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.
Check out our Costa Rica car rental discount and also get our extra benefits!
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!
Snigdha says
Hi, we’re flying in Liberia and planning to drive to Monteverde. What is the road like to Monteverde coming from Liberia? We’re planning to rent a 4×4 Suzuki Jimny.
Sammi says
Hi, you can check the route details here: Monteverde road conditions.
Leslie says
We are flying into Liberia and then going to the La Fortuna and Monte Verde areas before heading south to Quepos. We will be renting an SUV. I am wondering, is it better to go to La Fortuna or Monte Verde first before heading south? What are the best routes?
Sammi says
From Liberia you can do either, Monteverde is a bit closer to Quepos around 3.5 hours, La Fortuna is around 5 hours to Quepos so you could do la Fortuna first, then Monteverde for a shorter drive to Quepo
Liz says
Thank you so much for all the information! We are planning a trip from SJO to Monteverde in June. We plan to use a private transfer service. I am a very nervous passenger and just wondering if it is typically a safe trip with a private driver? Is there a high incident of serious accidents on this road with the steep cliffs and no guardrails? We will leave the San Jose area around 9am. Worried about rain and fog during that time of the year/time of day as well. Thanks so much.
Sammi says
If you book with a licensed, reputable transfer company, all their drivers should be completely insured with the correct permits and licenses to operate a tourism vehicle – they should be professional drivers with experience. You should ask the company you booked with if they have all the licenses and insurances
Shannon Jorgensen says
We just did the drive from La Fortuna to Monteverde (142 to Tilaran, then the 145, then the 606). It was BEAUTIFUL! The newly paved road is SWEET and the views are astounding. Now that the 142 is paved, you do NOT need to worry about the first half of the trip. The “dirt road” that followed was great – it was a hard packed dirt road with a few potholes, but honestly a LOT better than we expected (and much better than other parts of Costa Rica that we experienced which had softer dirt and more potholes). Note: we went during March 2022 (dry season) in an SUV. It was nice to be high off the road (I’m not sure you’d enjoy driving in Costa Rica in general in a smaller, lower car). Don’t worry about this drive – take it slowly and you’ll be fine.
NOTE: if leaving Monteverde to go to Liberia, do NOT, I repeat… do NOT take the 926. THAT was a treacherous dirt road that went through the middle of nowhere. Take any other route!
Adrian says
We love your guides. They are SO helpful. Thank you.
We are currently in Monteverde and going next to Guanacaste. We have a rental 4×4 Hyundai. I see can drive through Las Juntas or Tilaran. (Or go back down through Guacimal) but I would like to try a different route.
Which route is more scenic? Las Juntas or Tilaran? Or are they both beautiful? (Of course they are, this is Costa Rica, but which would you choose?). And how long would you allow to get to Hacienda Guachipelin?
Thank you so much.
Sammi says
I’d go with Las Juntas personally, you can use a GPS like google Maps/Waze to guide you and see how long it’ll take
Adrian says
Thanks very much Sammi.
Bob says
Hi Sammi!
I had a question regarding my prospective plan to visit Monteverde. We’ll be staying close to Brasilito for a week and on one of the days I wanted to wake up and leave at 4:30-5am to drive to Monteverde (rented a 4×4 suv), visit the park, have lunch along the way, and then drive back. I understand some of the driving would be at night. Would this be advisable? Understanding that it’s an awful lot of driving for a day. Thanks in advance!
Sammi says
I would recommend to stay a night in Monteverde instead, I do not recommend driving down that mountain at night!
Victoria says
Hello,
We are traveling from Tamarindo to Monteverde, it appears we will be taking route 145, will this route come up on our waze app? Also, we will be driving this in a sedan, is this fine in the dry season? Jan 27-Feb 6.
Sammi says
If you have a sedan, I would take Route 606, that road is in better shape. Then also make sure to check your hotels and places you want to go in Monteverde as some of them do require a high clearance car
SarahLizRo says
This is such an awesome tutorial of the roads! Thank you! I have a question regarding rental cars. I am a horrible driver because I get extremely nervous. I will be with my 7 year old so I was thinking of taking the bus from San Jose to Monteverde and then perhaps renting a 4×4 in the city to go to the cloud forest park? Or should we just simply pay for a tour once we are there? I am slow and like to take my time but am also worried about driving at the park. Thank you!
Sammi says
There are no car rentals in Monteverde so once you’re there, you’ll have to taxi/Uberaround or some adventure parks offer transportation included in the passes, and there are publis shuttle buses.
Tom howell says
Hi all! Thanks for the valuable information and assistance. We (family of 5, kids 9-13) are planning a nine day trip in February, flying into LIR and renting a 4×4 . We will be staying the first five or six days at Playa Flamingo to unwind on the beach, and spending the last two nights in Sarapiqui to get the true rainforest experience. I’m conflicted, though, on whether to spend one night in Monteverde in-between those two locations. I considered doing Monteverde as a day trip from Playa Flamingo, but that seems exhausting. Conversely, though, the drive from Monteverde to Sarapiqui looks difficult as well (don’t want to spend all the time in the car). Any recommendations on whether we should just skip monteverde this trip, or whether it’s worth it to get some birdwatching in after staying overnight in Monteverde and then drive to Sarapiqui?
Thanks!
Sammi says
For your itinerary I would skip Monteverde and you can also go birdwatching in Sarapiqui
Tom howell says
Gracias!
Sammi says
I would recommend to stay a night near San Jose, immigration and customs have been taking way longer at SJO AIrport and you are arriving at a busy time when several other flights arrive around the same time so just in case, I’d plan to stay by SJO that night because there’s a very high likelihood it may take you a few hours to get through the airport and pick up your car but that is just my personal thinking since I personally don’t like to be rushed on travel days, especially when driving long routes in a foreign country after a long flight.