For a lot 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 most well-liked nation although. You possibly can 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 when you’re headed to one of many many luxurious Costa Rica resorts which might be dotted across the Guanacaste area and the Nicoya Peninsula. Certain, you will get to these spots from San Jose since Costa Rica just isn’t an enormous nation, but it surely’s going to means hours extra in a automotive or van after you’ve already flown a number 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 want one other flight to get to the place you’re going, comparable 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 possibly can 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 to don’t e book 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 must 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. If you happen to 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 Resort, W Costa Rica, and Tamarindo Seashore. You’d fly into right here to go to surf seashores within the Nicoya Peninsula or to remain on the low-key Florblanca Resort.
It’s price noting that Liberia Airport has one different redeeming high quality you may wish to take a look at 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 just isn’t air-conditioned, so it’s not a spot the place you wish to present up too early in your flight and simply dangle round until you will have Precedence Go or one other method 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 might be 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 not less than certainly one of their hubs, so you will get there on United, Delta, American, and Southwest. It doesn’t cease there although. A minimum of one or two days per week from totally different cities you will 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 college 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 to’re looking for this one if you go to Kayak or Skyscanner. The official identify is Juan Santamaría Worldwide Airport and the airport image is SJO.
San Jose Worldwide Airport just isn’t actually in San Jose itself. It’s nearer to the city of Alajuela, within the province of the identical identify. So you probably have an early flight, you’re truly higher off staying at an airport resort or taking an enormous step as much as Xandari Resort, an inventive resort with a view. The airport is properly 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 best hits of Costa Rica. On the southern coast it’s a straight shot out on highways to succeed in 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 Resort. Heading north, you possibly can attain the Monteverde Cloudforest and the journey playground of Fortuna/Arenal Volcano. Within the latter you’ll discover a number of the nation’s finest inland luxurious resorts, comparable to Nayara Springs.
To achieve extra far-flung areas, you’ll have to take a home prop airplane flight and this presents a complete host of problems. Initially, these are small planes that may get stuffed up simply, so e book properly forward when 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 have to pack lighter than you could have needed. Final, these Costa Rican home airways have a tendency to return and go along with alarming frequency, so that you’ll must dig round to see who’s serving which locations.
The most important and longest-established home service is Sansa, which covers essentially the most far-flung areas you’ll wish to get to. You possibly can 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), but it surely’s straight off their web site:
One massive problem of home flights is gone now although: the necessity to journey to a special airport. The home terminal for Costa Rica is now subsequent to the worldwide terminal, so that you don’t must 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 scorching 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 explicit airline, however you will get into each VIP Lounge Costa Rica and VIP Santamaria with a Precedence Go membership.
Flying into Costa Rica: San Jose Worldwide Airport
In peak occasions there are 38 locations served by the biggest 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 number of massive 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 service’s hub metropolis or cities, however perceive that they don’t all run all 12 months. Those that do preserve flying through the low season will usually cut back the variety of days per week (or month) that they fly the route to be able to alter to decrease demand. So it will possibly typically be cheaper to fly to Costa Rica within the excessive season of December by way of April than it will likely be when it’s pouring rain daily in some places.
Search flights right here to see costs out of your airport to both of the Costa Rica airports: