Regional Transportation - Manuel Antonio

Getting to and away Types:
Getting to and away

By Dallas

Air

From Quepos to San Jose, flights take roughly 30 minutes. Sansa operates eight scheduled flights to Quepos from San Jose during the high season and six during the green season. The latest daily flight from San Jose to Quepos during the green season is 1:30 p.m. Check details at www.flysansa.com.

To get to other locations from Quepos, Nature Air flies to and from Arenal (Fortuna), Limón, Liberia, Palmar Sur (Dominical), Puerto Jiménez, San Jose, Tamarindo, Nosara, Tambor and Punta Islita. Nature Air is the World’s First Certified Carbon-Neutral Airline. Contact the Quepos office at: quepos@natureair.com, (506) 2777-2548 or book at www.natureair.com

Arrange private charter flights through Lynch Travel in Quepos, across from Banco Nacional. They have planes available that seat five to 18 passengers. Contact them for more information at lyntur@racsa.co.cr or phone (506) 2777-1170 / 2777-0161. Also make Sansa or Nature Air reservations through Lynch Travel.

Bus

Fares are relatively cheap and buses with assigned seating are generally comfortable. From Quepos, take a bus to San Isidro at 5 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (2771-2550); Uvita at 6:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m; Puntarenas at 4:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 a.m. 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (2777-1617). Buses to San Jose are either direct, which takes three and a half hours, or non-direct, which take five hours. The direct buses leave at 4 a.m. (except on Sundays), 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. Bus schedules can be dodgy so treat these times as a rough guide and double check with the transportation company or local experts.

Private Transportation

Interbus offers a shuttle service from hotel to hotel throughout Costa Rica. You don’t necessarily have to be staying at a hotel to make use of the service. Buses also leave from their office in Quepos. Their office is located diagonally across from Banco Nacional and is open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Prices start from $25, which will get you from Manuel Antonio to Jacó. Costs range up to about $45 for northern locations like Monteverde and Tamarindo. If the pre-set schedule doesn’t suit your needs you can arrange a personalized pick-up time. Interbus leaves San Jose for Quepos at 8:40 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. for $35. Be aware that sometimes prices vary depending on whether you travel in the morning or afternoon. Check www.interbusonline.com or call the Quepos office at 2777-7866.

Grayline is similar to Interbus. The buses have A/C and you get a free snack. It offers hotel pick-ups only and leaves San Jose for Quepos at 7:40 a.m. and again at 4:20 p.m. In some cases, it can be a bit cheaper than Interbus so check details at www.graylinecostarica.com or ask your travel guide at Lynch Travel in Quepos. If you’re going south, Lynch Travel also operates a mini van service and an early morning shuttle bus at reasonable prices to Matapalo, Dominical, Uvita and Sierpe.

Car Rental

Rental companies in downtown Quepos are: Adobe, Alamo, Budget, Elegante, Excellent, Hertz, Payless and Thrifty. In Manuel Antonio the companies are Economy and National. Specific information about these agencies and others throughout Costa Rica can be found at www.visitcostarica.com, which lists all the office locations/addresses, general terms and conditions, safety information, contact details, insurance information, the types of cars available for rent and prices. It’s a good idea to rent a 4x4.

The main road between San Jose and Quepos (also passing through Jaco) is paved, but between Quepos and Dominical the road is not. The short distance to Dominical (approximately 45 kilometer) takes about an hour and a half to drive in good conditions.

To drive in Costa Rica you need your passport (or a copy) and your drivers license.