How to get from San José to Santa Teresa
Why visit Santa Teresa?
Lying on the northwest coast, Santa Teresa is Costa Rica’s surfer paradise. This once-quiet fishing village is now a popular tourist destination — thanks to its beautiful beaches, lush jungles, variety of wildlife, and world-class waves.
We love that it is still quite detached from the rest of Costa Rica. The roads leading to it are mostly unpaved, giving Santa Teresa a more natural feel. And despite the unpaved routes, the town offers enough comforts and natural luxury that can keep you happy and entertained for weeks on end. Santa Teresa is a world of its own.
What are the 5 ways to travel from San Jose to Santa Teresa?
There are 5 ways to travel the 185 kilometre (115 miles) distance from San Jose to Santa Teresa. You can choose between the minivan, private transport, flight via Cobano, indirect bus and car rental. The journey takes 2 hours 20 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes and the quickest way is by flight via Cobano. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by indirect bus with tickets starting at 10,000 CRC ($21.50).
Where to stay in Santa Teresa?
Still looking for accommodation? Don't forget to check out our favourite places to stay in Santa Teresa.
San Jose to Santa Teresa by Minivan
The minivan is the most convenient way to travel from San Jose to Santa Teresa. Note that this option (as well as most of the other transport options for this route) includes a ferry crossing from Puntarenas to Paquera.
Ticket prices for the combined minivan and ferry trip start from 18,000 CRC ($37.50). The journey takes about 4 hours 15 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes.
Some of the minivan companies you can choose from are Transporzuma, Santa Teresa Adventure, Suntrails, Interbus and Costa 24/7. Most of these operators offer hotel/airport pickup and drop-off.
The tables below provide schedules for transfers between San Jose and Santa Teresa. You’ll find options for both hotel-to-hotel service and direct transfers from San Jose Airport.
Minivan schedule from San Jose city centre to Santa Teresa
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Minivan schedule from San Jose Airport to Santa Teresa
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PRO TIP: If you travel during the high season (December-January), book your ticket several days in advance because tickets sell out fast.
What to expect with the combined minivan + ferry transfer
The first part of the journey is a minivan from your hotel or San Jose Airport to Puntarenas Port. From here, you will then take a ferry to Paquera Harbour. And then, you will go back to your minivan for the rest of the journey to Santa Teresa.
Transfers with Interbus
Interbus offers this combined minivan + ferry service, with a key advantage: you stay in the same minivan for the entire trip, even during the ferry crossing. There’s no need to leave the vehicle when it boards the ferry.
San Jose to Santa Teresa by Indirect Bus
With the indirect bus, you will take a bus and ferry from San Jose to Cobano and then transfer to another bus going to Santa Teresa. Combined fares start from 10,000 CRC ($21.50) and the entire trip takes 4 hours 45 minutes or more, depending on traffic and the number of stops.
PRO TIP: Local travel links, including the bus station in San Jose, can attract thieves, so keep your belongings in sight. Don’t board the bus until your bigger bags are inside the luggage compartment, and be sure to get your luggage ticket. It’s best to keep smaller bags, containing your valuables, in front of you or between your feet, instead of in overhead storage
Step 1: Bus and Ferry from San Jose to Cobano
Transportes Cobano offers one daily trip from San Jose to Cobano. You will travel by land up to Puntarenas, transfer to a ferry to Paquera, and then go back to your bus as it travels by land again to Cobano.
The estimated travel time is 4h, but it can sometimes take longer due to traffic or extra stops.
A combined bus and ferry ticket from San Jose to Cobano costs 9,100 CRC ($19.30). We recommend booking your ticket online to secure a seat.
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The bus departs from TIG Transporte Inteligente de Guanacaste in San Jose city centre. You will be dropped off at Cobano Bus Stop.
Attention: Terminal 7-10 closed in April 2025. Transportes Cobano used to depart from San José’s Terminal 7-10. This was the main hub for buses to Cóbano, Monteverde, San Carlos, Jacó, and even international routes to Nicaragua and El Salvador.
Step 2: Bus from Cobano to Santa Teresa
From Cobano Bus Stop, you can transfer to another bus bound for Santa Teresa. Keep in mind that your drop-off point in Cobano is literally just a bus stop, not a terminal.
Find the sign along the road that says “Parada de Autobuses.” You’ll see here more than a few travellers waiting for their connecting bus.
Buses to Santa Teresa are coloured green and are operated by Transportes Mal Pais. These are available from early morning to 19:00. There is no definite departure time, but you can ask the locals for the latest bus schedules.
A bus ticket costs around 1,000 CRC ($2.10) and you pay directly to the driver. Travel time is about 45 minutes.
San Jose to Santa Teresa by Car Rental
It’s a long drive from San Jose to Santa Teresa. But if you’re already planning on driving around Costa Rica in your own rental car, then you’ll be happy to know that this is going to be a scenic adventure.
Driving directions from San Jose to Santa Teresa
Like shuttle vans and private transfers, there are two routes you can take when driving the San Jose-Santa Teresa route: completely overland and by land & ferry.
Driving from San Jose to Santa Teresa by land
The first half of the overland drive to Santa Teresa from San Jose is quite simple because you will be travelling through national highways. From San Jose, drive northwest to Route 27 and then Route 1.
Turn left on Route 18. From here onwards, you travel southwest to La Palma, across Puente La Amistad, and then further south up to Pueblo Viejo de Nicoya. Transfer to Route 21 and then turn right on Route 162. You’d want to slow down from here. First because of the magnificent rural views. Second because not all roads are paved.
Once you reach Route 163, turn left. It gets trickier from here because of the many twists and turns. But you’ll be rewarded with a glimpse of rural — and mostly untouched — Costa Rica. Continue south until you find the coastal road to Santa Teresa.
Driving completely overland from San Jose to Santa Teresa takes about 5 hours 30 minutes, excluding any stops.
Driving from San Jose to Santa Teresa by land and ferry
This route includes the added adventure (and cost) of taking a car ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera. Driving time — including the ferry ride — takes around 5 hours. But the entire travel time depends on the time of your arrival in Puntarenas, and whether you can get into a car ferry as soon as you get there.
From San Jose, take Route 27 and continue west until you reach the Port of Puntarenas.
Eight car ferries are operating from Puntarenas to Paquera, with departures from 04:00 to 22:00. Rates start from 810 CRC ($1.70) per person and 11,000 CRC ($24) per car (light vehicles). Check the Naviera Tambor website for the latest car ferry schedules and fares.
The scenic ferry crossing to Paquera Port takes about 1.5 hours. From here, take Route 621 and then 160 going south through Cobano, Los Charocoles and Carmen. Finally, take the coastal road along C. Cobano until you reach Santa Teresa.
Where to rent a car in San Jose
There are plenty of car rental shops in Costa Rica’s capital city or at San Jose Airport. We can’t say the same for Santa Teresa, though. And most companies only allow rental when you’re returning the car in San Jose, or other popular destinations like La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio.
You can ask your hotel for recommendations on where to rent a car, or you can find one online.
We normally recommend checking Skyscanner for the best car rental prices (and flights), but occasionally you might find even better prices on Kayak. Both are reliable search engines which make it easy to search for the cheapest car deals and apply relevant filters.
One-day car rental costs around 19,000 CRC ($40) per day when you’re returning the car to San Jose. If you’re dropping off the car elsewhere in Costa Rica, rental prices are significantly more expensive, starting at 57,000 CRC ($120) on the first day. The price includes daily car insurance, which is mandatory in Costa Rica.
San Jose to Santa Teresa by Flight via Cobano
There is no airport in Santa Teresa. If you want to travel by plane, you can take a 40-minute flight from San Jose to Cobano Airport, and then take a taxi to Santa Teresa. Total travel time is around 2 hours 20 minutes and combined rates start from 81,000 CRC ($170).
TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.
Step 1: How to get to San Jose Airport
San Jose Airport is 17 km northwest of San Jose city centre. You can get there in 1 hour by bus, which costs only 710 CRC ($1.50).
TUASA and Station Wagon operate buses that depart every 10 minutes from TUASA Terminal in the city centre. These buses are available every day from 04:00 to 23:00.
If the bus station is too far from your hotel or if you’re short on time, we recommend taking a taxi instead. This option takes only 30 minutes and rates start from 18,000 CRC ($38). You can hail one from the street or via the taxi-hailing app Uber.
PRO TIP: Uber is still not 100% accepted in Costa Rica. Although it is widely used, there have been rare cases of Uber rides being stopped in the middle of the journey and passengers asked to transfer to a taxi. We recommend asking your hotel first whether it is safe to use it before booking your ride.
Step 2: Flight from San Jose to Cobano
Sansa Airlines, Green Airways and Hahn Air offer plenty of flights daily from San Jose to Cobano.
Airfares start from 58,000 CRC ($125) for the flight that takes 40 minutes.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Previously, you had to fly from San Jose to Tambor when travelling to Santa Teresa. But since October 2023, Sansa Airlines — the sole carrier operating at that time — has moved its arrival airport to Cobano. Keep this in mind when booking your flight!
Step 3: Taxi from Cobano Airport to Santa Teresa
From Cobano Airport, the most convenient way to get to Santa Teresa is by private transfer. You can request this from your hotel beforehand or you can just get a taxi at the airport. Rates start from 23,000 CRC ($49) for the journey that takes 40 minutes.
Another option is to book your taxi online via Tropical Tours Shuttle, with fares starting from 14,000 CRC ($30).
San Jose to Santa Teresa by Private Transport
Travelling with friends or family? You can save on costs when you take a private transfer from San Jose to Santa Teresa. Rates start from 142,000 CRC ($300) for a 4-seater car. That’s about 36,000 CRC ($76) per person if you divide the cost. The bigger the group, the more you save.
These door-to-door transfers don’t need to make unnecessary stops so you can complete the journey in just around 4 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes.
Private transfers from San Jose to Santa Teresa take two different routes: completely overland or including a ferry ride from Puntarenas to Paquera. This ferry ride costs 710 CRC ($1.50) per person and ferry tickets are not included in the cost of the private transfer.
If you don’t want to take a ferry, check the details first before booking your ride.
Private Transport options from San José to Santa Teresa
Rounding it up
We hope this guide was helpful in planning how to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa. If there's anything else you're wondering about, drop us a comment and we'll do our best to answer you within a few days.
PS: If you've recently travelled this route, share your experience with fellow travellers and help us improve this post. Thanks for helping out our travel community!
Frequently Asked Questions about San Jose to Santa Teresa
What is the distance from San Jose to Santa Teresa?
The distance from San Jose to Santa Teresa is 185 kilometre (115 miles).
What is the fastest way to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa?
The fastest way to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa is by flight via Cobano and takes 2 hours 20 minutes.
What is the cheapest way to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa?
The cheapest way to get from San Jose to Santa Teresa is by indirect bus with ticket costs starting from 10,000 CRC ($21.50).
Ela is a storyteller, content producer, solo traveller and a mermaid-in-training. When she’s not in front of her laptop, you will find her barefoot and living her best tan on some island in the Philippines… Or exploring the depths of its seas as a budding freediver. An island girl at heart, she’ll be happy anywhere there is sea, sand, sun and coffee.
Based in Bali, Maarten’s passion for travel is undeniable. In 2016, he decided to quit his job as a stock analyst and started doing what he always dreamed of: travelling through South East Asia and helping other people plan their trips. When he is not working on Gecko Routes, you’ll find him surfing in the ocean or exploring the best gems of Indonesia.
