Traveling: To Anamaya Resort
Traveling to Anamaya can be straightforward and stress-free, especially if planned properly and we can help.
Internationally, you can fly into the Juan Santamaría International Airport near San Jose (code SJO) or Liberia (code LIR) international airports, but there are more transportation options from SJO. For either, please book your flights, both the way over and back, allowing AT LEAST a 2-hour window between international flight arrival/departure and local flight or shuttle departure/arrival, so that you have time to go through customs and immigration (which can sometimes take a hour or more).
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions about travel. Below we have listed the most common ways to get to our location. Please take a few minutes to read the information thoroughly.
Depending on the flight you can find, sometimes flying one day early and staying overnight near the airport is the best option to make the necessary connections, the same applies for the departure. If you want us to assist you with arranging the shuttle from the international airport or taxi from the local one, please send us your flight information (airline, flight number, and arrival time) or the name of the hotel where you will be staying if you are planning to fly a few days before the retreat. Below you’ll find the most common means to travel to our location from both airports.
Please remember to do your own research as this page is not updated daily, so the schedules and prices below may NOT reflect the most up-to-date information.
DOMESTIC FLIGHT AND TAXI:
SHUTTLE:
There’s a daily shuttle currently departing from the San José (code SJO) international airport at 7 am. Please note that these times are subject to change according to the ferry schedule, and also vary depending on the company that offers it (3 pm afternoon services are offered with a minimum of 5 passengers). The price is $60 + tax (13%) per person each way, and the approximate travel time is 5.5 hours (2.5 hours from the airport to Puntarenas + 1.5 hours on the ferry + 1.5 hours from Paquera to Anamaya). It’s door to door service. The shuttle back to SJO also departs from Anamaya at 7 am.
And remember that 2 hour minimum window between arrival and shuttle departure. You may need to arrive one day before and find an Airbnb or hotel near the airport. The shuttle can also pick up from hotels in the vicinity of the airports, and in some areas of downtown San Jose as well. If you suffer from motion sickness, please take the necessary precautions/medications.
There’s a daily shuttle departing from the Liberia (code LIR) international airport at 9 am. The price is $60 + tax (13%) per person each way, and the approximate travel time is 4 – 4.5 hours. The shuttle back to LIR departs from Anamaya at 7 am. For an afternoon shuttle please inquire with reception or our reservations department to find out the latest info.
PRIVATE SHUTTLE:
From SJO Airport
If the international flights you can find do not align with the shuttle times above, you can reserve a private shuttle as long as your flight lands no later than 1:30 pm. The shuttle is ferry-dependent and the latest ferry that makes sense is at 6pm departure. There are 2 options for this service, with vehicle switch or direct, which are detailed below. It’s 5.5-6 hours total travel time.
Vehicle Switch
This means you will get on two different vehicles, the first one will pick the guests up from the airport or hotel and will drive them to the ferry dock in Puntarenas. Since the first vehicle doesn’t get on the ferry, they do not need the extra time waiting in line to get on. You will carry your luggage and walk on the ferry by yourself (with 3 flights of stairs), and get off the same way (the ferry ticket is included so this will be given when you get there). Another driver will be waiting at the ferry dock in Paquera to pick you up and bring you to Anamaya.
The price for 1-4 passengers is $275 + tax (13%) one way.
Direct
The same vehicle that picks you up will bring you to Anamaya, so the driver needs to get in line to board the ferry. An important note is that you will still get on the ferry by yourself, they only difference is that you will not be carrying luggage because this stays in the car.
The price for 1-4 passengers is $400 + tax (13%) one way.
From LIR Airport
A private service can be set up if your international flight arrival time is unaligned with the shuttle departure times. This service costs $275 + tax (13%) one way, for 1-4 passengers. Travel time is around 4 hrs.
CHARTER FLIGHTS & HELICOPTER:
Charter flights and helicopter rides can be arranged during daylight hours. The prices vary according to the size of the plane and helicopter, it ranges from $780 – $3,500. Feel free to ask for a quote if you think this is the best option for you.
WATER TAXI:
To travel from the area of Jacó/Quepos/Manuel Antonio and that part of the country, the most convenient option is the taxi boat + shuttle from Jacó. They also offer the service with pick up from SJO airport and nearby areas. The taxi boat leaves in the morning, around 10 am from the beach of Playa Herradura.
The availability and price will vary according to your pick up location, their operation for the day you’re travelling, if there are others coming from the same area, and such. The price for picking you up in Jaco is free, and for San Jose it can be around $100 plus taxes, depending on the exact location. The cost for the boat from Jacó is about $60.
Once you arrive in Montezuma, they don’t offer a drop off service as such, however on some occasions they have been available to drop you off at Anamaya for an additional charge. If this service is not available, their staff can help you find a local taxi for you to come to Anamaya as short distance taxis aren’t booked in advance by the local taxi drivers, it should be $12.
It’s important to keep in mind this service is weather dependent, it rarely happens but there are a few days in the year that the service is cancelled due to weather. In such cases, they might end up bringing you to another beach and then with ground transportation all the way here, keeping in mind these events can’t really be forecasted or planned for so much in advance.
Please contact us to get further details on this service if this sounds ideal for your travel.
CAR RENTAL & FERRY:
Renting a car is always an option for travel. If your flight lands at a time that allows you to drive during daylight, you’re adventurous and ideally, have driven in other countries and know a little Spanish then you’ll do great. Montezuma now has some paved sections but still some bad parts. 4×4 is ideal in the rainy season.
Using Waze or Google Maps is necessary. It’s good to cross reference routes in multiple places because sometimes one will send you on a more challenging route on back roads or through a river. Make sure the maps are loaded in your device while you have good signal or wifi, so you can navigate when cell reception is lost, which is very common in certain areas of the drive from either the SJO and Liberia airports.
Depending on where you are driving from you’d need to take a ferry from Puntarenas. You can check the ferry schedule by clicking here. You can also purchase tickets in advance there which is a good idea. It needs to be done more than 2 hours before it departs and if there are not tickets available on line, there could still be space for you but make sure to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to launch. Please take into account that the latest ferry you could take 5 or 6 pm because the office hours of our reception desk are 7:00 am to 9:00 pm. The 6pm one will be cutting in close. Make arrangements with reception in advance if you won’t make it before 9pm.
DIRECT BUS:
If you know some basic Spanish, have previous experience taking buses in foreign countries, and if you feel comfortable, there is a direct bus from San José that departs at 8:00 am from terminal 7-10. This terminal is located in an area considered unsafe so take a taxi if you are planning to take the public bus from this terminal.
The direct bus also stops about 15-20 minutes after the departures from the terminal at a bus stop called “Puente Villa Bonita”. The latter is located about 5-10 minutes drive from the SJO airport, so you could take a taxi to this location as an alternative.
Their booking portal can be visited by clicking here.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
Depending on where you are flying from and the flights you can find, sometimes flying one day early and staying overnight near the airport is the best option to make the necessary connections, the same applies for your departure.
If you want us to assist you with arranging a shuttle from either of the International airports, or taxi from the local one, please send us your flight information (airline, flight number, and arrival time) or the name of the hotel where you’ll be staying if you are planning to fly a few days before your retreat/YTT.
