Stunning rainforest, beautiful seashores, and cute animals are normally excessive on the agenda when visiting Costa Rica. Nevertheless, you gained’t discover a lot of that among the many metropolis streets of San José, the nation’s inland capital. As an alternative, we recommend you flip your consideration to Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast as a result of there you’ll discover all these issues and extra. What’s extra, it’s a vacation spot that’s comparatively straightforward to get to from San José.

What makes the journey from San José to Manuel Antonio really easy is that there are many choices for getting there. In actual fact, there are such a lot of choices it could begin to get a bit overwhelming. 

We all know you’d reasonably spend time studying about all of the enjoyable actions ready for you reasonably than researching every of the choices for transport from Manuel Antonio to San José and again. That’s why we’ve collected all of the choices proper right here for you and included all of the essential particulars like time, value, and luxury with the intention to rapidly resolve what you’re going to do.

From San José to Manuel Antonio by Aircraft

The quickest method to get from San José Airport to Manuel Antonio is by aircraft.

The closest airport to Manuel Antonio is on the city of Quepos, roughly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) north of the city. Sansa Airways and Costa Rica Inexperienced Airways each fly the route a number of occasions a day. Flights from Manuel Antonio to San José Airport and again value between $80 and $120. Verify Skyscanner to match ticket costs.

Whereas the flight from San José to Quepos solely takes round half-hour, the overall journey ought to take round 1.5 hours, not together with time spent ready on the airport. That’s since you additionally must issue within the 40 minutes or so it takes to achieve San José Airport from the town heart, in addition to the quarter-hour it takes to get from Quepos Airport to Manuel Antonio by taxi.

What makes flying the quickest choice is that planes are capable of fly over the mountains that separate San José from Manuel Antonio, whereas each land choice should drive both via or round them. Whereas quick, flying doesn’t actually prevent an excessive amount of time in the long run and it’s the costliest and least environmentally accountable choice, so take into account whether or not it’s price it.

From San José to Manuel Antonio by Rental Automobile

For the journey choice with probably the most flexibility and freedom, you’ll need to lease a automotive to your Costa Rica journey. The drive from Manuel Antonio to San José takes roughly three hours when following Route 34 alongside the coast or nearer to 4 hours taking Route 301 via the mountains.

By driving your self to Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park, you may have full management over each element of the journey. Not solely do you get to go while you need, you’ll be able to select your personal route and take detours or cease alongside the best way.

As an example, with this method you may cease on the surf city of Jacó and go to every of the viewpoints south of city alongside the coastal street. Better of all, you’ll have a automotive on the different finish while you get to Manuel Antonio.

Driving does include its personal concerns, although. For one, you’ll should really feel comfy driving and navigating in another country. You’ll additionally spend the journey over-focused on the street reasonably than sitting again and stress-free.

The price of renting a automotive and driving your self can also be tough to know upfront. Not solely do you must consider the price of the automotive rental but in addition gasoline and toll cubicles alongside the route. There are numerous toll roads in Costa Rica, and so they’re finest paid in Costa Rican colones and in small denominations or cash. Tolls are normally underneath 250 CRC, or $0.35, however alongside this route they are often as much as 900 CRC, or $1.30.

In case you resolve to lease a automotive and do the drive your self, we suggest trying out RentalCars.com because it filters via lots of of automotive rental websites to be sure you get the most effective value!

From San José to Manuel Antonio by Shuttle

The simplest method to get between Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park and San José is by shuttle. With a shared shuttle service, you’re collected out of your lodge at one finish and brought to your lodge on the different finish. All of the stress and navigating is dealt with for you, so there’s nothing extra so that you can do than sit there and calm down.

A shuttle from Manuel Antonio to San José normally finally ends up taking round 4 hours, because it wants to gather and drop off passengers at totally different inns at both finish. On the journey, shuttles usually cease as soon as for a break at a relaxation cease. Shuttles usually use a minibus able to carrying 10 to fifteen folks. There are a number of shuttle corporations that provide this route, with most of them offering one or two providers every day.

Tickets for shuttles normally value round $54 per particular person. Whereas considerably dearer than touring by bus, it’s price remembering that you simply’ll be saving cash on taxis or buses attending to and out of your lodge at both finish.

In addition to the comfort of door-to-door service, going by shuttle means that you can calm down and spend the journey as you’d like. It’s additionally a really protected technique of journey as there aren’t folks coming and going all through the journey and there are a restricted variety of stops.

From San José to Manuel Antonio by Personal Switch or Taxi

With lots of some great benefits of renting a automotive and touring by shuttle, getting a personal switch may be an awfully tempting concept. Whether or not you ebook a personal shuttle upfront or just get a taxi, this method can work out very well in sure particular situations.

Journey time for a taxi or non-public switch between San José and Manuel Antonio is normally round three hours, very like driving your self. This selection is quicker than a shared shuttle because it solely must make one cease in each San José and Manuel Antonio. Personal transfers are available in quite a lot of sizes, from smaller six-seater minivans to bigger 20-seater minibuses.

Personal shuttles for six or seven folks normally begin at round $180 and go up from there. Taxi fares from the town for an everyday automotive normally come to about $140–$150. This method can present glorious financial savings for teams in comparison with getting particular person tickets on a shared shuttle. You additionally take pleasure in it being a personal car, which means you get to decide on your pickup time and don’t must work together with random folks.

From San José to Manuel Antonio by Bus

Like so usually in Central America, your least expensive choice for touring between two locations is to go by bus. Crucial factor to examine when selecting this selection is whether or not you’re getting a bus all the best way to Manuel Antonio or are literally going solely so far as Quepos, the closest city. Ought to the bus solely go so far as Quepos, you’ll be able to then get the native bus to Manuel Antonio, which happily runs incessantly.

Touring by bus between San José and Manuel Antonio takes round 4 hours, however that’s provided that you utilize direct buses, which will likely be labeled directo. The choice to direct buses are colectivos, which take significantly longer as they decide up passengers alongside the best way.

Whereas there are different corporations that journey this route, probably the most helpful one for vacationers to know is Tracopa. Their Ruta 27 service goes eight occasions a day between Manuel Antonio and San José. Tickets value 5285 CRC, or $7.70, and may solely be bought on the firm’s ticket workplace.

Please word that Tracopa has its personal devoted bus terminal in San José on Calle 5 in Laberinto. It’s endorsed to get your tickets a minimum of half-hour earlier than departure or to even go the day earlier than to make sure they don’t promote out.

Probably the most interesting factor about taking the bus is actually the worth; it additionally gained’t take you for much longer than in case you used a shuttle service. Nevertheless, it’s the least versatile choice, and you’ll nonetheless have to consider the way you get to and from the bus stops at both finish.

From San José to Manuel Antonio by Tour

Are you quick on time and simply need a style of what Manuel Antonio has to supply? Then you definitely’ll need to take into account visiting this enjoyable coastal vacation spot with at the present time tour.

With a day journey to Manuel Antonio, you’ll be taken on a guided tour of the nationwide park to admire its rainforest, seashores, and wildlife. On the guided rainforest stroll, you’ll have the prospect to see all types of native creatures, together with monkeys, sloths, and toucans. You’ll even have free time down by the seashore and cease alongside the best way at Crocodile Bridge and at Jaco Bay. On the finish of the day, you’ll be taken again from Manuel Antonio to San José.

In addition to together with return transport and numerous sightseeing actions, this selection additionally comes with breakfast and lunch. So, it’s a wonderful choice if you need all of the decision-making of the journey dealt with for you. The plain downside is how restricted your time is for exploring Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park.

There you may have the entire doable methods you’ll be able to journey between San José and Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park whereas visiting Costa Rica. As a result of every method has its personal advantages and downsides, choosing the proper choice actually comes right down to which is the most effective for you.