Last updated on July 18th, 2019 at 11:47 am
Written by Nikki Solano
Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️
For you. For free.
Looking for Costa Rica car rental discounts? We’ve got em’! Check out our FREE COSTA RICA DISCOUNT CODES page for details. Con mucho gusto (you’re welcome) and pura vida!
Flying into or out of Liberia (a.k.a., the LIR Airport) instead? See our related post:
Driving Directions To The LIR Airport / Driving Directions From The LIR Airport
Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS:
DRIVING DIRECTIONS FOR COSTA RICA
As we touch on in our related blog post Costa Rica Transportation: 12 Ways To Get Around Costa Rica, a popular method of Costa Rica transportation is a personal vehicle rental. If you have read our blog post Renting A Car In Costa Rica: Should You Do It? (as well as our other helpful articles How Not To Fall For Costa Rica Car Rental Scams and Costa Rica Car Rental Insurance), once you have made the decision to rent a vehicle, the next wave of questions you will ask yourself will likely revolve around routes, drive times, driving distances, and other in-country driving logistics. If you plan to fly into and/or out of the Juan Santamaria International Airport (a.k.a., the SJO Airport), then one of the first tasks at hand will be to secure driving directions from the SJO Airport to whichever destination you plan to travel to at the start of your trip.
Fortunately, we have compiled a list of driving directions for Costa Rica (complete with maps and downloadable/printable direction copies) to save you precious trip planning time. If you are asking yourself, “How do I get to the SJO Airport from…” or “How do I get from the SJO Airport to…” either the LIR Airport, La Fortuna (Arenal), Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Samara, Tamarindo, Coco, or Puerto Viejo (de Talamanca), don’t miss the information we have pulled together for you below.
Tip:
- When accessing any of the driving directions documents we provide below, don’t forget to save a copy to your device or preferred cloud-service provider, and/or print a hard copy for your records. This will allow you to access the directions at a later date if you find yourself without internet access during your trip, while on the road, and/or if your GPS stops working.
HOW TO GET TO THE SJO AIRPORT (FROM OTHER COSTA RICA DESTINATIONS)
Need to get from a Costa Rica destination to the SJO Airport? No problem! See our list of driving directions to the SJO Airport below.
Driving directions to the SJO Airport from the LIR Airport
Approximate driving distance between the LIR Airport and the SJO Airport: 210 km
Approximate drive time from the LIR Airport to the SJO Airport (according to Google Maps): 3 hours 11 minutes
Approximate drive time from the LIR Airport to the SJO Airport (our more accurate approximation): 3 hours and 45 minutes
Driving directions to the SJO Airport from La Fortuna (Arenal)
Approximate driving distance between La Fortuna (Arenal) and the SJO Airport: 115 km
Approximate drive time from La Fortuna (Arenal) to the SJO Airport (according to Google Maps): 2 hours 23 minutes
Approximate drive time from La Fortuna (Arenal) to the SJO Airport (our more accurate approximation): 2 hours and 45 minutes
Driving directions to the SJO Airport from Monteverde
Approximate driving distance between Monteverde and the SJO Airport: 125 km
Approximate drive time from Monteverde to the SJO Airport (according to Google Maps): 2 hours 29 minutes
Approximate drive time from Monteverde to the SJO Airport (our more accurate approximation): 3 hours and 15 minutes
Driving directions to the SJO Airport from Manuel Antonio
Approximate driving distance between Manuel Antonio and the SJO Airport: 155 km
Approximate drive time from Manuel Antonio to the SJO Airport (according to Google Maps): 2 hours 32 minutes
Approximate drive time from Manuel Antonio to the SJO Airport (our more accurate approximation): 3 hours
Driving directions to the SJO Airport from Samara
Approximate driving distance between Samara and the SJO Airport: 222 km
Approximate drive time from Samara to the SJO Airport (according to Google Maps): 3 hours 41 minutes
Approximate drive time from Samara to the SJO Airport (our more accurate approximation): 4 hours and 15 minutes
Driving directions to the SJO Airport from Tamarindo
Approximate driving distance between Tamarindo and the SJO Airport: 246 km
Approximate drive time from Tamarindo to the SJO Airport (according to Google Maps): 4 hours 0 minutes
Approximate drive time from Tamarindo to the SJO Airport (our more accurate approximation): 5 hours
Driving directions to the SJO Airport from Playa Del Coco
Approximate driving distance between Playa del Coco and the SJO Airport: 230 km
Approximate drive time from Playa del Coco to the SJO Airport (according to Google Maps): 3 hours 36 minutes
Approximate drive time from Playa del Coco to the SJO Airport (our more accurate approximation): 4 hours and 15 minutes
Driving directions to the SJO Airport from Puerto Viejo (de Talamanca)
Approximate driving distance between Puerto Viejo (de Talamanca) and the SJO Airport: 231 km
Approximate drive time from Puerto Viejo (de Talamanca) to the SJO Airport (according to Google Maps): 4 hours 26 minutes
Approximate drive time from Puerto Viejo (de Talamanca) to the SJO Airport (our more accurate approximation): 5 hours
HOW TO GET FROM THE SJO AIRPORT (TO OTHER COSTA RICA DESTINATIONS)
Need to get to a Costa Rica destination from the SJO Airport? No problem! See our list of driving directions from the SJO Airport below.
Driving directions from the SJO Airport to the LIR Airport
Approximate driving distance between the SJO Airport and the LIR Airport: 210 km
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to the LIR Airport (according to Google Maps): 3 hours 11 minutes
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to the LIR Airport (our more accurate approximation): 3 hours and 45 minutes
Driving directions from the SJO Airport to La Fortuna (Arenal)
Approximate driving distance between the SJO Airport and La Fortuna (Arenal): 114 km
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to La Fortuna (Arenal) (according to Google Maps): 2 hours 26 minutes
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to La Fortuna (Arenal) (our more accurate approximation): 2 hours and 45 minutes
Driving directions from the SJO Airport to Monteverde
Approximate driving distance between the SJO Airport and Monteverde: 125 km
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Monteverde (according to Google Maps): 2 hours 24 minutes
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Monteverde (our more accurate approximation): 3 hours and 15 minutes
Driving directions from the SJO Airport to Manuel Antonio
Approximate driving distance between the SJO Airport and Manuel Antonio: 155 km
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Manuel Antonio (according to Google Maps): 2 hours 32 minutes
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Manuel Antonio (our more accurate approximation): 3 hours
Driving directions from the SJO Airport to Samara
Approximate driving distance between the SJO Airport and Samara: 222 km
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Samara (according to Google Maps): 3 hours 41 minutes
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Samara (our more accurate approximation): 4 hours and 15 minutes
Driving directions from the SJO Airport to Tamarindo
Approximate driving distance between the SJO Airport and Tamarindo: 246 km
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Tamarindo (according to Google Maps): 4 hours 0 minutes
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Tamarindo (our more accurate approximation): 5 hours
Driving directions from the SJO Airport to Playa Del Coco
Approximate driving distance between the SJO Airport and Playa del Coco: 230 km
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Playa del Coco (according to Google Maps): 3 hours 36 minutes
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Playa del Coco (our more accurate approximation): 4 hours and 15 minutes
Driving directions from the SJO Airport to Puerto Viejo
Approximate driving distance between the SJO Airport and Puerto Viejo: 231 km
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Puerto Viejo (according to Google Maps): 4 hours 26 minutes
Approximate drive time from the SJO Airport to Puerto Viejo (our more accurate approximation): 5 hours
QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Have you made the drive to/from the SJO Airport? How did your drive time compare to ours noted above?
Pura vida!
Don’t miss our related posts:
Driving Directions To The SJO Airport / Driving Directions From The SJO Airport
Hey, Costa Rica Travel Blog reader, thank you for visiting and reading our blog! We're truly grateful for your time and preference.
Do you know that your spam-free reading experience is most important to us? Unlike some other Costa Rica blogs, we do not to sell your personal information, and we choose not to display ads, sponsored content, or affiliate marketing on our blog so we can keep your visit as distraction- and junk-free as possible. Because we prioritize your privacy, we don't earn money when you visit us, when you sign up for our e-course, or when you click on our links, which means the time and work we put into this blog—including its 300+ articles—is entirely voluntary! If you find our content valuable, and you'd like to thank us for making the trip-planning process easier and your Costa Rica vacation more enjoyable, please consider making a small donation ($1, $2, $3, or an amount of your choosing) to our blog. Doing so is a great way to pat us on the back if you feel we deserve it. 😊 Pura vida, amigos!
Click on the button above to donate through PayPal. (If you cannot see the PayPal button above, click here.) A PayPal account is not required to make a donation; credit and debit cards are also accepted. PayPal donations are confidential; we never see your payment details.
Love our blog? Check out our other Costa Rica-related projects, too:
