We are planning a trip to Costa Rica for next Feb and plan to arrive San Jose and then visit Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. We do not want to drive and would prefer private transfer. Does anyone have suggestions on who to use? Do you know what the approximate cost is for private transfer between these locations?

We've used Carlos Bogarin with Destinos Encantados, and he was excellent. We met him through the Lost Iguana. You can also reserve drivers through your hotels when you book them; we've done that several times as well. If you just wanted to take a shuttle, you could check with Interbus; they have a website you can explore.

Thanks again Volcanogirl for your recommendation. We'll check them out. I did notice on the Arenal Observatory Lodge website that they offer private drivers as well as shared shuttle service.

Yes, we've used their drivers as well, and that worked great for us.

I don't remember the exact cost, but usually somewhere between $160 and $180 or so to go from SJO to the Arenal area just to give you a general idea.

volcanogirl: Thanks for all your help. We did manage to secure a booking at AOL for Feb and really looking forward to it. They advised that private transfer from San Jose is $190. We will decide later if we want to spend that much for private driver or arrange for the shared shuttle.

Have you used the van-boat-van option from Arenal to Monteverde? We are going there after AOL and need to book transportation.

That's great, Karen. You'll enjoy it there. I think the price they quoted is a little high. Costa Rica Transfers, Costa Rica tours, Costa rica transportation, costa rica travel is the website for Carlos Bogarin if you want to compare.

Yep, we've used the van boat van option with Desafio, and they were great. We paid about $30 per person. The road to Monteverde is long and bumpy so we were happy not to be driving it ourselves.