM at San Jose airport in Mid Feb and we have booked the car through your website. We want to drive to Arenal on the same day after renting the car. I understand it gets dark at 6 PM, will you advise us driving to Arenal that day? This is our first time to Costa Rica, We will be traveling from the US but grew up in India so very used to drive in small town and roads? Traveling with my family of 2 adults and 2 kids. Any other advise if we really need to drive to Arenal on that day.
Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Vikas, you could but make sure to use a GPS because signage on that route is not the best. Just drive slowly and carefully around the lake because by the time you get to the lake, it’ll be dark and that road is really narrow and windy. You can also get a free cell phone as one of our freebies which I recommend to get in case of emergencies.
Darlene Nolan says
Hi we will be in Costa Rica in April. I was wondering if route #702 is open to drive from San Jose to La Fortuna ? Thanks Darlene
Aliah says
I have a flight leaving SJO at 530pm on a Monday. I was hoping to stay in La Fortuna until the day of my flight, but I’m unsure of a good time to leave? Any advice? Thank you so much! Your blog has really helped me plan my trip to Costa Rica 🙂
Sammi says
Hi Aliah, to get to the airport by 330 PM, I would no leave later than 1030-11 AM. The drive from Fortuna to San Jose is around 3.5 hours but it depends on traffic, how fast you drive and how long it takes for you to return your car rental so I would give yourself more time just in case.
Christine says
Thanks for the tips. Two questions–following your car rental reservation link, does that total on Adobe’s website include all costs? I’ve heard about hidden fees in CR that can really get you. Also, we plan to drive to a BnB up a steep hill and then drive to visit the main sites in La Fortuna. Is a 4WD vehicle really necessary? Seems like that might be more for the rainy season? Thanks so much!
Sammi says
Hi Christine, yes the total on the Adobe reservation includes all taxes, fees and mandatory insurances, exactly what you see on the reservation is what you’ll pay. It’s one of the reasons why we partnered with Adobe is because they are 100% transparent about charges, whereas unfortunately some companies aren’t.
If your bnb is up a steep hill, I would get a 4wd if the road is unpaved and has potholes.
Christine says
Thanks! You guys are awesome. You definitely made the car rental option less intimidating.
Anjali T says
We are trying to come from Fortuna to San Jose and do La Paz waterfalls, Poas and Doka along the way. Is the road good ? (since this is not the San Ramon route)
Sammi says
For sure! This is a common route, the road up in La Paz/Poas is suuuuuper curvy and narrow though so do drive carefully but it is all paved.
Angie says
Hi – is there a bridge out on the 702? I thought that was in 2015. We will be traveling from San Jose to Fortuna.
Any route recommendations for Fortuna to Manuel Antonio?
Thank you!!
Sammi says
I don’t believe so as of now (bridge). For Fortuna to Manuel Antonio, you will need to go back out like you are going to San Jose, get on the highway 27 towards San Jose and exit at the Jaco exit. You can find it on Google maps/waze to use as GPS.
Rach D says
Hello Sammi,
Thank you for all the great information and for also being so responsive to questions! My husband and I along with our 1 yr old plan on flying into SJO mid Feb, and will be renting a 4×4. We arrive at night, and plan on staying for 2-3 days in San Jose before driving to La Fortuna. We will be in Costa Rica for 2.5 weeks in total. Based on the number of days, what is the itinerary that you would suggest? As we have a young child we would not be able to do many high engaging activities! Also To make travel easier I plan on arriving in San Jose a day prior to our departure.
Sammi says
Hi Rach, you can read this post for best places for 1st timers in CR: Best places in Costa Rica and we have some sample itineraries here: Costa Rica itinerary ideas that you can adapt to the number of days and things you’d like to do. I recommend not to stick too many destinations though, because most of the places are far apart and require a long drive so give yourself at least 3-4 nights in each place so you don’t get burnt out from driving.
Semere says
Hi Sammi,
I have been using your site to do all our Costa Rica travel plans which starts tomorrow, and can’t thank you enough for it.
We will be arriving in SJO at 1PM, and had planned to drive straight to La Fortuna via this route (Ruta 702). I just pulled up Waze, and it seems that a bridge collapse or something has caused a road closure here. Am I correct in understanding this?
What’s the alternative? Go to La Fortuna via route 141 (by way of Naranjo and Ciudad Quesada). I had pretty much studied the San Ramon route, so anything special I need to know about this route? This last minute change isn’t the greatest thing, but out of our control so just have to plan around it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Sammi says
Hi Semere, you can go via Naranjo and Ciudad Quesada too, those are main cities so the roads are fine.
Bonnie D says
Hello Sammi!
Planning a trip in January, with grandchildren. staying at San Rafael area, wanted to take grandchildren on horseback ride at la Fortuna, to see the waterfalls, and hoping for Hot Springs and a suspension bridge hike ,and at some point hoping to see the ocean. Any suggestions for taxi services,or travel tips You would be willing to give up so we can manage to fit some of this in? We will be staying 7 days
Sammi says
Hi Bonnnie, from San Rafael the best way is to rent a car since San Rafael is not a very touristy area there are no shared shuttles and private will be very expensive. It’ll be best to rent a car, drive to La Fortuna, stay a night or two. In La Fortuna, luckily you can do a lot of activities in one day since they’re very close to each other so you can easily do a hanging bridges in the morning, horseback ride to La Fortuna waterfall in the afternoon and hot springs at night.
Tiffany says
We are arriving to San Jose on Friday and will be driving with 18 other people in 3 SUVs. We arrive at 4:30pm Costa Rica time and were planning on getting to La Fortuna the same night. If we get into La Fortuna at around 9pm on a Friday, are there still places to eat that are open?
Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Tiffany, you can read in this post: La Fortuna as I included a couple of 24 hours restaurants. La Fortuna Pub and Lava Lounge are usually open until late as well.
Tiffany says
Thanks so much!
Sammi says
Hi Belen, I’m glad the blog has been helpful! Regarding your itinerary, that is way too many places for 5 days as all those destinations are very spread out and you won’t be able to enjoy them in only 5 days due to travel times. By driving, San Jose to La Fortuna is around 3.5 hours, La Fortuna to Guanacaste (depending on where in Guanacaste) is around 4 hours, and Guanacaste to Manuel Antonio is at least 5-6 hours so you’ll be spending a ton of time on the road. You can save time by flying but you will still not be able to enjoy the places as much.
For 5 days, I would choose just 2 places. If you’re flying in and out of San Jose, La Fortuna + Manuel Antonio are good options if you want beach. I recommend checking out our destinations map so you can exactly how far everything is: https://mytanfeet.com/costa-rica-destinations-map/
Belen says
Hi Sammi,
We are seniors travelling for the first time to Costa Rica. Reading your blog has been most helpful! Thank you for sharing your ideas and suggestions for visiting beautiful Pura Vida Costa Rica. We arrive at 9:30 on Dec 5 and will check into a hotel and leave the next day for La Fortuna. We are great hikers, so we plan to take the canopy/aerial tram in Arenal. Is Cartago a good stop to visit? We plan to rent a car from Adobe for the 5 days we are in Costa Rica. Where is the best place to for hot springs? The route we are contemplating is San Jose, to La Fortuna, to The springs Resort, Guanacaste, manuel Antonio. Is there enough time in 5 full days?
Herb says
Dear Sammi,
We are planning a trip for mid-February, with a flight that arrives at 2:30 PM. There is no flight to La Fortuna available. I know you do not advise driving after dark, but I’d like to get to La Fortuna the first day. It would involve starting late afternoon, with perhaps a hour of darkness.
Sammi says
Hi Herb, by that time in February it’s the middle of dry season so you won’t have to worry about rain. If you land at 2:30 PM, you’ll probably get out and pick up your car by around 4 PM. You’ll have traffic getting out of San Jose so hopefully you’ll be able to get out of San Jose before it gets too bad but if you use Waze for GPS, you can do the drive since it gets dark at 6 PM so you will have about 1 hour of darkness. The last stretch of is in a rural area with no lights or signs but if you use Waze for GPS, you will be fine since it’s a pretty straightforward route once you get past San Ramon, not a ton of turns.
Linda says
Hi Sammi. We are flying into San Jose at 9.30 pm and staying for the night then we have an Airbnb booked for Puerto Viejo. I’d love to stay the first night in La Fortuna and then to the coast. How would that drive be? We’d like to rent a car.
Sammi says
Hi Linda, since you’re arriving quite late, I don’t recommend going to La Fortuna that night. It’s about a 3.5 hour drive from San Jose to La Fortuna so you’ll arrive there by around 1230-1 AM and the road is not easy to drive in the dark because signage is not good and after San Ramon, it’s on rural roads. Then from La Fortuna to Puerto Viejo, it’s like a 4-5 hour drive so you’ll just be driving a ton of hours for just like, a morning in La Fortuna. I’d stay the first night in San Jose and then go to Puerto Viejo, it’s not worth driving all the way to La Fortuna for just that short amount of time to be honest. If you can, stay the first night in San Jose, go to La Fortuna early in the morning, stay a couple days and then go to Puerto Viejo.
For renting a car, we have a discount and extra benefits with Adobe Rent a Car, a Costa Rican car rental company. You can check rates here: Costa Rica car rental discount
Alex says
HI, Thank you for so much valuable info. We are arriving in September to SJO and traveling to La Fortuna. We will be taking a large SUV (for 6 people); are the roads okay for this size vehicle? Thank you again!
Sammi says
Hi Alex, yes the road from San Jose to La Fortuna is all on well paved roads going through San Ramon. You can see in the video what the route is like.
Matt says
HI, thank you for so much valuable info. I am arriving in June to SJO at 1:45pm and traveling to our hotel in La Fortuna. Do you think that will be to late to embark and arrive in La Fortuna by nightfall? Should I try to rearrange and stay elsewhere? This was an oversight on my part not realizing that sunset was so early. Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Matt! I personally would recommend staying a night in San Jose and leaving the next day. June is our rainy season and there’s a good chance it will be raining when you get done with immigration and customs and the route to La Fortuna isn’t the most well lit. I would stay a night in San Jose and leave early the next morning in La Fortuna.
Matt says
Thanks again! I have a car from the airport and hotel booked already so I have some rearranging to do.( P.S. in case it makes a difference: my hotel is actually east of La Fortuna near where 35 and 4 intersect)
Jesse says
Have been reading your blog. Great info! We are first timers… Wife and I are flying into SJO in 30 days, heading to La Fortuna for a couple nights and then up to Papagayo for remainder of our stay. I would like to rent through Adobe but can’t figure out if I should get GPS or Wifi in car. I figured with Wifi I can use my phone (Waze) and apps like Viber, etc. to make calls. Thoughts?
Sammi says
The Wi-Fi hot spot is great because you will always have Internet. GPS is just GPS and to be honest, the Waze app works much better for GPS so I would go with the hotspot. It’s very nice to always have Internet on your phone.
Toladette Kem says
Hi,
My group and I are planning to drive from SJ to La Fortuna area and then La Fortuna to Jaco. I see information on driving from SJ to Fortuna, but I don’t see anything for La Fortuna to Jaco (unless I missed it). Can you tell me what the road/driving condition is like for that route?
Thank you,
TK
Sammi says
Hi, it is the same route except exit at the Jaco/Orotina exit from the highway and then go straight down south on the Costanera Sur highway for about 30 minutes until Jaco.
Sammi says
Hi Wade, so when you arrive at SJO Airport, an Adobe agent will be waiting for you outside the airport when you finish immigration and customs. They are wearing a blue shirt and will be holding a sign with your name on it so look for him. He will bring you to the Adobe shuttles where they will bring your group to their airport office to pick up the cars and finish paperwork. And then from there, you can head to La Fortuna right after so your whole group will go to the Adobe office and you can leave directly to La Fortuna when you get the cars.
Their airport office is only a mile or so down the street from the airport so it’s very close. Then for return, it will be the same process. You’ll return the car to their airport office and they will shuttle you to the airport via their complimentary shuttle.
Wade says
Thank you for all your help
Sammi says
Hi Wade! You can actually get the car delivered to your hotel in San Jose if you are staying a night in the city, this is free for Mytanfeet readers so that way, your group doesn’t have to go back to Adobe office. If you are staying in San Jose, can you please let us know what hotel you are at and we can modify your reservation. I do have your flight information already from Nick and normally, Adobe picks up their clients from the airport and takes them to their airport office to get the car. But if you’re staying a night in San Jose and don’t want to drive or have the car in the city, you can taxi/shuttle to your hotel and have Adobe deliver the car to your hotel the next morning. Adobe can deliver the car between 8 30 AM and 430 PM.
For customs, you have to put all your luggage and bags through the scanners so backpacks, purses, carry ons, check ins, everything.
Wade says
Hi Sammi. We are going to drive to La Fortuna as soon as we arrive. We just didn’t know if the whole groups goes in San Jose or just Nick & Wade to pick up the cars?
Wade says
I am sorry Sammi but I just reread your last response and it looks like we don’t have to travel into San Jose? Our cars will be at the their office at the airport?
Wade Merrett says
Hi Sammi. We are travelling to La Fortuna from SJO and our flight arrives at 11:15am. Should we arrive in La Fortuna before dark? Your website has been very helpful and we can’t wait to visit Costa Rica.
Sammi says
Hi Wade, it gets dark at 6 PM in Costa Rica and it’s about a 3.5 hour drive depending on how long it takes for you to get out of San Jose so you should make it there by night. I recommend getting out of San Jose asap and then stopping in San Ramon (another local town about 45 minutes from San Jose) for lunch/break because there isn’t as bad traffic there. I also recommend using Waze, the GPS app to help you get out of San Jose to La Fortuna because the traffic in San Jose is awful and driving is not nice there. Glad you like the site and thanks for reading!
Wade says
Hi Sammi. Thank you for the reply. We are renting our cars through you with Adobe and was wondering if the whole group should go to San Jose or just the drivers of the rental cars? We thought it may save some time if we didn’t have to go back to the airport after we got the cars? Also when arriving in Costa Rica if we only have carry ins do we still have to go through customs for checked bags?
Kirsten Borrink says
Hi Sammi,
Great info and video! Would you recommend taking dramamine for the drive? We have two kids ages 10 and 16 and will be renting an SUV. I just don’t want them to feel nauseous through the winding roads.
TIA,
Kirsten
Sammi says
Hi Kirsten, I would if they get really carsick. The views are really nice and you can drive with the windows down to help. There is just one section through San Ramon that is a bit curvy and then it straightens out but if you are driving from La Fortuna to Liberia/Guanacaste, it is very curvy around the lake.
Vicky says
Hi Sammi, you have an AMAZING site! I’m planning our trip to Costa Rica this March and getting so much info from your site! THANKS!!!
We are planning to arrive at 8pm and I booked a hotel Chalet Tirol at San Rafael de Heredia (which is supposed to be about 40min drive from the airport). We want to see La Paz Waterfall before we get to La Fortuna Waterfall and Arenal area. Are there any other places that you can recommend to see on the way from Chalet Tirol to Arenal, La Fortuna?
Sammi says
Hi Vicky, I’m glad you like the site and it’s been helpful! If you are going into the La Paz waterfall park, you will probably spend a good couple hours there so that’ll be an all day from San Jose to Arenal. Poas used to be a good stop combined with La Paz but unfortunately it is closed. On the way to La PAz, I recommend driving through the small town of Poasito and stopping at the little stands on the side of the road, you can try local treats and candies there and it’s a good place to buy souvenirs.
If you had more time (like not going inside the gardens, just the free entrance), I would recommend stopping at Catarata del Toro instead. This waterfall is supposedly the tallest in CR and it is amazing. Here is our article on it: https://mytanfeet.com/activities/catarata-del-toro/ and you can stop there on the way from San Jose to Arenal. It does require a bit of a detour but you drive through some gorgeous country side and small towns and the waterfall is about a 15-20 minute walk down and it is stunning.
Delilah says
Thank you so much for the information. We are arriving in San Jose at 3:00 PM and have reservations in La Fortuna already but now are wondering if we should stay in San Jose with the driving. Going through customs and picking up rental car. We are hoping to be out of San Jose by 4:30 if all goes well.
Sammi says
Hi Delilah, 4:30 PM is right at the worst time of traffic in San Jose and it could take you anywhere from 1 -2 hours just to get out of the city so I recommend staying a night in San Jose and leave early in the morning to La Fortuna because without traffic, it’s about a 3.5-4 hour drive but with traffic, it could easily turn into 5 hours or more and that’d be suuuuuper tiring after a flight. I also recommend using Waze, the GPS app as that will help you navigate through San Jose much better than Google Maps. The airport isn’t in San Jose center luckily so you can pick a hotel close to the airport, that way you don’t need to drive all the way to downtown San Jose. There are hotels just 5 -10 minutes from the airport.
Aaron says
Hi Sammi, thank you so much for providing so much free information. I have learned a great deal from what you’ve provided through your site and emails! This will be our first time visiting Costa Rica, and we have decided to rent a car due to exploring several different places while we’re there. We will have Google maps and waze while we’re there, but do you suggest we rent a GPS as well? We will be coming in through SJO, traveling to La Fortuna, then Jaco, then Manuel Antonio, then back to SJO for departure. Thanks for your help in advance!
Sammi says
Hi Aaron! Waze will be just fine, it works great in Costa Rica! And all the routes you are going are on well paved roads with plenty of signs. Thank you for reading our blog and glad that is has been helpful with your trip! One tip, when you are going from Fortuna to Jaco, go back through San Ramon. We have gone this route a few times and our Waze took us via a different route which was not on as nice of a road as the main route so just check that before hitting go on Waze. Have a great time!
Agness of eTramping says
These tips are simply awesome, Sammi! Would you recommend any hiking trails along the way worth hiking?
Sammi says
There’s not too much that’s right on the way, you’ll have to detour and drive to other points of interest.