Horseback or boat, Monteverde to / from La Fortuna (Arenal Volcano)
The photo below is 10 kilometers from Monteverde: the Mirador Lodge. It's as close as you can get to the volcano from Monteverde. Unless you use a horse.
There is quite a distance between those 2 villages. By road it's 136 kilometers*. La Fortuna altitude is 350 meters, Monteverde is straddling the Continental Divide at 1,500 meters. Because of the mountain, there is no direct route. The road makes a detour by Tilaran.
The road from La Fortuna to Tilaran is more or less 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 4 hours by 4x4, 5 hours by car (not possible in peak rainy season for a car), 8 hours by old school bus (don't eat a big meal before). A taxi cost $110 US for 4 persons, make sure you get a 4x4.
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:
Santa Elena 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 picnic, 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.
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We do these tours from La Fortuna (Arenal Volcano) also. Part of your group can go by horseback, the others by taxi - boat - taxi, and you meet at your destination.
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. Sorry but the director of operation always have the last word for safety reasons. In case of cancellation, our taxi boat taxi alternative runs every day (see below).
It includes transfers from hotels, lunch, tax, and shipping of your luggage by mini bus. Our horses are strong, well kept and fed.
| Taxi/Horseback/Boat/Taxi Schedules, Rates, and Online Booking Forms |
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If you have a car, and would like to do the horseback trip Monteverde - Arenal, we can drive your car around the lake, and meet you at the destination. We take written full responsibility for your vehicle, and ask $35 for the driver. Or you can always drive around the lake, and do a local 2 hour horseback riding tour in the Monteverde area with us instead of the Arenal - Monteverde adventure, for $25 per person.
See a slide show of our Arenal to Monteverde horseback adventure via the Rio Chiquito / Mirador trail by our guests: the Baum & Carlson families.
Read the journal of an other guest
NOTE: we also offer the cheaper ride on the dirt road along the south shore of Arenal Lake between Chiquito (A) and Castillo (#2) called a "unique trail" by some tour vendors. Differences are: a 1.5 hour driving before the ride starts (or worst: 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 aggressive 4x4's, motocross & mountain bikes (don't try to drive this road with your rental car!) and shorter horseback (2 hours instead of 3) & boat ride (15 minutes instead of 30 minutes) and 1/2 hour by taxi to your hotel or La Fortuna (same). Rate is accordingly cheaper: $50 per person tax included. Leaving @ 8h am from Monteverde & 8h30 am from La Fortuna.
The "unique lake trail":
-Monteverde to A (Rio Chiquito) by mini bus (1.5 hours, the blue dots)
- A (Chiquito) to #2 (Castillo), about 2 hours of horseback riding on the dirt road along Arenal Lake + 30 minutes lunch 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.
Note that according to the chamber of commerce of Arenal (Feb. 2004) the "unique lake trail" dirt road will soon be repaired and a bridge should be built on the Rio Negro near Castillo (#2) so that means that this option will not be possible anymore when the construction begins.
| Taxi/Horseback/Boat/Taxi Lake Route Schedules, Rates, and Online Booking Forms |
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By taxi / boat / taxi:
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| Santa Elena to A, is 1.5 hour by 4x4. | A to #3 is a nice 30 minutes by boat. | #3 to La Fortuna is 30 minutes by taxi. |
We can drop you at the hot springs or at your hotel. Discount available for groups. We normally leave at 8h AM & 12h pm, but we can arrange a different time for a party of 4, and up.
| Boat/Taxi/Boat Schedules, Rates, and Online Booking Forms |
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We do both these trips from La Fortuna also.
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Transportation to / from Arenal from other destinations in Costa Rica.
View from the starting point of the horseback part ( the Mirador Lodge), in Monteverde. #1 on the map.
If you have any questions, drop us a line at: info@monteverdeinfo.com horseback photos
Usually, people spend the night in front of the Arenal Volcano, because the lava is much more visible and spectacular at night. Just like a cigarette is gray daytime, and red and glowing in the dark. 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 2h30 PM bus for San Jose.
"Since I did survive it was a great experience and you should all do it as soon as possible." -from Joan's nice personal website & photos (lives in Charleston, SC, USA)
Subject:
Jacques - thank you!!
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 14:36:17 EST
From: Mo....@aol.com
To: mundonet@racsa.co.cr
Jacques,
We cannot thank you enough for our wonderful experience on our
horse trek
from Monteverde to Arenal.
Juan was a WONDERFUL guide and we were lucky enough to have a
fellow traveler
that spoke Spanish fluently and we learned so much. My own meager
Spanish
leaves much to be desired!!
I will be typing up my journal notes and will be glad to send
you the section
on this amazing adventure and the pictures to go along.
Thanks again for a most amazing experience.
Robin Poses
Pennsylvania, USA
m....@aol.com
Subject: Horseback ride
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 19:13:22 -0400
From: Tammie or Angela
To: Monteverde info
Hi Jacques,
The ride through the rain forest down the mountain was one of the best experiences ever!!! The views were incredible, the entire trip was priceless. The
two guys that went with us were also great!! Costa Rica is an awesome experience and I hope that times will not change the authenticity of the country. I will send pictures when I get them developed. I'm so sorry I've forgotten your girlfriends name but tell her hello and thank her again for me. By the way, I feel so deeply in love with CR that I've begun a liquidation process and hope to be living in Guanacaste within a year. Hopefully I can keep the beauty of the country a secret!!
Thanks again for everything, Tammie
Subject: Thanks
Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 00:17:17 EDT
From: K..........@aol.com
To: ....@monteverdeinfo.com
Dear Jacques...
Thank you for all your help and kindness during my vacation in
Costa
Rica. Horseback riding with you guys was the highlight of my
stay. I hope to
make it back again next year and if I do I will be sure take
your advice and
ask you where all your special haunts are. If you ever need anything
from
Chicago just drop me an e-mail. Hope all is well with the both
of you.
Thinking of you fondly,
Karen Yamasaki
Hello,
I am Jacques. I am the ex-owner of the Pension Santa Elena (a
backpacker's hostel in Monteverde). We organize this tour and
the taxi - boat - taxi option every day.
This trip is through a mountain trail, so it's at a slow pace. Since it's demanding for the horse to go down 1,500 meters, we don't gallop. Only at the end, if you feel like it. Beside, enjoying the great views is a major point of this adventure. We also stop along the way for a picnic or to observe birds and animals.
You don't have to worry, the majority of our guest never went on a horse before. Also our groups are never bigger than 6 persons, and our guide is a local farmer that spent his life working with horses (often there is no other ways to reach the pasture). He is there to assist you, all the time. If you check our site, you will find a few feedback letters that we received. We have many more testimonials & photos at our office in the Tree House, just in front of the church. See Monteverde map
If you do this adventure with us, I would really like to receive some feed back, so I could post it on our web.
If you have any questions, please write, phone or pass by.
Jacques Bertrand
Warning If you shop around La Fortuna, beware of cut-rate prices. To meet the cost for these "bargains", they use poor old horses, underfeed them, under pay their guides, and often the equipment is dangerously old. Check the state and quality of the saddle, and straps. A weak horse can fall under the effort, and if you are sitting on it, it's not a good thing. Beside, you don't want to feel sorry for the animal during 3 hours. Never ride a horse with a missing horseshoe, it hurts them. Make sure your horse is fresh, and had at least a 4 day rest before doing this trip again. The trail the La Fortuna operators use (Castillo) is too muddy from June till end of December (some years till end of March). Feel free to write us for updated trail conditions, or phone at 645-7070. We are one of the rare operators who use an alternative trail (via Rio Chiquito) during wet season. If you meet fellow travelers recommending this trip, ask for the name of the tour operator and they will probably mention us.
Fine Monteverde Hotels Arenal Volcano Tours
*Distances in Costa Rica are expressed in the metric system, like the rest of the world, except USA and a small country in west Africa, witch I forgot the name.
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 = 2/3 of a mile. The beauty of the system is that 1 kilometer = 1,000 meter. Or like my US friend Charley says, 1 kilometer = 10 football fields.