Costa Rica – The country has a lot of Marine Parks and a wonderful flora and fauna. Apart from the Galapagos and Malpelo Islands, Cocos Island is offering the most famous and spectacular dive sites in the world, Sightings of big fish are guaranteed.
The gateway airport for Costa Rica is San Jose.
We have listed some of the most common air connections below. Please contact us for detailed routings suitable for your trip.
From North and South America
Flights from the United States to San Jose are operating with Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, LACSA and Continental Airlines from Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. The airline depends on the airport where you fly. Spirit Airlines also operate from Fort Lauderdale and Jetblue Airways Corp. from Orlando.
Flights from South America to San Jose are operating with LACSA from Quito, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Lima, Madelline, Panama City, Santiago de Chile and San Salvador. There are also flights from some of the above listed airports with Copa Airlines, Taca International, Avianca and United Airlines.
From Australia and Asia
There are no direct flights from Australia or Asia to San Jose. If you travel from this region, you need to fly via the United States or South America.
There are flights from Sydney to Buenos Aires and Santiago with LAN or Qantas. You can also fly from Sydney to New York, Chicago, San Francisco or Los Angeles with American Airlines, US Airways or United Airlines, (Qantas or Continental) or to Vancouver with Air Canada or Air New Zealand.
The 2 main hubs in Asia to the United States are Singapore and Hong Kong. Singapore Airlines flies to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston, whereas Cathay Pacific flies from Hong Kong to Toronto, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. United Airlines, Continental Airlines and Delta Airlines also operate flights from Asia to North America.
From Europe
There are flights from Europe to San Jose with Iberia from Madrid or Barcelona or with Condor from Frankfurt.
Domestic flights
Nature Air has daily flights from/to San Jose from many domestic cities in Costa Rica.
Baggage
Most airlines have restricted the amount of baggage to be checked in free of charge.
International
In Economy class most big airlines have a free check in baggage allowance of 20kg (44lbs) per person.
Domestic
On domestic flights, for example Liberia (Ocotal Dive Resort) is only 10kg (30lbs) baggage allowance. We recommend the car transfer for divers.
Airfares
As part of your travel plan we will happily assist you in finding the most suitable flight connections to your dive destination. In many cases we can issue the tickets on your behalf.
Air taxes are subject to strong fluctuations and can change daily or until your flight ticket has been purchased. Taxes generally include local airport/security fees, departure taxes, ground handling fees and fuel surcharges.
Should the most convenient route involve instant purchase airfares we can still issue them with your authorisation. All airfares issued by us will attract a small service fee and might slightly be more expensive then the cheapest offers online.
In general, airfares available for purchase online depend on day of departure and time of travel. Those instant purchase airfares require full payment at time of booking. If you choose to arrange your own flights online, we won’t be able to provide any services for seat reservations, schedule or itinerary changes.
Visa & passport requirements
Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) change regularly. Contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate of Costa Rica for the most up to date information.
If you are travelling to Costa Rica through the United States of America (USA), or if you are transiting in Honolulu or other USA points of entry, you are required to meet USA entry/transit requirements. Make sure you check with your nearest US Embassy or Consulate your visa requirements well in advance of your travel. You should also read our travel advice for the United States of America. For information about some recent changes to United States border entry procedures, including the use of Emergency Passports and Documents of Identity, please see our travel bulletin on entry into the United States.
Make sure your passport has at least six months' validity from your planned date of return to Australia. You should carry copies of a recent passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas.
Links to more information
The following information is supplied by the foreign affairs section of the relevant country or the tourism authority of the destination. Please check the links for up to date information on visa and safety requirements, embassy and consular contacts, general information:
