Getting to Costa Rica by Land or Sea

By Land

Borders

Nicaragua (309 km) and Panama (330 km).

From Neighboring Countries

By Land

Travel between Costa Rica and its two neighbors is straightforward, whether on the Pacific side (the most commonly used) or the Caribbean side. Several bus companies provide international connections, including:

• Central Line: for San Jose-Managua (Nicaragua).

• Easy Ride: transfers to/from Nicaragua. Easy Ride is one of those agencies offering regular minibus ("shuttle") services, catering almost exclusively to foreign tourists. Much more expensive than the bus.

• Expreso Panama: connects the capitals of Costa Rica and Panama.

• Nica Expreso: same as Central Line, serving Nicaragua where the company is well-established.

• Panaline: same route as Expreso Panama.

• Tica Bus: the best-known for their presence and transport services across Central America (excluding Belize).

• Tracopa: a company offering routes to/from David in Panama.

• Trans Nica: for Nicaragua and beyond to Honduras.

• Transporte Bocatorenos: for San Jose-Changuinola (Panama border) via Limon.

Note that if you want to spend slightly less and have time, you can also take a local bus to the border and then another one in the neighboring country after crossing.

By River

On the Caribbean side, at the border with Nicaragua where there are no roads, rivers can be used to cross between countries. This is particularly the case between Los Chiles (Costa Rica) and San Carlos (Nicaragua), and more "challengingly" between Tortuguero (Costa Rica) and San Juan del Norte (Nicaragua).

By Sea

Ferries

There are no real international ferry connections to/from Costa Rica, except for the Los Chiles-San Carlos route, which can be done by water taxis or with two daily scheduled trips between these two small towns for about US$12 per journey.

Cargo

Puntarenas/Caldera on the Pacific side and Limon on the Caribbean side are the two main ports accessible by cargo ship.

Cruises

Costa Rican coasts are only moderately visited by cruise ships. Mostly, these are vessels coming from California, often heading toward the Panama Canal or vice versa, stopping at Manuel Antonio National Park or in the Puntarenas region on the Pacific coast. On the other side, Limón serves as a stop for a few cruise ships sailing the Caribbean.

Sailboats