Horseback or boat, Monteverde to / from La Fortuna (Arenal Volcano)
There is quite a distance between those 2 villages. By road it's 136 kilometers (84.5 miles)*. La Fortuna altitude is 350 meters (1178 feet), Monteverde is straddling the Continental Divide at 1,500 meters (4921 feet). Because of the mountain, there is no direct route. The road makes a detour by Tilaran.
The road from La Fortuna to Tilaran is in good condition, but the dirt road one from Tilaran to Monteverde is really bumpy. A 4x4 is recommended, especially in rainy season, or if you are 4 persons. It's 3 hours by 4x4, 4 hours by car (not possible in peak rainy season for a car), 8 hours by public bus. A taxi cost $110 US for 4 persons, make sure you get a 4x4. See route map
This is why we organize these shortcuts. They are not designed as round trips, they are a fun way to get there. For example, you could go to a Pacific beach, come to Monteverde, go to Arenal, then return to San Jose. You would enjoy a sea level ecosystem, a mountain cloud forest, an active volcano, and a city. Just enough to get you hooked, so you can plan an other trip to Costa Rica. We can arrange a round trip, either from Monteverde, or La Fortuna, if it suits your itinerary. See a horseback riding slide show made by two families that went with us.
For our exciting horseback adventure, we recommend more to go from Monteverde to La Fortuna, because going down 1,500 meters is easier on the horses, the views are nicer, and when you arrive to the Arenal Volcano, the hot springs are a good thing after a 3 hour horseback ride! This said, we also go from Arenal to Monteverde if it suits your itinerary.
Horseback Ride
Monteverde to # 1 (Mirador) is 10 kilometers by 4x4, 30 minutes (pick up from your hotel). We ship your luggage by mini bus to the boat.
#1 (Mirador) to #2 (Castillo) is through Canyon Negro. 3 hours by horseback, plus 30 minutes for resting, very spectacular. In rainy season or if the trail is in bad condition, we go from #1 (Mirador) to #A instead (Rio Chiquito).
#2 (Castillo) to #3 (Arenal Lake dam): 15 minutes by boat, very close to the volcano. Your luggage will be with you on the boat. From A (Chiquito) to #3 (dam), the boat ride is 30 minutes.
#3 (Arenal Lake dam) to La Fortuna is 30 minutes by taxi. We can drop you at the hot springs or your hotel.
We either use an alternative trail (from #1 to A), or simply suspend this tour if the trail is in bad condition, or if the river is too high because of persistent rainy weather. Our 4x4, boat, 4x4 alternative, runs all year long. No operators in La Fortuna can use the alternative trail that goes from #1 to # A, simply because their horse are based in #2. Our horses are based in Monteverde (#1). If you make a last minute decision, and want to go from Arenal to Monteverde, please contact us for a trail update. For the sake of the horses, don't use the Castillo trail (#2 to #1) from June till the end of December. Sometimes we can't use the Castillo Trail before end of March. As for our rafting trips, we can be force to cancel if the weather is not suitable. In case of cancellation, our taxi boat taxi alternative runs every day (see below).
It includes transfers from hotels, tax, and shipping of your luggage by mini bus. Our horses are strong, well kept and fed.
| Horseback Monteverde to Arenal Schedules, Rates, and Online Booking Forms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Monteverde to Arenal Horseback - Taxi - Boat Tour | Take an amazing journey by Horse down through the forests of Monteverde to the Lake Arenal Basin, where you then board a boat to take you accross Lake Arenal and finally a transport vehicle to your hotel in Arenal where you luggage will be waiting. | |
If you have a car, and would like to do the horseback trip Monteverde - Arenal, we can arrange someone to drive your rental car around the lake, and meet you at the destination. We will provide you the name and copy of the drivers license of the driver so you can submit this information to your rental car company so the vehicle will be fully insured. Besides any additional costs your rental company may charge this service is $40. Or you can always drive around the lake, and do a local horseback riding tour in the Monteverde or Arenal area.
Read the journal of an other guest
NOTE: we also offer the road along the south shore of Arenal Lake between Chiquito (A) and Castillo (#2) called a "unique trail". Differences are: about a 1.5 hour driving before the ride starts (or 1.5 hour of driving on dirt roads after the ride if you are going from Arenal to Monteverde), no mountain trail views because of the flat dirt road also used by 4x4's, motocross & mountain bikes (don't try to drive this road with your rental car!), 2 hours horseback, 15 minutes boat ride and 1/2 hour by taxi to your hotel or La Fortuna (same). Leaving at 8:00 am from Monteverde and 8:30 am from La Fortuna.
The "unique lake trail":
-Monteverde to A (Rio Chiquito) by mini bus (1.5 hours)
- A (Chiquito) to #2 (Castillo), about 2 hours of horseback riding on the dirt road along Arenal Lake + 30 minutes break.
- #2 (Castillo) to #3 (Arenal Lake dam) by boat (15 minutes).
- #3 (Arenal Lake dam) to La Fortuna is 30 minutes by taxi. We can bring you at the hot springs or your hotel or in the center of the village of La Fortuna.
| Monteverde to Arenal - Taxi/Horseback/Boat/Taxi Lake Route Schedules, Rates, and Online Booking Forms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Monteverde to Arenal by Horse, Boat and Taxi | ||
By Taxi - Boat - Taxi
Monteverde to A, is 1.5 hour. A to #3 is a nice 30 minutes by boat .#3 to La Fortuna is 30 minutes by taxi.
The Taxi Boat Taxi company can drop you at the hot springs or at your hotel. It normally leaves at 8:00 am and 2:00 pm, but we can arrange a different time for a party of 4, and up.
| Boat/Taxi/Boat. Monteverde to Arenal Schedules, Rates, and Online Booking Forms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Taxi Boat Taxi Monteverde to Arenal | The Taxi-Boat-Taxi service operates year round connecting Monteverde and Arenal two times daily with great views the whole way | |
We do both these trips from La Fortuna also.
Costumer Feedback
- Ferguson Family, April 2009.
Our family had a wonderful time on the ride from Moteverde to Arenal. It is fun for all ages. My parents 68 and 70 and our daughters 5 and 7 rode with us. The views were spectacular looking over the lake toward the volcano.
- Teresa Powell, April 2009.
We had a great experience on the tour. Everyone along the way from the transportation to the stables, to the guide for the actual ride and then the driver to our hotel were extremely nice and attended to our every need. They all made the trip very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone. If we are ever in Costa Rica again, I will certainly call on your service to help us plan the trip.
Thanks again,
Teresa Powell,
- Brick Rule, April 2009.
I was particularly impressed with the Horseback Ride from Arenal to Monteverde. I counted seven different things that had to take place as planned that day, transferring luggage, meeting the boat, finding the horses, finding lunch etc. Everything happened just like it was supposed to happen.
Transportation to / from Arenal from other destinations in Costa Rica.
View from the starting point of the horseback part in Monteverde, #1 on the map: the Mirador Lodge
If you have any questions, contact us at: info@monteverdeinfo.com
Usually, people spend the night in front of the Arenal Volcano, because the lava is much more visible and spectacular at night. Map of the Arenal Volcano area
For your Monteverde Cloud Forest visit, you should plan at least 2 nights, because there is many things to do, travel takes time to come up here, and when you leave, the buses all have early departure, except a 2:30 pm bus for San Jose.
*Distances in Costa Rica are expressed in the metric system.
The conversion is easy, might as well learn it know, because when you will ask directions in Costa Rica, we will answer you metric. Think football! One meter = 1 yard. 1 kilometer = 0.62 miles. 1 kilometer = 1,000 meter.
Fine Monteverde Hotels | Arenal Volcano Tours | Alternative horseback riding in Monteverde