Arenal to Malpais driving time
 

Hello all, Have been reading all the great advice on driving in CR. We are ging to be staying in the Arenal area in early March, and then driving to Malpais. We will be in a caravan of 5 or 6 cars. My questions are, how long will this drive take and should we be considering the Pintarenas-Paquera ferry, or just driving? Also we will be driving back from Malpais to San Jose for ur flights out. How long would that drive take? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for sharing all your experiences and knowledge.

It will take approx.6 hours from Arenal to Mal Pais including the 1.5 hour ferry ride from Puntarenas to Paquera. The drive back to San Jose is a little shorter, probably 4.5 to 5 hours. You could also look into chartering a plane from Tambor to San Jose through Nature Air or Sansa depending on how many people you have. It's not expensive and only 30 minute flight.
Have fun!

Thank you for your info, Surfexec. Do you think we need reservations for the ferry since we will have about 5 jeeps traveling together? Do you know if the fery even takes reservations? Thanks

cattery, we've taken the ferry many times and I am not aware of the reservations option, although that doesn't mean it doesn't exist! Just make sure you arrive about 45 min. early and double check the ferry times as they can change without much notice. www.nicoyapeninsula.com

You might give them a call a day or two before your ferry trip.

How strange,Iposted a response a few days back and it doesn't show up on the boards but just now when I went to re-post it shows up only to me! Anyway, I'll try again and I apologize if several end up posting.

You definitely cannot make reservations for the ferry. You should plan on getting there 2 hours ahead because there was a huge line last time I went and I hear it's only getting busier. If you miss the ferry or can't get on you can always drive around. The roads are pretty bad but it's doable. Regardless, it's all an adventure in Costa Rica-enjoy the ride!
Hi Shillmac!

Hi Surfexec,
Good advice about the early arrival at the ferry. I'm still thinking about the "good ole days" just a couple of years ago when the entire country was less crowded. We did have to drive around in July of last year for that very reason. 100 cars ahead of us when we showed up! It was a Saturday and Guanacaste Day (around the 25th), so all the Ticos were having a holiday. The drive around was a nightmare, but at least we were air conditioned and not waiting in the heat all day!