Flying in Costa Rica

While most tourists prefer to travel around the country by rental car, we have opted for a mixed approach. We fly the long distances and book a private transfer for the short ones.

Flying in Costa Rica can be quite adventurous but also very enjoyable.

All tourists initially land at the Juan Santamaria San Jose International Airport. The airport is similar to all international airports. It's not huge, but very clean and pleasant.

Things get more interesting when booking domestic flights. Costa Rica has three national airlines: Sansa, Aerobell, and Green Air. Since it was practically impossible for me to book a flight with Sansa online and Green Air did not offer our route, I chose Aerobell.

The online booking process was very easy and the flights, including luggage, were affordable at around 100 euros per person.

Our first domestic route is from San Jose to La Fortuna. As with all flights, Matthias and I arrive at Pavas Airport, the regional airport of San Jose, three hours before departure.

We reach the airport after a short drive and go to the departure hall. It's completely empty. Not a single passenger in sight. Strange, well let's do the check-in, I say.

The check-in process is done in a few minutes. First, our luggage is weighed, and then we have to step on the scale with our carry-on baggage. Great, now everyone knows how much I weigh.

And then it's time to wait, wait, wait. About 30 minutes before departure, a few passengers actually arrive. With 8 people, we enter a video room where we watch the safety instructions, and then we fly to La Fortuna in a Cessna. The plane is very cramped, but flying in these small planes feels like floating.

Then we land on time at La Fortuna Airport. Ok, let's call it the La Fortuna "airfield".

I had sent a message to our driver that he only needs to be at the airport half an hour after landing because we still have to go through immigration. I think he burst out laughing when he read the message. The "immigration hall" is a hut with a bar that only opens during airplane takeoffs and landings. Our luggage is taken out of the plane, and we are given our bags on the tarmac. That's it. Quick and painless. We now have to wait for our driver for half an hour, but thank God the bar is open.

While there is a bar in La Fortuna, when we fly back to San Jose from Quepos, we find a nearly dilapidated hut on a "field". We are there two hours before departure again. Some Sansa guests who are flying before us are already there. Our counter attendant will come later, says the Sansa employee. I am extremely thirsty, but there is nothing here except an old refrigerator. The water dispensers have not been used for a long time. Maybe it's better not to drink anything because the men's restroom is out of order and the women's restroom is quite wobbly.

45 minutes before departure, our counter attendant arrives. First, she sweeps, and then the check-in begins. Same procedure. I am relieved to find out that I haven't gained any weight in the past 10 days when I step on the scale. Then our passport details are entered into the flight list. The only passengers of the day are Ines and Matthias. Cool. The small plane lands, another person who apparently changed their mind joins us, and since the pilots are bored, they decide to depart 30 minutes early.

We leave our luggage behind, the captain gives us a brief summary of the route, and we take off in our private jet, gliding over Costa Rica's beautiful landscape once again. It's an incredibly beautiful flight. After 20 minutes, we land at Pavas Airport, and our Costa Rica adventure is coming to an end.

It is certainly cheaper to travel through Costa Rica by rental car. But I wouldn't want to miss this flying adventure. These are experiences that will always stay in my memory.