Arriving/Leaving

Even though the Jaun Santamaria International Airport is called the "San Jose" Airport, it's not in San Jose. The airport is actually in the city of Alajuela which is west of & under half hour's drive from San Jose.
This picture is of the San Jose Airport.
The bottom area where all the red cabs are waiting is where you come out when you arrive & the ramp at the top is where you enter the airport to leave the country.
What a zoo!!!!! Seriously. Arriving and leaving.
Arriving

We've been to Costa Rica several times & it's always the same upon arrival.

First, you will be hit with the most incredible blast of humid, instantly sticky, soaked to the skin heat as you disembark on to the scorching, black tarmac of the Jaun Santamaria Airport. It's freakin' hot! Almost takes your breath away.
Of course if you're like us you will be wearing extra layers of clothing because you just left a cold country & you needed them to keep warm on the chilly flight.
After our first trip we came up with a new plan; we either shed some of those layers before the plane lands or change wardrobes completely. Off come the socks, jeans, runners & sweaters & on go the shorts, t-shirts & sandals. We travel light now. Each of us has one carry on sized bag & another weighing under 25lbs. We also wear layers of the heaviest items of clothing we feel we will need while in Costa Rica. With such little in the way of luggage we never have to check them thus eliminating the risk of lost bags & it sure makes it easier to carry your belongings around. We learned from our own mistakes after lugging two bulging suitcases around on our first month long trip to Costa Rica. Just see how much fun that is when traveling in tiny boats or cramped local buses. Not an easy feat! Over half of what we had taken never even left the neatly packed suitcases. Best advise....travel as light as possible.

Once you're in the airport' building just follow the group passengers that came off your plane. They will be heading for the baggage pick up area then on to Immigration.
While you're waiting for your baggage it doesn't hurt to exchange about $50.00 in to colnes at the kiosk. It's never the best exchange rate at the airport but you may need money for tips, cabs etc. Most will accept US dollars but it's good to have at least some colones on hand. Don't pull out wads of cash to get the $50.00 though...have it ready before you get there. You just never know who might be watching. And "ALWAYS" watch your bags, every second, especially once you leave the building.
Going through Immigration can take awhile sometimes, especially if more than one plane has come in around the same time but we've always passed through uneventfully.
We've always found the Immigration officials to be polite & friendly.

Once you're out the building's doors though ,it's another story! It's sort of like organized chaos. It can be quite intimidating when you don't know what to expect.
Hotel drivers by the dozen are jostling for space among the crowd, waving plastic signboards in the air, trying to find their guests. Some hold them up in the window so you can see them as you head for the exit. Porters try to take your bags to awaiting cabs, who themselves are also trying to get your attention.
Again...keep your eyes & your hands on all your luggage until you know exactly what you are doing. Don't let anyone take your bags unless you are for sure going with that cab or hotel van. If you don't see the driver of your hotel, just wait...he will find you. Or if there are two of you then one can stay with the bags & the other can search for your driver. Be prepared to keep saying "No, gracias as you will be asked if you need a ride over & over again.
If your hotel is not picking you up, then make sure you only use the official taxis. They are red with a yellow triangle on top.

Many travellers choose to have their rental cars waiting for them at the airport. I've heard this isn't the wisest choice. Bandidos have been known to inflict a rental's tire with a slow leak then wait for you to stop, hopefully somewhere desolate & fix it. They follow you from the airport & stop & offer to help, which is not help at all but in the end, a robbery. Not a nice way to start your trip.
True or not, we never take the chance, just incase. You never know. Better safe than sorry as the saying goes.

Except for our first trip, where we relied on other forms of transportation, we always have our rental vehicle delivered to our hotel.
If you plan on driving somewhere as soon as you land, I'd recommend you have the rental agency pick you up at the airport & take you to their office or just take a cab to somewhere a few blocks from the airport & have them meet you there.

There is another airport near San Jose but it is just for smaller airplanes.
There is also an International Airport in the North-West corner of the country in Liberia.
Several smaller landing .are available for in country trips.
The 2 main airlines that opperate within Costa Rica are Sansa & Nature Air.
We've only flown Sansa, to & from the Osa Penninsula and they were the most harrowing flights of my life! I'll go into more detail on this traumatic experience in a future post