Travel and Tourism Information

Travel - International

AIR

The national airline is Taca International Airlines (TA) (website: www.taca.com) (an amalgamation of the airlines Aviateca, Lacsa, Nica and Taca). Taca International flies direct to Costa Rica from nine major cities in the United States - including Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Mexico and other destinations in Central and South America. It has the only scheduled flight between Cuba and North America. The Visit Central America Pass is available from Grupo Taca and is an economical way to travel to Costa Rica from the USA and from Costa Rica to other Central American countries.

International Airports

Juan Santamaría (SJO) is 23km (14 miles) northwest of the city. To/from the airport: Coaches depart every 20 minutes (0500-2400); return pickups stop at various hotels. Buses depart to the city every 15 minutes (travel time – 20 minutes). Some hotels have shuttle services to the airport; these are 24 hours and free of charge. Taxis are also available to the city (travel time - 15 minutes). The airport in Liberia has been upgraded and may be used for some international flights.

SEA

The Main ports: Puntarenas and Caldera are the two main ports in the Costa Rican Pacific coast. Since December 2004, Puerto Limón has been redeveloped to receive two cruise ships at once.

ROAD

The Inter-American Highway runs through Costa Rica from La Cruz on the Nicaraguan border through San José to Progreso on the Panamanian border.

Travel - Internal

AIR

SANSA (website: www.flysansa.com), a national airline, operates services between San José and provincial towns and villages. A bus is provided from the airline offices in San José to the airport. A number of smaller airlines also provide internal flights, such as Nature Air (website: www.natureair.net).

RAIL

There is a train tour that goes from San José to Caldera. For more information and reservations, call 233 3300.

ROAD

The standard of the roads is generally very good. There are 35,583km (22,110 miles) of all-weather highways including 663km (412 miles) of the Inter-American Highway and highways linking San José with the other principal towns. Traffic drives on the right. Bus: Regular and inexpensive services to most towns, but buses are often crowded so pre-booking is advisable. Costa Rica offers a wide variety of sightseeing tours. Most tour companies feature bilingual guides and round-trip transportation from hotels. For full details, contact the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (see Top Things To Do). Taxi: Numerous and inexpensive in San José. The taxis are coloured red (except those serving the Juan Santamaría International Airport, which are orange). Taxis are usually metered. Car hire: Major car hire companies as well as local firms have offices in San José. Distances are measured in kilometres. A speed limit of 88kph (55mph) is enforced on most highways. Documentation: Drivers must have a national licence or International Driving Permit.

URBAN

San Jose has privately run bus services, charging fares on a two-zone system.

Resorts & Excursions

Costa Rica is the Central American state forming the land-bridge between North and South America and it has a surprising diversity of terrain (see General section). In the cities and towns, the country's Spanish heritage provides the main features of interest. Elsewhere, Costa Rica's national parks are its greatest glory.

SAN JOSÉ: The capital was founded in 1737 and is a pleasant mixture of traditional and modern Spanish architecture. Places of interest include the Teatro Nacional, the Palacio Nacional (where the legislative assembly meets), and the Parque Central, east of which is the Cathedral. The National Museum and the Museum of Gold are also worth a visit. There are a number of other parks in the city, including the Parque Nacional, the Parque Bolivar and the Parque Morazan.

Excursions: San José is a good centre for excursions into the beautiful Meseta Central region. The nearby town of Cartago was founded in 1563, but there are no old buildings as earthquakes destroyed the town in 1841 and 1910. However, some of the reconstruction was in the colonial style. Excursions can be made from here to the crater of Irazú and to the beautiful valley of Orosi, with its colonial church.

CARIBBEAN COAST: There are a number of beaches, ports and towns worth visiting. The biggest is Puerto Limón; others include Guapiles, Tortuguero, Barra Del Colorado, Cahuita and Puerto Viejo.

PACIFIC COAST: Costa Rica's principal Pacific port for freight is Puntarenas. The beaches around it are rather poor, although San Lucas Island, just off the port, has magnificent beaches. Another island worth a visit is Isla Del Coco where a great hoard of treasure is supposed to have been buried by pirates. Puerto Caldera, a few miles south of Puntarenas, has recently become the country's premier port of call for cruise liners. Quepos, Nicoya, Liberia and Samara are the region's other major towns. There are beautiful beaches in the Guanacaste area, near Quepos in the Central Pacific and near Golfito in the South

National Parks

Well kept and well guarded national parks and nature reserves cover nearly 26 per cent of the country's territory. Information and permits can be obtained from: Fundación de Parques Nacionales, 300 Metros Norte 1705 Este, De Iglesia Santa Teresita, San José (tel: 257 2239; fax: 222 4732).

In addition to the following, Manuel Antonio National Park and the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge are worth a visit, and many of the tiny islands in the Gulf of Nicoya, near Puntarenas, are 'biological protection areas'.

Braulio Carrillo National Park: Located in the central region of the country just 23km (14 miles) north of San José. It has five kinds of forest, some with characteristic rainforest vegetation. Orchids and ferns, jaguars, ocelots and the Baird tapir may be seen here. There are trails through the park and many lookouts.

Poás Volcano National Park: As the name suggests, this park contains the smouldering Poás Volcano. It contains the only dwarf cloudforest in Costa Rica. The crater of the volcano is 1.5km (1-mile) wide and contains a hot-water lake which changes colour from turquoise to green to grey. Access is possible by road.

Tortuguero National Park: This park protects the Atlantic green turtle egg-laying grounds; it is in an area of great ecological diversity. Its network of canals and lagoons serves as waterways for transportation and exploration. There are camping facilities and lodges.

Santa Rosa National Park: The last large stand of tropical dry forest in Central America can be found here. There are ten habitats including extensive savannahs and deciduous and non-deciduous forests. In addition to its abundant wildlife, recreational facilities are provided on some of the beaches.

Corcovado National Park: The virgin rainforest in this park contains many endangered species. It has the largest tree in Costa Rica, a ceibo which is 70m (230ft) high. Additionally there is Cano Island Biological Reserve, a bird sanctuary.

Cahuita National Park: This park protects the only coral reef on Costa Rica's Carribbean coastline. Its other attractions include howler and white-faced monkeys, racoons and 500 species of fish.

Chirripó National Park: The centrepiece here is Costa Rica's highest mountain. Most notably the park is home to the quetzal, said to be Latin America's most beautiful bird.