How to Reach us Traveling by plane, car or bus.

Traveling by Plane

Liberia International Airport

The best way to get to Playa Negra is to land at Liberia International airport. There are numerous new regular flights from the US landing at Liberia airport: Delta Airlines from Atlanta, American from Miami, Continental from Houston and several others, all with good connections to other cities. Liberia airport is only at 1h30 min. drive from Hotel Playa Negra. You can either rent a car at the airport or we can arrange a taxi to pick you up and bring you to the hotel. The current rate is about 70$ one way.

San Jose Intenational airport

The other option is to arrive at San Jose international airport; the drive from there to our hotel takes about 4 hours. Instead of driving, one can also fly with a local airline to Tamarindo airport. From there you can rent a car or we can arrange transportation by taxi to the hotel. The drive takes about 40 minutes and the cost is about 30$.

The Costa Rican National Airlines, SANSA leaves daily from San Jose International Airport, which makes connecting flights easy. Book ahead because flights are usually crowded. We can help with your reservations or you can contact SANSA directly at: http://www.flysansa.com/                              Another local airline, Nature Air, has also daily flights between San Jose and Tamarindo. Its web-site is http://www.natureair.com/ and the numbers are: phone (506) 220 30 54,  fax  (506) 220 04 13

 

Travelling by car

Traveling around Costa Rica in a rental car gives one the freedom to make day trips to other beaches and to National Parks. A 4x4 is not a necessity but it makes travel more comfortable especially during the rainy season, June to November. Rental Car agencies are in San Jose ( by the airport or in the Central part ), Liberia and Tamarindo.

The shortest route from San Jose to Playa Negra is across the new bridge on the Tempisque river, where the ferry used to be. The trip will last about 4 hours. From San Jose airport follow directions towards San Ramon, Puntarenas and Liberia. After about 120 km (73 miles) on the way to Liberia, turn left at the Shell gas station, following the signs "Puente de la amistad de Taiwan".
After crossing the bridge follow signs to Santa Cruz, where you should stop at a gas station to fill up, since there won't be any other gas station on the coast.
Just after exiting Santa Cruz towards Liberia, you will cross a bridge. 

Immediately past the bridge take the first road on the left following the signs to Playa Junquillal, Paraiso and others. After 17 km on a dirt road, you will cross a bridge and start driving on a dirt road. Turn left first and then right still following signs to Paraiso and Playa Junquillal (you should see the fist signs to Playa Negra too).After another 17 km on the dirt road, you will reach Paraiso. At Paraiso's soccer fiels, turn right following the sign to Playa Negra, and after 4.5 km you will arrive.We are right on the beach ! 

From Liberia, drive towards Santa Cruz. Just before the bridge at the entrance of Santa Cruz, turn right following signs to Playa Junquillal and follow the indiations above.

If you drive from Tamarindo, it will take you about 45 minutes through Villareal, San Jose de Pinilla and Playa Avellanas. The road from Avellanas to Playa Negra gets very bad at the end of the rainy season, you might have to take the longer route (55min) through 27 de Abril and Paraiso.

Guanacaste
Near of Playa Negra

Travelling by Bus

Travel by bus from San Jose to Santa Cruz is cheap (About $5), relatively dependable and allows you to relax and enjoy the scenery. The trip from San Jose to Santa Cruz takes between 4 to 5 hours.

Two companies, Tralapa and Alfaro, offer service to Santa Cruz, with buses running nearly every hour. Any taxi driver in San Jose will be able to drop you off at either station. Your best bet is to get started as early in the day as possible. The buses are usually large, modern, long distance passenger buses with reclining seats. As you purchase your ticket, make sure that it nshows the number of a reserved seat. Large baggage goes underneath and small, fragile or valuable items in the luggage rack over your seat. At the bus station you may want to buy some snacks or drinks for the trip.

Arriving in Santa Cruz is where the adventure starts. Bus service to the town of Paraiso is available at 10am, 2:15 and 4:30pm, but only for the real adventurer. Buses are crowded, slow and tend to break down at the worst possible times. The easiest way to get to the coast is by taxi, cost about $20. The taxis stand is along the main street, mid-way between the arrival points of the two bus companies. You may also be able to make arrangements with your hotel
to be picked up in Santa Cruz.

Returning to San Jose is actually easier, if you are an early riser. Tralapa has a bus leaving Paraiso at 5:am which makes a direct connection with the 6 o'clock bus for San Jose, arriving at 11. Buses heading towards San Jose will drop passengers off directly in front of the airport if requested.