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Latest Fortuna hotel reviews
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There is a bus from San Jose around 10 o'clock in the morning. It takes approximately 3.5 hours. The trip is worth it - climbs the mountains north of the capital and then plunges into the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. Meanwhile one can observe the changes in climate and vegetation. The crops nurtured along the way differ significantly. Coffee is the dominant feature and the houses of the finca owners testify to its good value. The highest point of 800 meter or so is crowned by the picturesque town of Zarcero with its main square of manicured gardens. The crowd on board is quite colourful, including mainly locals who despite the persistent claim of many authors look rather indigenous and not European. A scene developed while on board where a family of indigenous (Maya-looking) people was stuffed in the aisle of the bus. A little boy could not take the amount of curves on the road stoically and had to vomit. Thankfully the action was anticipated and with the joint efforts of foreigners and the mother to certain extend, the spillage was limited to only 50%. At the next stop the rest of the passengers who got off scattered the vomit all the way to the bus station and beyond.
Updated Feb 24, 2009
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When you are travelling to the south from Ciudad Quesada, you will almost always have to take a bus to the capital San José first. From here busses depart to all parts of the country and even abroad. Busses to San José run very often from the main busstation (every 30 minutes).
This trip takes about 2,5 hours and costs about 4 dollars. You arrive at the northern busstation of San José; for destinations at the Caribbean Coast you will need to take a taxi to the Caribbean Busstation.
Written May 8, 2008
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A very nice way to cross the border towards Nicaragua is by taking the boat from Los Chiles to San Carlos in Nicaragua. From Ciudad Quesada (odd enough also called San Carlos most of the tmes) to Los Chiles there is a direct bus to Ciudad Quesada. It takes about 2,5 hours to get there and the price is about 4 dollars. These busses depart at the big main busstation in Ciudad Quesada.
When you get to Los Chilos from Ciudad Quesada it is quite a long walk to the small harbour where to boats to Nicaragua depart (about 2 kilometres) so you might want to take a taxi to cover this distance. There you can easily buy a ticket to enter the boat and cross the border. Remember to get your exit stamp before you lease Costa Rica.
More information about crossing this border is on my Sabalós-page.
Written May 8, 2008
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As long as you stay in La Fortuna you don't need any other way of transportation then your own two feet: the town is pretty small and from one end to the other will not take you longer then 15 minutes. But since the mainattractions in the area of La Fortuna are outside the city, you might want to use a taxi.
Because I visited most of the "things to go" in an organised package I didn't use a taxi much. I only used it to get to the Baldi Hotsprings. That costed us 5 dollars. But since that is about halfway to El Silencio, you should pay more then 10 dollar to get there and the viewpoint where you can see the hot lava floating down the volcano is pretty much the same distance the price to get there should also be approximately 10 dollars.
Written May 8, 2008
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Because La Fortuna is a big tourist city, but hardly a place of any important for the Costa Ricans, there is not much transportation going directly to here. No matter if you are going to the east, the south or the north; in all cases you'll need to catch the bus going from La Fortuna to Ciudad Quesada (often referred to with the old name San Carlos!!!). From there you can get a lot of connections to all directions. Only for destinations to the west you will need to find other hubs.
Busses to Ciudad Quesada depart at the eastside of the Parque Central, close to the church. It takes about 1,5 hours to get to the main busstation in Ciudad Quesada from where all the other busses depart. The trip will costs you about 2 dollars and the busses depart every half an hour starting from 6:00. (times are also mentioned at the busstop).
Written May 8, 2008
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Any travel agency and most hotels will be able to arrange a Jeep-Boat-Jeep to/from Monteverde and La Fortuna. You can expect to be a little crammed in the jeeps and boat but the trip can be quite scenic and is a big time saver. Definately plan on using this to get between La Fortuna and Monteverde. Costa around 20$ per person.
Written Feb 18, 2008
If you are planning to travel from Fortune to Monteverde take the Jeep-Boat-Jeep tour I paid 22 dollar(off season) but it ranges between 20 and 40 dollar...
But you save a lot of time, by bus its a day traveling and this only takes 4 hours and the ladscape is also worth it... its just another trip
You can book at your hotel/hostel
Written Oct 21, 2007
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There are lots of taxis ...just look for the red cars. They park near where the direct bus arrives so its convenient to catch one . Rates are a little high by Costa Rican standars but this is tourist haven.
Written Apr 3, 2007
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We took the direct bus from San Jose. It took 4.5 hours for the trip and cost $3.00. It was very crowded though as they picked up lots of people along the way ..Many were standing by the time we got there. If you start out from San JOse its not bad as you'll get a seat . Wouldn't suggest it otherwise.
You get it at Terminal Norte in San Jose
Times
6:15, 8:40 , 11:30
Written Apr 3, 2007
Phone: 255-4300
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Most people include La Fortuna & Monteverde on trips in Costa Rica, so getting between the two can be an important task. In order to cut the usual nearly 8 hour road trip in a quarter, an alternate path has emerged. The combination of a jeep-boat-jeep trip can take about 2-2.5 hours, by traversing Lake Arenal. This was a pleasant enough trip. Although it is called a jeep-boat-jeep option, it can be a misnomer for some people. Many of the operators don't use actuall jeeps (in the US sense). My trip from La Fortuna to Monteverde started with a shuttle bus from my hotel on the paved roads to the lake; we then hopped on a small boat (katamaran) for the30-45min ride across the lake; after coming ashore on the other side, we piled into minivans for the rest of the trip. The final leg of the trip was about 1.5 hours of quite bumpy roads. The route here does offer some gorgeous views of small valleys, including a lot of coffee plants. We even had to stop for a couple minutes due to a road block of a herd of cows coming towards and around us. Despite the bumpiness, it was still a nice little ride.
These routes are booked on both ends of the trips. I noticed that trip prices were cheaper for ones starting earlier in the morning. The company I went through even stated that it was $17 for the 8AM or $25 for the other trips. This was true on the advertisements in Monteverde too.
You will not have a problem finding a place that advertises this service. I went through Destiny Tours & Internet because they were right by my hotel. The actual operator was Eagle Tours, which was one of the tours doing the same Arenal Volcano tour I was on with another group.
Written Oct 3, 2005
Website: http://www.eagletours.net/
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Reviews and photos of Fortuna attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Fortuna sightseeing.
Most people include La Fortuna & Monteverde on trips in Costa Rica, so getting between the two can be an important task. In order to cut the usual nearly 8 hour...
5 members live in Fortuna
Q: We (party of 3) don't plan to rent a car. What is the best way to go around, say, from the town of la Fortuna to Arenal Volcano...
A: Last August we spent some days in La Fortuna and payed a lot for taxis. There is a bus to near the entrance of the Volcano National Park but then you have to walk some km...
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1
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