Travel Information (How To Get There)

Canadians, US Citizens, citizens of the European Union, Swiss, Australians and citizens of some other countries do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica and are usually allowed to stay up to 180 days in the country. However, they must have a current valid passport and a return ticket to exit Costa Rica (either to return to your country or go to another country). The passport must be valid for a minimum of 3 months from the day you enter Costa Rica.

For foreigners of other countries, the tourist visa will depend on their nationality and they should apply for it at the Consulate of their jurisdiction.

If you will be travelling to Costa Rica from South America you will need the YELLOW FEVER VACCINE to enter Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has two international airports; Daniel Oduber Intenational Airport, in Liberia, in the province of Guanacaste, which is about 70km away from Tamarindo and Juan Santamaria International Airport, in Alajuela, close to San José, with a distance of approximately 300 km to Tamarindo.

For students that are staying with host families or at the student houses in Tamarindo, we need to know if you are planning to come to Tamarindo by plane, public bus or private bus and the approximate time of arrival.

Traveling from International Airport Daniel Oduber, in Liberia, to Playa Tamarindo, Villareal and Santa Rosa

We can organize a private shuttle service from Liberia airport to your host family in Santa Rosa or Villarreal or directly to Playa Tamarindo for USD 100.00. The travel time is around 1 hour.

Traveling from San José to Tamarindo

Upon arrival students can change their money into Colones in the bank at Juan Santamaria International Airport. The exchange rates, and above all, the commission of changing USD or Euros into Colones, is higher than changing in other banks in the country so therefore we recommend only to change a small amount of money.

Interbus is a private shuttle company that operates twice daily from most hotels in San José as well as directly from the airport to Tamarindo. The journey takes approximately 4.5 hours and costs US$ 68.00 per person. The modern shuttles are air-conditioned, equipped with WiFi, and offer a high level of comfort.

Morning departure times vary depending on the pick-up location, between 07:00 and 08:15 am (from the airport at 07:45 am and 2:15 pm). If you arrive in San José later, an overnight stay is required before continuing to Tamarindo the next day. In this case, we recommend Hotel Berlor, located only 1.5 km from the airport. A night at the hotel costs US$ 75.00, including breakfast, WiFi, and taxes.

We will be happy to make the reservation for you with both Interbus and Hotel Berlor. A ticket is not necessary, as the driver has a passenger list.

For participants staying in one of the student houses, the house keys will be placed in a lockbox at the entrance gate. The code, along with further check-in details, will be sent to you via WhatsApp or email before your arrival.

Participants staying with host families in Villarreal should get off the bus at the Centro Comercial GOLLO in the center of Villarreal, where a member of the host family will be waiting for them.

By Airplane

SANSA is flying from San José’s Juan Santamaria International Airport to Playa Tamarindo around 3 times a day.

Students can purchase the ticket with SANSA directly on their web sites www.flysansa.com .

At the airport, in Playa Tamarindo, you can take a taxi for about USD 10.00 to get to Santa Rosa, Villarreal or Playa Tamarindo. Please do not forget to keep your lodging information at hand in order to tell the driver the address.

By public bus

The ride with the public bus takes approximately 6 hours from San Jose. As this is a public service, we cannot make a reservation; therefore the student must purchase the ticket personally as early as possible.

Students with a homestay reservation should inform the bus driver to drop them off at the bus stop in Villarreal. Since the reception of the school closes on Sundays at 4.00 pm, students staying at a student house should not take the public bus to Tamarindo. There is no problem for students to take the public bus, if they stay with a host family. At the bus stop in Villarreal, they will be picked up by a member of the host family.