Getting Around -- If you need a ride around Sámara, or to one of the nearby beaches, have your hotel call you a taxi. Rides in town should cost $5 to $7; rides to nearby beaches might run $10 to $25. Sorry there's no Uber of Lyft yet in this part of Costa Rica.

City Layout -- Sámara is a busy little town at the bottom of a steep hill. The main road heads straight into town, passing the soccer field before coming to an end at the beach. Just before the beach is a road to the left that leads to most of the hotels listed below. This road also leads to Playa Carrillo and the Hotel Punta Islita. If you turn right 3 blocks before hitting the beach, you’ll hit the coastal road that goes to playas Buena Vista, Barrigona, and eventually Nosara.

Fast Facts

To reach the local police, dial (tel. 2656-0436. Sámara has a small medical clinic (tel. 2656-0166). A branch of Banco Nacional (tel. 2656-0089) is on the road to Playa Buena Vista, just as you head out of town. For full-service laundry, head to Green Life Laundry (tel. 2656-1051), about 3 blocks west of the Banco Nacional.

Spanish-Language Programs

Intercultura Costa Rica (tel. 2656-3000 in Sámara) offers a range of programs and private lessons and can arrange for a home stay with a local family. The facility even features classes with ocean views, although that might be a detriment to your language learning.

Getting There

By Car: Head west from San José on the San José–Caldera Highway (CR27). When you reach Caldera, follow the signs to Puntarenas and the Inter-American Highway (CR1). You will actually follow signs for Liberia and San José, which are, in fact, leading you to the unmarked entrance to CR1. This road (CR23) ends when it hits the Inter-American Highway. Pass under the bridge and follow the on-ramp, which will put you on the highway heading north. Forty-seven kilometers (29 miles) after you get on the Inter-American Highway heading north, you’ll see signs and the turnoff for La Amistad Bridge (CR18). After crossing the bridge, continue on CR18 until it hits CR21. Take this road north to Nicoya. Turn into the town of Nicoya, and head more or less straight through town until you see signs for Playa Sámara. From here, it’s a well-marked and paved road (CR150) all the way to the beach.

To drive to Sámara from Liberia, head out of town on the main road to the Guanacaste beaches, passing through Filadelfia, Santa Cruz, and Nicoya. Once you reach Nicoya, follow the directions outlined above.

By Bus: Empresa Alfaro express buses (tel. 2222-2666) leave San José daily at noon and 5pm from Avenida 5 between calles 14 and 16. The trip lasts 5 hours; the one-way fare is C4,765. Extra buses are sometimes added on weekends and during peak periods.

Alternatively, you can take a bus from this same station to Nicoya and then catch a second bus from Nicoya to Sámara. Empresa Alfaro buses leave San José nearly every hour between 5:30am and 5pm. The fare is C4,250. The trip can take between 4 and 5 1/2 hours, depending if the bus goes via Liberia or La Amistad Bridge. The latter route is much faster and much more frequent. Empresa Rojas Castro (tel. 2685-5032) buses leave Nicoya for Sámara and Carrillo regularly throughout the day, between 5am and 9pm. The trip’s duration is 1 1/2 hours. The fare to Sámara is C4,200; the fare to Carrillo is C3,850.Express buses to San José leave daily at 4 and 8am. Buses for Nicoya leave throughout the day between 5am and 6pm. Buses leave Nicoya for San José nearly every hour between 3am and 5pm.

Express buses to San José leave daily at 10am and noon. Buses for Nicoya leave throughout the day between 5am and 6pm. Buses leave Nicoya for San José nearly every hour between 3am and 5pm.

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