Transportation
A) WATER PASSAGES
The most important water
passages in the country
which serve the purpose
for everyday
transportation as well
as a route for tourists
are:
The Tortuguero Canals
and Barra del Colorado,
on the Northern
Caribbean
The Sarapiqui River, on
the Northern zone
The Matina River, on the
central Caribbean
Part of the San Juan
River, on the border
with Nicaragua
The Cold River, the Caño
Negro Lagoons, and Los
Chiles on the Northern
zone
The Sierpe River, on the
Southern zone
The Tempisque River, on
the Gulf of Nicoya
Other
rivers of great
importance are:
On the Caribbean:
Pacuare, Reventazon,
Caribbean Chrripo,
Estrella, and Sixaola
On the Pacific:
Bebedero, Grande de
Tarcoles, Coto, Chirripo,
and Parrita
B)
AIRPORTS
The main airport is the
Juan Santamaria
International Airport,
located in Alajuela.
This airport is only
twenty minutes away from
San José, or up to an
hour, depends on traffic.
Other important airports
are:
The Daniel Oduber Quiros
International Airport,
located in Liberia,
Guanacaste.
The Tobias Bolaños
Airport located in
Pavas, San José, for
local as well as
international flights.
There are also landing
fields for local flights
situated in different
parts of the country
such as: Limon,
Tortuguero, La Fortuna,
Tamarindo, Samara,
Tambor, Quepos, Palmar
North, Golfito, and San
Vito.
C)
HIGHWAYS AND ROADS
The whole country is
adequately connected by
internal infrastructure.
The main artery is the
Interamerican Highway,
which connects the two
borders from Peñas
Blancas all the way to
Paso Canoas. The Cerro
de la Muerte (Death
Mountain) region has the
road with the highest
elevation in the country
with an altitude higher
than 3,200 meters above
sea level.
Distances
From Puntarenas to Limon:
246 kilometers by land
From Peñas Blancas (on
the Nicaragua Border) to
Paso Canoas (on the
Panama Border): 534
kilometers by land
HIGHEST PEAK:
Chirripo summit of 3,819
meters above sea level.
HIGHEST VOLCANO:
Irazú Volcano
LARGEST VOLCANIC
CRATER: Poas Volcano
crater. It has a
diameter of 1,320 meters
with a depth of 300
meters.
ELECTRICAL SERVICE:
Costa Rican Electricity
Institute (ICE).
Ninety seven percent of
the national territory
has electrical service.
The voltage in
residential areas is
110v.
Office Hours
Government sector:
From 8:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. from Monday to
Friday. National Banks:
From 8:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. from Monday to
Friday. Some banks offer
their services after
regular hours until 7:00
p.m. and others that are
located in some shopping
centers are open on
Saturdays.
Private sector:
From 8:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. from Monday to
Friday.
Commerce in general,
opens Saturdays and
Sundays up to mid-day.
