A rough dirt road leads west from Santa Elena [1] via Cabeceras and Quebrada Grande to Tilarán [2], gateway to Lake Arenal [3] and La Fortuna [4]. It’s beautiful scenery all the way.
Cataratas de Viento Fresco (tel. 506/2695-3434, www.vientofresco.net [5], 7:30 A.M.–5 P.M. daily, $15 adults, $12 students), 11 kilometers east of Tilarán and 25 kilometers west of Monteverde, has four 120-foot waterfalls, a water slide, trails, and horseback riding ($55).
En route, you can stop at Eco Coffee Tour (tel. 506/2693-8067, www.coopeldos.com [6]), a coffee-growers’ cooperative, at El Dos de Tilarán; or the Don Juan Coffee Tour (tel. 506/2645-7100, www.donjuancoffeetour.com [7], $25 adults, $20 students).
Fabulous views of Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal are enjoyed through picture windows in the 10 spacious and simply furnished all-wood rooms (in three types) with private bathrooms and hot water at the Vista Verde Lodge (tel. 506/8380-1517, www.info-monteverde.com [8], $55 s or $68 d room, $57 s or $75 d junior suite low season; $75 s or $92 d room, $80 s or $99 d junior suite high season), four kilometers north of the Sky Walk, in the community of San Gerardo, on a steep and eroded dirt road that leads off the road to the Santa Elena Reserve. It has a restaurant, and hikes and horseback rides are offered.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/monteverde-and-santa-elena
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/tilaran-and-vicinity/tilaran
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-northern-zone/lake-arenal
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-northern-zone/la-fortuna-tabacon
[5] http://www.vientofresco.net
[6] http://www.coopeldos.com
[7] http://www.donjuancoffeetour.com
[8] http://www.info-monteverde.com