PLAYA SAMARA: TRANSPORTATION

General

Samara is:
- 40 minutes by plane from San Jose
Daily flights by Sansa and Travelair

- 4 1/2 hours by car from San Jose International Airport Juan Santamaria

- 2 hours by car from Liberia International Airport

- 5 hours by bus from San Jose

Air

Both Sansa and Travelair airlines fly daily between San Jose and the Samara / Carrillo airport.

Sansa flies between San Jose's Juan Santa Maria Airport and Sámara/Carrillo every day.

Sansa (tel. +506 221-9414; www.flysansa.com) has begun offering an in-country "air pass," at $199 for 1 week and $249 for 2 weeks. Theoretically these allow for unlimited flights inside Costa Rica, although limited seating, overbooking, and preference given to full-price ticket buyers might make these air passes a slightly less appealing bargain.

Infants from 0 to 2 years old - Free of charge
Children from 2 to 12 years old - 25% discount

Equipment / Equipo
Cessna Grand Caravan 208 B Aircraft.
Approved by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Reservations & Ticketing -
Tel: (506) 221-9414 - Fax: (506) 255-2176 - reservations@flysansa.com

Online Reservations and Ticket Purchase
www.flysansa.com

Sansa is associated with Costa Rica's national airline, Lacsa, which is now part of Grupo Taca.

Travelair flies to Sámara/Carrillo every day from San Jose's Pavas Airport (4 miles from San Jose and 9 miles from Juan Santamaria airport).

Round trip airfare is US$ 129 - One Way is US$ 79.

Pavas airport is served by taxi and bus service. Travelair's flight leaves from San Jose at 12:30. p.m. Children up to 2 years old sitting and sitting in their parent's lap travel free of charge. Children 2 to 11 years old pay 50% of the fare. Children 12 or more pay the full amount.

Due to changing weather conditions, and therefore flight schedules, both Sansa and Travelair recommend you do not schedule your domestic flight from Sámara to San Jose on the same day as your departing international flight from San Jose.

Bus

A bus leaves daily from San Jose at 12:30 p.m. and 6:15 pm from the Alfaro bus station which is 150 meters northwest from the Coca Cola station. The cost of a one-way ticket is about Colones 2,500 (about US$7.) per person, and the trip takes about 5 hours. We advise you to buy bus tickets one day in advance. Click here for more information on Alfaro bus schedules and info.

Interbus - Tel. (506) 283-5573 - Fax (506) 283-7655 and Fantasy Bus - Tel. (506) 232-3681 - 220-2126 offer a comfortable transportation network all over the country by bus. From Samara, it is possible to reach directly Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Jaco, Playa Hermosa and San Jose. You can find routes and rates on their web-site.

Car

From San Jose:

Sámara is about a 4 and half hours drive from San Jose downtown.

From San Jose follow the Interamericana Highway North, until the turnoff for the Tempisque Bridge - Puente de la Amistad. After crossing the Gulf of Nicoya, drive directly to Nicoya and from there turn south to Samara.

From Liberia:

Sámara is about a 2 hours drive from Liberia International Airport.

From Liberia, drive directly to Nicoya and from there turn south to Samara.

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.

Spanish Abroad, Inc. 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.