Tamarindo to Santa Teresa

What to expect when visiting 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.

3 ways to get from Tamarindo to Santa Teresa

We recommend taking a minivan from Tamarindo to Santa Teresa. It’s convenient and although it’s a shared ride, you will be picked up and dropped off at your hotels. Ticket prices start from €40 and the journey can take 5 hours to 7 hours 30 minutes.

With this door-to-door transport, you won’t have to worry about finding your way to/from bus and ferry terminals.

Transporzuma and Tropical Tours Shuttle are the two companies offering shared rides. Note that they may require at least 3 passengers on board to push through with the trip.

Taking a bus and ferry from Tamarindo to Santa Teresa is nowhere near as convenient as the other options. But it’s a cheap alternative for the adventurous at heart.

The unfavourable road conditions between these two towns don’t allow for buses to operate directly. Instead, you’ll have to go all the way to Liberia and Puntarenas by land, hop on a ferry back to the Nicoya Peninsula (Paquera), and then travel by land again to Cobano and finally, Santa Teresa. A total of 4 buses and 1 ferry!

With this bus and ferry option, combined fares start from €14.10. Travel time is about 8 hours 50 minutes. So if you don’t have a lot of time to spare, consider taking a direct minivan instead.

If you still want to push through with this option, you need to leave Tamarindo early. Or else we can’t guarantee that you’ll arrive in Santa Teresa on the same day.

PRO TIP: As you’ll be taking a lot of buses, we strongly urge you to be mindful of your luggage. Make sure your bigger bags are inside the luggage compartment before boarding each bus and don’t forget to get your luggage ticket. As for your smaller bags, try to put them in front of you (or between your legs) instead of the overhead bin.

From Tamarindo, you’ll travel 80 km northeast to reach Liberia. You should be able to get a La Pampa bus every hour from 03:30 to 17:00 daily.

A ticket costs around €2.70 and travel time is 1.5 hours.

Upon arrival at the bus station in Liberia, we recommend asking around for the buses bound for Puntarenas. Simply say “Puntarenas” if you can’t speak in Spanish.

They should be available in the same station. But in some cases, you might be pointed to Pulmitan Bus Station just down the block.

From Liberia, the bus journey southeast to Puntarenas takes around 3.5 hours. Buses depart almost every hour from 05:00 to 15:30.

You can buy a ticket for €4.50. Buses park at Puntarenas Bus Stop, located 2 km east of Puntarenas Port.

From the bus terminal in Puntarenas, you can take a 5-minute taxi ride to Naviera Tambor Ferry Port. That should cost around €4.50.

At the port, hop on a ferry bound for Paquera. A ticket costs €1.40 per person. You can buy a ticket at the port, but you can also buy one beforehand on quickpaycr.

The ferry ride takes around 1 hour 30 minutes.

Buses are usually available in Paquera in time for ferry arrivals. Take one bound for Cobano, 40 km southwest.

From Paquera onwards, expect some rough roads. It’s really scenic though, probably enough to take your mind off the bumpy ride.

The journey should take 1.5 hours. You can buy a ticket from the driver for €2.70.

At the same bus station you arrive in Cobano, you can finally take a bus bound for Santa Teresa.

Also here, you can just buy your ticket from the driver. That should cost around €2.70. Travel time is 50 minutes.

If you’re travelling in a small group, you can also consider taking a private transfer. It’s quite expensive, but you can enjoy the comfort of your own private ride for the journey that takes about 4 hours.

Rates start from €320 for a vehicle that can fit 2 people.

Some of the most trusted companies offering private transfers from Tamarindo to Santa Teresa include Relaxury and Suntrails.

Private Transfer options from Tamarindo to Santa Teresa