Planning a Trip

Getting There & Departing

By Plane -- Sansa (tel. 290-4100; www.flysansa.com) has flights to Puerto Jiménez daily at 6 and 10:30am and 1:05 and 1:40pm from San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport. The flight takes 55 minutes; the cost is $82 (£41) each way. Sansa flights depart Puerto Jiménez for San José daily at 7 and 11:30am and 2 and 2:30pm.

Nature Air (tel. 800/235-9272 in the U.S. and Canada, or 299-6000; www.natureair.com) has flights to Puerto Jiménez departing from Tobías Bolaños International Airport in Pavas at 6, 8:30, and 10:50am and 3pm daily. The flight takes between 55 minutes and 1 1/2 hours, depending on whether it stops en route; the fare is $92 (£46) each way. Nature Air flights to San José depart daily at 7, 9:30am, and 11:50am and 4:15pm.

Note that due to the remoteness of this area and the unpredictable flux of traffic, both Sansa and Nature Air frequently improvise on scheduling. Sometimes this means an unscheduled stop in Quepos or Golfito either on the way to or from San José, which can add some time to your flight. Less frequently it might mean a change in departure time, so it's always best to confirm. Also, lodges down here sometimes run charters, so it pays to ask them as well.

By Car -- Take the Interamerican Highway east out of San José (through San Pedro and Cartago) and continue south on this road. In about 3 hours, you'll reach San Isidro de El General. Although you can continue on the Interamerican Highway all the way south, it is currently faster, smoother, and safer to turn off in San Isidro and head to Dominical, picking up the Southern Highway or Costanera Sur in Dominical. From here it's a fast and smooth shot down Palmar Norte, where you meet up again with the Interamerican Highway. Take the turnoff for La Palma, Rincón, and Puerto Jiménez. This road is paved at first, but at Rincón it turns to gravel. The last 35km (22 miles) are slow and rough, and, if it's the rainy season (mid-Apr to Nov), it'll be too muddy for anything but a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

By Bus -- Transportes Blanco-Lobo express buses (tel. 257-4121 in San José or 771-4744 in Puerto Jiménez) leave San José daily at 6am and noon from Calle 12 between avenidas 7 and 9. The trip takes 8 hours; the fare is $6 (£3). Buses depart Puerto Jiménez for San José daily at 6 and 11am.

By Boat -- There is daily passenger launch service from Golfito to Puerto Jiménez at 11:30am. The boat leaves from the municipal dock. Trip duration is 1 1/2 hours; the fare is $3 (£1.50). The return trip departs Puerto Jiménez for Golfito from the public dock at 6am. It's also possible to charter a water taxi in Golfito for the trip across to Puerto Jiménez. You'll have to pay between $40 and $60 (£20-£30) for an entire launch, some of which can carry up to 12 people.

Orientation

Puerto Jiménez is a dirt-lane town on the southern coast of the Osa Peninsula. The public dock is over a bridge past the north end of the soccer field; the bus stop is 2 blocks east of the center of town. You'll find a couple of Internet cafes in town; the best of these is Cafe Net El Sol (tel. 735-5719; www.soldeosa.com), which is a great place to book tours and get information, and is also a Wi-Fi hot spot.

Four-wheel drive taxis are actually fairly plentiful in Puerto Jiménez. You can usually find them cruising or parked along the main street in town. Alternatively, you can call Federico (tel. 735-5678), Luis (tel. 837-3120), or Orlando (tel. 836-8241). You can actually even rent a car down here from Solid Car Rental (tel. 735-5777; www.solidcarrental.com).