WHERE IS NOSARA?
DO I NEED TO KNOW SPANISH?
WHAT ABOUT MONEY?
HOW DO I GET TO NOSARA?
DO I NEED A CAR IN NOSARA?
ARE THERE POISONOUS BUGS AND ANIMALS IN NOSARA?
WHERE IS NOSARA?
Nosara is in the Northwest of Costa Rica, on the Nicoya Peninsula, in the Guanacaste province. The location is shown in the red box below.
Map courtesy of Lonely PlanetNo, but it may make your trip more enjoyable. There is lots of English spoken in Costa Rica in general, but especially in the Nosara area given the large ex-pat community. However knowing Spanish will allow you to participate in in-depth conversations with the people you meet, and may help you get to know the culture better.
If you want to brush up on your Spanish, we recommend two resources:
Coffee Break Spanish is a great podcast out of Scotland. You get a FREE weekly 20-minute Spanish lesson downloaded to your computer. Check out www.coffeebreakspanish.com for more information
Another resource is called LiveMocha. You can enroll in FREE online courses, and you have access to native Spanish speakers that can tutor you in the intricacies of the language. Check out www.livemocha.com for more information.
Due to the large number of Americans in Costa Rica, nearly everywhere accepts dollars. But it's always more fun (and more respectful) to the use the local currency, and if you decide to buy things from smaller vendors, they may appreciate colones. You can exchange money at the airport in San Jose.
It's a good idea to get cash before you go to Nosara. Lots of local restaurants and stores accept credit cards, but they often charge a small fee. There is one bank in town which we hear has become faster and better run over the last year, but we remember when going to the bank was an all day affair. There is one ATM in town, but it only accepts cards with the VISA symbol on them, and the one time I tried to use it, it was out of cash. However, we have heard of many people successfully getting money from it. Travelers checks aren't a great idea, as many places don't take them and the ATMs offer a better exchange rate. But if you want to make things as easy as possible for yourself, get money before you go.
Nosara, for better or for worse, is off the beaten path. This is big part of what makes it special. It takes some effort to get both there and away, but there are options depending on your time and economic situation.
OPTION 1: Fly in to San Jose and take the regular bus, a taxi, the Interbus or rent a car.
Flights in and out of San Jose are generally cheaper than the closest airport in Liberia.
A bus leaves the Alfaro Bus Terminal in San Jose daily and offers the cheapest fare to Nosara. We have been told that it takes 6 hours from San Jose to Nosara, but that seems like an optimistic estimate. Irregardless, it will be a memorable part of your trip. Call 506-222-2750 for information.
The interbus costs around $40 US and leaves directly from SJO. If you are bringing boards or extra luggage, they will transport them for you for a small fee. It's a comfortable, air-conditioned ride. See www.interbusonline.com for more info.
A taxi from the airport can be cost effective (and relatively relaxing) if you have 2 or more people. There are many taxi-operators at the airport that will offer their services- make sure to agree on a cost before you head off, and you may want to get quotes from more than one operator. As of March 2008, a cab costs around $200. The drive takes 4-5 hours.
If you want to drive to Nosara it is possible to do so. It takes between 4 and 5 hours, depending on what happens along the way. Driving in Costa Rica is different than what you may be used to in the United States. There are many unpaved, rocky, potholed roads, and more scooters, bicycles, and animals on the roadway. This said, it's a lot of fun! There are many car rental agencies that will be happy to rent you vehicle. If you are coming during the wet season (May-November), you will need a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
OPTION 2 : Fly in to Liberia and rent a car.
It used to cost much more to fly into Liberia, but some airlines have recently begun offering better service. Interbus (see above) unfortunately doesn't go between Liberia and Nosara yet, so you would need to rent a car (see above). The drive is about 2.5 hours.
A taxi from the airport can be cost effective (and relatively relaxing) if you have 2 or more people. There are many taxi-operators at the airport that will offer their services- make sure to agree on a cost before you head off, and you may want to get quotes from more than one operator. As of March 2008, a cab costs around $150. The drive takes 4-5 hours.
OPTION 3: Fly in to Liberia or San Jose and take a short flight to Nosara.
Both Sansa and NatureAir offer flights from Liberia and San Jose to the Nosara airstrip, usually for less than $100. See Option 1 for an assessment of whether or not a car is needed in Nosara, but there are a couple car rental companies in Nosara. There is also taxi service from the Nosara airstrip to the Double I. It's about a 15 minute taxi ride.
If you plan on spending all your time in Nosara, you should think about your need for a car. The Double I is walking distance from the beach, and it's about a mile walk to the main town of Playa Guiones. It's a 2-minute walk to restaurants and a grocery store from the house. If you want to do more exploring in Costa Rica than just in the Nosara area, you may want to rent a car. However we have had many visitors who came to Nosara thinking they would travel around the country, but found that the wildlife, the beach, the restaurants, and the people in Nosara were all they needed and their SUV just sat in the driveway until they drove back to the airport.
ARE THERE POISONOUS BUGS AND ANIMALS IN NOSARA?
Nosara is located in Guanacaste, which is much drier than the rest of the country. Hence, you don't get the kinds of critters in Nosara that you may find it the rainforest- there are no posion dart frogs, no white-faced capuchin's throwing logs at you, and no swarms of voracious mosquitoes . There are no poisonous snakes. While they are rare, there are mosquitoes, sting rays, and the occasional scorpion. Although to quote Douglas Coupland, "Adventure without risk is Disneyland."
