San Jose to Santa Teresa Shuttle Bus

Google 4.5
430 Reviews
Tripadvisor 4.4
753 Reviews

Tropical Tours Shuttles: from San Jose to Santa Teresa we offer daily shared shuttle bus services and private minibus transportation. Price ranges to Santa Teresa beach and Mal Pais starting at: $60 per person on shared shuttles departing at 06:45am, 07:15am and 02:30pm. $240 per trip for a private minibus. It’s a 5 hour ride from San Jose city in Costa Rica to Santa Teresa beach in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

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San Jose to Santa Teresa options and details

  • Bus departure time from San Jose area: 06:45am, 07:15am and 02:30pm
  • Departure place: at your location (hotel, hostel or house in San Jose city).
  • Bus arrival time at Santa Teresa and Mal Pais area: 11:30am, 01:30pm and 08:30pm
  • Trip estimate duration: 5 hours
  • Shuttle service frequency: daily service
  • Normally this service is provided on a 10 to 15 passenger minibus
  • Price per person: $60
  • Includes ferry fees

Additional information:

  • This service is sometimes operated by third party companies. (Normally our vehicles are branded with the Tropical Tours Shuttles logo).
  • Bus stops are provided along the way on specific locations.
  • Our door to door minibus shuttle service will take you safe and directly from your hotel, hostel or rental house in San Jose city to Santa Teresa beach in Mal Pais, Costa Rica.
  • Remember that surfboards are allowed at no extra charge in our minibuses.
  • We set a departing time for each destination, however the minibus has to go through the town picking everyone up and that takes a few extra minutes.
  • Costa Rica is a beautiful country, but the infrastructure is uncertain and our geography doesn’t help either, that’s why in some sections of the route you will have to go through bumpy and dusty roads on your way to Santa Teresa.

  • You choose the departure time from San Jose area
  • Departure place: at your location (hotel, hostel or house in San Jose city).
  • Trip estimate duration: 5 hours
  • Shuttle service includes your private driver
  • Normally this service is provided on a 10 to 15 passenger minibus if you are more than 15 people we can also provide a larger vehicle
  • Price for one way is: $240 without ferry transhipment (another bus wait for you) and $340 with ferry transhipment (bus inside de ferry)

Additional information:

  • Bus stops are provided along the way in case you need it.
  • Our minibuses can carry up to 10 persons, however after 6 persons there is an extra charge of $20 per person.
  • Tropical Tours Shuttles will pick you up at any time with the private shuttle service, just make your reservation 24 hours before departure and we will meet you at the established time. Please note that pickups between 9:00pm and 6:00am will have an extra charge of $20 due to the time.

Related Customer Reviews

I took a shuttle from San Jose to Santa Teresa. In the first part of the trip the shuttle was small and full packed, in the second part there was more space. A bit disappointed that my drop off location in Playa Hermosa didn’t work and they wanted to charge me 4x the cost of a normal taxi to drop me there. Anyway, all in all a good service!

Tripadvisor Rating
4.0
September 2021
by

A good trip

Really good transport and extremely helpful staff. We left on time and reached on time. Didn’t face any problems. Took a shuttle then a ferry and then another shuttle. Overall very economical means!

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
May 7, 2021
by

San Jose to Santa Teresa

Very on time and very friendly! We drove from San Jose to Santa Theresa and took the ferry in Punarenas. Would recommend to everyone!

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
April 21, 2021
by

Perfect

We have used Tropical tours now 2 times when traveling to Santa Teresa from San Jose and back. They are always so nice, professional and on time. I would recommend them to anyone, and we will always continue to use them. Pura vida.

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
April 11, 2021
by

Always Dependable

I had a group transfer from San Jose to Santa Teresa.
Easy to book online. Very helpful and friendly contact in order to clarify if group transfer was available. Fast answers. Driver totally on time, explained everything and also very friendly. Definitely would book it again!

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
March 27, 2021
by

Super Transfer Service

I used their services twice on my trip to Costa Rica: once from San Jose to Santa Teresa and once from Santa Teresa to Tambor Airport. I have not previously traveled to Costa Rica and used this service based on reviews here. In both instances, they were responsive via email + WhatsApp in making my arrangements and answering questions. The trip from San Jose to Santa Teresa was seamless. We booked a private shuttle for (4) people — the driver arrived early and we felt completely save throughout the trip. In our case, we had the same driver for both the pre and post-shuttle leg. My one comment would be to book your ferry shuttle on your own once you get there, it is significantly cheaper than including your shuttle fair. The trip from Santa Teresa to Tambor Airport was similarly seamless, with the driver arriving early and safely transporting me to the final destination. I would highly recommend this service for anyone looking for a hassle-fee travel experience.

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
March 23, 2021
by

Seamless Experience

I used Tropical Shuttle on my way to Santa Teresa and back to San Jose. Both times was a pleasant experience. Very friendly drivers, on time, comfortable rides. They pick you up and drop you off at your destination which when traveling and tired is very helpful. Highly recommend this service when traveling around Costa Rica

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
March 20, 2021
by

Easy and Convenient

Smooth journey, good organization, and very friendly driver. I recommend their services. They picked me up from the hotel near SJO airport.

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
January 9, 2021
by

Shuttle from San Jose to Santa Teresa

Would book again, great service, nice staff, went from san jose to santa tere and back with tropical shuttle

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
January 29, 2020
by

Great services

From booking to where they dropped me off, everything went so easily and safe. I took the shuttle from San José to Santa Teresa, where they drove us to the ferry and then another driver picked us up when we arrived with the ferry. Everything went so smoothly and both of the drives were super nice! I will definitely recommend this company, and I will absolutely use them when I’m going back again!

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
January 16, 2020
by

Super happy with everything!

The shuttle service was very good. I can’t say it was exceptional, but it was very good and I would likely use them again. Our 1st driver for a shared shuttle from San Jose to Santa Teresa was great. He was very friendly and the van was clean. We were dropped at the ferry after a few stops (understandable with a shared shuttle). We barely missed the ferry and had to wait an hour for the next one (I suspect we had to wait because the shuttle on the other side wasn’t quite expecting us that early). Regardless, we were not in a rush and had a lovely breakfast with fresh coconuts to drink from while we waited. The driver that picked us up on the other side of the ferry did not speak more than 10 words of English (not a problem, but made for entertainment when trying to explain to him where you needed to be dropped off, as if you knew where you were headed). He dropped us safely at our destination. The ride was long and we were not only the first to be picked up but also the last to be dropped off. This was probably due to our locations. It made for a long journey. The important thing is we went from point A to B safely. The return trip of our journey we had a private shuttle. The driver did not speak very much English and did not speak to us, which suited us fine as we were depressed to be leaving anyway 🙂 I would recommend this company.

Tripadvisor Rating
4.0
December 28, 2019
by

Very good shuttle service

Used these folks to travel from San Jose to Santa Teresa and back again a week later. Each driver was professional, safe and punctual. Especially appreciated how easy it was to have the ferry tickets and ride taken care of in the cost. Would definitely recommend.

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
December 14, 2019
by

Roads and Ferries

A great choice for us traveling from San Jose to Santa Teresa (and back) this summer. Everything went exactly as planned and informed – no complaints on that part. The only reason I’m not giving five starts is because that for this relatively high price, I would like to see some more modern/safer cars, and considering that they’re mainly transporting tourists it would be nice with a driver that speaks English (3/4 drivers we met spoke Spanish only). We were lucky to always share a ride with someone who could translate when we had questions, but others might not be as lucky. That being said, you’ll probably get where you need to go without much talking anyways – it’s a reliable service. Recommended!

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
September 05, 2019
by

Great choice!

We found this company to be very organized and helpful. The driver was extremely friendly and even played music that we would be comfortable with (80s). 🙂 He was early both times (there and back). We plan on returning again sometime and will assuredly use their services again.

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
July 29, 2019
by

Trip from San Jose to Santa Teresa

Easy to book, shuttle was on time and drivers were friendly. I went from San Jose to Santa Teresa. Our second driver drove scarily fast but it was efficient and all in all, safe.

Tripadvisor Rating
4.0
January 10, 2019
by

From San Jose to Santa Teresa

Book online, shows up on time, good quality bus for 6-9 people, trip from Sam Jose to Santa Teresa nice with ferry pause in the middle, takes about 5-6 hours. Recommended

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
December 25, 2018
by

Easy

Tropical Tours is a very efficient way to travel from San Jose to Mal Pais Beach. The drivers were both friendly and safe drivers. They made every effort to ensure our comfort and we could not have had a better experience.

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
March 29, 2018
by

Friendly and efficient!

First time in Costa Rica so booked the shuttle from San Jose to Santa Teresa and back. It included the ferry ride which was all arranged for us. Comfortable, clean vehicle and friendly drivers.

Tripadvisor Rating
5.0
March 06, 2018
by

Reliable, efficient service

  • Minibus Transportation Services:

    Airport Shuttles, Daily Transportation & Private Shuttles in Costa Rica.

  • Where are we?

    Our main office is in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in front of the National Bank on the Nicoya Peninsula. View Map

  • Phone
    Office: +506 2640 1900
    Office: +506 2640 0811
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  • Email
    info@tropicaltourshuttles.com
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