It’s a rather vast area of the country, and thanks to the difficult mountainous and jungle-covered landscape, the route you take will depend a lot on where you’re coming from and where it is – exactly – that you want to go. The northern zone starts in the west with the city of Tilarán in Guanacaste, which serves as the service town for Nuevo Arenal and the villages around the lake. To the east is Cuidad Quesada, or San Carlos in Alajuela provence. In between and to the north is La Fortuna.

Tilarán is about two hours from Liberia, the capital city of the Guanacaste province, and at least four hours to San José. San Carlos is about two hours from San José.

Note here that San Carlos often refers to two things: The city, which also goes under the name Cuidad Quesada, and San Carlos the area around the city, including towns such as San Isidro. It’s easy to get the two mixed up, as locals and expatriates familiar with the area really use the two names interchangeably, so ask if you’re not sure.

The main roads are reasonably decent, though potholes tend to form in new places with frequency. The minor roads are usually unpaved, so their quality depends principally on the weather. Anyone living outside a town center or other developed area will need a four-wheel drive to get around. Bridges occasionally get shut down, especially if heavy rains have swollen rivers. Often it’s because of falling trees nearby or landslides. Otherwise, though some of them look dodgy, the bridges are generally pretty sturdy.

There is regular bus service connecting San Carlos, La Fortuna, Nuevo Arenal and all the small towns in between. Many of the locals rely on these buses to commute to work. Multiple daily buses also connect La Fortuna and San Carlos with San José, while daily flights to the region’s domestic airstrip near La Fortuna connect the region with San José by air.