Hello DearmanCostaRica!

Thank you so much for the very kind compliment! I’m glad you’re enjoying DIY Costa Rica, and that you found our Destination Tool to be helpful. 🙂

Upon first glance, your Tortuguero -> Arenal -> Monteverde itinerary looks great! Lots of nature and wildlife packed into that itinerary, which is likely what you’re looking to get out of Costa Rica following your beach-filled trip to the Caribbean.

To answer your questions:

-Yes! If you will fly in during the evening, it would be best to plan to get to Tortuguero the following day. Exploradores Outdoors provides a shuttle service from San Jose to Tortuguero (which includes ground and boat transportation) in case you don’t yet have a way to get to Tortuguero. They also provide a shuttle service from Tortuguero to Arenal.

-For a visit to Tortuga Island, there are a few ways to experience this island from different starting points, but since you mentioned you’ll be coming from Monteverde and will likely be continuing on to San Jose afterward, you’d be best to do this tour (as you suspected) from Puntarenas. In this case, I’d check out Calypso Cruises, which runs the tour direct from Puntarenas.

-For transportation between Arenal and Monteverde, you can either take a shuttle or private transfer service around Lake Arenal, or a combined ground and boat transfer service that cuts across the lake. Desafio Adventure Company and Ride Costa Rica are well-known operators of the latter. They can also provide shuttles and private transfer services around the lake if you’d prefer that option.

Pura vida! 🙂