Private Shuttle from La Fortuna to Punta Islita

Leaving Arenal for Punta Islita is easier when someone else handles the road. Your driver picks you up at your hotel at the time that suits you, loads the luggage and drives your group, and only your group, straight to your accommodation in Punta Islita.

The fare is per vehicle and final: taxes, tolls, fuel, insurance, bottled water, WiFi and child seats are included, and there is nothing to pay the driver. Choose Standard to go direct, or add Tropical Experts VIP (+$80) for one to two hours of sightseeing stops.

Punta Islita is a small cove on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, south of Sámara and Playa Carrillo, with a beach tucked between forested headlands and a tiny village behind it. It feels remote, which is exactly why people come.

Most visitors stay at Hotel Punta Islita, Autograph Collection, set on the hill above the cove with wide views over the Pacific. The surrounding hills are crossed by rural roads, and part of the final access is gravel, so the drive is slower at the end than the distance suggests.

We confirm the pickup time with you when you book. With approximately 5 h of driving ahead, most travellers leave La Fortuna in the morning so they arrive in daylight.

To reach the Nicoya Peninsula from Arenal, the van follows the lake road to Tilarán and Cañas, takes the Inter-American Highway briefly and then turns west onto Route 18, which crosses the Tempisque River on the long bridge that links the peninsula to the mainland.

From the town of Nicoya the route heads south-west towards the coast on paved roads, then follows rural roads through the hills to Islita. The final part may include gravel and, in the rainy season, river fords that make it slower.

On the peninsula the main roads are paved, but some of the access roads to the beaches are gravel, dusty in the dry season and muddy in the wet one. All our vehicles drive gravel roads; in the rainy season, river crossings and potholes can slow the last stretch.

Paved roads take you most of the way; the last stretch to Islita is rural and partly gravel, with possible river crossings in the rainy season. All our vehicles drive these roads, and we confirm the route conditions when you book.

Our terms cover the rare day when a closure or extreme weather stops the transfer: you can move it to another date or receive a full refund.