Costa Rica: Tamarindo > Monteverde > La Fortuna > San Jose

Dec 2025 |

This was 1 of 2 of segments of rides I did in Costa Rica, with 4- stops. Part of my Pan-America tour in 2025-2026.

Ride 1: Penas Blancas to Tamarindo

After an unexpected, absolute hellish 5-hour entry process into Costa Rica from Nicaragua at Penas Blancas, I was way behind schedule for the day. (Read more about the border crossing here). Though I should have stopped in Liberia while it was still light, instead I rode on to Tamarindo - in the dark for the last 1.5 hours. After the horrible "traffic" at the border, I then hit a massive traffic jam near the Liberia airport - the type of thing you see in massive cities (and this is not even an urban area).

Once in Tamarindo, I pulled into a sports bar, connected to wifi and booked an Airbnb. Downing a beer and chicken wings, I got my first glimpse of just how Americanised Tamarindo is -- kind of a Costa Rica version of Orange County.

I stayed 2 nights. No doubt it's a nice town with beautiful beaches. But it's also expensive, very developed, and too touristy for my tastes.

Ride: 153 km / 3.5 hours

Stay: Villa / $45 / ****

R2: Tamarindo to Monteverde

From Tamarindo, I needed to decide on my next route. I toyed with the idea of riding further south along the coast to Samara, but instead decided to ride to Monteverde, following the quickest, easiest route possible.

My first stop was Nicoya, recognised as a " blue zone", a place where people live longer due to diet and lifestyle. In recognition of this, I stopped at the local McDonald's for breakfast. Around Nicoya, I crossed a large river known for crocodiles -- and yes, I managed to see a couple as I crossed the bridge (didn't get any pics).

From there, I rode on to the junction to Monteverde, where you have 2 route options. I took the 145 road, which is about half unpaved; a scenic ride through farmland up into cloud forest.

I booked 1 night at Cabinas Eddy B&B in Santa Helena. That afternoon, I rode up to the Monteverde Reserve, about 15 minutes away. It was too late to enter the park, but I did visit the Hummingbird Gallery at the entrance, which is free. This is a must-do activity, where you get close to many types of these birds, all whizzing around like bullets.

The next day I rode up to the park again, paid the substantial $29 entry fee and did a solo walk for 90 minutes. It was just ok, all I saw of note was one bird. Honestly, the free hummingbird showcase was more exciting. After that, I returned to Eddy's, packed up, and headed out for La Fortuna.

Ride: km 157 / 3 hours

Stay: Cabinas Eddy B&B / $35 / ***

R3: Monteverde to La Fortuna

From Monte Verde I headed to the north side of Lake Arenal, a nice ride that drops from cloud forest to ranchland. I got my first sighting of coffee growing in Costa Rica. From there, the route follows the lake, with nice scenery the whole way. I stopped at a German Bakery for what ended up being a $30 for a beer, pretzel and sausage -- another uncomfortably expensive (over-priced, actually) incident.

Beyond the lake, I rode past Arenal volcano, a stunning, perfectly shaped cone. I came across a group of Coatis on the side. of the road. They are always entertaining.

I stayed one night in La Fortuna. Honestly, the place seemed like nothing special to me, another overpriced tourist zone. But I barely gave it a passing glance, so who knows...

Ride: 110 km / 2.5 hours

Stay: Hotel Las Colinas / $35 / **

R4: La Fortuna to San Jose

This was my final ride of 2025, the main objective being to store my bike in San Jose, catch a flight back to Canada for 3 weeks over the Christmas season, and take a break from riding. I stayed 2 nights in a nice AirBnB in San Jose, barely left the place to look around, the weather was terrible. One thing that stunned me about San Jose was the incredible traffic; I spent 90 minutes to travel about 10 km, a massive traffic jam. (I later saw a rating for world's worst traffic, and Costa Rica is 2nd). There was an awful Arthur Erickson-inspired brutalist building nearby.

Ride: 131 km / 3 hours

Stay: AirBnB / $60 / ****