As Monteverde is one of the most popular destinations in the country, we get these questions all the time.
Is the road to Monteverde paved, what is the best route for Monteverde, how far is San Jose Airport to Monteverde and do I really need a 4×4 for Monteverde?
For those who are renting a car in Costa Rica and plan on visiting Monteverde, this post will go over the Monteverde road conditions and how to get to Monteverde.
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Do You Need a 4×4 for Monteverde?
So to answer your question Do I really need a 4×4 to get to Monteverde? Well, it depends. Here are our thoughts about the kind of car you should rent for Monteverde.
This is coming from a Costa Rican man who is very used to driving rural roads and a woman from the US who is not (but is getting a lot more comfortable at it). And as always, safety is our number one priority for our readers.
There are two main routes to Monteverde: Route 145 and Route 606. For both of these routes, you don’t necessarily need a 4wd or 4×4, even a 4×2 SUV with high clearance will work. From San Jose Airport, Route 606 is the closest. From Guanacaste Airport, Route 145 is the closest.
One of the routes to Monteverde, Route 606, is now fully asphalted all the way to downtown Santa Elena (the main town of Monteverde). Therefore, if you are taking Route 606 and your hotel is in downtown and right off the main road, you can drive a sedan to Monteverde, particularly in dry season.
However, if you plan to explore, drive yourself to the parks and reserves or are staying at a hotel or vacation rental outside of Santa Elena downtown, then it is highly recommended to have a high clearance car with a stronger engine or a 4×4 in rainy season. These are to places like Cerro Pinocho, El Tigre Waterfalls and Vista Verde Lodge.
Keep in mind though that we always recommend to ask your host to see what kind of car is required to reach the property.
If You Drive to Monteverde in a Normal Car
If your hotel in in the town center and you rented a normal car like a sedan, then you can park your car at your hotel and take the public buses, taxis or transportation to the adventure parks and reserves. Then you can walk to town to restaurants, stores, etc.
Many parks such as Selvatura Park offer transportation and there are taxis and the local shuttle to the reserves throughout Monteverde.
Using GPS and the Best Route for Monteverde
The two best routes for Monteverde is Route 145 and Route 606 (I will talk in depth about both routes below).
If you use a GPS device (rented through your car rental or using one of the GPS apps), enter the name of your hotel as your final destination. Then check to see which route your GPS will take you to Monteverde.
If you use Google Maps or Waze, they will take you to the “fastest” or closest route. Of all the routes to Monteverde, we do not recommend to take Route 605 (it’s not a nice road). Route 145 and Route 606 are the best routes to take to Monteverde.
Driving from San Jose to Monteverde (Route 606)
If you are driving from San Jose Airport to Monteverde, the best route to Monteverde is Route 27, 23, Interamericana highway 1 and then Route 606. This route takes around 3.5 hours depending on traffic. The distance from San Jose Airport to Monteverde is 133 kilometers, or 83 miles via Route 606. This entire route from San Jose Airport to Monteverde is now paved.
Here is the route on Google Maps. Remember that Santa Elena is the name of the main town and tourism hub of Monteverde. You will see lots of signs for Santa Elena.
Route 606 Road Conditions (Sardinal)
Route 606 from San Jose is a fairly straightforward route. Head onto Route 27 Highway and continue for about 107 kilometers (66 miles). You’ll merge onto InterAmericana highway 1 a little past Puntarenas. This is a paved road and takes around 1.5 hours (depending on traffic).
Then you will turn right onto Route 606 Costa Rica, the route to Monteverde via Sardinal. You will see a gas station on your right and a huge billboard for Sky Trek/Adventures.
Drive onto this road for about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) and turn left. There are plenty of signs for Sardinal and Monteverde so you know you’re going the right way.
After about 17 kilometers (10.5miles), turn right at this sign to continue onto Route 606 to Santa Elena.
Turn left when you see this sign and continue up the mountain to Monteverde!
The gravel road is now asphalt
At this part, it used to be a gravel road but it has been asphalted over since 2019 so it’s in much better condition. There are some pot holes here and there so keep your eyes out for those.
Something else important to know about Route 606 is that it’s a curvy mountain road with no street lights, painted lines or rumble strips. It also doesn’t really have big or tall guard rails and you’re going up a curvy mountainside road.
Route 145 doesn’t have any either. We do not recommend driving to Monteverde in the dark after sunset for these reasons. Remember it gets dark by 6 PM every day in Costa Rica!
Here are some photos.
You’re still going up a mountain on a narrow road with no physical barrier so drive slow, take your time and don’t stress out. If you get caught behind one of the big trucks, just take it slow.
As it’s asphalted over, a sedan or SUV can make it up this hill as long as the engine is strong enough (and the car isn’t crazy packed heavy). The Route 606 is asphalted all the way until downtown Santa Teresa and then ends there.
Now I’ll talk about Route 145!
Driving from Guanacaste to Monteverde – Route 145 (Las Juntas)
If you are driving from Guanacaste (Liberia, Tamarindo, Playas del Coco, Samara, Gulf of Papagayo, Conchal) to Monteverde, then the best route to Monteverde is Route 145, Las Juntas.
It takes around 3.5 hours with a mix of gravel and concrete roads. Route 145 is very narrow and windy. Below are the road conditions for Route 145.
Las Juntas Road Conditions Route 145
This route is narrow, curvy and windy with concrete and gravel roads. It goes from gravel to concrete many times throughout the entire route. Trailer trucks, public buses and shuttles use this route.
Coming from Guanacaste, Las Juntas is the turn off a couple kilometers (~1 mile) after the Restaurant Tres Hermanas (where the big bull is) at the Limonal Plaza. Turn left.
You will continue on this road for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) and drive through the town of Las Juntas and continue up towards Monteverde, passing small towns like Eco Museo, Canderlaria and Campos de Oro.
As it’s a rural area, you may run into some unusual traffic. But at least for the most part, the road is either asphalted over or concrete.
Our Experience with Route 145
Route 145 has beautiful scenery. However, the drive can be harrowing if you have never driven on unpaved roads or narrow mountain roads before. As always, the key is going slow.
A high clearance car is definitely recommended for Route 145, especially in rainy season. In rainy season, it will be best with a 4wd since it can be slippery on the concrete sections.
There are also a lot of trailer trucks and construction trucks on this route so you may need to pass them very closely.
This route also has a ton of big potholes and there are no guard rails either.
You can see the route in our video below.
From Santa Elena, go to soccer field/school and continue on the bumpy road towards Xtremo and Don Juan Tours. You will then continue until a slight left to Route 145 (signs for Las Juntas) and continue on that road.
Driving from La Fortuna to Monteverde
If you are driving from La Fortuna to Monteverde, the best route to Monteverde is Route 142 around Lake Arenal towards Tilaran, Route 145 Las Juntas and then Route 606 Sardinal. This route has a mix of concrete and gravel roads, taking around 3 to 3.5 hours. Here is the map below.
A high clearance car is also recommended, especially in rainy season. Enjoy the drive and as always, go slow.
Santa Elena and Monteverde Road Conditions
Santa Elena town itself has paved roads and ends around where the El Establo Hotel is. That road continues on to the Monteverde cloud forest reserves, San Luis town and Curi Cancha Reserve and is unpaved once you get around Curi Cancha Reserve.
The road to Treetopia, Selvatura Park, Cerro Pinocho, Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena and Vista Verde Lodge are unpaved and go up hills so it’s steep.
We stayed at 2 Airbnbs in Monteverde that had awful roads. Awful. Like hitting your head on top of the car awful. These roads are the way to Finca Modelo.
Best Route to Monteverde Bottom Line
If you are wondering which is the best route to Monteverde, Route 145 and Route 606 are both doable. Both are curvy and narrow roads so for that reason, you will see that 99% of the rental cars are SUVs.
For tourists, having a SUV or 4×4 provides more comfort and security, especially for those who are not used to driving mountain roads.
Driving slow, driving during daylight and not stressing out are the keys to a pleasant drive to Monteverde.
When it comes down to it, a 4wd or high clearance car is the safest option to get to Monteverde if you want to explore and drive yourself around. If you are staying at a hotel right in downtown or right off the main road and not planing to drive yourself to the reserves or explore, you can get there in a sedan.
We do not recommend driving the sedan outside of the paved roads as it will have a hard time going up the steep mountain roads if you go outside of the Santa Elena town center. It will be easier to damage the car for all the potholes.
Additional Tips for Driving to Monteverde
- We do not recommend driving to Monteverde late at night, especially in rainy season. All routes are very curvy with no guard rails or street lights. Remember it gets dark by 6 PM everyday in Costa Rica! If your flight arrives in the evening, it is better to stay a night in San Jose/Liberia.
- Drive slow, take your time. Don’t pass if you’re not comfortable. You will run into some buses or trucks that are super slow.
- If you get car sick, take anti-nausea medicine! I get car sick easily and got fairly dizzy on Route 145.
- For more driving tips, you can read our in-depth Costa Rica driving guide.
Check out our Costa Rica car rental discount and also get our extra benefits!
Jillian Truesdell says
Thank you so much for this post!
I am planning on 2-3 nights in monteverde over thanksgiving. Do you have any tips of whether this year is going to be bad through that time due to the la nina? I don’t want to get stuck in torrential downpour and winds the entire time.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Sammi says
It does tend to rain a bit more up in Monteverde and this year we have definitely had more rain and strong rain. It’s always hard to say exactly what the weather will be like because you can still get a couple hours of clear skies and sun in the morning but it may pour or be windy by noon or it could be a really sunny morning as we will begin to transition to dry season end of November. I recommend to be prepared for everything (rain, sun, winds, etc.)
Kassie says
We are staying at Lake Arenal Brewery for a couple days next week. Is the road from there to Monteverde less bad than how you describe 145 the whole way? We have a 4wd car but I’m wondering if it’s less of a headache to drive from the brewery back down 142 to the 1 to the 606. What do you think? Not worth it?
Sammi says
If you have a 4wd/4×4, then just go slow and try to leave earlier as it has been raining a lot this rainy season so far.
dominique says
hi thank you for so many good advices
which road are the safest if i will drive from playa samara to monteverde?
Sammi says
You can go out to Nicoya, go across the Friendship bridge and take 606 to Monteverde.
Lynda Hausman says
Hi, thanks for the great blog,soooo useful!
We’re going from Chachagua to Santa Elena (Monteverde) on February 21. Waze gives us two routes – the shortest is around Lake Arenal on 142, 145 and 606 at 3:15 hours, and the longer on 702, 1 and 606 at 3:48 hours.
We have a Suzuki Jimny but have hit roads so bad we can’t believe them (143 for example, etched in our memories forever and already an inside joke).
Would you suggest the longer way to spend more time on 606 and have an easier though longer drive? Or is the 142, 145 combination fine?
Thanks!
Lynda
Sammi says
I’d go with 606 because the time isn’t a giant difference and 145 is really narrow and not as easy of an drive, especially now 606 is in better conditions.
Swan says
Hello – Now that Route 606 is newly paved, if we are driving from Liberia airport to Santa Elena, would you recommend we drive from Rt 1 to Rt 605 to Rt 606 rather than taking Rt 145 to 606 and approaching Santa Elena from the north? I was wondering if the drive would be less stressful if it’s paved and it sounds like 145 is not paved. We will have a 4WD SUV. Appreciate any advice.
Sammi says
It will take longer to take 606 from Liberia because its more south than 145, you could still go on 145 but from what I’ve heard, 606 is easier now so would be less stressful.
Josh says
Headed to CR in March, and we land in Liberia at 8:00pm. Now that the 606 is paved, is driving from LIB to Monteverde in the dark much better if I take that route (of course taking it easy on the curvy roads)? I have a midsize SUV (4wd) reserved.
I’d rather wake up in Monteverde than by the airport on our first day in paradise if possible, but of course I’d like to be safe too. Thanks for any insights from folks that have been there in the last week or two since the paving was completed.
Sammi says
I would definitely stay a night at the airport, even though the road is better, it goes up and around a mountain so it’s windy, steep, curvy and no street lights and takes around 3.5 hours in daylight so it will take way longer in the dark. It is much safer to stay a night and leave early the next morning.
Josh says
Thank you so much for your response. A follow up question, how about driving from Liberia to Canas in the dark? 🙂
Sammi says
That is not bad, it goes on the Interamericana highway 1 and is well lit plus it is not too far.
Lorri says
Hola! Thanks for your awesome blog! We drove from Arenal to Monteverde on December 27 and there was definitely a section that had tons of potholes, gravel, and curvy roads (AND it was foggy and rainy!). We were so happy to have our 4×4 capability. We just took it slow.
When we hit southbound 606 toward Santa Elena it got much better. Not paved per se but it was a compacted Rock, almost like what they put down as the first layer before they actually pave? So, no potholes but it *was* bumpy. Still, such a welcome relief after the crazy Potholed road before that.
On Dec 31, we made our way out of Monteverde south on 606, to route 1 and then eventually route 18 to Playa Conchal. Wow! That portion of 606 was totally paved and Smooth and amazing. They must have just paved it? And then of course the roads after that were a piece of cake.
I was so nervous about driving to and from Monteverde in particular but the roads are so much better in CR than I anticipated!
Your post on getting gasoline was also super helpful. I used your tips and it all worked out great!
Thanks again! Pura Vida!
Sammi says
Thanks for the feedback Lorri and actually you went right on those days they finished paving the 606! 145 is still not great but I think it was like Jan 1 or even Dec 31 when they finished the 606. Glad you got to drive on some nice roads 🙂
Björn says
606 is fully paved with asphalt since last week. We drove today with normal car – no SUV no 4×4. No problems at any time.
Johan says
Thanks for an excellent post. We drove up from San Jose to Monteverde this morning and were surprised over how good the conditions were. The 606 seems to have been paved just recently and its was only the last couple of km:s that were still gravel, and they were working on paving it as we drove past. Smooth driving almost all the way!
Ivy says
Last week we drove from Arenal to Monteverde, then from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio. From Arenal to Monteverde there were a few rough, steep, or potholed areas on 145 that justified having a high clearance 4×4, especially if you’re unaccustomed to potholed country roads or it’s raining. I guess from all the written reports I was expecting something like the Rubicon trail, which it definitely wasn’t. The shoulder/ ditch areas did look very squishy, and we saw a truck that had sunk into the shoulder and tipped over. It was a little hairy, and a little bumpy, and we were glad to arrive in Monteverde.
From Monteverde south on 606, the roads were actually much better than we expected and could easily be traversed in a sedan. No significant potholes. More paved areas than we expected too. It appeared that a lot of 606 had recently been regraded or resurfaced with kind of a packed earth material, much nicer than gravel. This was a very enjoyable drive.
Sammi says
Thanks for the update and feedback Ivy!