Transportation

International Flight information

A variety of international carries from around the world fly into Costa Rica on a regular basis. Some of the major carriers include Iberia, American, Delta, Continental, KLM, and Mexicana to name a few. LACSA used to be the national carrier but a few years ago merged with other regional airlines to form TACA. TACA also serves a variety of international routes. Check with your travel agent for the best fares.

Within Costa Rica there are two major local carriers. Check the links below to find out about their routes and costs.

• SANSA
• Travelair

On the Ground

Buses: Traveling in San Jose is fairly simple using the bus system. Once you have learned the names of the various suburbs, you will find that using the bus system is easy and cheap. The typical bus fare ranges from 85-150 Colones (less than $ 0.35). You don’t need exact change on buses, but bills of 5000 won’t be accepted and if you pay with a 1000 colon bill, you may experience bus driver's revenge - a pound of small coins. Throughout the city there are quite a few bus stops and the buses stop frequently, so you won’t have to wait too long to catch a bus. Most buses start running at approximately 5 a.m. and stop at 10 - 11 p.m.

Taxis: Costa Rica has an abundance of taxis and the cost is very inexpensive. During the dry season, you will have less trouble getting a cab. Most Costa Ricans prefer to use the bus system during these months. In the rainy season it becomes much more difficult to get a cab. This means that instead of being able to get a cab right away, you may have to wait several minutes. If you want to have a taxi pick you up at your house it is possible (be prepared to call the taxi company several times). While this option will work, it is much quicker and easier to go out to the nearest busy street and flag a taxi down.

Officially, taxi drivers are required to use their meters. If your driver doesn’t turn the meter on, tell him “la maria por favor”. As long as you use bills of 1000 or less, the taxi drivers should have no problem making change.

Note: after 10pm taxis will add an additional 20% to your fare. This is standard practice.

Road Conditions: Road conditions can be a shock for someone from North America or Europe. Some roads are great, and many are horrible. Holes in the road are common, and during the rainy season can really jolt the car. It is best not to drive over a hole in the rainy season because you never know how deep it is! After a few weeks you will get used to the roads, but the first few days are a real eye opener!

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

A2Z Languages highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.

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