When planning your Costa Rica vacation, how you are going to get from place to place can be a stressful aspect to plan. Transportation in Costa Rica is generally pretty easy to figure out, but some options are better than others. The type you choose can make or break your holiday. Luckily My Costa Rica is here to help! We have provided information on transportation service, including private transfer, shared shuttle, car rental and charter flights.
Costa Rica is a wild animal when it comes to types of transportation, especially driving. People aren’t always the most courteous drivers but they can also be the most helpful in emergency situations. By far the best form of Transportation in Costa Rica is flying with any of the domestic flight services. Booking a domestic flight can potentially save you time, let you see Costa Rica destinations from above and take away the stress the comes along with ground transportation.
One form of transportation that is widely used is Costa Rica Public Transportation. For example, Busses, Taxi, Ferry’s, and Uber. Public transportation is widely used throughout the country. Most Ticos it because it is the least expensive and very convenient. Uber has taken off, people love the convenience, safety and affordability of the app. It is currently only available in the Central Valley. You can also take public buses and official taxis.
Public transportation is a good way to get around the country if you are traveling on a budget. Public buses go to every major tourist destination. Keep in mind that you might have to take multiple buses and they won’t all be air conditioned. You might also find yourself crowded in with a few too many passengers. Bus drivers will occasionally let people stand and sit in the aisles. Generally speaking though, the public buses are clean and comfortable.
Safety note–if you are taking taxis, make sure they are the official red taxis with the yellow triangle on the side. Double check that the taxi driver starts the meter (the “maria”) and pay attention to where you are going.
If you do any driving in Costa Rica, you will almost certainly do some traveling on the Pan-American Highway. This is the main artery of Costa Rican travel and is heavily used. The road is winding and somewhat dangerous in parts. However, the main highways are constantly improving in quality and in general are not unpleasant to drive. The roads to the more famous beaches and popular destinations are well kept, but there can be large potholes you should watch out for.
Roads to more remote locations (Osa Peninsula, Drake Bay, Dominical, Monteverde) can be the poor shape and in some cases may require four-wheel drive vehicle. Driving times can vary widely depending on traffic and road conditions. Also, the drives to Puntarenas, Jaco, Quepos, Playas del Coco and Puerto Viejo from San Jose are, in our opinion, among the most pleasant and easiest to manage.
It is tough to estimate accurate driving times as road conditions, traffic, time of day, and weather greatly affect how long it can take. The roads to popular tourist destinations tend to have a lot of traffic, especially on the weekends. These are very rough estimates. Also, typically one can average around 65-75 kilometers per hour on highways and 30-50 km on side roads. Be careful to allow yourself enough time between destinations. Transportation in Costa Rica is much more fun if you are not in a hurry.
1.San Jose to Manuel Antonio: 3.75 hours
2.San Jose to Arenal: 4 hours
3.San Jose to Tamarindo: 5 hours
4.San Jose to Puerto Viejo: 3.75 hours
5.San Jose to Monteverde: 5 hours
6.San Jose to Jaco: 2 hours
7.San Jose to Golfito: 8 hours
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