Getting to Monteverde from San Jose or the Airport area by rental car:

Driving from San Jose or the airport has gotten a lot easier and should take about 3 hours or less.  Departing from San Jose or the airport area you will head towards Escazu in order to connect with the new Caldera highway going to Puntarenas.  Ask your hotel or car rental agency for the best directions to the Caldera highway for Jaco and Puntarenas. Passing through Puntarenas follow the signs for San Jose/Liberia and head north on the Pan American Highway.  Approximately 15 minutes after connecting with the Pan American and heading towards Liberia you will come to signs for the turn off for Monteverde/Santa Elena and Sardinal.  At the soccer field in Sardinal you need to turn left and follow the signs for Monteverde.   It is super fast.

The same thing is true for beaches in the south like Manuel Antonio / Jaco / Playa Hermosa / Dominical after getting on the new highway from any of these beaches it is a easy and fast to connect with the Pan American and head to Monteverde or beaches furhter North.

Happy trails

 A direct bus departs the San Carlos terminal in San Jose at 6h30am and 2h30pm and arrives in Monteverde at 11h30am and 7h30pm.  Your belongings are safe under the bus but use caution with your valuables inside the cabin.  Do not store them above you in the overhead bins and take them with you when you depart the bus for breaks.  Also, use a taxi to get to this terminal from your hotel because the neighborhood is not safe.  There are also shared shuttles and private transportation departing daily from San Jose and the airport area in the morning and afternoon.  They do require reservations and costs vary depending on departure time and operator.   Contact the Pension Santa Elena for any questions.

Happy Trails

The PSE

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