What's the best way to get from San Jose to Quepos (Manuel Antonio) in Costa Rica?

Question

Is it advisable to take a bus and is there a direct bus route? Is private transportation a good idea and how much would that cost? Thanks!!!

Answer 1

A 20min. airplane flight, public or private transportation or you can drive there yourself.

If you wish to take public transportation you can head down to the downtown San Jose "Coca Cola" bus station, take the "Directo" Quepos/Manuel Antonio bus, 6 daily departures, cost $5. There are also private buses that travel directly from San Jose to Manuel Antonio, and they are: Saragundi Specialty Tours (tel.[phone]) or American VIP Coach Service (tel.[phone]).  

The road between San Jose and Manuel Antonio is not too good, its full of potholes, poorly lit at night, but well marked. Yes, it is advisable to take the bus, its cheaper. But, remember that the one of the most common types of crime in Costa Rica is petty theft like pickpocketing, so take proper precautions, don't flash expensive things around and be aware of your surroundings.

If your going to drive, car rantals average at $45+ a day. Take the Pan-American Highway north from San Jose till you reach the turn off to Puerto Caldera and Puntarenas. Exit to your right, cross over the highway and proceed west toward the coast. The drive will take you through the mountains until you reach the Pacific coast. From there follow the signs to Jaco and Quepos. You will reach Jaco beach in about two hours. No need to go into the town, just continue on down the coast road to the south. From Jaco it is straight south, but the road is not always in very good shape with potholes literally everywhere.

When you reach Quepos, continue into town across the last bridge and take a left on Avenida Central. This will take you into the center town where you will also find the main bus terminal. There are several reasonably priced places to stay and lots of bars and restaurants. If you want to continue on into Manuel Antonio, continue down Avenida Central for the next two blocks, untill you pass the main bus terminal. At the next stop sign turn right, go down the one block to the next street and turn left. This road will take you all the way down to the national park where it ends. The drive is about four miles long through twisting and turning roads.

Answer 2

The previous answer was a good one.  There are also two shuttle services that link hotels in the San Jose area with hotels in Quepos.  They are Fantasy Tours/Gray Lines and Interbus.

Answer 3

Hola

Public transport is generally safe and it is VERY cheap. On average you pay about $1 per hour. Keep all your valuables on board with you and not in the over head compartments. Luggage that is kept below is almost 100% safe, but you can never be too cautious so pick up your bags quickly upon arrival.  It does take a long time however because San Jose is in the Central Valley and you have to climb over mountains and the roads are very windy. Here is a link to check out the bus schedules.

http://www.anywherecostarica.com/transpo...

You can book a direct shuttle there which saves time but you pay about 5 times as much. You can look up the price and availability of shuttle transfers on that same site.

Of course air travel is the fastest and most expensive.

Safe travels