Getting There & Departing

By Plane: The nearest airport with regularly scheduled flights is in Liberia. From there, you can arrange for a taxi to take you to Playa del Coco or Playa Ocotal, which is about a 25-minute drive, for $40 to $65.

By Car: From Liberia, head west on CR21 toward Santa Cruz. Just past the village of Comunidad, turn right. In about 11km (6 3/4 miles), you’ll come to a fork in the road. Take the left fork. The right fork goes to Playa Hermosa. The drive takes about 4 hours from San José.

By Bus: Pulmitan express buses (tel. 2222-1650 in San José, or 2670-0095 in Playa del Coco; www.pulmitandeliberia.com) leave San José for Playa del Coco at 8am and 2 and 4pm daily from Calle 24 between avenidas 5 and 7. Allow 5 hours for the trip. A one-way ticket is C5000. From Liberia, buses (tel. 2666-0458) to Playa del Coco leave regularly throughout the day between 5am and 7pm. A one-way ticket for the 40-minute trip costs around C1250. These bus schedules change frequently, so it’s always best to check in advance. During the high season and on weekends, extra buses from Liberia are sometimes added. The bus for San José leaves Playa del Coco daily at 4 and 8am and 2pm. Local buses for Liberia leave daily between 5am and 7pm.

Depending on demand, the Playa del Coco buses sometimes go as far as Playa Ocotal; it’s worth checking beforehand. Otherwise, a taxi should cost around C4,500 to C6,000.

 

Fast Facts

The nearest major hospital is in Liberia (tel.) 2690-2300. For the local health clinic, call (tel.) 2670-1717; for the local pharmacy, call (tel.) 2670-2050. For the local police, dial (tel.) 2670-0258. You’ll find several banks and ATMs around town.

Getting Around

Getting Around
You can rent cars from any number of rental companies. Most are based in Liberia, or at the airport. If you can’t flag down a taxi on the street, call tel. 2670-0408.

The Uber app has limited value, as there simply aren't that many drivers in this area (but you can try it if you can't find a taxi).

City Layout

Playa del Coco is a compact and busy beach town. At the center of town, running for a few hundred meters in either direction is a seafront walkway, or malecón. You’ll find benches spread along this walkway, as well as patches of grass and a basketball court. Most of its hotels and restaurants are either on the water, on the road leading into town, or on the road that heads north, about 100m (328 ft.) inland from and parallel to the beach.

Playa Ocotal, which is south of Playa del Coco on a paved road that leaves the main road about 183m (600 ft.) before the beach. It's a small collection of vacation condos and hotels with one bar and a restaurant on the beach.

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