If you want to fly to Costa Rica, you can fly into one of two airports. The Juan Santamaria Airport is located in close proximity to the capital city of San Jose as well as the cities of Alajuela and Heredia. At this airport you will find a selection of duty-free shops, souvenir shops and bookstores. There are a few restaurants and fast food establishments, such as MacDonald's and Burger King. Some of the airlines that serve this airport include:



* American Airlines

* Continental Airlines

* Delta Airlines

* Frontier Airlines

* Air Caraibes

* Iberia

* Thomas Cook

* Mexicana Airlines

* Spirit Airlines

* United Airlines

* US Airways and

* Air Canada.

Non-stop service is available to Costa Rica from major cities in the US, from Toronto and Montreal in Canada and from European cities, such as:

* Frankfurt, Germany

* Madrid, Spain

* Bogota, Columbia

* Mexico City, Mexico

* Lima, Peru, and

all parts of Central America. The Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport is located in Liberia in the Guanacaste province close to the Pacific Northwest coast. Many airlines serve this airport from major cities in the US and Canada.

You can travel to Costa Rica by car by way of the Panameican Highway. The country shares the northern border with Nicaragua and you pass through the border checkpoint at Penas Blancas. On the southern border with Panama, you pass through the border at Pasa Canoas. Along the way, you will pass through many small towns and villages, so you do have to very cognizant of the speed limit in these areas. There are random police checks for seat belts because it is against the law to drive without wearing a seat belt in Costa Rica. Most of the roads in Costa Rica are not paved and some are in such a terrible state that it could take you quite a while to travel even a short distance.

Buses run from Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala and there is an extensive network across the country with reasonable bus fares. Although the buses do depart on schedule, they often take longer than expected to reach their destinations. It is quite safe to travel by bus to get to Costa Rica and even if you don't speak Spanish you won't have any difficulties.

A ferry travels to Costa Rica twice a day, usually in the mornings, from Los Chiles in Nicaragua. The cost is very inexpensive. There are also small cruise ships that carry about a 100 passengers from Panama to Costa Rica. These ships visit all the popular tourist attractions and national parks of the country, but such a cruise is quite expensive.

Once you arrive in Costa Rica, you can get around the country by bus or rent a car so that you can travel at your own pace.