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!
SS says
Hi, we are planning to go to CR in January 2025. We will likely be flying into San Jose and then going to Monteverde and then la fortuna. Our flight gets in around 9 am. Is this sufficient time to drive to Monteverde? Also, on our departure day, our flight from San jose is around 245pm. Would it be sufficient to leave the morning of departure around 730 am? What a wonderful blog with plenty of info,
TIA
Sammi says
Hi, yes if you’re landing at 9 AM, you will be able to drive to Monteverde before dark.
For your departure, 730 AM should work under normal conditions.
Christopher says
Hi,
Great post with fantastic information!
I am traveling to CR in early July and thinking of renting a car as we are going down to Santa Teresa.
Last couple of days in CR we wish to check out Monte Verde (with the parks nearby) and also Arenal (and everything in between that might be cool to see in 2-3 days).
Do you think it is necessary for us to take a 4×4 or it is enough with a smaller sedan?
The price for a 4×4 is the double, so I am thinking that if we stay in Santa Elena when visiting Monte Verde, its still cheaper for us to take a transport instead of our car.
I am leaning thowards the smaller sedan, but at the same time do not wish to get stuck in the middle of the read either 😀
Thank you in advace!
Best regards,
Chris
Sammi says
Hello Chris, we have sent you an email with more information
Aurelie says
Hi Sammi , i m interesting in the answer about renting a 4×4 or a basic car from tilaran to santa elena
Thanks
Sammi says
Hi Aurelie, we’ve sent you an email, you can also check out our Costa Rica car rental discount on that page to check rates and availability
Jessica Weislow says
Hello we are flying into Liberia on March 10th and plan to go to Monteverde from there. Flight gets in at 1:00. Do you think we can safely get there in time before dark or would you go to la fortuna instead? Road seems “safer”. Also if we go to moneverde we would only have one full day. Would you recommend Selvatura for the bridges and sloth park OR beautiful hiking in biological park. So torn, would love to take the opportunity to hike in a cloud forest. We staying in ocotal the last 3 days of our trip. Trying to make the most of our short trip. regards! thank you
Sammi says
In March, immigration and customs may take quite a long time because this is right at our peak season (spring break) so it might take you even 2-3 hours to get through and get your car and there is construction going on around the airport, which will slow you down even more as you’re going to be getting out probably right around rush hour at 3, 4 PM. We don’t recommend to drive in eh dark or after a long day of travel, I’d stay near the airport your first night then leave the next day. In Monteverde, you can do Selvatura bridges and sloth park in the morning and then hike in the afternoon in the reserve.
DT says
Hello, great blog. It’s been helpful for planning our upcoming trip. We (family of 4 with 2 young kids) will be driving from Liberia to Monteverde next week, then on to Arenal. We’ll start off in the morning after staying near the airport. We’ll have a 4×4 SUV.
I’m planning to get to MV by driving all the way from Liberia on Highway 1 to Route 606 to be able to stay on paved road as much as possible. How much more time will this add instead of taking the Hwy 1 -> Rte 145 -> Rte 606 route?
Sammi says
From Liberia is closer to take the Route 145 – that one goes between asphalt and concrete, but it’s fine to drive with a 4×4 SUV. Route 145 is closer to Liberia than Route 606.
Marie says
Wondering about the best roads to take for two legs of a trip in the month of June: 1) Liberia to Monteverde. 2) Monteverde to Nosara. Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Marie, you can use Waze as your navigation, those are two very common routes
Rakesh says
Great blog, thank you for putting this together. I know you might have answered this multiple times, but just wanted to get an opinion.
Arriving around 2:30 at Liberia and driving to Hotel Fondavela, about 3 km from Santa Elena. You mentioned that the road to Santa Elena shouldn’t be an issue. Given that it is a short distance to the hotel from there, would you recommend driving that afternoon? Assuming we get the rental car at 4, we might be driving the last hour in the dark. I am a fairly experienced driver, but this is my first time in CR.
Sammi says
Depends on when you are visiting, it is possible if you have experience with mountain driving but the stretch up the mountain to Monteverde is on a windy curvy mountain road with no street lights or guard rails. I’d personally recommend staying near the airport or even halfway the first day and driving the last stretch in the daylight because we don’t even like driving up that mountain road at night due to no lights or guardrails. If you’re arriving at 230 PM during high season, immigration/customs/getting car rental can take over an hour or more depending on how full the flights are (usually they are completely full). Also the views up the mountain are beautiful so it’s better to go the next day to enjoy the drive up.
Brian Vernaglia says
You helped us rent a 4×4 for our trip in August. On the last day we will be leaving Monteverde and headed for Liberia. But our flight was changed from 4PM to 1PM. How long should we count on the trip from Monteverde to Liberia airport?
Sammi says
Hello Brian, we have already answered you via email, thanks! Please check over the last communication and confirmation to make sure everything is correct
Natalie Thompson says
Hello,
This will be our 1st time in Costa Rica. We would like to drive from Liberia to Monteverde next week, but the weather reports state there will be rain and thunderstorms. We have a young child and want to ensure we are taking safety precautions. How unsafe or safe are the roads during rainy season? What should we expect?
Sammi says
Hello Natalie, we’ve sent you an email to assist you.
Joel says
We JUST drove from Tamarindo to Monte Verde Sky Adventures on 3/12/2023. We used a 12 passenger diesel Hyundai bus. We left Sunday morning at 4am and got there by 7am with not stops. The roads were all paved until the last bit in the mountains. Here is what 30/70 unpaved/paved but plenty of potholes in both. A 4×4 wasn’t required but higher clearance was in some places. Also, there were a few very steep roads and the diesel engine was helpful. Overall it was an easier trip than I had imagined and well worth it though I did suffer pretty severe motion sickness yesterday. If you are prone definitely take something beforehand. Pura Vida!
Samuel says
Planning to visit costa rica in April 2023 , coming to san Jose airport – visiting La Fortuna, Rio Celesta, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. Do we need 4×4? or regular Sedan is fine?
Please suggest route from Rio celeste to Monteverde,
Also planning to drive from Monteverde to Manuel antonio in the evenig after 4 pm.
Sammi says
Hello Samuel, we sent you an email with more information a few days ago!
Maura says
Hi Sammi!
We are coming the end of January and have 3 nights we want to venture to of San Jose. We are thinking about going to Monteverde for 1 night (do the cloud forest and zip lining) and then to Tamarindo for 2 nights. Our other option is all 3 nights in Puerto Viejo, but I’m worried the weather might not be the best on the Carribean side. What can we expect for driving time if we go from San Jose to Monteverde (I believe I saw 4 hours?) and then Monteverde to Taramindo, how long is that drive and how long is the drive from Taramindo back to San Jose? Puerto Viejo I believe I read is 4.5 hours from San Jose. Any recommendations in terms of which of the 2 options to do. This is our 1st time in CR. BTW…love your blog!!
Sammi says
Hello Maura, you can check the route times on Google maps or Waze, I do recommend adding at least an hour to each route for a bit more accurate times.
Ramona says
We are in LA Fortuna today Feb 11, 2023 and plan on driving to monteverde tomorrow. How are the road conditions? We are driving a 4×4 vehicle.
Sammi says
Should be a nice drive, enjoy.
Christiane says
What a great blog is this? Wow I wish I had found it earlier 🙂
We’ll be going to CR in May next year and are currently planning the route for 3.5 weeks.
We’ll be arriving in San Jose, going all the way down to Sierpe for Drake Bay, coming back up for Monteverde, going to the beach at Samara or Tamarindo and back to Arenal and La Fortuna and then also travelling over to Tortuguero before going back home.
Would you also recommend renting a 4×4 for this journey through Monteverde and Arenal? Or is there a way around the rural areas to stick to a normal car?
Thanks so much in advance. All the best for you!
Sammi says
If you stay on Route 606 to and out of Monteverde and don’t book any hotels that require a 4wd, you won’t really need one (a high clearance car would be best). In Monteverde, the parks like Selvatura Park or Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve offer their own transportation/have a shuttle so you can take their transportation instead of driving.