Getting to Cobano, Santa Teresa or Montezuma in Bus
In another article I talked about how to get to the Nicoya Peninsula area using the ferry. This is very useful for those who come by vehicle, either motorcycle or car.
But what happens when people come by bus? Traveling by bus has many advantages, you can sleep during the trip, read a book, play games on your cell phone. Besides when it comes to coming to Cobano, buying a ticket has other advantages, such as including the cost of third party services.
If you are eager to come surf with me to Santa Teresa, I have all the information you need to get here by bus.
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Non-stop ferry route: San José – Cóbano
Indirect ferry route: San José-Puntarenas, Paquera-Cóbano
Land route: San Jose – Nicoya – Jicaral – Paquera – Cóbano
Sea route: San Jose – Jaco, Jaco – Montezuma
Non-stop ferry route: San José – Cóbano
There is a bus that comes from San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica. This bus makes a stop in Alajuela, near the airport and another stop in San Ramon.
A few years ago there were several schedules but now they only have a 6:00 A.M. departure from San Jose. From Cobano back to San Jose, the departure is at 2:00 PM.
The bus back to San José has a direct stop at the airport.
The ticket for the month of July 2025 costs about 8000 colones, about 16 US dollars.
The advantage of taking this bus is that it includes the ferry ticket, so you don’t have to worry about this detail.
The buses of this line have air conditioning, but you can’t open the windows. If you want some fresh air, take advantage of this when the ferry arrives, as all passengers have to get off the bus.
The trip takes about 6 hours, including the one and a half hour ferry ride.
You can buy the ticket at the terminal in Cobano or San Jose or on the bus company web page paying by credit card or SINPE (a method of payment by text message widely used in Costa Rica).
It is important to remember that if you plan to take the bus in Alajuela or San Ramon, you have to order the ticket through the website.
When the bus arrives, show the driver the email that the company sends you when you ordered online. So have an app on your phone with access to your email address.
Indirect ferry route: San José-Puntarenas, Paquera-Cóbano
If for some reason you cannot catch the 6:00 A.M. bus from Transportes Cobano, there is the option to travel to Puntarenas, take the ferry and board another bus at the station in Paquera.
In this line there is a bus every hour from 4:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. If you take this option it is important to know the ferry schedule, since you will have to coordinate the bus departure time with the arrival to the city.
The bus takes about 3 hours if you take the direct route. There is another indirect route that detours to Alajuela and San Ramon, recommended if you want to take a quick look at these cities.
Buy your ticket online to the city of Puntarenas here. Or buy the ticket in their terminal here.
For example, if you want to take the midday ferry, you would board the 8:00 A.M. bus to Puntarenas in San Jose. You would arrive at 11:00 A.M. at the final stop in Puntarenas and walk or take a cab to the port.
I recommend you to buy your ferry ticket online. If you are without internet or did not have time, there is a ticket office a few steps from the pier. The ferry ticket costs about 1200 colones (2.5 US dollars.)
There is a ferry every two or three hours depending on the day, so if you miss the ferry, it is not the end of the world. You can wait for the next one and enjoy the charming town of Puntarenas. There are many hotels and you can stay there overnight if you like.
If you take the ferry, there is a bus at the pier in Paquera that will take you to Cobano. From there you take the bus to Montezuma or Santa Teresa. Attention, this bus has a separate cost.
Land route: San Jose – Nicoya – Jicaral – Paquera – Cobano
If you feel more adventurous and want to get to know Costa Rica, there is a land only route. If you don’t like the sea because it makes you seasick or for other reasons, this is the route for you. Although it is the most expensive route, it is the most picturesque of all.
You take the bus from San Jose to Santa Cruz, a trip of about 6 hours, which costs about 3500 colones (7 US dollars) and you get off in the town of Nicoya. From there there is a bus that leaves every two hours from Nicoya to Jicaral, it costs about 1200 colones (2 US dollars).
To buy the bus ticket to Nicoya city you can do it here and the bus station is located here.
In Jicaral you can take a cab to Paquera, which is another 1 hour trip.
The cost of this cab ride can vary, it can be as much as 20 to 30 dollars. This is where you have to use your Spanish and ask several cab drivers until you get the best price. You can ask several locals if there is any other way to get to Paquera. You can check your Uber or Didi app for available service, but it is rare in this area.
Once in Paquera you can take the bus to Cóbano, it is another thousand colones (2 dollars) for another hour of travel.
This route is an excellent opportunity to get to know the city of Nicoya. The annexation of the Nicoya territory is important for the history of Costa Rica. It is a very beautiful city with several historical monuments.
The sea route
There is another route that includes a lot of open sea. If you are used to this condition or are looking for a new experience this could be interesting.
There is a taxi-boat that can take you from the coastal town of Jaco to Montezuma, Santa Teresa or Tambor. It costs 55 US dollars plus 13% VAT and the trip takes about 1 hour and a half.
If you want to reserve the taxi boat visit this website. You can reserve your space in the bus to Jaco here.
First you must get to Jaco by taking a bus from San Jose. The company Transportes Jacó offers a bus every two hours from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM. It is about a 4 hour trip in very comfortable buses. The fare is around 3000 colones (6 US dollars), you can book your ticket here or buy it directly at the terminal ticket office.
Jaco is one of the most touristic coastal towns in Costa Rica, visited by both locals and foreigners.
These is where the bus line terminals discussed in this article are In San José
As always, if you are around Costa Rica and want a surf lesson, do not hesitate to contact me using this link or any of the buttons on the right side of the screen.
No AI was used in the writing of this article. Artificial Intelligence steals content from blogs like this and takes visits away from small entrepreneurs.
