For many of the international locations in Central America, there may be 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 may fly into two Costa Rica Airports: one within the capital of San Jose and one up north in Liberia.
This could make a giant distinction in your trip plans if you happen to’re headed to one of many many luxurious Costa Rica resorts which can be dotted across the Guanacaste area and the Nicoya Peninsula. Positive, 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 automobile or van after you’ve already flown just a few 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, similar 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 instances now and it has all the time been a straightforward, hassle-free expertise. The precise identify is Daniel Oduber Quiros Worldwide Airport, in honor of a former president who pushed for it an supported improvement of the area for vacationers. Keep in mind, there’s a nation named Liberia so ensure you don’t guide a flight to Africa by mistake! (The value will most likely 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. Should you 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 Lodge, W Costa Rica, and Tamarindo Seaside. 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 would possibly need 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 among the terminal just isn’t air-conditioned, so it’s not a spot the place you need to present up too early to your flight and simply hold round until you have got Precedence Cross or one other option 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 can 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 completely different Toronto area airports.
All the large U.S. carriers fly to Liberia from at the least 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 every week from completely different cities you have got choices on JetBlue, Alaska Air, and Frontier. Simply perceive that a few of these solely run within the excessive season, so that you might need fewer choices in the course of 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 in fact there’s multiple “Saint Joseph” metropolis on the market, so ensure you’re looking for this one once 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 when you have an early flight, you’re truly higher off staying at an airport lodge or taking a giant step as much as Xandari Resort, an inventive lodge with a view. The airport is effectively above the center level of Costa Rica, a lot nearer to Nicaragua than Panama.
By street, it’s pretty straightforward to get to among the biggest hits of Costa Rica. On the southern coast it’s a straight shot out on highways to achieve Jaco, Quepos, Manuel Antonia Nationwide Park, and ultimately Uvita. That final one is the house of some wonderful small accommodations perched on the hillside: Rancho Pacifico and Kura Boutique Lodge. Heading north, you possibly can attain the Monteverde Cloudforest and the journey playground of Fortuna/Arenal Volcano. Within the latter you’ll discover among the nation’s finest inland luxurious resorts, similar to Nayara Springs.
To succeed in extra far-flung areas, you’ll must take a home prop airplane flight and this presents a complete host of problems. To start with, these are small planes that may get stuffed up simply, so guide effectively forward if you happen to’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 must pack lighter than you’ll have needed. Final, these Costa Rican home airways have a tendency to return and go together with alarming frequency, so that you’ll must dig round to see who’s serving which locations.
The biggest and longest-established home service is Sansa, which covers essentially the most far-flung areas you’d need to get to. You may even go worldwide with them, flying to Bocas del Toro in Panama. I can’t promise that this map is appropriate (particularly contemplating the place they positioned Managua), but it surely’s straight off their web site:
One huge 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 immigration, in a sizzling hall with no services. 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 specific airline, however you will get into each VIP Lounge Costa Rica and VIP Santamaria with a Precedence Cross membership.
Flying into Costa Rica: San Jose Worldwide Airport
In peak instances 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 just a few 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 yr. Those that do maintain flying in the course of the low season will typically cut back the variety of days per week (or month) that they fly the route as a way to regulate to decrease demand. So it could typically be cheaper to fly to Costa Rica within the excessive season of December by 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: