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Getting around in Costa Rica

Getting around in Costa Rica

Taxi: Taxis are numerous and inexpensive in San Jose, serve urban and remote areas and can be taken for short or long journeys, hired by the day, half-day or hour. They are quite useful for remote destinations, such as national parks, where bus services are unavailable. In small villages ask at the local pulpería about taxi services. If the taxi doesn't have a meter, agree the fare before setting off.

Train: Daily train service operates between San José and Caldera, near Puntarenas on the Pacific Coast. Contact the national rail operator INCOFER (tel: +506 233 3300) for more information. The 4-hour journey is operated as a scenic ride. Local rail service (tel: +506 257 6161) connects San José to Pavas in the western suburbs and San Pedro in the eastern.

Plane: Costa Rica has two domestic airlines, SANSA (www.flysansa.com) which operates services between San José and provincial towns and tourist resorts, including Tortuguero, Tamarindo, Quepos and Golfito and Nature Air (www.natureair.net), which is considered to have more reliable service and flies identical routes. Both use a variety of small aircraft carrying up to 35 passengers. In addition to the scheduled airlines, a number small charter flight companies provide internal hops.

Boat: Ferries and water taxis are abundant and inexpensive. Connecting the central Pacific coast with the southern tip of Península de Nicoya across the Golfo de Nicoya are the Coonatramar Ferry (tel: +506 661 1069), linking Puntarenas with Playa Naranjo four times daily, and the Ferry Peninsular (tel: +506 641 0515) traveling between Puntarenas and Vaquero every two hours. On the Golfo Dulce, water taxis travel to/from Playa Zancudo (but not at weekends) and a daily passenger ferry links Golfito with Puerto Jiménez on the Península de Osa. On the opposite side of the Península, water taxis connect Bahía Drake with Sierpe. Between Cariari and Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast, a bus-and-boat service runs several times daily. Canal boats travel from Moín to Tortuguero, although no regular service exists. A daily water taxi connects Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí with Trinidad, Nicaragua, via the Río San Juan. Boat transport for Barra del Colorado can be arranged in any of these towns.

Bus: San José has bus services that charge fares on a two-zone system. Between most towns, there are regular and inexpensive services using modern air-conditioned buses. These are often crowded so pre-booking is advisable. The main bus companies operating scheduled services between key tourist destinations are Interbus (tel: 283 5573; website: www.interbusonline.com) and Grayline Fantasy Bus (tel: 220 1226; website: www.graylinecostarica.com).

Bicycle: Despite dangerous traffic and winding mountain roads, cyclists do get around Coast Rica. Mountain bikes and beach cruisers can be rented in tourist towns.



Rental Car: Car-rental agencies can be found in San José and in the main tourist destinations on the Pacific coast (Tamarindo, Jacó, Quepos and Puerto Jiménez). Drivers must be at least 21 years of age and have a passport and valid driver's license. The Interamericana highway is a good road, but most other roads in Costa Rica are iffy, and prone to floods, landslides and fog. Costa Rica is mountainous and roads are narrow and winding and dangerous. Driving standards are poor and speed limits are not abided by although traffic police try to enforce them (100kph (62mph) or less on primary roads and 60kph (37mph) or less on the rest).

Airports
Costa Rica is well connected by air to other Central and Latin American countries, as well as the US.

Most international airlines fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) (www.alterra.co.cr), outside Alajuela, 23km (14 miles) northwest of San José. Buses depart to San Jose every 15 minutes and take 20 minutes. Some hotels offer shuttle services. Rental cars and taxis are available.

Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR) (www.liberiacostaricaairport.net) is 8 km (5 miles) west of Liberia. Regular buses connect the airport with Liberia, Playas del Coco and other beach resorts. Rental cars are available. Daniel Oduber Quiros has started receiving international flights from the US and it's expected that many international airlines will start to offer flights in/out of this airport, including some flights direct from Europe (eliminating the lay-over in Miami or Dallas).

The national airline is Grupo Taca (TA) (website: www.taca.com), a consortium of five national Central American airlines. Grupo Taca sells the “Visit Central America Pass” which is an economical way to travel to Costa Rica from the USA and around other Central American countries.

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