My friend and I are travelling to Costa Rica at the end of May. We are women in our 30's, and are having a hard time determining the most practical and relaxing way to travel around. We've read so much about the trechery of the roads, that we're questioning how stressed we'd be during the journey, but we don't want to be bound by the structure of a group tour. Does anyone know how much it would cost to hire cabs to take us from Guanacaste to Arenal, or Arenal to Monteverde, and any cab companies in those areas? I think this would allow us the independence and relaxation we're looking for, I just don't know if it's financially practical. If this would be too pricey, what would you recommend as the next best alternative?

There is another alternative. Intertur and Graylines/Fantasy tours have hotel to hotel shuttles between major tourist destinations. You would have to check to see when and how they run. I am pretty sure they run from Tamarindo to Arenal for example and they cost about $25-$40 depending on the route. They do San Jose to the major resort areas. I don't know if they go to Monteverde from Arenal but there is a taxi-boat-taxi service (ask at almost any hotel) from Arenal to Monteverde. Not luxurious but 2 hours quicker than a taxi trip.

Hi, Most of the time cabdrivers ask about $100,- a day, but it depends where they need to go. In general the hotels know somebody, the only problem is sometimes you need to pay more than necessary. Another possibility is using the interbus, you can find the address on our website, at the linkspage. You can find us at www.elcolibri47.com. Have a nice time here!! Jan and Ili