The drive from the beach areas of Papagayo to the inland town of La Fortuna takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours depending on your stops and traffic conditions. Initially you’ll head south out of the Papagayo region, winding through lush green mountainous terrain and small towns like Nicoya and Santa Cruz along the way. This first hour provides beautiful vistas but narrow, twisting sections that require cautious driving.
The middle portion of the drive transitions to flatter stretches through Costa Rica’s agricultural lands and palm tree plantations. You’ll pass by Cañas and Tilaran along this section. While less dramatic scenery, the roads straighten out for easier driving. After about an hour or so, you’ll start gaining elevation again as the route climbs back into hillier terrain surrounding the Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna area for the last 30 minutes. This finale provides a prelude to the dramatic volcanic landscape you’ll soon explore.
Throughout the drive, the roads are decently paved and marked including English signage towards key tourist sights. You’ll want to be alert for random bumps and uneven patches in areas. Most importantly, with your own rental car you can freely stop as much as desired to take in views, stretch your legs, visit waterfalls, or spot wildlife like sloths crossing the roads. This flexibility makes the drive itself an integral part of discovering Costa Rica’s diversity.
Here are some great places to stop on the drive from Papagayo to La Fortuna for spotting wildlife, especially sloths:
- Playa Panama Beach – Keep an eye out in the trees near the beach for both two-toed and three-toed sloths. Go early in the morning or later afternoon for best sightings.
- Puente de La Amistad Bridge – Crossing the Tempisque River, scan the trees around this bridge carefully for sloths. It’s also good for crocodile spotting.
- Cabanga Mangroves – Take a small detour to this protected mangrove forest. Boat tours available for seeing monkeys, sloths, bats, birds, and even crocs from the water.
- Bejuco Mangrove Cruise – Another highly rated mangrove boat tour option close to the main route. Great reviews for sloth sightings.
- Bogarín Trail – A short nature hike near the road featuring sloths, monkeys, birds and more.
The earlier you can get an early start, the better for wildlife activity as well. Having binoculars and scanning the tree tops increases your chances of sloth sightings at the various places above.
There are some lovely waterfalls to see between the Papagayo Peninsula and La Fortuna area. Here are some of the best options:
- Llanos de Cortés Waterfall – A stunning 400 foot waterfall with a large pool great for swimming at the base. It’s located along the route just past Bagaces on the way to La Fortuna.
- Catarata Rio Fortuna – A small but gorgeous free waterfall right along the main road about 45 mins before La Fortuna. Great photo stop and you can swim there.
- La Fortuna Waterfall – One of the most famous and iconic waterfalls to see in the La Fortuna area. A steep staircase takes you to the base to swim. Entrance fee around $15 per person.
Some other good waterfalls slightly off the direct route but still fairly close by include:
- Catarata El Salto – A nearly 500 foot tall waterfall with bright blue pool that’s fantastic for swimming. It’s near the Canas Dulces area.
- Catarata de Platanar – A tall waterfall flowing down volcanic rock cliffs. Has a nice viewing platform at the base. Near Nuevo Arenal.
I’d recommend planning to spend a total of 2-3 hours visiting 1-2 of these waterfalls, depending on if you want to swim or hike around them. Definitely bring your bathing suit and water shoes! Avoid leaving luggage visible in your rental car as well. Break-ins are a possibility through Costa Rica and you may be safer to leave your car visible or in a lot that is managed or supervised.
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