Driving from Fortuna to Caño Blanco

By far the easiest way to get to Tortuguero is to buy a complete package that includes round trip transportation, lodging, excursions and meals. If you are interested in booking a complete package, please click here, Complete Packages.

If you are driving on your own to the Caño Blanco dock en route to Tortuguero, driving instructions are below. Even with these directions, there is a good chance you will get lost if you do not have a GPS. By far the best is EZ Find. There are no addresses in Costa Rica. The GPS operates by points of interest. Go to the Points of Interest on the menu and put in where you want to go. For example, "Caño Blanco".

Driving instructions are below, please print them out and after you've used them, let us know how it went. We'd love to make it easier for the next guest to follow these instructions.

From Fortuna to Caño Blanco

Total Driving Time: 6 hours
Type of Vehicle: Best done in a 4x4 vehicle
Recommended Time to Drive: Normally the shared boat from Caño Blanco leaves the dock at 11:30am, in order to get there in time; you will have to be leaving La Fortuna at 5am. If you have a private boat scheduled later in the day, plan on leaving with at least 6 hours of driving time.
Fuel: Leave La Fortuna with a full tank.

Driving Recommendations: Watch for people walking or riding their bikes on the side of the road. Also watch for tractors with trailers turning onto the road with a load of pineapple, oranges or sugar cane. When you get to route 32, you will be driving on a highway that is one of the major points of transit for heavy trucks going back and forth from the Limon dock. Drive carefully and expect large trucks to be traveling at high speed either in oncoming lanes or behind you. Do not stop on the Siquirres – Caño Blanco stretch of road and as with any other place in the world, DO NOT, pick up hitch hikers.

Driving Instructions:

1. Starting on the north side of the Catholic Church in La Fortuna, drive east for 0.6KMS to a Yield Sign (CEDA in Spanish).

2. Turn Right and drive 0.1KMS

3. Turn Left and follow the signs to El Tanque.

4. Be aware that there are many one way bridges on this road and you have to yield to oncoming traffic.

5. Drive for 1 KM, you will come to a gas station on the right where you can fill your tank before leaving the area.

6. Drive 5.4KMS to the town of El Tanque.

7. After passing the Catholic Church, Turn Left.

8. Drive 2.3 KMS until you come to another intersection, Turn Right and follow the green signs to El Muelle.

9. Drive 15.9KMS, you will pass the Hotel Tilajari and 1KM later you will come to a Stop sign.

10. After passing the Stop sign, continue straight for 13.6 KMS following the signs to Aguas Zarcas. You will come to a T in the road.

11. Turn Right and drive 3.7KMS to another intersection.

12. Turn Right again and drive 3.4KMS to the town of Aguas Zarcas.

13. You will come to a stop sign. Turn Left and follow the white signs to the town of Venecia.

14. Drive 10.2 KMS until you come to a Y in the road.

15. Take the Left Fork in the road for 0.4KMS, on your right will be a gas station, Gasolinera Venecia.

16. Follow this road for 6.9KMS following the green signs to Rio Cuarto. On your left you will see another gas station, Estacion de Servicio Rio Cuarto.

17. Continue for 5.3KMS and follow the signs to San Miguel.

18. When you get to San Miguel, you will come to a Stop sign at an intersection.

19. Turn Left and drive 0.1KM to a yield sign.

20. Turn Left and follow the greens signs to La Virgen.

21. Continue for 12.1 KMS to the town of La Virgen.

22. You will see a restaurant on the right hand side, Restaurante Tia Rosita, this is a good place to stop for restrooms and something to eat.

23. Continue on this road for 17.1 KMS following the signs to Puerto Viejo.

24. When you get to the town of Puerto Viejo, you will come to an intersection.

25. Turn Right, and follow the signs to Horquetas and Guapiles.

26. Continue on this road for 30.8 KMS, following the signs to Horquetas and Guapiles. You will pass the entrance to the La Selva Biological Station on your right, the entrance to Horquetas on your left and the entrance to the town of Rio Frio.

27. You will come to a T in the road; here you Turn Left onto route 32. Directly before the T is a restaurant, Rancho Roberto's, this is a good place to stop for restrooms and a bite to eat. Total Distance: 129 KMS, Total Driving Time: 3 hours.

28. Continue on this same highway for another 12.2 KMS. Watch for people walking on the sides of the road or riding their bikes and also for tractors and trailers turning onto the road with a load of pineapple. You will see the entrance to the town of Guapiles on your left. Continue for 8KMS, on your left you will see a sign for a restaurant, Restaurante Toro Macho. This is a good place to stop to use the restrooms, stretch your legs and get a bite to eat.

29. Continue on highway 32 for 13.2 KMS on the right hand side you will see a gas station, Gasolinera Pocora, this is the last place to fill your tank before your final destination.

30. Continue for another 12.8 kilometers, after passing the bridge over the Reventazon River, watch for a restaurant on the left hand side of the road, The Caribbean Dish, Turn Left into the parking lot. Total Distance so far: 95 KMS Total Driving Time: 2 hours. If you would like to use the restroom on buy something to drink or eat, the Caribbean Dish is a good place to do that. You are in the town of Siquirres.

31. Pull out of the Caribbean Dish parking lot and Turn Left onto the side street heading away from the highway. Drive 0.2KMS until you get to a T in the road.

32. Turn Right at the T and drive 0.1KM

33. Turn Left and drive 0.3 KM and turn to your left again, drive 0.1 KM, Turn Right and cross the train tracks.

34. You will come to another intersection where you Turn Left.

35. From this point on, follow the brown signs that say Parque Nacional Tortuguero.

36. Continue 3.5 KMS and you will see the Cocal School on the right hand side of the road. Continue for another 1.5KMS until you come to a Y in the road where the asphalt ends and the gravel road begins. Take the Right Fork; here you will begin to see the brown signs, Parque Nacional Tortuguero, again.

37. Continue for 3.3KMS, you will pass a banana packing plant on the left had side of the road and a small airstrip on the left. You will come to another Y in the road, take the Right Fork.

38. Follow the brown parks signs for 0.5 KMS and Turn Right. You will go over a bridge that doesn't have any railing on it and immediately after you will see a Del Monte airstrip on the right side of the road.

39. Keep following the brown parks signs for 1.3KMS until you come to another Y in the road. Turn Left and follow the brown parks signs for 2.2KMS, here the banana plantations that you have been driving through will end.

40. Continue for 7.1 KMS you will pass three different schools. You will come to a pronounced curve in the road, Stay Left and you will see the brown parks signs again.

41. Continue on this same road for 10.2KMS and you will arrive at the Caño Blanco dock. Here there are restrooms and a convenience store. Leave your car inside of the Caño Blanco parking lot and pay the fee. Do not leave any luggage or belongings in your car take all of your things to Tortuguero with you. This will decrease the chances of having your car broken into. Look for your uniformed Tortuga Lodge & Gardens Boat Captain, he will be happy to assist you. Total Distance: 35.26 KMS, Total Driving Time: 1.40 hours.

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Driving from Caño Blanco to Fortuna

By far the easiest way to get to Tortuguero is to buy a complete package that includes round trip transportation, lodging, excursions and meals. If you are interested in booking a complete package, please click here, Complete Packages.

If you are driving on your own from the Caño Blanco dock en route to Tortuguero, driving instructions are below. Even with these directions, there is a good chance you will get lost if you do not have a GPS. By far the best is EZ Find. There are no addresses in Costa Rica. The GPS operates by points of interest. Go to the Points of Interest on the menu and put in where you want to go. For example,"Caño Blanco".

Driving instructions are below, please print them out and after you've used them, let us know how it went. We'd love to make it easier for the next guest to follow these instructions.

From Caño Blanco to Fortuna

Total Driving Time: 6 hours depending on traffic
Type of Vehicle: Best done in a 4x4 vehicle
Recommended Time to Drive: Complete this drive in daylight
Fuel: Leave route 32 with a full tank.

Driving Recommendations: You will be driving on a highway that is one of the major points of transit for heavy trucks going back and forth from the Limon dock. Drive carefully and expect large trucks to be traveling at high speed either in oncoming lanes or behind you. Watch for people walking or riding their bikes on the side of the road. Also watch for tractors with trailers turning onto the road with a load of pineapple, oranges or sugar cane. Do not stop on the Caño Blanco - Siquirres stretch of road and as with any other place in the world, DO NOT, pick up hitch hikers.

Driving Instructions:

1. Leaving the Caño Blanco dock, drive 10.2 KMS passing a school and the Tropical Garden on the way.

2. You will come to a pronounced curve in the road, Stay Right.

3. Drive 7.1 KMS you will pass three schools; here you will have entered the banana plantations.

4. Continue for 3.6KMS at the end of this stretch you will come to the Del Monte airstrip and a bridge without railing.

5. Turn Left for 0.5 KMS, until you come to another intersection; here there will be a white sign that says Siquirres, Stay Left for 0.8KMS until you get to a banana packing plant.

6. Continue on this road for 4.2KMS until you come to another intersection, keep going straight ahead for 0.6KMS and you will see the San Alberto airstrip on your right.

7. Drive 2.7KMS and you will come to another intersection where you Continue Left, at this point the banana plantations and the gravel road end and the asphalt road begins.

8. Take the asphalt road on the Left for 1.5 KMS and you will come to the El Cocal School.

9. Continue for 3.5 KMS and you will arrive at a business on the right, the Almacen Jerusalem, Turn Right for 0.1 KMS and cross the railroad tracks.

10. Turn Left 0.1 KMS and then Turn Right for 0.3KMS and you will come to a T in the road.

11. You will see the Siquirres cemetery ahead of you.

12. Turn Right 0.1 KMS and then Turn Left 0.2 KMS and you will have arrive at route 32, the main highway connecting San Jose with the Caribbean coast. On your right is the Caribbean Dish, a restaurant that is a good place to use the restrooms and get a snack. Total Distance: 35.5KMS, Total Driving Time: 1.40 hours.

13. Turn Right onto route 32; follow the green signs to Guapiles or San Jose.

14. Drive 13 kilometers going over the bridge over the Reventazon River and on the left you will see a gas station, the Gasolinera Pocora. This is the first gas station after leaving the Caribbean Dish and a good place to refuel.

15. Drive 33.4KMS on route 32, you will come to an intersection before beginning the ascent to Braulio Carrillo. At this intersection you will see green signs that indicate the way to Rio Frio and Ciudad Quesada, Turn Right here. Total Distance: 46.2KMS, Total Driving Time: 1 hour.

16. When you Turn Right you will see a restaurant on the right hand side, Rancho Roberto's. This is a good place to stop to use the restrooms or get a bite to eat.

17. Drive for 31 KMS passing the La Selva Biological Station entrance and the bridge over the Sarapiqui River. You will come to a T in the road, Turn Left. Follow the green signs to La Virgen.

18. Continue on this road for a total of 29.6 KMS following the signs to San Miguel. Keep in mind that there are many one way bridges on this road and you have to yield to oncoming traffic. When you get to San Miguel there will be a gas station on the right, take the Immediate Right after the gas station.

19. Continue for 0.1KM and you will come to a Y in the road, there is a police check point here, they will probably not stop you, but if they do they may want to see your passport and look through the windows of the car to see what you are carrying. Turn Right and follow the signs to Rio Cuarto and Volcan Arenal.

20. Continue on this road for 22.8KMS, you will pass the towns of Venecia and come to the town of Aguas Zarcas. When you see the Catholic Church in Aguas Zarcas, take the Right Hand Turn BEFORE the church.

21. You will see small white signs to Los Chiles, follow those signs for 3.4 KMS, to a point where you see signs to Muelle and La Fortuna.

22. At this intersection Turn Left and follow this road for 3.7KMS until you get to another intersection.

23. Turn Left and follow the paved road, you will continue to see signs to Muelle and La Fortuna.

24. Stay on this road for 13.7KMS, you will come to the town of Muelle, where there is an intersection and you have a Stop Sign. There is a gas station at this intersection.

25. Continue straight ahead for 1KM and on your right you will see the Hotel Tilajari.

26. Continue for 14.9KMS and you will come to a T in the road.

27. Turn Left and follow the signs to La Fortuna and El Tanque.

28. 2.3KMS later you will come to another T in the road, Turn Right.

29. Continue for 7 KMS and you will arrive at the Catholic Church of La Fortuna. From here, follow your directions to your Arenal hotel. Total Distance from Rancho Robertos: 129.5KMS, Total Time: 3 hours.