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 Costa Rica By Bus© |
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| The Insider's Guide to Budget Travel |
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Costa Rica is one of the world's most beautiful and interesting tourist destinations. But to get the most out of your Costa Rica experience, you will need to get off the "beaten track" and travel the highways, byways, and rocky roads of this mountainous country, the "Switzerland of Central America."
Should you rent a car? For budget travelers, the answer is NO, not if you want to avoid high rental and insurance costs (with deposits up to $1,500 for young drivers), poorly marked roads, the second highest per-capita accident rate on the planet, and the ultimate adventure: getting stranded in wilderness light years from a telephone or repair service.
But don't despair! You have clicked your way to Costa Rica's best kept secret: an extensive, inexpensive bus system that will take you to beaches, national parks, cities, small villages, and other Central American countries at minimal cost. Sit back, relax, and watch the passing panorama.
Author's Advisories
The latest edition of the Costa Rica by Bus e-book (Portable Data File) and the
paperback are now available. Get the latest information on routes, schedules, and
travel tips.
During the "High Season," some airlines prohibit or place high charges on excess baggage and up to $100 for surfboards. They also have size and weight restrictions. Ask when you book your flight.
On arrival at Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela you can avoid pirates by buying a taxi ticket at the office on your left just before you exit the Arrivals area. For a bus, walk to the left and down the ramp to the parada (bus stop) on the highway; however if you have several bags, take a taxi to San José (about $40).
Tica Bus, which offers service between Costa Rica and other Central American countries, has moved to a new terminal on the west side of the city, 200 meters (two blocks) west and 200 meters north of the Scotiabank (formerly Mercedes) building on Avenida 3 between Calles 28 and 30.
Tracopa, which offers service to and from southern Costa Rica, has moved to a new terminal at A18-A20/C5-C7, 200 meters (two blocks) east and 200 meters south of Clínica Bíblica Hospital. Alfaro, which shared the terminal at A14/C5 with Tracopa, will remain at that location. Buses to Zapote have been moved to A6/C1-C3.
Although you may have heard so, Costa Rica is not Paradise. None exists on Earth. However, this remarkably beautiful, tranquil country, with its abundance of flora and fauna, near-perfect climate, and good people, is about as close an approximation of paradise as we can expect to find during our brief stay on this ravaged planet.
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| Finding Your Way In Costa Rica
Many towns and beaches in Costa Rica have the same name. For example, there is a Playa Hermosa in the Province of Guanacaste west of Liberia and two other Playa Hermosas in Puntarenas Province. There is a Peñas Blancas north-east of Puntarenas and another on the Nicaraguan border. A bus to Naranjo will take you to a town near San José in the Central Valley, whereas a bus to Playa Naranjo will take you to the north-eastern coast of the Nicoya Peninsula. There are three Pavones, seven San Isidros in the central valley alone and four others large enough to be shown on maps, seven San Ramons and (at last count) eleven San Antonios! Be sure that your destination is correct.
Equipment varies from a few old Blue Bird school buses on local routes to luxurious Mercedes and Volvos with reclining seats. Long distance buses have overhead racks and storage compartamientos abajo (compartments below) but local and short distance buses have little or no room to store bags. Travel light. Use a soft bag that you can stuff under your seat or carry in your lap. Some international buses, such as Tica Bus, have air-conditioning, toilet facilities, and even peliculas (movies), but domestic buses do not. Although old Cantinflas movies might have you think so, no chickens, pigs, or other livestock run up and down the aisles of Costa Rican buses.
Bus drivers often stop at paradas (street-side bus stops) only when people are getting off or waiting to board. Pull the bell chord, press the buzzer button, or shout "la parada" and walk to the exit at least a hundred meters (about 300 feet) before you plan to get off. Drivers and ticket sellers usually speak only Spanish and schedules are often not posted and are seldom published, so plan your itinerary and obtain travel information in advance.
When traveling beyond the metropolitan area of San José, buy your boletos or tiquetes (tickets) in advance. Long distance buses are often full, especially on weekends and holidays. If you arrive at the station just before departure time, you may find yourself riding a pie (standing), waiting for the next bus, or staying over at a Costa Rica hotel for an unplanned morning departure.
Tip: On Holy Thursday and Holy Friday of Semana Santa (Holy Week), which may occur near the end of March or in early April, bus service may be reduced on certain routes. Bus service is also reduced during Christmas week. On Christmas Day some bus companies do not run at all. |
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Finding Your Way In San José
San José is laid out in a rectangular grid consisting of north, south, east, and west quadrants. Despite the fact that the city is logically planned, getting around can be difficult because of the shortage of street signs and the Tico tendency to give directions with respect to the number of meters north, south, east, or west of landmarks known to them but unknown to out-of-towners and tourists. They rarely rely on Calle and Avenida numbers. Some addresses are given with respect to Barrios (neighborhoods), which are poorly identified on maps and hardly ever on street signs; finding them is a challenge. Ask for "direcciones." Ticos and Ticas are friendly, helpful people.
Few edificios (buildings) are numbered. When asking for directions, remember that a city block is considered to be 100 meters long regardless of its length. Therefore, "trescientos cincuenta metros sur del Gran Hotel" means "three and a half blocks south of the Grand Hotel." Tico addresses often refer to landmarks that no longer exist, such as the failed "Antiguo Banco Anglo" on A2/C1-C3 (the building is now occupied by the Ministerio de Hacienda). The most popular imaginary reference point is the Coca Cola bottling plant, which was torn down years ago.
 
I told you but you never listen!
It's 300 metros norte,100 metros
este del Antiguo Banco Anglo!
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The majority of buses leave from "Coca Cola" (the non-existent bottling plant) at C16/A1-A3 and from nearby terminals and paradas (street-side bus stops) but many others are scattered throughout the city. Most buses in San José stop running at about 10:00 p.m. and some stop running earlier. After that, you must rely on taxies. Taxi fares are 530 Colones (about one dollar) for the first kilometer and 380 Colones ($0.77) for each additional kilometer in the metropolitan area. There is a waiting charge of 2,980 ($5.63). Tips are not expected, but let the driver keep the menudo or plata (small change).
Note: Local buses in San José have laser bars that count passengers as they enter and leave. Do not stand between the bars or pass through them more than once. The driver must pay for any discrepancies between the fares collected and the passenger count.
Finding Your Way With Our Complete Guide
Costa Rica by Bus is the only travel guide that provides all the information you need to travel on Costa Rica's outstanding bus system, a system that will take you border-to-border and coast-to-coast throughout this beautiful country. Our guides are organized for easy retrieval of the information you need to get around and our e-Books are densely linked to help you navigate from one place to another and to visit interesting websites.
What our Customers Say: |
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| “I now have had an opportunity to thoroughly read your book. It is a treasure. I cannot imagine anyone traveling to CR, either as a first time visitor or a frequent traveler, and not having a copy of this tome in their suitcase. I do not think that even the residents have your knowledge of the country or your ability to navigate around it. Thanks for all of your help." -- Myles Cunningham |
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| “I just wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed your guide. It has a good deal of useful information not found in any of the other Costa Rica books that I have been reading. I like your style of writing and you organized the information extremely well. " -- Frank Muschal |
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“I was lucky to get an advance copy of Costa Rica by Bus. I'll be taking 30 of my students on a field trip to Costa Rica in April and the information in your guide is priceless. It's become almost a textbook for my kids. As we are traveling on a very restricted budget your guide has saved us time and money. We'll let you know how the trip went on our return .. Again, thank you sooooo much!" Rachael Gordon ... Edmondton, Canada
“WOW ... I don't know how you do it John but the printable posters, maps, and schedules alone are worth far more than what I paid. Absolutely the most incredible travel guide I've ever seen! Anyone going to Costa Rica ... MUST HAVE THIS BOOK!" ... Richard Knox ... London, UK |
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Currency
Costa Rican billetes (bills) are printed in four denominations: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000 colones. Coins are available in six denominations: 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500 colones. New coins are gold in color, old coins are silver. Coin-operated telephones accept only the old silver coin. On November 15, 2011 the exchange rate was
506 colones per US dollar. To make a quick and rough conversion to US dollars, simply move the decimal point three places to the left and multiply by 2. One thousand colones equals about $2.00 USD.
Bus Fares
Bus fares change often. Call the bus company for the latest information. Or, go to
www.aresep.go.cr and click on Tarifas, Vigentes, Transportes, Buses, and Tarifas
Vigentes Servicio de Buses. When a table appears click on Pliego at the bottom of
the screen.
Telephones
Most public phones, abundant in the center of San José often hard to find elsewhere, use one of three types of telephone cards. Old coin-operated phones take only old (silver) coins in denominations of 10 and 20 colones.

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A Growing Trend
A growing trend in the Costa Rican vacation property industry is timeshare rentals. If you're interested in buying a Costa Rican Timeshare rent first. Then look for an owner that wants to sell timeshare but always conduct some more research first, you can always rent a timeshare in Costa Rica anytime.

Timeshares
As soon as soon as you step off the plane after your Costa Rica vacation you will wonder how soon you can return, and after exploring the country using its outstanding bus system you will probably know which region is your favorite. Many travelers decide to buy timeshare here after visiting, because it is a great way to secure affordable, annual accommodations.
For those who do not wish to make a purchase, Guanacaste
rentals at timeshare resorts are another great option, as you can enjoy Costa Rica's wonderful people, weather, striking topography and vibrant culture for a great price.

Opportunities
Costa Rica is home to one of the largest American expat communities. People
are drawn to the "Pura Vida" lifestyle that is foreigner friendly. Often
times, foreigners travel to this small country on vacation and decide they
want to move here indefinitely. Costa Rica real
estate varies in price
depending on the location of the property. The pacific coast
remains the most popular place to buy real estate. Guanacaste (please remove
the active link) currently one of the most common choices for expats,
retirees and investors, however the entire country has different
opportunities.
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Sell Your Timeshare
Do you want to sell your timeshare, but don't know how? We provide you
with tips and strategies on selling your timeshare. Visit us today! |
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| Map compliments of the University of Texas |
| This web site was updated on November 15, 2011. |
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Copyright 2011, 2012 by John R. Wood
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