How to get to Casa Mamaluma

GETTING TO OUR RETREAT

By Car:

If you want the freedom to stop and go as you please, a rental car is a good option. San José has plenty of rental companies to choose from. Casa Mamaluma is 235 km from Juan Santamaria Airport in San Jose or about 4 hours by car (Expect more time if you want to grab something to eat or if you want to do some shopping on the way.)

In recent years, Costa Rica has considerably improved the route from the capital to the Southern Pacific.

From San Jose to our retreat you will pass though mountains, coffee- and palm plantations. After the confirmation of your reservation, we will send you a detailed description how to get to Casa Mamaluma. The description will also include photos of landmarks along the way.

Please note: The first day you drive to the retreat we highly recommend you to do so in daylight. The sun sets around 6pm all year round. If you arrive late in San Jose airport we recommend that you stay the first night at a hotel near the airport.

You need to hire a SUV 4×4 car to get to our house. We suggest the following cars:

Mitsubishi Montero 4×4
Toyota Prado 4×4.

Very important: You need to book a SUV 4×4 car to get to our house. Some rentals companies will give you a SUV – but not a 4×4. Make sure that you have rented a SUV 4×4 – and not just a SUV AWD (AWD=All Wheel Drive). An AWD is NOT the same as a 4×4 = 4-wheel drive. We have had over 100 different guests from all over the world in our house – some guests had never been driving in Costa Rice before. But all guests with a SUV 4×4 made it easily to the house – so don’t worry 😊

Over the past 20 years, we have used different car rental companies. Our favorites are: Vamos4x4- Therefor we have made an agreement with Vamos4x4 that you can have an discount of 10% if you provide them with our special code: CASAMAMALUMAGUESTS – when you book the car. Vamos might not be the cheapest company but again – you get what you pay for 🙂

Auto insurance in Costa Rica is a government monopoly of the INS (Instituto Nacional de Seguros). Liability Insurance from the INS is required regardless of your policies at home or anything you think your titanium, platinum, or zirconium credit card covers. The cost ranges from $US 10-20 per day depending on the vehicle. This insurance does not cover your rental car at all, only damages to other people, their cars, or property. Unless you purchase supplements, or have documented coverage from your credit card, you are still responsible for all damages to the rental vehicle. Liability insurance cannot be replaced with credit card coverage. So, when you compare prices of different companies you have to make sure that they have the Liability insurance included. Otherwise you will end up with a bill that is up to §20 more per day than you expected.

By air:

Costa Rica has two international airports, one in San Jose and one in Liberia.

There are also a number of smaller airports throughout Costa Rica serviced by regional airlines and charter flights.

The southern zone of Costa Rica is lucky to have several regional airports that provide easy access from San Jose to the area. There is an airport in Quepos/Manuel Antonio to the north and one in Palmar Sur to the south From Quepos you will hvae 1,5 hours of driving and 40 min from Palmar Sur to the house.

Not only is it efficient to take a regional flight from San Jose to the southern zone, it is like being on an aerial tour of the mountains and coast. You will have a chance to see the mountain peaks and amazing views of the Pacific Ocean including the famous Whale’s Tail, the beach at Manuel Antonio National Park, and long sections of the coastline and beautiful beaches.

The regional airlines in Costa Rica are Sansa (http://crc.flysansa.com) and Nature Air (http://www.natureair.com/).

HOW TO GET TO COSTA RICA

Costa Rica has two international airports. Juan Santamaría (SJO), just outside San José, receives the majority of flights, while Daniel Oduber (LIR), near the northern city of Liberia, handles some flights from the US and Canada, plus the odd seasonal flight from the UK.

From the US and Canada:

Daily direct flights depart for San José from numerous cities in the US

There are also non-stop flights to San José from Canada.

From Europe:

Direct flights to and from San Jose (SJO International Airport) from Europe.

British Airways (UK) – non-stop service to SJO on Wednesdays and Saturdays (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the winter) from London’s Gatwick Airport.

Thomson Airways (UK) – non-stop service to Liberia (LIR) once a week (day depending on the time of year) from London’s Gatwick Airport.

Air France (France) – non-stop service to SJO

Eidelweiss Air (Switzerland) – non-stop service to SJO o

Condor (Germany) – flights arriving to SJO

Lufthansa (Germany) – Costa Rica, San Jose.

KLM (Holland) – flights arriving to SJO

Iberia (Italy/Spain) – flights arriving to SJO

There are many more airlines that fly weekly between Europe and Central America, with transfers typically in the U.S. or Panama. Many airlines offers good deals from Europe to Costa Rica – but have to book the ticket in good time ahead.

How to get to Casa Mamaluma

RETREAT

GETTING TO OUR RETREAT

By Car:

In recent years, Costa Rica has considerably improved the route from the capital to the Southern Pacific.

From San Jose to our retreat you will pass though mountains, coffee- and palm plantations. After the confirmation of your reservation, we will send you a detailed description how to get to Casa Mamaluma. The description will also include photos of landmarks along the way.

Please note: The first day you drive to the retreat we highly recommend you to do so in daylight. The sun sets around 6pm all year round. If you arrive late in San Jose airport we recommend that you stay the first night at a hotel near the airport.

You need to hire a SUV 4×4 car to get to our house. We suggest the following cars:

Mitsubishi Montero 4×4

Toyota Prado 4×4.

By air:

Costa Rica has two international airports, one in San Jose and one in Liberia.

There are also a number of smaller airports throughout Costa Rica serviced by regional airlines and charter flights.

The regional airlines in Costa Rica are Sansa (http://crc.flysansa.com) and Nature Air (http://www.natureair.com/).

HOW TO GET TO COSTA RICA

Costa Rica has two international airports. Juan Santamaría (SJO), just outside San José, receives the majority of flights, while Daniel Oduber (LIR), near the northern city of Liberia, handles some flights from the US and Canada, plus the odd seasonal flight from the UK.

From the US and Canada:

Daily direct flights depart for San José from numerous cities in the US

There are also non-stop flights to San José from Canada.

From Europe:

Direct flights to and from San Jose (SJO International Airport) from Europe.

British Airways (UK) – non-stop service to SJO on Wednesdays and Saturdays (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the winter) from London’s Gatwick Airport.

Thomson Airways (UK) – non-stop service to Liberia (LIR) once a week (day depending on the time of year) from London’s Gatwick Airport.

Air France (France) – non-stop service to SJO

Eidelweiss Air (Switzerland) – non-stop service to SJO o

Condor (Germany) – flights arriving to SJO

Lufthansa (Germany) – Costa Rica, San Jose.

KLM (Holland) – flights arriving to SJO

Iberia (Italy/Spain) – flights arriving to SJO

There are many more airlines that fly weekly between Europe and Central America, with transfers typically in the U.S. or Panama. Many airlines offers good deals from Europe to Costa Rica – but have to book the ticket in good time ahead.