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Transportation-Bus
Schedules link |
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Costa Rica offers many options on how to get
around the country. The most popular by far
is the public bus, however, more and more
tourists are experimenting with other
options. For example, you could rent a car
for a day or for weeks, making it easier to
see more of Costa Rica’s beauty in less time
and granting the freedom of stopping along
the way when you see something that you
like. Or, you could travel from the top of
the country to the bottom of the country in
about an hour with flights available from
Alajuela or Pavas. Flights are offered to
many different locations in the country,
making longer trips easier, and allowing you
to spend the day at the beach or tromping
around rain forest instead of being in a
bus. And, becoming even more popular, is
choosing to take a taxi for the longer
rides, therefore, making trips a bit
shorter by not stopping to pick up customers, without having to commit to a
rental car. This option is becoming
increasingly more popular with families as
it relieves the stress of having to change
buses, haul luggage and children, and not
being able to stop to use the bathroom when
needed. This option is pricier than the bus,
of course, but much less when considering
buying plane tickets for 4 family members.
Here is some information to help you make
the choices that best fit into your travel
plans. Safe Travels! |
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Taxis: |
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As I am sure that you have already heard,
taxis are abundant in Costa Rica. All
official taxis are painted red, have a
yellow triangle painted on the side, and
contain a meter. I have not heard of many
taxi scams here in Costa Rica, but they are
known to happen every once in a while. To
avoid any hassles with your taxi driver,
either agree on a price before entering the
cab or be sure that the meter is started
once the trip begins. All taxis have a base
fee, so that will be the first number that
appears. Make sure to have you and all of
your bags out of the taxi before you pay,
and be sure not to slam the door when
getting out of the drivers car; gringos have
a reputation for being too rough with the
car doors. |
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The Local Bus: |
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You will find that public transportation in
Costa Rica is surprisingly efficient and
comfortable. You can travel to anywhere in
the country for less than $20 and in under 9
hours from San Jose. One of the great
resources that you can use while traveling
by public bus in Costa Rica is the
Hop on the Bus
guide. It is locally published and provides
information about a plethora of routes
within the country. Among the information
provided, you will find departure and
arrival times, cost of the trip, location of
the bus station, and sometimes even the phone
number of the station. Note, that
although this pamphlet is the most up to
date information circulating, there are
sometimes changes within the schedule or
fare that we cannot account for. If you
should have any question about a fare
change, be aware that all local buses should
have their fare posted on the window so that
you can verify as you enter the bus. If you
should have a question as to where your stop
is, please ask the driver to inform you when
you have reached your destination. |
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International Buses: |
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International travel, by way of bus, is a
very popular means of seeing Central
America. The routes are very established,
often leaving daily, and are inexpensive in
comparison to traveling by plane. If you are
looking to venture outside of Costa Rica,
here are a few suggestions of transporters
to use. |
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Tica
Bus:
Travels to Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador,
Honduras, and Mexico. These
buses are air-conditioned, have reclining
seats, a restroom on board, and promises to
entertain you with movies or local news.
Tica Bus provides a very comfortable ride
from San Jose to any of its
destinations. For
updated prices and schedules for
Tica routes-Click here
If
you are going to travel by Tica Bus, you
will need to purchase your ticket at least 1
day in advance, suggested 3-4 days in
advanced, you may also purchase your ticket
weeks in advance should you want or need to.
In order to purchase your ticket, you will
need to go to the station in San Jose, have
your passport in hand, and will be able to
pay in Colones or dollars.
Located: North corner of the Iglesia la
Soledad, Calle 9/11, Avenida 4
Telephone: 2221-8954 or 2255-4771 |
TransNica Bus:
Travels from San Jose to
Managua three times per day. It offers
reclining seats, air-conditioning, and
onboard restroom. The Executive Bus Offers
reclining seats, air-conditioning, TV,
videos, music, stewardess and VIP service.
Prices
One Way from San Jose: Regular $10/Executive
$20 2256-9072 |
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Flights |
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Although buses are an
excellent choice for travel in Costa Rica,
sometimes there just isn’t enough time to
visit your top 10 priorities when there are
hours between locations. In this case, a
quick flight to Tortuguero or to Golfito can
greatly reduce travel time, therefore
increasing sightseeing time. |
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Sansa:
Sansa is part of the Taca Group and provides
affordable
flights
within Costa Rica. To check out their
destinations, rates, and flight times, you
can find them at
www.flysansa.com or call
reservations at 2221-9414. |
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Nature Air/Travel Air:
This Airline provides flights within Costa
Rica and
flights to Nicaragua as well. They provide
daily flights to Tortuguero, Bahia Drake,
Nosara, and various other routes. To find
their routes and prices, please log onto
www.natureair.com or call
2220-3054. |
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Taca Airlines:
Travels within Costa Rica, widely throughout
Central America,
and to various locations in North America.
Their schedules and rates can also be found
online at www.grupotaca.com or call. |
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Rent A Car |
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Rental cars can make life so much easier
when traveling with a family or when
covering long distances in short amounts of
time. It can actually be an inexpensive form
of travel when a group of travelers share
the expense. At this point in time we choose
to work Mapache Rent A Car. We have found
that their customer service has been
excellent, they provide a safe and up to
date fleet, and wonderful insurance
coverage. If you decide that car rental is the
option for you, please contact the Otiac front
desk for more details and we will
have a car delivered here to you in Orosi on
the specified date. |
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Private Transport |
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There are many companies that offer private
transport from one location to another
within Costa Rica, and even some that will
transport travelers to Nicaragua. This is a
nice option if you are looking for a quicker
ride than the bus, but don’t want to take a
small plane or commit to a car rental.
Prices and minimum amount of passengers vary
according to the company, so you will need
to call them for their individual prices.
Shared private bus system-Inter bus
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Ferry |
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You wont encounter many ferries in Costa
Rica, but should you be traveling to the
Nicoya Peninsula or the Osa Peninsula, it
will be one travel option that you may
take. |
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Puntarenas-Paquera: Should you want to head
out to Montezuma or Mal Pais, this is
the ferry for you. Ferry departs daily at:
6:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm, and 6:30pm. The
ride costs and can take anywhere from 1-2
hours. |
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Train |
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One fun option for travel is to take the
antique train from San Jose to Puntarenas.
The train takes about 4 hours, much more
time than the bus, but it provides you with
a different view on the way to the coast.
Additionally, you get a taste of a Tico
outing: food, family, and fun. Food vendors
are available throughout the entire trip
providing coffee, soft drinks, juices,
breads, tortas, chicken, the works…so make
sure not to eat before the early morning
departure. And be prepared to sing along
when the entertainment makes its way through
your car. For more information please call
2248-1196 |
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FAQ's-Transport in Costa Rica |
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From
information above what do you suggest, I'm a
single traveler? |
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The local buses are the best and cheapest
way to get around but they do mean that you
almost always must travel into San Jose to
catch a direct buses to your destination.
Although there are bus routes to everywhere it is
actually better to run your trips through San José, as
taking indirect buses through every small town stopping
every 100 meters and as many local
buses do not have coordinated connecting time which
means waiting for sometimes up to 2/3 hours for each
local connection, makes a short trip stressful.
Eg.:
Orosi-Cahuita:
Orosi to San Jose and down with direct bus or Orosi
to Paraiso, Paraiso to Turrialba, Turrialba to Siquires,
Siquires to Cahuita. It can be done but
will take double the time!
When in High season November to April be
sure to buy or reserve your ticket in advance if
travelling to popular tourist destinations. For
travels times see link
above or the link area for more details. |
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Is renting a
car worth it? |
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Car rental can be done but
they are fairly expensive especially around
high season November to April. Driving will
not make your trip that much faster as
driving in the mountains can only go so
fast. You'll find the best thing about car
rental in Costa Rica is that you can stop
and eat, drink and enjoy the beautiful view
whenever you like and you don't have to be
changing buses with a bunch of luggage.
Why not get a group together and share a
rental car for a week or so to see the
harder to reach sites in Costa Rica. |
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How quickly can I
organize a trip with a local driver? |
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Transport can be organized for what ever
trips you would like to take. It can be
usually be organized
within 1-2 days notice upon arrival in Costa
Rica. Taxi
prices are all based upon where it is that
you are going, what the terrain is and how
long the driver will have to wait for you.
In general they are not very expensive and
even cheaper if you can find other people to
share the cost with. |
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