There is a direct bus to/from San José and also buses that pass frequently through Ciudad Quesada. In the past the trip from Monteverde via Tilaran by local bus was very long and uncomfortable but these days it’s much better. You can even go by horseback!
** please note the schedules on this page need updating. Please read traveller comments about updates and check the 7-10 website for the La Fortuna schedule or here at fortunatwelcom.com. Here is a photo of a schedule sent by a traveller on Mar 16, 2019
La Fortuna to San José:
This schedule has changed a bunch lately! Please leave us a comment if you’ve taken the bus and what time! We were told there was only one bus per day from La Fortuna to San Jose at 2:45pm – though this may be different now. The price is about 2495₡ and takes about 4hrs. The other buses route through Ciudad Quesada – have a look at the schedule above for those times or check the 7-10 website for the La Fortuna schedule or here at fortunatwelcom.com. The cost from La Fortuna to Ciudad Quesada is 1915₡ and the expresso from Ciudad Quesada to San Jose is 1245₡. The expresso leaves frequently when full.
San José to La Fortuna: From the 7-10 Station in San José : 5am, 6:15am, 8:40am, 11:50am. BUT, we had reports lately that only the 8:40 bus is running. See photos of schedule and prices below.
Sorry for not having any confirmed times, it’s been difficult getting them.
If you are arriving by plane you can get a taxi to the station in Alajuela that has buses to La Fortuna. Taxi is 2000₡
San Jose Airport in Alajuela to La Fortuna
There is no bus going directly from the airport in Alajuela to La Fortuna. You can however get a taxi to the Alajuela bus station near the airport and then get a bus to Ciudad Quesada and then continue on to La Fortuna. Here is one traveller who did this recently: Alajuela to La Fortuna.
Monteverde to La Fortuna
This may be the coolest way to get to go: Arenal to Monteverde – by horseback! Check out this unique and awesome looking way of going between these two mountain paradises. A half day adventure that is quicker than taking the bus!
You can take a shuttle from here that will get you there in 3hrs for $25. It goes something like this: 4×4 Jeep – boat – 4×4 Jeep. Normally we don’t promote shuttles since this is a BUS travel site – but it is an option since the local bus is quite long. The full trip is about 9hrs by bus.
Local bus: Go from Monteverde to Tilarán @5am, 7am, 11:30am or 4pm (TilaránTransportes 2695-5998.). See photo below. The cost as of June 2017 is 900₡ and the trip takes about 2hrs and 15min. Then Tilarán to La Fortuna (7am and 12:15pm and 3:30pm), 2.5hrs. Check the Tilarán page for more details
Tilarán to La Fortuna
There are 3 buses each day to and from Tilarán:
from Tilarán to La Fortuna: 7:00am, 12:20pm; 3:30pm
from La Fortuna to Tilarán : 6:30am, 11:30pm, 3:55pm
The cost as of Jan 2019 the cost is 2950₡ and takes 2-2.5 hours. See photo of schedule below from June 2017.
Liberia to La Fortuna
We haven’t done this route but were told this is what you do to get from Liberia to La Fortuna:
“In Liberia take the bus to Cañas (~$3), from Cañas straight on the bus to Tilarán at 12pm (~$1.50), from Tilarán straight on the bus to La Fortuna at 12:30pm ($4) and arrive around 2pm. The next one is at 3:30pm and you will arrive around 5″.
Anther traveller, Tanja, did it with this timing:
8:30 Liberia – Cañas (Puntarenas) 1475₡ 1h,
10:40 Cañas – Tilarán 600₡ 45min,
12:15 Tilarán – La Fortuna 2750₡ 2h
Arenal to Manuel Antonio
One awesome traveller submitted the info from her trip to Manuel Antonio, have a look at it here – Arenal to Manuel Antonio
If you are coming from Nicaragua then check out this post about how to get to La Fortuna from San Juan del Sur.
Border (Peñas Blancas) to La Fortuna
One helpful traveller named Theo has shared this info:
“We got to the border at Peñas Blancas and found a direct bus to La Fortuna. It was from the second bus store in the line of booths. We caught it at 2.30pm and it dropped us off at Tanque which is 7km from La Fortuna. There is a connecting bus at this point or can easily get a cheap taxi. Cost of the bus was 3000 Colone. Trip took 4.5 hours, hence its easier, faster and cheaper than taking the 3 buses that it would take going via Liberia. I got the impression this bus only left once a day so I believe we were very lucky.”
La Fortuna to Peñas Blancas
I haven’t done this but one great traveller named Louise shared her knowledge (March 2018), she says:
“If you take the 6.30am bus to El Tanque, which takes around 10 minutes, you can then wait for the 7.30am(edit Feb 2019 – now 7:00) bus to Penas Blancas. The bus only goes once a day and arrived/departed 5 or so minutes early. The shops and cafes in El Tanque open at 7 so you can use up the last of your local money. This bus arrives around 12.30 and then departs back to El Tanque at 2:30pm. The bus was full when I got on it and I had to stand for the first two hours. This might have been because of Semana Santa, but as there’s just the one bus a day it wouldn’t surprise me if this happened often. The bus stopped after about two hours, for 15 minutes, so you could use the bathroom or buy stuff. They allow original passengers back on the bus first so they have priority on the seats then let new people on. They bus stops many many times along the way as its used as a local bus service too. It was super cheap, something like 3500 colones.
Price update June 2108: La Fortunat to El Tanque: ₡790, El Tanque to Border: ₡3700
Help your fellow traveller
Thanks to bus traveller Brian Driscoll for the 2017 update at the La Fortuna station.
If you have taken any of the buses on this page, please drop us a comment below about how the trip went, what time you left, how long it took and what it cost. And, definitely let us know if we have anything wrong.
Lets help each other in our travels!
Peñas Blancas => La Fortuna
Did this yesterday. You buy the ticket from the green and white kiosk. It is on the right hand side when exiting the immigration building.
Cost: 3,630 colones
Duration: ±5 hours
Times: 06:30, 14:30
There were two departure listed in the ticket office, we took the one at 14:30. The bus stops in la Cruz to pick up more paseengers. There was a stop about 3 hrs in for bathroom. The ride was long and the condition of the road was poor.
This bus drops you in El Tanque, a few kilometers from La Fortuna. From there buses buses San Carlos => La Fortuna pass frequently. We took a taxi because the bus was so delayed we arrived quite late and missed the bus. Perhaps in the dry season it is faster.
If you pass through immigration earlier in the day it would probably be a better option to take the p.b => Liberia => cañas=> tilaran=> la fortuna. It is quite a number of connections, but I understand from others that the total travel time is similar.
I did the 4 bus journey from la Fortuna to Tamarindo on a Sunday in June 2019. It was surprisingly easy.
The bus from la Fortuna to Tilarán left at 8am. (Seems to be the new time) arrived in Tilarán, direct switch to the bus to Canas, no waiting. In Canas I waited about 8mins (just enough for a coffee and cig) for the bus to Liberia. Here (Liberia) I had to wait a bit longer, ca 30mins for the last bus to Tamarindo. All tickets were purchased from the bus driver, except the last one, which needs to be bought at the counter. All in all a lot better than expected and a very smooth operation saving you 40$ you can spent on surfboard rentals.
Hey, thanks for this really helpful website, it’s been helping me a lot to get around.
I Would like to share my experience on the La Fortuna-Penas Blancas leg:
You have to take two busses and transfer in El Tanque, about 7km outside of town. Take the bus at 6am from the La Fortuna bus station – mine was 30min delayed, but since the ride only takes about 10min i was fine. In El Tanque there is a soda that was Open and the store opened a little earlier as well, so you could buy snacks or breakfast.
The next bus left on the opposite side of the street next to that soda, you basically take a left turn. It was on time.
Along the way there was a lot of construction going on and the road wasn’t paved for long stretches, making it a very dusty ride. The bus stops in Upala for bathroom/food and will let you in first before letting new people in. Along the way it also stops often, sometimes every 100m, making it a very long trip of 5,5h to the border. The border crossing was very quick though, there was no transnica bus and thus no line. Definitely recommendable, especially for the fare! I paid 790/3700 colones for the busses.
Forgot to say, the bus in El Tanque left on time at 7am!
Thank you! we made that 7am edit above – super helpful!!!
Hi, firstly, great, useful website. Just a small thing in case anybody hasn’t said it yet. I did La Fortuna to Penas Blancas yesterday and the bus is was at 7am for me and also for some backpackers who went the day before, not 7.15am. The local bus still makes it in time but if anyone is getting a taxi they may want to set off a bit earlier.
Hey! I was in La Fortuna bus station a few hours ago and it seems that the bus schedules have change.
You can find a picture with the current bus times here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uePkFCESSxqzctFq5
Thanks, Ana, I have added your schedule above. So many changes lately!
The last bus from San Jose to La Fortuna is at 840 am. There is an afternoon bus leaving from another bus station (maybe the one by the airport?). We ended up finding a guy, a friend of the ticket seller, to drive us and another couple to La Fortuna. It was $75 per couple. Expensive but direct and we didn’t have to figure out where to go and what time the bus might leave. Please update the information above to reflect this change. Thanks!
Thanks, Jodi!
Took the 8:40am bus from terminal 7-10 this morning in San Jose to la fortuna. I got there an hour early and went to the second floor to buy my ticket from Venecia on the left hand side. No lines. Went downstairs and sat down for about ten minutes and noticing the couple of lines forming i asked a worker there if there was a line for la fortuna (it was probably around 8am at that point). There was one person in line. I probably could’ve continued sitting for another 15-25 minutes or so because the line wasn’t too long and everyone pretty much got a window seat. The bus was only half full. You stand in line until the guy tells your line where to go when the bus comes. The driver will take the yellow part of your ticket and you keep the white part. The bus was air conditioned. Get a window seat to enjoy the views. The bus probably stopped at ten or so different spots. He’ll clearly say when the ten minute break is (it was in ciudad de quesada) where there are bathrooms and food stalls. The bus ride was easy and went by quickly watching the scenery. I kept my bookbag with me though others put larger bags down below in the baggage storage area. When we arrived in la fortuna, it’s easy to walk around the town and get food or sign up for tours. I didn’t see any cabs though so asked my restaurant to call one for me to get to my Airbnb. Hope this helps!
Great trip summary, Asha! Thanks for helping.
Hi!
I see there is no information about how and when to go to El Castillo. It is a private shuttle (run solid by father Arturo and son) 3 times a day. Is this information useful or rather no private shuttles? There is no public transport unfortunately!