How to Get to Tamarindo

Air:

Local carriers Nature Air and SANSA operate daily 45-minute flights to and from Tamarindo. Flights depart from Nature Air's airport in Pavas (halfway between San Jose and Alajuela) or from SANSA's  in Alajuela, next to the international airport.

For current prices and schedules, contact the airlines.

Alternatively, visitors can fly into the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, less than a two-hour drive from Tamarindo.

Bus:

Car:

Depending on road conditions and traffic, travel time between San Jose and Tamarindo is roughly 4.5 hours.

From San Jose: Take Hwy 1 North (the Autopista) from San Jose following signs to the airport. Stay in the center lane as you pass the exit for the airport on your left and follow the signs to San Ramon. 

From the Airport:  Exit the airport.  Once you leave the airport road, go to the first rotunda, which is also the first traffic light, and go all the way around so that you make a giant U-turn and begin following the signs to San Ramon. Traffic merges from all sides at the rotunda, so be very careful here. Stay in the center lane and  follow signs for San Ramon.

This is a crazy road.  It is a four-lane, undivided highway, with large trucks and vehicles traveling at high speeds.  There are unmarked entrances and exits that people slow down for and merging traffic from the right.  Also, no one seems to know the rule that slower traffic stays to the right, so that the right lane is often the fast lane. Just drive with caution.

Pass the exit for Manuel Antonio and Jaco by staying in the left lane and heading northwest.  Cross the bridge over the Rio Colorado. The next exits are for Sarchi and Grecia.

Continue along Route 1: (passing the exits for Sarchi, Grecia, Naranjo and San Ramon)

Then:
Continue north on Highway 1 towards the Nicoya Peninsula, and follow signs for the Tempisque River Bridge, Nicoya and Route 18.  There is a well-marked intersection at a Shell gas station with signs to the Tempisque River Bridge,  turn left here onto Route 18.  After crossing the Tempisque River bridge, look for Route 21 and take this through Nicoya and Santa Cruz.

During the dry season, it’s possible to turn left (heading west) just after Santa Cruz, following signs to Tamarindo. The paved road passes though the village of 27 de Abril and then becomes dirt and gravel. The 19-kilometer stretch has many deep potholes and must be navigated slowly and carefully. It can be impassable during the wet season, even with 4WD.

An alternate route is via Belen. Continue north past Santa Cruz to Belen, then head south through Huacas to Tamarindo. This road is completely paved and is better for non-4WD cars or during the rainy season.

For car rental information, see Getting Around in Tamarindo

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