Moving around in Costa Rica

By land

Costa Rica is a very small country. From the center of the territory, any point of the country can be reached in about five hours. The road network is extensive and complete, although maintenance is somewhat precarious and signaling is almost non-existent.

Busses

Bus transportation system is cheap and efficient, reaching destinations all around the country. Although some busses might be old, transport conditions are definitely better than in other Central American countries.

Most routes have San José as departure or destination point, although several bus terminals exist in the city, which an make a bit difficult to find the right one.



Taxis

Taxis are painted in red and must carry a yellow licence plate with the shape of a triangle painted on the side. They also should carry and use the taximeter, here known as maría, but they try to avoid using it when the customer is a tourist.

You will have to insist on using it, although it is compulsory for city trips (but not outside of the city, where the price must be agreed previously).

There are also unlicensed taxis, allegedly cheaper, although one must know well the fares before negotiating the price.

Driving around in Costa Rica

There are many rent-a-car companies such as EuropCar, Ada and Economy, at reasonable rates. You can drive with your country’s driving license during all your authorized stay in the country. If you are a resident, though, you must obtain a local license.

However, the real problem for non-native drivers are the local driving habits, quite anarchic, coupled with the lack of signaling and the poor state of the roads.

In case of accident wait for the transit police, no matter for how long you have to wait. And remember in case of being fined that local transit officers must not accept or receive any money, but they must give you your notification ticket instead.

Domestic flights

Costa Rica is a tiny country and can be crossed from one end to the other in just a few hours. However, comfort ant time savings might make interesting the possibility of taking a domestic flight.

Main local companies that fly between Costa Rican cities are: Sansa, domestic branch of the TACA group, which flies from the Juan Santamaría International Airport, and Nature Air , which flies from the Tobías Bolaños airport in Pavas, near San José.

Other companies such as Aero Bell, Helisa, Tropical, Pitts Aviation and Aero Costa Sol have fleets of small planes and helicopters which can be hired for trips or transportation.
As an example, a flight from San José to a resort in the Pacific coast might cost about $150 per person for non-residentes (Costa Rican citizens and legal residents pay less). The same trip by bus would cost only a few dollars, but it would be about five hours long.