Should I visit Monteverde or Arenal? Is Monteverde worth it? What’s the difference between Monteverde and Arenal?
Arenal (La Fortuna) and Monteverde are two of the most popular destinations in Costa Rica but visitors are often confused as to which one to visit as they seem similar.
In this post, I’ll explain the differences between the two to help you decide which one to visit if you cannot visit both places.
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Description of Monteverde and Arenal
Both La Fortuna and Arenal are great destinations for first time Costa Rica travelers.
Monteverde
Monteverde is the name of the canton, the main tourism town is called Santa Elena. This area is the tropical cloud forest, sitting at 1200-1600 meters in elevation (~4000 – 5200 feet) with cooler temperatures and low humidity.
Known for:
- Tropical cloud forest
- Birdwatching
- Ziplining
- Hiking
- Mountain lodges
- Hanging bridges
La Fortuna (Arenal)
It is important to note that Arenal refers to the volcano and lake. La Fortuna is the main tourism town in the area that people stay at.
Known for:
- Hiking
- Arenal Volcano
- Lake Arenal
- Tropical rainforest
- Wildlife
- Hot springs and wellness
- Luxury rainforest resorts as well as budget hotels
Location of Monteverde and Arenal
Here is a map with the locations of both places.
Driving Times from the International Airports
Both Monteverde and Arenal are about a 3-3.5 hour drive from the Guanacaste Airport and the San Jose International Airport.
Get our Costa Rica car rental discount here!
La Fortuna tends to be more popular than Monteverde due to the road conditions.
Since Monteverde sits on top of the mountains, high in elevation, the road turns very windy, curvy and narrow the last 15 kilometers or so. Furthermore, the road tends to have a lot of potholes.
La Fortuna does not require a 4×4 to get to.
Monteverde Road Conditions
For the most comfort and safety, you should rent a high clearance car in the dry months of February, March and April and 4wd in rainy season, especially the months of September and October.
Read more about Costa Rica weather here.
There are a few ways to get to Monteverde from San Jose and Liberia.
The two main routes are Route 145 which is closer to Guanacaste and Route 606 which is closer to San Jose. Both routes become steep, curvy and narrow once you start going up the mountain.
Check our Monteverde road conditions post for photos and information on both.
There is one paved road through Santa Elena town but all roads to the cloud forest, wildlife reserves, San Luis and outside the center of town are unpaved and have lots of potholes.
La Fortuna Road Conditions
La Fortuna has for the most part, all paved roads. You do not need a 4×4 or 4wd, but both routes from the international airports have very curvy sections along the way.
You can see what the route from Guanacaste to Arenal and San Jose to Arenal is like in our post.
How to Get to Monteverde
You can drive, take a shuttle, take a boat or a public bus to Monteverde.
Monteverde does not have a local airport or car rental offices so you need to rent your car before Monteverde or pay a hefty delivery charge to get your car delivered there.
Shared shuttle: You can take a shared shuttle to Monteverde from other destinations in the country for around $60-95 USD a person. Get our Interbus shared shuttle discount here!
Private shuttle: A private shuttle is around $300 USD from San Jose and Liberia international airports.
Bus: There are direct buses from San Jose to Monteverde, leaving at 6:30 AM and 2:30 PM from Transportes Tilaran bus station, 12 Ave 7-9. It takes about 5 hours and costs ~2,680 colones.
From Liberia, there is no direct bus. You have to bus from Liberia to Cañas, Cañas to Tilaran, Tilaran to Monteverde. This can only be done in the morning as there are limited schedules, none in the late afternoon and evenings.
Boat from La Fortuna: You can take a taxi boat from La Fortuna, pedestrians only. You’ll boat across Lake Arenal and disembark in Monteverde. Contact us to book your taxi boat taxi from La Fortuna – Monteverde or vice versa.
How to Get to La Fortuna
You can drive, take a shuttle, fly, bus or boat to La Fortuna.
Shared Shuttle: You can take a shared shuttle to and from La Fortuna to major tourist destinations. Get our Interbus shared shuttle discount here!
Private shuttle: From the international airports, a private shuttle can be around $190 USD.
Public Bus: There is a direct bus from San Jose to La Fortuna at 8:40 AM from Terminal Atlantico Norte in downtown San Jose.
From Liberia, you have to bus from Liberia to Cañas, Cañas to Tilaran and then Tilaran to La Fortuna. Must leave in the morning.
Flying: Local airline Sansa Air flies into the La Fortuna domestic airstrip. San Jose to Fortuna is around $150 USD per passenger one way.
Boat from Monteverde: You can take the taxi boat across Lake Arenal to get to La Fortuna from Monteverde, pedestrians only. Contact us to book your taxi boat taxi from La Fortuna – Monteverde or vice versa.
Tour Interconnections
You can also book some tours as an interconnection.
For example, the company we work with for the Pacuare white water rafting tours offer transportation from San Jose, La Fortuna and Puerto Viejo.
So that means you can get picked up in one place and get dropped off in one of the other three destinations.
Instead of sitting on a bus all day, why not get picked up in San Jose, go white water rafting and then get dropped off in La Fortuna!
Book your Pacuare rafting tour and get a discount here!
Monteverde Weather
Since Monteverde is in high elevation, temperatures are much cooler and humidity is lower.
Monteverde experiences typical tropical seasons of dry and rainy. Dry season is about December through April and rainy is May through November.
However, it can still rain during dry season and it is common to have “spring showers” in February and March. The rainiest month is usually October.
Monteverde average day time temperature is around 25° Celsius (77° F) in the dry season during the day. At night, it goes down to around 16° C (60° F).
In rainy season, the average temperature is around 22° C (low 70s° F) during the day.
In January, February and March, it gets very windy in Monteverde.
La Fortuna Weather
La Fortuna is lower in elevation and is hotter and more humid.
Being the tropical rainforest in the Northern Lowlands, La Fortuna does not strictly follow the dry and rainy tropical seasons.
Average daytime temperature in dry season are around 29° C (84° F). Average night time temperatures are around 21° C (70° F).
The hottest months are March and April. It can still rain a lot in January, February and November.
The rainiest month is usually October.
What to Bring for Monteverde
Long pants, enclosed shoes, a jacket and rain jacket are necessary for Monteverde, no matter what time of year you visit.
Comfortable active wear or hiking clothes. For the cloud forest reserves, it is best to have completely enclosed shoes and durable ones, like waterproof trail runners.
What to Bring For La Fortuna
Shorts and short sleeve shirts. A rain jacket and waterproof backpack are necessary for rainy season. Sunscreen and mosquito repellent.
Hiking sandals or water shoes are necessary if you are doing activities like rafting, horseback riding, tubing, or visiting the waterfall.
For volcano or hanging bridges hike, you should have completely enclosed shoes.
For more in-depth tips, check out our Costa Rica packing list.
Personal tip: We always bring our waterproof backpacks and a rainjacket shell for both destinations no matter the time of year.
Tourist Services in Monteverde
Though smaller, Monteverde has everything for tourists like a bank, ATM, pharmacies, bus station, supermarkets and stores.
It does not have car rental companies and a local airport. There are a few Ubers.
The roads around Monteverde are slowly improving but the unpaved roads up to the cloud forests and the mountain range kind of add on to the adventurous, rural feel of Monteverde.
Tourist Services in La Fortuna
La Fortuna is one of the most visited places in Costa Rica and it has everything: supermarkets, private clinics, pharmacies, car rentals agencies, info centers, motorcycle rentals, Uber, secure paid parking, restaurants, mini markets, gas station, banks, ATMs.
Estimated Cost for Visiting Monteverde
You can travel cheap in Monteverde. There are many hostels and the bus is easily accessible.
A bed in a dorm is around $20 USD a night and there are more cheap eats in downtown. A luxury hotel room can cost starting around $300 USD a night for two people.
The most expensive thing about Monteverde is the adventure park passes.
The passes can run up to $190 USD per adult for an all day combo tour. Entrance fees to the cloud forests are around $25 USD – $90 USD per person per reserve.
If you’re on a budget, make sure to read our post “Cheap and free things to do in Monteverde” for free spots!
Estimated Cost for Visiting La Fortuna
La Fortuna can be a lot more expensive if you want it to be, as it has a lot of luxury rainforest resorts but you can also travel cheap.
It has everything from $30 USD a night per bed to $1000 USD a night for 2 people! So how much you spend depends on what kind of vacation you are looking for.
As for tours, guided tours run from $45-350 USD per person. There are some free spots though and cheap activities such as the free swimming holes in La Fortuna.
Things to Do in Monteverde
Ziplining
Monteverde is famous for ziplining. The best ones are Treetopia and Selvatura Park as those are the only two that actually go over the cloud forest.
Xtremo and 100% Aventura have more extreme ziplines with tarzan swing and bungee jumping.
Monteverde does not have as many ziplining tours as La Fortuna. The ones they have are more extreme.
Hiking
The cloud forests were nominated as one of the wonders of Costa Rica and is a must see for hiking.
Monteverde has 3 cloud forest reserves that you can visit for hiking: Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest.
Waterfall
A popular hike is the El Tigre Waterfalls hike which takes you over rivers to see waterfalls.
You cannot swim in the waterfalls and it is not a hike for beginners or little kids.
Hanging Bridges
If you have ever seen hanging bridges photos online, it’s probably of the hanging bridges parks in Monteverde.
Selvatura Park and Treetopia have the best ones, with a network of trails with multiple suspended hanging bridges over the cloud forest canopy.
Coffee and Farm Tours
Coffee grows best in high elevations, like Monteverde, which grows first quality, award winning coffee. Best to do a coffee tour in Monteverde and not in La Fortuna.
You can do a coffee and farm tour in Monteverde.
Birdwatching
Named as the best place in the world to see Resplendant Quezals, this is a must for bird lovers.
During the months of February – Julyish, it is common to see Quetzals in one tree as it is their mating season. Visit Curi-Cancha Wildlife Refuge for the best birding.
You can read about other things to do in Monteverde here.
Things to Do in La Fortuna
Since La Fortuna has more activities with Lake Arenal, rain forest and volcano nearby, there are so many fun things to do.
Read more about our favorite things to do in La Fortuna.
We also have a discount for tours in La Fortuna! Get the La Fortuna tour discount.
Ziplining
La Fortuna has many more ziplining tours of various levels than Monteverde.
Our favorite ziplining tour is Sky Adventures in Arenal. You get an amazing view of the volcano, lake and rain forest!
Another fun one is Arenal Mundo Aventura as their zipline tour goes over La Fortuna waterfall. Arenal Canopy Adventure is excellent for families and first timers.
La Fortuna Waterfall
Walk 500 steps down to the La Fortuna waterfall where you can swim in the pool or swim in the river downstream. Very busy and crowded.
Canyoning
Canyoning in Arenal is the best in La Fortuna because you go deep into the rain forest.
Also, the water temperature is not that cold and it feels very refreshing in the hot and humid forest.
Chocolate Tour
A cacao tour is better in La Fortuna, at it has the correct type of climate. Cacao likes hot and humid weather.
You can find chocolate tours like North Fields (contact us if you’d like to book a chocolate tour).
Coffee Tour
La Fortuna does not grow first quality coffee like Monteverde, but you can still do a coffee tour from small, family run farms.
Hot Springs
Take a dip in the natural volcanic water in the many hot spring resorts in La Fortuna.
Arenal Volcano National Park
Hike the lava trails in Arenal Volcano National Park to see the remnants of the 1968 eruption and views of the volcano and lake.
Hanging Bridges
There is an Arenal hanging bridges park 30 minutes outside of La Fortuna. You get great views of the tropical rainforest and volcano, but it is different than the hanging bridges in the cloud forest.
**The Arenal Hanging Bridges park is great and a must visit if you are only visiting La Fortuna. If you are visiting both places, I personally like the hanging bridges in Monteverde (Selvatura Park and Treetopia both) more.
There are also less people in the Monteverde hanging bridges parks than the Arenal Hanging Bridges park. **
Monteverde Wildlife
Monteverde is best for bird watching. There are a lot of unique birds that only live in high elevations like hummingbirds.
There are mammals in Monteverde but less than La Fortuna due to the colder climate.
For example, only 2 fingered sloths live in Monteverde. 3 fingered sloths do not live in Monteverde.
There are also less snakes and frogs in Monteverde because of the colder climate.
La Fortuna Wildlife
Since La Fortuna is lower in elevation, has rain forest and is more humid, you will find more mammals, tropical birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Both the 2 and 3 fingered sloths are in La Fortuna.
Hotels in Monteverde
Monteverde has around 50+ hotels in the area with more rustic lodges, country inns and family run B&Bs. You will find just a few luxury hotels in Monteverde.
Some of the luxury high end hotels are Hotel Belmar, Monteverde Lodge & Gardens, Senda Monteverde and the El Establo Hotel.
There are a bunch of hostels and digital nomad lodging like Sleepers Sleep Monteverde and Pension Santa Elena.
Need a hotel in Monteverde? Use our 5% promo code “mytanfeet” to save $$ at the following hotels: Hotel Poco a Poco, Monteverde Country Lodge and Sibu Lodge.
Each has their own on-site restaurant, are close to town and have cozy rooms of all sizes and arrangements. Mid range lodges with good service, friendly staff and yummy food.
Monteverde hotels are generally cheaper than the La Fortuna hotels. There are also many Airbnbs and vacation rentals.
La Fortuna Hotels
La Fortuna has 100+ hotels and even more Airbnbs. With some of the most luxurious hotels in Costa Rica, it’s perfect for luxury travelers or honeymooners.
The most luxurious hotels in this area are the Springs Resort, Tabacon, Nayara Gardens, Nayara Tented Camp, Nayara Springs adults only, The Royal Corin adults only, Amor Arenal adult friendly and Arenal Kioro which are anywhere from $300-900 USD a night.
Many of these luxury hotels around the volcano are tailored towards romantic getaways.
In La Fortuna downtown, there are more mid range to budget hotels and hostels.
The further away from town you get and closer to the volcano, are the nicer higher end hotels as they have a better view of Arenal Volcano.
If you’re on a strict budget, pick a hotel in La Fortuna town as those are cheaper. Some good ones are Arenal Xilopalo, Poshpaker Arenal Hostel, Hotel Las Colinas and Secreto La Fortuna.
You can also find eco-lodges in Arenal. Our favorite is the Arenal Observatory Lodge which is the closest hotel to the volcano.
Food
La Fortuna has more restaurants, but you can find cheap eats and fine dining in both places.
I found both places to be suitable for those with food allergies and dietary restrictions.
There is one restaurant called The Open Kitchen which offers lots of gluten free options, and it is in both Monteverde and La Fortuna.
Sample Itinerary
Typically, people spend 1-2 nights in Monteverde and 3-4 nights in La Fortuna. This is simply because La Fortuna is a bigger area and has more things to do.
You can check out our 5 day Monteverde and Arenal itinerary here for more ideas.
A lot of people will go to La Fortuna first, then Monteverde but you can do either depending on your full itinerary.
Day 1-4: La Fortuna
Since many activities are half day activities, take advantage of your time in La Fortuna to experience as much as possible.
An idea for activities can be like this:
Day 1: Canyoning in the morning, safari float in the afternoon.
Day 2: Relax at the hotel, check out La Fortuna town. Hot springs at night.
Day 3: Hanging bridges, La Fortuna waterfall, Volcano hike.
Some hotels have their own hot springs which mean you can enjoy and bathe in the warm volcanic waters every night.
Check our 2, 3 and 4 day La Fortuna itineraries here.
Day 5 and 6: Monteverde
If you have only one full day in Monteverde, most people go to the parks to zipline and walk the hanging bridges in the cloud forest.
For us, the perfect way to experience Monteverde in one day is do to a birdwatching tour at Curi Cancha Reserve in the morning and hike Santa Elena Cloud Forest in the afternoon.
Another option is to spend the whole day at Selvatura Park.
Get the all day pass to zipline, walk their hanging bridges, visit their butterfly garden, learn about sloths and see the reptiles.
Check our 1, 2 and 3 day Monteverde itineraries here.
Who Should Visit Monteverde
If you love birds, hiking and cool weather, Monteverde is for you.
Although some people don’t have the time to visit both, Monteverde is absolutely worth it, even for two nights.
The cloud forests are incredibly unique and may disappear in this century so it’s worth making the trip to see the cloud forests.
Monteverde is popular with Europeans, Asians, birders, seniors, school groups and backpackers.
For me, one night is just too quick and isn’t enough time to really experience Monteverde.
Plus, with all the driving and travel time just to get there, you will want to stay longer.
Who Should Visit La Fortuna
For first time visitors who want an easy destination to visit in Costa Rica, La Fortuna and Arenal is the better choice.
It’s easier to get to, has more lodging options, better roads and more activities.
La Fortuna is popular with Americans and Canadians and you will see lots of school groups in La Fortuna.
Thanks to its easy access and very good tourist infrastructure, La Fortuna is one of the best places for first time visitors to Costa Rica. You’ll find it on nearly all of the planned tour groups.
Looking for itineraries that have La Fortuna and Monteverde?
2 week Costa Rica itinerary Caribbean and Pacific: Visits Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde and Guanacaste.
Two week Costa Rica itinerary: Visits Arenal, Monteverde, Santa Teresa and Playas del Coco
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels. Save more money with our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Caroline Cockman says
Hi! Thank you for the amazing blog!!
We have have 5 nights (4 full days) to play with and wondering if we should book Finca Luna Nueva which appears to be equidistant to LaFortuna for hot springs/adventures and Monteverde for cloud forests.
Alternately, we could divide our days and book separate accommodations in each town. Thoughts?
Our next stop will be Manuel Antonio. We are a family of 4 with two preteens!
Sammi says
If you’re renting a car, you can stay at the lodge but if you’re not renting a car, I’d pick a hotel that’s more central to either Fortuna or MOnteverde
randy kirschmann says
Hola,
Your blog has been invaluable in planning my first trip to CR, thank you so much.
So… I have basically 2 days around Arenal (and one evening). I know Arenal volcano is a must see, and I’d like to hit La Fortuna waterfall and Tabacon hotsprings. Can I (or should I) try and fit Monteverde cloud forest into that time also?
I’ll be headed to the coast (Papagayo) after that, for 3 days. I’d like to see Rincon and Rio Celeste waterfall during that time, besides some beaches.
I know its a lot, but this may be the only time I get to see Costa Rica, and I want to make the most of the trip. Your input would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.
Muchas Gracias, Randy
Sammi says
For just 2 days, I’d stay in La Fortuna and enjoy that area.
You can visit Rio Celeste on the drive from La Fortuna – Papagayo.
Valerie Monge says
Hello, thank you so much for your information. We will be staying in Nosara at Playa Guiones in mid June. We would like to travel from there to Arenal/Monteverde for about three nights. I would prefer to stay in one hotel but I’m not sure how far or difficult it is to get from Arenal to Monteverde. We prefer beautiful nature more than exciting tours, though one zip line might be fun for the teens. Thanks.
Soudipta says
Hi Sami,
Great blog post. My wife and I are planning a trip this December to Costa Rica for 9 days. We were thinking of Monte Verde, Arenal and Manuel Antonio. Just wanted your guidance wrt to the Arenal / Monte Verde part. How many days would you recommend spending there. Also should we stay just near Arenal and make day trips to Monte Verde or spend couple of days in Arenal and couple in Monte Verde seperately.
Thanks,
Soudipta
Sammi says
Hi, you can check out our Monteverde and Arenal itinerary post
kolina macrury says
Hi Sammi,
Thank you so much for all the information that your blog provides – it has been invaluable in my trip planning. My husband and I are going to be traveling in mid January, from La Fortuna to Monteverde along hwy 142 to hwy 145 to hwy 606. We will then be traveling to the Liberia Airport and I am wondering if we should travel through Juntas on hwy 145 to hwy 1 or if we should travel back the way we came on hwy 145 to hwy 142 to hwy 1. I am not sure if the road conditions are similar for these two routes. We will have a 4WD Acura.
Thanks so much
Sammi says
You can perfectly go through ROute 145 to Route 1
Tina says
Hi! Do you know if there are any day tours over to Monteverde from Arenal? We are staying in Arenal but would be interested in a day tour and then go back to our hotel in Arenal. Is that possible?
Sammi says
Hi Tina, yes actually our partner in La Fortuna does day tours, can you please send us an email on our Contact Mytanfeet form and we’ll give you more information.
Peter says
Wife and I starting to plan for next April. Zeroing in on Corcovado/Drake Bay, La Fortuna, and Monteverde. Q1 – can we take a bus from La Fortuna to Monteverde? Was planning on renting a vehicle for the entirety, just not a 4WD.
Are all 3 doable over 8-10 days?
Sammi says
For La Fortuna – Monteverde I recommend to do the taxi-boat-taxi. Way more fun than a bus because there are no direct buses. You will have to go La Fortuna – Tilaran – Santa Elena. Taxi boat across Lake Arenal is more fun
Michelle says
Hi! Love your blog. We are coming to Costa Rica for a week in April. Unfortunately, I have to do some remote work for the first 3 days so thought it would be best to spend those 3 days by a beach, planning for Manuel Antonio but open to other suggestions, where we can hang out at the beach in between work (rather than La Fortuna where there are more active adventures). I’ve seen 7d trips usually going from La Fortuna, then Monteverde, then a beach somewhere like Manuel Antonio. What do you think of doing that trip in the reverse? Is the drive that much worse going backwards? If so, would you recommend just skipping the 1.5 days in Monteverde and going straight to La Fortuna for the last 4 days of the trip? Or if you had to plan a beach/relaxing/remote work, followed by “best of Costa Rica” 1 week trip, how would you do it?
Thanks!
Sammi says
You can definitely go to Manuel Antonio first.
Tara says
Hey there! Absolutely love your articles and really appreciate all of your hard work.
It looks like Sky Adventures in Monteverde has zips, as well as bridges through the cloud forest. Do you recommend doing the bridges there or at the separate Monteverde Cloud Forest reserve?
Thank you for your help!
Sammi says
Definitely bridges at Selvatura Park, Monteverde cloud forest reserve only has 1 bridge and its not as impressive as Selvaturas.
michelle laccetti says
Hi,
I am staying in Fortuna for 3 nights and want to do a day trip to monteverde. Is that doable? I want to book a zip lining tour along with a coffee and chocolate tour but now I am rethinking if I should just look for those same tours in Fortuna.
Thanks!
Sammi says
You can, there are tour companies who offer 1 day trips to Monteverde but it’s expensive ($200 USD+). And you can do a zipline, coffee and chocolate tour in La Fortuna.