The quick answer
Costa Rica is small and slow. Mountain roads, single carriageways, weather and traffic mean a journey of a hundred kilometers can take three or four hours, and the map will not tell you that. Plan fewer moves than you think you can manage, and treat travel days as part of the trip rather than as gaps between it.
The options, honestly compared
Public buses
Extensive, very cheap, and used by everyone. They reach far more of the country than any tourist service and they are the way to travel if you have time and some Spanish. The trade-offs are real: routes are indirect, schedules are not always published in a form a visitor can find, luggage space is limited, and some services require a change in San José.
Tourist shuttles
Shared minibuses running the routes visitors actually want, door to door between hotels. More expensive than the bus and far cheaper than a private transfer, and the sensible default for most first trips. Book ahead in the dry season.
Rental car
The best way to see the country if you are comfortable driving here, and a genuine source of difficulty if you are not. Points that catch people out:
- Mandatory third-party liability insurance is required by law and is charged separately from the headline rental rate, so quoted prices and final prices differ substantially. Ask what the total includes before you book.
- A four-wheel drive is genuinely necessary for some routes and some seasons, not an upsell. Monteverde, the Osa Peninsula, Nicoya’s coastal roads and much of the Caribbean south are the usual examples.
- Some routes involve unbridged river crossings. If you have not done one before, do not start in a rental car in the wet season.
- Do not drive at night outside the main corridors. Roads are unlit, unfenced, frequently have no shoulder, and are shared with pedestrians, cyclists and animals. This is the single most repeated piece of advice about driving here and it is worth taking literally.
- Signage is sparse and satellite navigation regularly proposes a route that is a track. Cross check with a paper map or with your hotel.
Domestic flights
Small aircraft connect San José with the Osa Peninsula, the south Pacific, Tortuguero, Tamarindo and other points, and they turn an eight-hour drive into forty minutes. Baggage allowances are strict and low, aircraft are small, and flights are weather-dependent. For the Osa in particular, the flight is often the difference between a workable itinerary and a wasted day.
Boats
Some of the best of Costa Rica has no road at all. Tortuguero is reached by boat through the canals, which is the reason to go rather than a chore. Parts of the Osa coast, the Nicoya crossing by ferry from Puntarenas, and various river routes are the same. Build the boat leg into the plan properly, and keep electronics in a dry bag.
Taxis and ride-hailing
Official taxis are red with a yellow triangle, and airport taxis are orange. Insist on the meter, the maría, or agree the fare before you set off. Ride-hailing apps operate and are widely used, and their legal position has been contested for years, which occasionally shows up as friction at airports.
Arriving
Most visitors arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport near Alajuela, which serves San José, or at Daniel Oduber Quirós in Liberia, which is much closer to the Guanacaste beaches. Choosing the right one of those two can save an entire day of driving, so decide the route before you book the flight rather than after.
Planning with LABUSA Travel
We build itineraries around real journey times rather than distances, and we will tell you when a short flight or a boat is worth more than the money it costs.
Sources
- Instituto Costarricense de Turismo: the national tourism board, including official entry guidance and protected-area visitor information. Accessed 11 August 2026.
- AERIS, Juan Santamaría International Airport: the operator of the main international airport, including terminal services and assistance for passengers with reduced mobility. Accessed 11 August 2026.
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Costa Rica travel advice, including safety, local laws and entry requirements. Accessed 11 August 2026.
- SINAC, Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación: the national protected-area system, which sets opening arrangements, capacity limits and access rules for every national park. Accessed 11 August 2026.