Getting Here
We are located on the southwestern tip of Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula, approximately twelve miles south of Puerto Jimenez.
You can get here form San Jose by plane, car or bus.
It is easy! Most of our guests fly into the capital San Jose and take one of several daily Nature Air (http://www.natureair.com/flights-to-ojodelmar.aspx?referrer_id=440229)
or Sansa flights to Puerto Jimenez, where they are transported to Ojo del Mar by taxi. The flight is about forty five minutes and the ride out is about half an hour through magnificent scenery. We will be happy to send a taxi to pick you up from the airport in Puerto Jiménez ($30).
If you need to stay overnight in San Jose, we can recommend the Bed & Breakfast "Tierra Magica" in Escazú and the hotel "Los Volcanes" in Alajuela.
Bus Transportation
Daily bus service presently leaves from San Jose (Barrio Mexico) to Puerto Jimenez at 8 a.m. and 12 noon, and departs for San Jose from Puerto Jimenez at 5 A.M. and 9 A.M. The bus ride takes approximately nine hours, and costs approximately $8 per person each way. This is a long, tiring bus ride. Buses are not air-conditioned, and this is only recommended for the "hearty traveler."
Reservations are not possible. Call Transportes Blanco once you are in San Jose. Their number is 2257-4121, and their address is Barrio Mexico de la Parada de San Carlos 25mts Norte, San Jose.
Rental Cars
This is a good way to see the country and have control over your schedule. Costa Rica is a beautiful country, and we can help you reserve rental cars, although it's easy to get around the Osa without a rental car: using taxis is less expensive and helps the local economy, not to mention you get to know great Costa Rican taxi drivers and practice your Spanish.
Roads are often bad, so it's best to not be in a hurry. Even though San Jose is only about 200 miles from Puerto Jimenez, it takes from seven to ten hours to make the drive, depending upon road conditions, time of day, weather conditions and ingenuity of the driver. People underestimate the driving time to Puerto Jimenez. We recommend you not drive at night. Finding your way out of San Jose itself can also be challenging: you may want to hire a taxi drive to guide you out of the city, particularly if you are heading toward Cartago.
Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended, particularly once you are on
the Osa. There are a variety of rental car companies in San Jose, but only the company Solid Rental Car (www.solidcarrental.com) has an office on the Osa. Hence, with Solid you can drive one way and fly the other, or if you drive down and decide you don't want to drive back, you can drop the car at no charge.
Driving from San Jose to Ojo del Mar
There are two ways to drive from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez:
The first is to head down the Pan American Highway through San Isidro. Head west from San Isidro to Dominical ( 3/4 - 1 hr.) and follow the coast road south through Dominical to Palmar Norte. From there head south on the Pan American to Chacarita, take a right turn towards Pto. Jimenez (58 km) . Drive through Pto. Jimenez and take the only road (dirt road!) south to Carate. We are located 18 km south on the left hand side.
The second and faster option is to head west from San José toward the coast, take the new highway "Pista del Sol". It's a faster drive, and the road is recently repaired. Head west from San Jose toward Jaco, then south toward Quepos, continuing onward to Dominical, and to Palmar Norte and then follow the directions above.
Driving from Golfito is not possible, as the ferry is not a car ferry. It only ferries foot passengers. Hence, if you have a car and are coming north from Panama or in or around Golfito, you need to drive north to Chacarrita, and then follow the directions above once on the Osa Peninsula.
For friendly assistance regarding reservations, directions & in-country flight arrangements, call our office Osa Tropical in Puerto Jimenez,
506-2735-5531 or Fax 506-2735-5043 or contact us directly by email.
We look forward to seeing you in beautiful Costa Rica!
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