When traveling to a different country one of the main concerns can be to which airport to book your flight to. Whether it is a matter of location, ticket pricing, the airport’s people traffic, or the amenities offered, different Costa Rica’s airports can serve different purposes and adapt more to your specific needs.
If you are planning to travel to Costa Rica, there are two options from which you can choose: the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), located in the Central area of the country, near the capital city of San Jose, and the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) (recently renamed to Guanacaste Airport), situated in the Northwestern region of the country. While it might seem like a difficult choice to make, in this particular case it all comes down to your travel itinerary and how you wish to spend your visit. In this article, we will try to showcase the differences of each of the airports as well as which option is the best according to the different touristic regions of Costa Rica.
Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
The Juan Santamaría Airport, known by the initials “SJO”, is the main international airport in Costa Rica. It is located in the Alajuela province and can be at a distance of about 25 to 30 minutes from the country’s capital city San Jose if traffic conditions are favorable. This airport has been operating since 1958 and received its name after Costa Rican national hero, Juan Santamaría, who was said to have died while defending the country from an attempted invasion by William Walker and his group of filibusters in 1856.
This is the biggest airport in the country, and currently, it remains the one that receives the highest number of visitors among the two international airways. The Juan Santamaría Airport structure is easy to navigate and you can take direct flights from several cities in North, South, and Central America, as well as the Caribbeans and Europe.
The Juan Santamaría Airport is the undisputed choice if you wish to explore the Greater Metropolitan Area in Costa Rica, known as the GAM, where the capital city of San Jose is. The three other provinces with the highest population are located in this area too. The SJO airport is the best choice if your destination is within the provinces of San José, Heredia, Alajuela, or Cartago.
Traveling to this area could include visiting some natural attractions like the Poás Volcano National Park, the Irazú Volcano National Park, the Turrialba Volcano, or the Pacuare River, which is known as an outstanding rafting location. Or it could also be the result of a more culturally-oriented vacation plan if what you wish to visit are the museums or cultural sites such as the National Museum, the Jade Museum, the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, the Costa Rican Art Museum, the National Theater, or cities like Sarchí, known as the place where Costa Rican craftsmanship emerged and for having the world’s biggest oxcart.
The Juan Santamaría International Airport is also the most appropriate choice if you are planning to visit the Central Pacific Region, the South Pacific Region, or the Caribbean. While this would imply having to navigate out of the city the airport is located, this airport is the closest one to these destinations. The Central Pacific Region includes locations such as Jacó and Quepos, and some of Costa Rica’s most renowned National Parks like Manuel Antonio. If you’re visiting the South Pacific Region, you might be traveling to the Osa Peninsula where the Corcovado National Park is located. If you’re planning on visiting Limon, in the Caribbean area, you might be looking for astounding beaches like Cocles, Punta Uva, Manzanillo, or parks where turtles nest such as Tortuguero.
All in all, the Juan Santamaría International Airport also connects with all of the other airports in Costa Rica, like the Limon, Tortuguero, Quepos, Fortuna, Nosara, and Golfito airports, which exclusively work with internal flights. From SJO you can go anywhere else within the country, so it can be a great choice of airport for you to travel to and from when visiting Costa Rica.
Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) – Guanacaste Airport
For many years, the Juan Santamaría Airport was the only international airway for Costa Rica to connect with the rest of the world. However, this changed with the arrival of the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR). This airport, known as the Guanacaste Airport, was founded in 1975, but it was only in 1995 that it was adapted for international flights as well. It receives the name of Daniel Oduber Quirós in honor of one of Costa Rica’s ex-presidents as he dedicated a lot of efforts to the development of the Guanacaste Province, where the airport is located. Recently, this airport changed its branding name to Guanacaste Airport.
The Guanacaste Airport has flights to and from key Central and North American cities. If you wish to visit the North Pacific Region, home to the Guanacaste Province and some of the most beautiful beaches Costa Rica has to offer, the Guanacaste Airport is the right choice for you. This region has attractions for all tastes, from National Parks like Marino las Baulas and Santa Rosa to volcanoes like Rincón de la Vieja, and beaches like Conchal, Tamarindo, Junquillal, and Playas del Coco.
There are some areas in the country’s Northern Region that are equally accessible from either airport. This region includes the areas of La Fortuna and Monteverde, each renowned and loved by visitors for its different charms. In Monteverde, you can find a cloud forest reserve, known for its richness in biodiversity and its nature conservation efforts. In La Fortuna, the main attraction is the imposing Arenal, a cone-shaped active volcano, as well as the hot springs resulting from volcanic activity. Even if you can reach these places easily from both airports, there might be a higher traffic influx going from the Juan Santamaría Airport, so Guanacaste Airport can be more convenient.
However, what matters the most when choosing the airport which to fly to is to consider your travel plans. Considering Costa Rica is a small country, you can get anywhere in the country from either airport, but some locations will require more travel time and longer distances. For example, if you’re visiting Guanacaste and wish to witness the colorful landscapes the country has to offer, the most appropriate option for you would be the SJO airport. This way you can go across different regions of the country and enjoy the view while traveling from one part of Costa Rica to your final destination. On the other hand, if your goal is to enjoy your target destination and the Pacific coast beaches as much as possible, then getting to Liberia airport in Guanacaste would be the best choice. No matter which airport you pick, your visit to Costa Rica is guaranteed to be unforgettable.
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