Domestic flights on small planes, also known as “puddle jumpers,” are available throughout Costa Rica and can cut hours off your travel time to remote destinations. However, after being involved in the Costa Rica travel industry for over a decade, we no longer take domestic flights ourselves and don’t recommend them to our readers and clients. In this post, we’ll explain why and what alternatives exist.
Overview of Domestic Flights in Costa Rica
Domestic flights operate from both of Costa Rica’s international airports: SJO near San José and Guanacaste Airport (LIR) in Liberia.
These small planes are most often used to reach remote destinations like Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast, Puerto Jimenez and Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula, and Santa Teresa, Montezuma, and Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula.
Airstrips are located all around the country in places like:
- Drake Bay and Puerto Jimenez (Osa Peninsula)
- Tortuguero and Limon (Caribbean coast)
- Cobano (southern Nicoya Peninsula)
- Quepos/Manuel Antonio (central Pacific coast)
- Nosara and Tamarindo (Guanacaste)
- La Fortuna/Arenal (Northern Highlands)
- Palmar Sur and Golfito (southern Pacific coast)
Most of these are basic airstrips without many amenities for travelers.
Main Domestic Airlines in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, the main domestic carriers are SANSA, which has been in operation for many years and has the most routes, and Costa Rica Green Airways, a newer, smaller company with limited routes.
General Costs
Flights generally cost $95-160 each way. Prices vary based on destination and season.
Advantages of Domestic Flights
Cutting Travel Time
The most obvious benefit to domestic flights is the dramatic reduction in travel time. What might be a 7-hour drive from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez becomes a 45-minute flight. For travelers with limited time, this can mean an extra day of vacation.
Spectacular Views
When we visited Costa Rica as tourists years ago, before moving here permanently, we flew on small planes several times. We enjoyed the adventure aspect of taking them, but the views from above were also incredible!
Access to Remote Areas
Another major benefit of small plane flights is that they make some destinations much more accessible.
Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean coast is one example. No roads go directly to Tortuguero so you need to take a boat or plane to get there. From San Jose, the drive to the boat docks is about 3 hours then it’s another 1.5-hour boat ride to reach the village. You could instead take a small plane directly from San Jose, making the trip just 40 minutes.
Problems with Domestic Flights
Despite these advantages, we no longer recommend domestic flights for several reasons.
Reliability Issues
Last-minute cancellations are common with small plane operators in Costa Rica. Flights are sometimes delayed or canceled because of bad weather or some other reason. Not only is this inconvenient, but it can be very difficult to get a refund if this happens.
Luggage Constraints
An issue for some travelers is the luggage restrictions for domestic flights. These are small aircraft and, therefore, can’t hold too much extra weight.
Luggage is generally restricted to 1 checked bag at 30-50 pounds (14-23 kg), depending on carrier, and 1 small carry-on item. In some cases, you can pay more for extra luggage, but only if the plane has the ability to carry the extra weight. In most cases, the passengers are weighed as well to calculate the total payload.
Safety
The most serious concern that we have with small planes in Costa Rica is safety. The most well-known crash in recent years was in 2017 when a Nature Air flight crashed after takeoff from the airstrip in Punta Islita. All 12 people on board (who were on vacation from the US) were tragically killed.
We also personally know of several other deadly crashes involving small aircraft in Costa Rica, both of major and private carriers. Because of these incidents and our uncertainty about oversight of the industry, we don’t recommend domestic flights at this time.
For a list of aviation incidents by date, see the Aviation Safety Network’s Costa Rica page.
Alternative: Carefully Plan Your Itinerary
Instead of taking domestic flights, we recommend driving or taking a shuttle to your destination.
Often, you can structure your itinerary to break up long drives with strategic overnight stops. For example, when traveling from San Jose to Drake Bay (about a 7-hour journey via car and boat), you could stop in Jaco or Manuel Antonio for a night. This will not only break up the trip but will let you see another area of the country.
Our post Costa Rica Itinerary with Osa Peninsula is a good example of how to do this.
Being strategic with which international airport you use can also help. For example, if you’re planning to visit Santa Teresa on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, you should fly into Liberia, which is closer than San Jose. Then you can structure the rest of your itinerary to make your way back to Liberia or plan to fly out of San Jose and check out towns on the central Pacific coast via the ferry.
Need help structuring your itinerary? Our Itinerary articles are a great starting point. We’ve carefully crafted them to make sure you’re not spending too much time on the road. Or feel free to reach out through our Video Chat Service for personalized help.
Conclusion
While small planes offer a quick way to reach remote destinations in Costa Rica, the reliability and safety concerns make them difficult to recommend. Driving is the best way to experience the country anyway in our opinion because you have the flexibility to stop and go as you please. Some of our best travel memories in Costa Rica have come from those unexpected stops and discoveries along the way!
Have a question about domestic flights in Costa Rica? Ask us below.
Looking for more information to plan your trip? Check out these posts:
Costa Rica Transportation Options: This page covers all the major transportation options, including driving, taking a shuttle, or taking the bus.
Safety in Costa Rica: Get general safety information on keeping your valuables and rental car secure plus helpful tips.
Health & Safety: Our Health and Safety articles cover lots of different related topics like drinking water safety and beach safety.
Practical Travel: Learn other travel basics like how to handle money on your trip, what to expect for weather, and lots more.