Puerto Viejo is a bit more off the beaten track than some other destinations in Costa Rica. But that’s part of what makes it feel a bit more magical and special once you’re there. You will likely be arriving in Puerto Viejo by road.
The closest airport is in Limon, and about a 1.5 hour drive from Puerto Viejo. At the time of our trip, and the time I am writing this, there seem to be no flights going into Limon Airport.
So to get to Puerto Viejo, you are going to have to drive either from San Jose, other destinations in Costa Rica, or even from Bocas Del Toro, Panama.
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How long does it take to get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica?
Below is a table that outlines some approximate drive times for getting to Puerto Viejo. Keep in mind that traffic and weather can have a huge impact on these drive times. And if you’re taking a bus, any stops along the way to pick up additional passengers will also lengthen your travel time.
Driving Times to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
starting location | approximate drive time |
|---|---|
San Jose International Airport | 5 hours |
Arenal Volcano | 5 hours |
Monteverde | 7 hours |
Manuel Antonio | 8 hours |
tamarindo | 9 hours |
nosara | 9 hours |
santa Teresa |
10 hours |
bocas del toro, Panama |
3 hours |
How We Chose to Get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica with Kids
We chose to hire private transport to get us from San Jose to Puerto Viejo with https://www.transportationincostarica.com/. We chose this company after checking out online reviews, comparing pricing, and finding out that car seats are included in the price.
Why Hire Private Transport to Get to Puerto Viejo?
We chose private hire to Puerto Viejo for speed, convenience, and flexibility.
If you aren’t making stops to pick up and drop off other passengers, your travel time is significantly reduced, which is always a bonus with kids. Even if the shuttle is going straight to your destination, you’d be picking up passengers at various hotels before you actually get started.
Private Transport also usually provides you with door-to-door service. Which is not only more convenient, but also cuts back on travel time. Often with shuttle services, they have a common pickup and drop-off location, which may or may not be convenient for you. Being able to be picked up and dropped off directly from where is most convenient for you is a huge selling point for me.
You also have more flexibility built into your travel day when you hire private transport. You can select a convenient departure time. I don’t know about you, but trying to get to a pickup location by 5:30am with (or without!) kids sounds a bit like a nightmare to me!
You also have more flexibility for when to take bathroom breaks and lunch breaks when your family members are the only passengers. During our visit, I was around 20 weeks pregnant, so these bathroom breaks were more important for me than the kids!
Our Experience with Transportation in Costa Rica
Overall, the online booking process is easy. There was clear communication following the booking and leading up to our trip.
On the day of our departure, the driver arrived early and was ready to go. We were a bit surprised to find that we had an entire shuttle bus all to ourselves. But that wasn’t necessarily a negative factor. The car seat we had requested was already set up. And all we had to do was get our bags in the back and go!
The driver was friendly, but not overly so. It made for a quiet ride, but not unpleasant.
We stopped for a lunch break at a local spot. And he pointed out the restaurant two doors down that appealed more to tourists, but would cost about 3x the amount. Finding out we were vegan, he made sure to point out all the options for us and made sure we were taken care of.
Online, the website mentions that you can pay the driver with a credit card when you arrive at your destination. Well, turns out the driver didn’t have the machine that you needed to do that. It took a bit of running around town to try ATMs, trying to call the owner of the company to take the credit card information, and was kind of a hassle.
On our return trip, for some reason, we had the option to pay online ahead of time. Which was of course much more convenient. We made sure to have enough cash to tip the driver and it was a much smoother process.
Speaking of the return trip, once again, our driver arrived early and ready to go. This time, he was extremely friendly and interactive with our daughter. The drive was also much quicker due to less traffic. And we stopped again for lunch at a more local place.
Overall, I would definitely book with Transportation in Costa Rica again. They were affordable, reliable, and the shuttles were comfortable.
What Is the Drive Like From San Jose to Puerto Viejo?
Overall, it’s a long drive. Even though Google Maps told us it would take around 4.5 hours, it ended up taking us more like 6 hours. Our return trip was much quicker and only took around 5 hours. This was mostly due to the traffic we experienced and how aggressive the driver was with passing slow traffic!
There is one road to Limon, and from Limon, one road along the coast to Puerto Viejo. The beginning of the drive first requires getting out of the city of San Jose. So depending on the time of day, you could already be adding on some drive time here.
Then, you ascend into Braulio Carillo National Park. The road here is curvy and can be quite dangerous. Our driver pointed out multiple locations where, just within the last 2 weeks, numerous cars had driven off the road. Mostly these incidents were due to drivers going too fast and entering unexpected curves. It is not uncommon for these incidents to end in serious injury or death, as the side of the road drops off a steep cliff.
It was at this point that we were grateful we hadn’t decided to attempt the drive ourselves. We also later met a couple who had done the drive in a torrential downpour. They talked about how dangerous it had felt not knowing the road and what to expect.
Could we have done it ourselves? Yes, definitely. But it would have been stressful. And with the private transport, our worst issue was boredom from the long drive and avoiding car sickness. Thank goodness we brought motion sickness meds!
Once you make your way out of the mountains, it’s a pretty straight shot. They were doing construction on that road. I think to expand it, which will greatly help that drive in the future. But at the time, it was a two-lane highway almost the entire way to Limon. Which could get pretty backed up from one slow driver.
There are few stopping points and gas stations along the way. So if you see something and you’re even close to hungry or needing a bathroom, I’d recommend taking advantage and stopping!
Once we hit Limon, we knew we were in the final 90-minute stretch. And the road follows the coast, which is beautiful. There is also much less traffic after you get past Limon. So to us, that felt like smooth sailing and we started to get even more excited for our arrival.
Other Options for Getting to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica with Kids
Shuttle Services
Buses
Car Rental
Other Private Transport Companies
There are other private transport companies available that we haven’t tried out. We were happy with our experience with Transportation in Costa Rica, but other companies also come recommended.
Private Transport Comparison Chart from San Jose to Puerto Viejo
**Note: Listed cost as of July '22**
company name | price and inclusions | reviews |
|---|---|---|
$240 per car - one way transfer - up to 6 passengers - Car seat - Tolls, Gas, A/C - 24/7 pickup times | 5/5 Google 4.8/5 Facebook | |
$310 Per car - one way transfer - up to 5 passengers - 1 hour tourist stop - tolls, gas, a/C | 4.8/5 Google 5/5 Tripadvisor | |
$318 per car - one way transfer - 1 hours stop *no other details listed* | n/a - could not find |
Shuttle Services
Shared shuttle services are priced per person, ranging from $55 per adult and $27.50 per child (Caribe Shuttle) to $60 per person (Transportation in Costa Rica). So you can see that with a family of 4, the price for a shared shuttle would range from $165 to $240. Not so far from the cost of a private transport.
They will pick you up from your hotel in San Jose, or nearby the airport. But they are not allowed to pick you up directly from the airport.
You also need to factor in time to pick up other passengers, and you will not have any flexibility with your pick up time. As an example, when traveling from Puerto Viejo to San Jose with Transportation in Costa Rica, you will be picked up at 7am and there are no other options.
They also don’t specify drop off locations, but my assumption would be that there is a common drop off location. You would then need to get yourself to your specific hotel.
Buses
The most economical option for getting to Puerto Viejo is via bus. It’s honestly not an option that we looked into extensively. When it comes to traveling, we like to have a good balance of economical to convenient, comfortable, and easy. The bus just didn’t seem like the best option for us. If you are seriously considering taking a bus, this page has a lot of detailed information on how to do so.
Car Rental
If you’re up for doing the drive through the national forest yourself, renting a car is definitely an option for you! It certainly provides you with the most flexibility.
We chose not to rent a car because we were going to be in Puerto Viejo for a month and knew that once we were there, we would be getting around town via bicycle. So the car would have been sitting there for four weeks waiting for the return trip.
We also looked into just renting a car one way for the return trip. The cost would have been pretty comparable to a private transfer. But then we would have had the added stress of doing the drive, finding gas stations, picking up and dropping off the car, navigating San Jose, etc. But I can definitely see how this option could be best for some families!
The cost of car rentals can vary greatly depending on the time of year that you go. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of gas, car seats if necessary, tolls, and possible parking fees.
This article warns against being drawn in by low car rental fares, and lists all of the additional fees that will eventually be tacked onto that original fee. And this article quotes average rental costs to be anywhere from $200 to $800 per week, depending on when you are traveling and what type of car you are renting.
Like I said, car rental could be a good option for you! It just wasn’t the best option for our family and our circumstances.
So how did you get to Puerto Viejo? Let others know what your experience was like in the comments below!