Santos SkoolieTilarán, Costa Rica: the town above Lake Arenal
The short answer
Tilarán is a ranching town of about 9,400 people in the hills of Guanacaste, 564 m (1,850 ft) up, above the west end of Lake Arenal. It sits on Route 142, the paved road from Liberia to La Fortuna. Most travellers drive straight through. It's worth an hour: fuel, a good lunch, and the first cool air after the lowlands.
We live in these hills. Our three school-bus stays are in Tierras Morenas, one of the districts of Tilarán, and this is the town where we fill the tank and do our errands. This is what we tell guests about it.
Where it is, and how to get there
From Liberia. Take the Interamericana (Route 1) south to Cañas, then turn east onto Route 142 and climb 23 km (14 miles) to Tilarán. It's a little over an hour from Liberia airport, paved the whole way.
From La Fortuna. Follow Route 142 past the dam and along the north shore of Lake Arenal, through Nuevo Arenal. About an hour and a half of curves with the lake beside you.
Put Tilarán in Waze as its own stop. If you enter a destination beyond it, Waze sometimes picks steep unpaved shortcuts. Set Tilarán first, then set the next place once you arrive.
What the town is like
Tilarán is a working town, not a resort. Cattle and wind power pay the bills here, and you'll see both: pasture on every hillside and turbines along the ridges, part of one of the country's main wind farms.
The center is a few blocks around a shaded park and the cathedral; Tilarán is the seat of its own Catholic diocese. Park the car, walk a lap, and you've seen it.
At 564 m it's cooler than the coast, and often windy. The high stretch around town can fog in fast, most often in the afternoon and in the rainy season.
Fuel and lunch
JSM station
Fill the tank here. Route 142 runs right past it, and stations are scarce on the lake road.
Hotel Guadalupe
Good, honest food in the center of town. Our pick for lunch.
What's nearby
Lake Arenal
Costa Rica's largest lake starts just below town. December to March is the windy season, and the west end turns into a paradise for kiteboarding, wing foiling and windsurfing. It's the hidden gem we locals don't like to talk about.
Puerto San Luis
When the wind drops, the rest of the year, this is where to get on the water. Club Náutico, at Hotel Puerto San Luis, rents kayaks, paddle boards and jet skis. FlyZone takes you wakeboarding and wake surfing behind a boat.
Tronadora
A short drive downhill to the lakeshore. Go to Chicharronera La Península for a proper chifrijo.
Viento Fresco waterfalls
A string of waterfalls on a private farm south of town, with a trail between them and pools to swim in. Bring cash and shoes that can get wet. It's 40 minutes from our buses.
La Piedra del Indio waterfalls
Waterfalls with cool swimming holes in the Tilarán highlands, and petroglyphs carved into the rock. The trail is short and moderately steep. It's 40 minutes from our buses.
Catarata El Ahora
A waterfall in El Líbano, 15 to 20 minutes from the center of Tilarán. Cool swimming holes, rocks to climb and a tunnel more than 100 years old. It's 45 minutes from our buses.
Cerro Pelado
An extinct volcano near Cañas with a view all the way around: the Gulf of Nicoya on one side, the Tilarán wind turbines on the other. It's about an hour and a half up, and the first kilometre is steep with loose rock. Go for sunrise, bring a headlamp, and expect wind at the top. It's 1 hour from our buses.
Café y Macadamia
On the lake road toward Nuevo Arenal. The best lake viewpoint on the drive, plus brunch, fruit shakes, coffee and cinnamon rolls.
Nuevo Arenal
The next town along the lake. Las Tinajas has good pizza with a lake view.
Tierras Morenas, our corner of Tilarán
The district where our buses are. Travel guides skip it, and that's the point.
El Jilguero trail
The hike near our buses, and not touristy at all. A community-run trail in Tierras Morenas, on the slopes of Tenorio Volcano: steam vents, bubbling mud pools, orchids and morpho butterflies. You meet at Pulpería Fénix, a 5-minute drive from our buses, and from there it's about 6 km of gravel road to the trailhead. Arrange it ahead by WhatsApp and go early in the morning. Entry is ₡5,000 per person, plus ₡10,000 for a guide for up to 10 people.
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is big around here, and it's very good riding: locals ride through forest and working farms. Dany, a local guide, leads trips on his own trails across the farms. Ask us for his contact when you book.
Las fiestas de Tierras Morenas
Every May, around the 15th, the village celebrates San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers. There's a desfile de boyeros, the parade of oxcarts and their yoked oxen, a blessing of the animals, and a tope, the horse parade. People drive from across the country to be here for it.
The poor man's Baileys
Tierras Morenas has a reputation around Guanacaste for its homemade cream liqueur, the "poor man's Baileys". It's a local legend.
Sleep in a school bus near Tilarán
Santos Skoolie is three converted school buses in Tierras Morenas, a district of Tilarán. It's a 10-minute detour off Route 142: turn uphill onto Route 927, drive 5 to 8 minutes, and our gate is on the left. Lake Arenal is 20 minutes away.
It works as a base for the lake, or as the night that splits the Liberia to La Fortuna drive in two. Self check-in starts at 2:00 PM.
Three school buses, each rebuilt by hand in the woodshop beside the parking area:
The biggest deck, sleeps 3, dogs welcome, the lowest price.
A private pool facing the best sunset line, for two.
The roomiest interior, its own pool over the valley, for two.
The road is paved to the door, and there's parking on site.
See the busesQuestions people ask
- Where is Tilarán?
- In Guanacaste province, in the hills above the west end of Lake Arenal, on Route 142 between Cañas and La Fortuna.
- Is Tilarán worth visiting?
- As a stop, yes: fuel, lunch and a walk around the park. To stay the night, our three school buses are 20 minutes from Lake Arenal, in Tierras Morenas.
- How high is Tilarán?
- 564 m (1,850 ft) above sea level, which makes it cooler and windier than the Guanacaste lowlands.
- Is the road to Tilarán paved?
- Yes. Route 142 is paved from Cañas up to Tilarán and on around the lake to La Fortuna. A regular car can do it, but we always recommend a 4x4: more freedom, and you get there faster.
- How far is Tilarán from Lake Arenal?
- The lake's western shore is a few kilometres downhill from town, a short drive.