How to get fromCape Town to Costa Ricaby plane, ferry, bus, shuttle or taxi

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There are 6 ways to get from Cape Town to Costa Rica by plane, ferry, bus, shuttle, or taxi

Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.

Fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport
best
1. Fly from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)CPT - SJO
20h 6m
$808–1,810
Fly to Limón International Airport
cheapest
1. Fly from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Limón International Airport (LIO)CPT - LIO
24h 44m
$378–1,322
Fly to Cobano, ferry
1. Fly from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Cobano (ACO)CPT - ACO
2. Take the ferry from Paquera to Puntarenas
29h 7m
$574–1,871
Fly to David, bus, shuttle
1. Fly from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to David (DAV)CPT - DAV
2. Take the bus from David to Frontera
3. Take a shuttle bus from Paso Canoas to San José
31h 22m
$1,072–2,224
Fly to Tocumen International Airport, shuttle, Bus
1. Fly from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Tocumen International Airport (PTY)CPT - PTY
2. Take a shuttle bus from Panama City to Almirante
3. Take the bus from Almirante to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
4. Take a shuttle bus from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to Limón
32h
Fly to Quepos La Managua Airport, taxi
1. Fly from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Quepos La Managua Airport (XQP)CPT - XQP
2. Take the taxi from Quepos-Airport-XQP to San Isidro
26h 19m
$517–1,558

Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) flights

17Weekly Planes

23h 6mAverage Duration

$432Cheapest Price

Questions & Answers

Map of how to get from Cape Town to Costa Rica.

Launch map view

Distance: 11,826 km
Duration: 20h 6m

What companies run services between Cape Town, South Africa and Costa Rica?

United Airlines, Delta, and two other airlines fly from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) twice daily.

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Ferry operators

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Want to know more about travelling around the world?

Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Read our range of informative guides on popular transport routes and companies - including Slovenia: Getting from Ljubljana to Lake Bled, The beginner’s guide to the 2018 World Nomad Games, and Italian Lakes: Getting around by train - to help you get the most out of your next trip.

San José, Costa Rica(opens in a new window)

San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley, within San José Canton. San José is Costa Rica's seat of national government, focal point of political and economic activity, and major transportation hub. San José Canton's population was 288,054 in 2011, and San José's municipal land area is 44.2 square kilometers (17.2 square miles), with an estimated 333,980 residents in 2015. Together with several other cantons of the central valley, including Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago, it forms the country's Greater Metropolitan Area, with an estimated population of over 2 million in 2017. The city is named in honor of Joseph of Nazareth.

Things to do in San José

National Theatre of Costa Rica(Opens in a new window)

The National Theatre of Costa Rica (Spanish: Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica) is the national theatre of Costa Rica. It is located in the central section of San José, Costa Rica. Construction began in 1891, and it opened to the public on 21 October 1897 with a performance of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust.

Museo Nacional de Costa Rica(Opens in a new window)

The Museo Nacional de Costa Rica is the national museum of Costa Rica, located in the capital of San José. It is located at Calle 17, between Central and Second Avenue, Cuesta de Moras, in the Bellavista Fortress, a crenallated, ochre colored building opposite the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. The fortress was built in 1917 and was originally a military barracks: the exterior walls still have many bullets lodged in them from the country's 1948 civil war. It became the site of the museum in 1950.

Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar(Opens in a new window)

Parque Nacional Simón Bolívar (Zoológico Simón Bolívar) is an urban park of approximately 14 hectares, located in downtown San José, Costa Rica. It is the oldest botanical garden and zoo in Costa Rica. The name pays homage to Latin American national founder Simón Bolívar. It is administered by a conservation nonprofit foundation called Fundazoo. All animals in the zoo are orphaned, injured or have been disabled and are nursed back to health in hopes of releasing them.

Parque de Diversiones(Opens in a new window)

The Parque Diversiones Dr. Roberto Ortiz Brenes (English: National Amusement Park Dr. Roberto Ortiz Brenes; also known as Parque Diversiones) is an amusement park located in San José, Costa Rica. The park's motto is "healthy children helping healing children". The park was named for Dr. Brenes because it was his proposal which resulted in it being established. His idea was that the profits from the amusement park would assist to support the National Children's Hospital "Dr. Carlos Saénz Herrera", which was established in 1964. The National Amusement Park began operating at the end of 1981.

Places to stay in San José

Radisson San Jose-Costa Rica(Opens in a new window)

8.0Good

D Sabana Hotel San José(Opens in a new window)

8.4Very Good

La Sabana Hotel Suites Apartments(Opens in a new window)

8.9Fabulous

Auténtico Hotel(Opens in a new window)

8.3Very Good

Rome2Rio makes travelling from Cape Town to Costa Rica easy.

Rome2Rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. Find all the transport options for your trip from Cape Town to Costa Rica right here. Rome2Rio displays up to date schedules, route maps, journey times and estimated fares from relevant transport operators, ensuring you can make an informed decision about which option will suit you best. Rome2Rio also offers online bookings for selected operators, making reservations easy and straightforward.