Puntarenas Ferry Schedules
| Ferry to the Southern Region: (Santa Teresa, Malpais, Montezuma, Tambor) | |
| Puntarenas to Paquera | Paquera to Puntarenas |
| 5:30 am 9:00 am 12:00 md 3:00 pm 6:00 pm 8:30 pm | 5:30 am 9:00 am 12:00 md 3:00 pm 6:00 pm 8:00 pm |
| Ferry to the Northern Region: (Samara, Nosara, Nicoya, Playa Coyote) | |
| Puntarenas to Naranjo | Naranjo to Puntarenas |
| 6:30 am 10:00 am 2:00 pm 5:30 pm | 8:00 am 12:00 pm 4:00 pm 7:00 pm |
With a Car on the Ferry:
A simple car with a driver included costs $24 one way. You can either reserve online (QuickPayCR) or pay in cash (Costa Rican Colones) at the ferry office by the dock. A single passenger ticket is $ 1.50 (Col 810).
In Puntarenas, the ferry dock is at the tip of the land spit, 2 km from the town center. Take care to get on the right boat: for Santa Teresa/ Malpais /Montezuma take the ferry to Paquera; to Samara and Nosara take the ferry to Naranjo.
The boat ride across the Gulf of Nicoya takes 70 minutes at best, and with a car, you should count on about 1.5 hours. The crossing, however, is a scenic and relaxing trip with great views of the peninsula and the mountains of the mainland. It passes by small islands in the gulf, some of them protected biological reserves which are only inhabited by colonies of maritime birds.
Be prepared that the roads on the Southern Nicoya Peninsula (Province of Puntarenas) are bad, and many of them are unpaved. See: Driving with a Car
Driving Distances from the ferry in Paquera to
Tambor: 24 km (40 min)
Montezuma: 45 km (70 min)
Mal Pais and Santa Teresa: 53 km (80 min)
Driving Time from Puntarenas to SJO airport
From the ferry in Puntarenas it usually takes around 2:30 hours to the SJO airport. Take the route via Caldera – Orotina.
See also: Direct buses from San José to Mal Pais, Santa Teresa, Montezuma, Samara, Coyote…