INFORMATION | HOW TO GET THERE


Playa Negra is located in the province of Guanacaste, in the Pacific North West of Costa Rica. We are 30 minutes south from Tamarindo, and 60 minutes from Liberia International Airport .

We now have a brand new highway, called Caldera, which will bring you from San Jose in 3 hours.

The easiest and most flexible way to get here is by renting a car. Roads are generally in good condition and getting better every year. It's not necessary to get a 4x4, but access to some places can get tricky during rainy season, so it depends upon where you are traveling and what roads you may take.

The main advantage of renting a car is that you have complete liberty regarding your travels. You can enjoy your holidays just the way you want, and go to the surf, beach, or other sites whenever you feel like doing so. There are many rental companies in Costa Rica, and we can always give you advice on the best choice for you.

Traveling by public transportation is always a gamble, as you could end up stranded due to anything from a cancelled route or change in schedule. If you do take the public bus, we strongly recommend you to not come through Tamarindo as it's always the longer slower route. Come instead through the town of Junquillal.



Tamarindo:

Is 30 minutes north of Playa Negra and gets around 10 daily flights from San Jose.
From San Jose to Tamarindo is a 45 minutes flight.


Sansa Air: www.flysansa.com (506) 2221-9414
Nature Air: www.natureair.com/ (506) 2220-3054


You can take a cab from the airport into Tamarindo or rent a car there.


Coming out of Tamarindo take a right on Villareal towards Hacienda Pinilla and Avellanas, on the next intersection go right until you get to hacienda Pinilla. Take the left on the upcoming fork, pass Playa Avellanas about 5kms till you reach Playa Negra or Los Pargos football field, about 700m past this you'll find Café Playa Negra on your left hand side of the street.



Liberia:

We are 60 minutes south from the International airport.
Liberia airport has more than 5 daily arrivals from Canada, Europe, and the USA. Delta, American, United and Continental all fly here.
On your way out of the airport you come to Carretera principal 21. Take a right there, towards the south, continue about a half hour until the town of Santa Cruz. Just before reaching Santa Cruz there's a bridge, take a right before crossing it and follow the road towards the town of ‘27 de Abril. Take a right at the first intersection towards Paraiso, where you'll make a right when you see a football field on the right side of the road. 5kms ahead you'll reach Café Playa Negra on your right hand side of the street.



San Jose:

It's roughly 3 hours away from Playa Negra. With traffic the trip can take up to 5 hours.
If you arrive at the San Jose airport (Juan Santa Maria) a good option to save time is to take a smaller plane to Tamarindo and rent a car there.

Sansa Air: www.flysansa.com (506) 2221-9414
Nature Air: www.natureair.com/ (506) 2220-3054


Driving from Juan Santa Maria airport, take the Pan-American Highway north-bound, following the signs first to San Ramon, then Puntarenas, until you reach Liberia. Or before Liberia, at the second Shell gas station on your left, take a left towards the bridge ‘Puente de la Amistad’ over the Tempisque River. Cross it and continue past Nicoya until you reach Santa Cruz.
Now there is a new highway from San Jose called "Caldera". It's on the other side of town but is a lot faster and easier freeway than the old one. It will get you here in about 3 hours.



Santa Cruz:

Driving from Santa Cruz to the north , cross a small bridge, after which there is a street where you must turn left towards 27 de Abril. After 20kms you'll pass a small bridge and make a left. Drive 200 meters then make a right on the first intersection towards Paraiso. In Paraiso, you'll take a right and drive 5kms . You'll reach Cafe Playa Negra on the right hand side of the street in a few minutes.



By Bus:

If you come by bus, you must find one that gets you to Santa Cruz, and then take another one to Playa Negra, if you can find one. Once in Santa Cruz, another option to get to Playa Negra is by Taxi. You can also take a bus in Paraiso and then hitch a ride to Playa Negra on 5kms away if you're the adventurous type.
Outside Juan Santa Maria airport in San José there is a Bus terminal with the 2 companies that travel to Santa Cruz: Tralapa and Alfaro.
To see maps check: www.maptak.com Fantasy Bus (Gray line) and Interbus, offer the private shuttle service both ways to Tamarindo and Santa Cruz leaving and arriving from San Jose, Arenal, Manuel Antonio and Jaco.



Private Transportation

You can find private transportation to everywhere in Costa Rica or to Playa Negra, or if you prefer, we can make the arrangements to have a transfer waiting for you at your point of origin to bring you to Cafe Playa Negra. Following you will find some estimated prices.

  • Liberia (1 ½ hr) $95.00
  • Tamarindo (35 min) $55.00
  • Santa Cruz (1hr) $45.00
  • San Jose (4.5hrs)$180.00



These prices may change according with the season or the road conditions. During the rainy season we recommend you to hire a taxi service with 4WD. For more information or price quotes, please contact us, it will be our pleasure to help you.