International Flight information
 U.S.
carriers include American, United, Continental and Delta Airlines.
LACSA is the official Costa Rican carrier. LTU, MartinAir, Mexicana,
Taca, Iberia are among the international air carriers that have
Costa Rica as a destination. Major U.S. cities with direct flights
to Costa Rica include Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Orlando,
New Orleans, Atlanta and others.
There are two main local
air carriers in Costa Rica, both with several years of experience
and a wide range of destinations and flights.
On the Ground
 There
is an astronomical tax in place for buying cars and most Costa
Ricans can’t afford them anyway; thus, the public transportation
system in Costa Rica is fairly advanced, much used and affordable.
A general understanding of the machinations involved will serve
you because the transportation system is so different from the
one in North America or Europe.
Buses
If you are traveling from San José
to another province, you’ll be surprised at the efficiency
and the excellent condition of the buses. They leave often and,
for example, it will cost about US$ 5 to go the border with Panama
or with Nicaragua. Buses within the province tend to be a bit
rickety and, at times, packed like a sardine can. Nevertheless,
they get you there and most are under 20 US cents.
Some helpful hints:
-
Exact change is
not required.
-
Pay when getting on the bus (except for
when going out of the Central Valley where, in some cases,
you buy your ticket at least a day ahead).
-
If the buzzer does not work, whistle or
yell “ La parada” at least 50meters before your
stop.
-
You can stow your luggage (including surfboards)
in the bus storage compartments when going outside of the
Central Valley.
-
Buses start running very early, sometimes
at 4:30 a.m., and stop between ten and eleven at night.
Taxis
Officially, there are two types of taxis
in Costa Rica: orange and red colored. The orange type are airport
taxis and can be solicited by phone or hailed at the airport.
They have a set price of about US$ 13 to go to and from the airport.
The usual taxi you would use is red colored, has a little sign
on top and uses a meter, a.k.a. “maría”. If
the taxi does not fit this description, it is not legal. Beware!.
Ask the driver to put on the “maría” before
entering the cab; if there is not one or he says it is broken,
be sure to agree on a price before getting on. After 10:00 p.m.
there is an extra 20% on the fare. It is usually not more than
250 colones to go across San José in a taxi.
Road Conditions
The maintenance of the roads is somewhat
lacking compared to the smooth surfaces of countries such as Canada
or Germany. Even though Costa Rica’s road conditions are
some of the best in Latin America, be prepared for a bumpy or
dusty ride sometimes.
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