For many of the international locations in Central America, there’s one airport that each worldwide traveler flies into, fanning out from there to numerous locations throughout the vacation spot. That’s not true for the preferred nation although. You’ll be able to fly into two Costa Rica Airports: one within the capital of San Jose and one up north in Liberia.
This may make an enormous distinction in your trip plans should you’re headed to one of many many luxurious Costa Rica resorts which are dotted across the Guanacaste area and the Nicoya Peninsula. Certain, you will get to these spots from San Jose since Costa Rica is just not an enormous nation, nevertheless it’s going to means hours extra in a automobile or van after you’ve already flown a couple of hours in a airplane.
There are good causes to fly into San Jose for different elements of the nation although, both as a result of they’re nearer to the capital or since you’re going to wish one other flight to get to the place you’re going, akin to to the Osa Peninsula within the south.
Here’s a rundown on the Costa Rica airports with which airways fly into them and the place you’ll be able to go after touchdown.
Flying into Liberia Airport, North Costa Rica
I’ve flown out and in of Liberia a number of occasions now and it has at all times been a simple, hassle-free expertise. The precise identify is Daniel Oduber Quiros Worldwide Airport, in honor of a former president who pushed for it an supported growth of the area for vacationers. Keep in mind, there’s a nation named Liberia so be sure you don’t ebook a flight to Africa by mistake! (The worth will in all probability give it away anyway.) The image is LIR.
Liberia is the capital of Guanacaste province and is round 200 kilometers (124 miles) from San Jose. From this airport you solely should journey round 30-40 minutes to get to the 4 Seasons Costa Rica, for instance, on good roads. It’s a shade much less to the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo. In the event you flew into San Jose although, you’d have a three-hour drive in entrance of you earlier than you bought your welcome drink at check-in.
You’re additionally solely about an hour and a half from Cala Luna Lodge, W Costa Rica, and Tamarindo Seashore. You’d fly into right here to move to surf seashores within the Nicoya Peninsula or to remain on the low-key Florblanca Resort.
It’s value noting that Liberia Airport has one different redeeming high quality you would possibly wish to try earlier than returning out of your trip: a close-by brewpub. As we highlighted in our article about craft beer in Central America, Numu Brewing is simply throughout the street from the runways. There’s just one restaurant on the airport, plus a number of the terminal is just not air-conditioned, so it’s not a spot the place you wish to present up too early on your flight and simply grasp round except you might have Precedence Move or one other technique to get into the one lounge there.
Who Flies to Liberia Airport?
As this text was going up, there have been 18 direct flights to Liberia Airport, plus a pair extra from Canada which are seasonal. That features three from Europe: from Amsterdam on KLM, from Zurich on Edelweiss, and a constitution flight run by TUI from London.
A complete of 4 Canadian airways fly from Calgary, Montreal, and totally different Toronto area airports.
All the large U.S. carriers fly to Liberia from at the least one in all their hubs, so you will get there on United, Delta, American, and Southwest. It doesn’t cease there although. At the least one or two days per week from totally different cities you might have choices on JetBlue, Alaska Air, and Frontier. Simply perceive that a few of these solely run within the excessive season, so that you may need fewer choices through the wet season when most North American households have faculty break holidays. Test out of your airport right here.
San Jose Airport, Costa Rica
San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica, however after all there’s multiple “Saint Joseph” metropolis on the market, so be sure you’re looking for this one while you go to Kayak or Skyscanner. The official identify is Juan Santamaría Worldwide Airport and the airport image is SJO.
San Jose Worldwide Airport is just not actually in San Jose itself. It’s nearer to the city of Alajuela, within the province of the identical identify. So in case you have an early flight, you’re really higher off staying at an airport lodge or taking an enormous step as much as Xandari Resort, a creative lodge with a view. The airport is effectively above the center level of Costa Rica, a lot nearer to Nicaragua than Panama.
By street, it’s pretty simple to get to a number of the biggest hits of Costa Rica. On the southern coast it’s a straight shot out on highways to achieve Jaco, Quepos, Manuel Antonia Nationwide Park, and finally Uvita. That final one is the house of some wonderful small accommodations perched on the hillside: Rancho Pacifico and Kura Boutique Lodge. Heading north, you’ll be able to attain the Monteverde Cloudforest and the journey playground of Fortuna/Arenal Volcano. Within the latter you’ll discover a number of the nation’s greatest inland luxurious resorts, akin to Nayara Springs.
To achieve extra far-flung areas, you’ll must take a home prop airplane flight and this presents an entire host of issues. To begin with, these are small planes that may get crammed up simply, so ebook effectively forward should you’re not on a Costa Rica tour the place another person is dealing with these particulars. Second, they’ve baggage and weight restrictions, so that you’ll must pack lighter than you could have needed. Final, these Costa Rican home airways have a tendency to return and go together with alarming frequency, so that you’ll should dig round to see who’s serving which locations.
The biggest and longest-established home provider is Sansa, which covers probably the most far-flung areas you’d wish to get to. You’ll be able to even go worldwide with them, flying to Bocas del Toro in Panama. I can’t promise that this map is right (particularly contemplating the place they positioned Managua), nevertheless it’s straight off their web site:
One huge trouble of home flights is gone now although: the necessity to journey to a unique airport. The home terminal for Costa Rica is now subsequent to the worldwide terminal, so that you don’t should make a journey out of it after touchdown.
The San Jose Worldwide terminal, in the meantime, is a contemporary facility that’s much-improved from once I first visited the nation and it took an hour and a half simply to get by way of immigration, in a sizzling hall with no amenities. I’ve had hit-and-miss expertise with the WiFi, however there are a number of locations to eat and drink and you’ve got three VIP lounge choices by the departure gates. Not one of the three are affiliated with any specific airline, however you will get into each VIP Lounge Costa Rica and VIP Santamaria with a Precedence Move membership.
Flying into Costa Rica: San Jose Worldwide Airport
In peak occasions there are 38 locations served by the most important of the Costa Rica airports, not counting all the numerous others you will get to with a cease or two.
The official airport web site lists 23 worldwide and three home airways flying into Juan Santamaría Worldwide Airport (SJO). The worldwide ones embody main carriers from the USA and Canada plus Spirit, JetBlue, Alaska, and Frontier. Aeromexico and Volaris fly from Mexico, then there are a couple of giant and small from South America. European carriers flying to Costa Rica embody Air France, Arajet, British Airways, Condor, Edelweiss, and Iberia, and Lufthansa.
As with Liberia, many of those flights are direct from the provider’s hub metropolis or cities, however perceive that they don’t all run all yr. Those that do maintain flying through the low season will usually cut back the variety of days per week (or month) that they fly the route so as to alter to decrease demand. So it may possibly generally be cheaper to fly to Costa Rica within the excessive season of December by way of April than it is going to be when it’s pouring rain day-after-day in some places.
Search flights right here to see costs out of your airport to both of the Costa Rica airports:
