San Jose to Santa Teresa Costa Rica: Every Way In, Timed to Your Landing
Shuttle, private transfer, ferry, bus, small plane or your own car: how each route works from SJO and Liberia, and how the ferry clock decides your day.
Marta Daví
The usual way from San Jose to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, is a shared shuttle or a private transfer that drives to Puntarenas and rides the car ferry across the Gulf of Nicoya to Paquera, then continues by road to the beach. Toorizta's shared shuttle from SJO airport costs from $74 per person and takes about six hours with the ferry included; the private transfer costs from $360 per vehicle (up to 4) and takes about five.
From San Jose, the ferry is the standard crossing. The road route around the gulf runs through Nicoya, and that is the way in from Liberia. So your landing airport, your landing hour, the ferry timetable and the daylight decide your way in, more than the map does.
Santa Teresa from SJO and Liberia at a glance
| Way in | From | Time door to door | Cost | Ferry? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toorizta shared shuttle | SJO | About 6 h | from $74 per person | Included |
| Toorizta private transfer | SJO | About 5 h | from $360 per vehicle (up to 4) | Included |
| Toorizta private transfer | LIR (Liberia) | About 4 h 30 min | from $324 per vehicle (up to 4) | No ferry, road via Nicoya |
| Drive yourself | SJO | Commonly 5 to 6 h plus the ferry wait | Rental, fuel and ferry fare | Yes, Puntarenas to Paquera |
| Drive yourself | LIR | Roughly 4 to 5 h | Rental and fuel | No |
| Public bus | San Jose | A full day of connections | The cheapest option | Yes, as a foot passenger |
| Small plane | SJO to Cobano | About 40 min in the air | Varies, set by the airline | No |
Toorizta transfer times and prices come from our live catalogue. Drive, bus and flight times are typical figures, not guarantees.
Which way works for your landing hour?
If you land at SJO in the morning, a same-day transfer is realistic. The midday and afternoon ferries (currently 12:00 and 15:00 from Puntarenas) put you on the peninsula with daylight left for the last stretch of road. Our guide to working backwards from the 3 p.m. ferry walks through that timing step by step.
If you land at SJO in the afternoon or evening, the later ferries still run (currently 18:00, 20:00 and 22:00), but the final miles into Santa Teresa are partly unpaved and unlit. Sleeping near the airport and setting out the next morning avoids that drive in the dark. See which ferry your landing hour lets you catch for each arrival window.
If you land at Liberia (LIR), you skip the ferry entirely. The road runs south through Nicoya, so the timetable stops mattering and daylight is the only clock. From Liberia, Toorizta's option is private; we do not run a shared shuttle from LIR.
If you are a group of up to four with bags or surfboards, the private transfer fits you in one vehicle, and it can take a larger group for an extra charge per person (the product page lists the details). If you are traveling solo or as a couple on a budget, the shared shuttle or the bus costs less.
Shared shuttle from SJO
The Toorizta shared shuttle from San Jose airport to Santa Teresa and Montezuma costs from $74 per person and takes about six hours. It is air conditioned, includes the ferry crossing and drops you at your hotel. Pickup times are confirmed after booking. You get a full refund if you cancel at least 48 hours before the start.
You share the van and the schedule with other travelers, so it suits people who land with time to spare. Book it on the shared shuttle page. Going home, the shared shuttle back to SJO costs from $74 per person.
Private transfer from SJO or Liberia
A private transfer is the door-to-door option. The driver tracks your flight, meets you at arrivals and drives only your group.
From SJO it costs from $360 per vehicle (up to 4) and takes about five hours, ferry crossing included: book the SJO private transfer. From LIR it costs from $324 per vehicle (up to 4) and takes about four and a half hours with no ferry: book the Liberia private transfer.
Each vehicle carries up to four passengers. For the return, the private transfer to SJO costs from $360 per vehicle (up to 4) and the private transfer to Liberia costs from $324 per vehicle (up to 4).
The Puntarenas to Paquera ferry
The Puntarenas to Paquera car ferry, run by Naviera Tambor, currently sails eight times a day from each side: 04:00, 06:30, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, 20:00 and 22:00. That schedule has applied since 20 April 2026 "until further notice", per the operator's page at navieratambor.com (checked 10 November 2026). Check it again before you travel.
The crossing takes about an hour to an hour and a quarter. Naviera Tambor lists fares in colones: ₡810 for an adult foot passenger, ₡480 for a minor, free for seniors, and ₡11,400 for a light vehicle including VAT (₡18,300 for a microbus, ₡3,400 for a motorcycle). Some seats can be bought online in advance; when those are gone, the ticket office at the terminal sells the rest.
Out on the water, Puntarenas shrinks behind you and the green hills of the peninsula come up ahead. It is a good hour to stand at the rail. If you miss a sailing, you wait in Puntarenas for the next one, and the rest of your day shifts with it.
We have written about the ferry in more depth: why the ferry sails eight times a day and what that means for your plans, how the ferry timetable picks your arrival day, and a short version on how the ferry runs eight times a day.
How to get to Santa Teresa by bus
The bus is the budget route and takes a full day of connections. You go from San Jose's Terminal 7-10 (Avenida 7, Calle 10) to Puntarenas, cross on the ferry as a foot passenger, take the Transportes Cobano bus from Paquera to Cobano, then catch another bus to Santa Teresa.
No single ticket covers the trip, and the local legs do not take reservations. Times change, so confirm the day's schedule with Transportes Cobano (2642 1112 or 2642 0492) before you set off. If you have heard of a direct San Jose to Santa Teresa bus, check its current schedule before you count on it. This is the route for travelers with light bags and an open day.
Flying from SJO to Cobano
You can fly. Small planes run from SJO to Cobano airport (ACO), typically about 40 minutes in the air, operated by Sansa and Costa Rica Green Airways. Cobano airport replaced the old Tambor airstrip in late 2023. Neither airline publishes a fixed fare table, so check flysansa.com and costaricagreenair.com for your date.
Baggage limits on small planes are strict, and surfboards can be refused, so check before you book. You also need a ride from Cobano airport to your hotel, which Toorizta does not provide. No scheduled flight runs from Liberia to Cobano; by air from LIR you would connect through San Jose.
Driving from SJO
From San Jose you take Ruta 1 to Puntarenas, cross on the ferry with your car, then drive from Paquera through Cobano to Santa Teresa. The whole trip commonly takes five to six hours plus the wait at the dock. In the green season (May to November) a 4x4 is the sensible choice for the last stretch, and some rental policies exclude ordinary cars from unpaved roads, so check your rental terms.
Driving from Liberia
From Liberia it is about 200 km and roughly four to five hours, with no ferry. Ruta 21 runs south through Nicoya to Playa Naranjo, then Ruta 160 (paved since 2021) carries on to Paquera and Cobano. The road is paved as far as the Playa Carmen junction; after that it is a mix of old pavement and dirt into Santa Teresa. Santa Teresa has no fuel station, so fill up in Cobano.
Montezuma to Santa Teresa
Montezuma and Santa Teresa sit on the same southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, and the road between them runs through Cobano. Toorizta's transfers serve both towns on the same routes, so if you plan to split a stay, tell us and we will plan both legs as one trip.
Tambor to Santa Teresa
Tambor is on the road from Paquera toward Cobano, so if you come off the ferry, you pass close to it on the way to Santa Teresa. The airport for this end of the peninsula is now at Cobano, not the old Tambor airstrip.
The last stretch: what the road is like now
It is November, the end of the green season. The hills are deep green, the afternoon rain is warm, and the dirt sections between Cobano and the beach can be rough and muddy after a heavy downpour. Plan to arrive in daylight. Santa Teresa's drier months run from December to April, when the road is dustier but easier.
Once you are settled, the Tortuga Island tour (from $85 per person) takes you back out on the gulf, this time for the beaches. For where to stay and what else to do, see our Santa Teresa travel guide.
Not sure which way fits?
Tell us your landing airport, your landing time and how many of you are coming, and Dallas and Marta will tell you which way in works. Message us on WhatsApp or by email and ask.
In this guide
- Getting to Santa Teresa: the Ferry Sails Eight Times a Day
- Getting to Santa Teresa: Which Ferry Your Landing Hour Lets You Catch
The complete Santa Teresa guide
Where to stay: the main guide
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