By car · On the way · 75 km to the last stop
Heading to Monteverde or Guanacaste, free stops around the lake
The dam, Nuevo Arenal, the 5 Esquinas lookout and Tilarán are all on the traditional route to Monteverde and Liberia.
To reach Monteverde, the traditional route goes around the lake via Tilarán; for Liberia, you continue from Tilarán to Cañas. These four free stops are on the way.
Step by step
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Arenal Dam (Sangregado Dam)
Free with conditionsDam and eastern lakeshore · 17.3 km from the central park
Look at the lake from the dam, without stopping on it.
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Nuevo Arenal
FreeNuevo Arenal
28.2 km · 36 min from the previous stop
A good place for a break halfway.
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Tilarán
24.5 km · 32 min from the previous stop
The last lake lookout before Tilarán, with room to park.
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Tilarán
5 km · 7 min from the previous stop
From Tilarán continue to Monteverde, or to Cañas and the Pan-American Highway if you are heading to Liberia or the beaches.
Route map
The plan's stops. Distances are driving estimates calculated with OpenStreetMap.
Before you set out
- The ICT mini-guide estimates about 3 hours from La Fortuna to Monteverde on this route and about 2.5 hours to Liberia.
- By bus, regulated route 598 runs from Tilarán to Santa Elena and Monteverde (₡750 and ₡880).
- The lake road is very winding. Only use safe pull-offs.
Sources
- ICT — Mini guía La Fortuna (flipbook, p. 41) Official
- ARESEP – Datos abiertos, pliego tarifario de autobús vigente Official
- Municipalidad de Tilarán – Distrito Tilarán Official
- Costa Rica Vibes Travel guide
- Enrutador FOSSGIS/OSRM sobre datos de OpenStreetMap (routing.openstreetmap.de) Map
Text updated: