Private Shuttle from La Fortuna to Puntarenas & Caldera

This is a door-to-door service. We pick you up at reception in La Fortuna, you travel with your own group in a vehicle reserved for you, and we drop you at the entrance of your hotel, rental or house in Puntarenas · Caldera. Rest stops happen when you want them.

There are no extras to discover later: the per-vehicle fare already includes taxes, tolls, fuel, insurance, water, WiFi and child seats. Pick Standard for a direct trip, or upgrade to VIP (+$80) to stop along the way.

Puntarenas is the old port city of the Pacific, built on a long, narrow sandspit that reaches into the Gulf of Nicoya. Its seafront promenade, the Paseo de los Turistas, is lined with stalls selling churchill, the local shaved-ice dessert, and the passenger ferries to the Nicoya Peninsula leave from the city.

Caldera, a few kilometres south, is the main Pacific cargo port, and the hotels along the coast between the two include the DoubleTree by Hilton Puntarenas. Cruise passengers usually come ashore at the city pier. Tell us exactly where you need to go: city centre, ferry terminal, coast hotel or port.

We confirm the pickup time with you when you book. With approximately 3 h of driving, even a late-morning departure from La Fortuna leaves most of the day free.

From La Fortuna the van climbs over the mountains on Route 702 through La Tigra to San Ramón, or on Route 141 via Zarcero if that road is better on the day. At San Ramón it joins Route 1, the Inter-American Highway, and follows it west and downhill towards the Pacific.

Near the coast the route leaves Route 1 for Route 23 and Route 17, which run along the shore into the port city. Caldera, the cargo and cruise port, lies a few kilometres south of the city, so the last part depends on whether you are going to town, to a hotel on the coast or to the port.

The final kilometres run along the shore into Puntarenas, with the gulf on one side. If you are catching a ferry, we drop you at the terminal; give us the departure time so we can plan the margin.

From San Ramón down to the gulf, Route 1 carries heavy trucks to and from the Pacific ports, so climbs can be slow and overtaking takes patience. In the rainy season, roughly May to November, afternoon storms are common on the Pacific side and fog is frequent in the mountains.

Route 1 between San Ramón and the coast carries heavy trucks to and from the ports, so expect slow climbs and overtaking queues. Puntarenas is hot and humid; in the dry season, roughly December to April, the gulf is calm and sunny.

If we cannot run the transfer because of a road closure or extreme weather, you choose between a new date and a full refund.