Travel Information
Please Note: Travel costs to/from Costa Rica are NOT included in the cost of your course. Transfer to the Costa Rica Outward Bound base IS INCLUDED in the cost of your course. Students will be met at the airport by a member of the Costa Rica Outward Bound staff and transported to our base, approximately 40 minutes southeast of San Jose.
Getting TO Costa Rica:
Passport and Return Tickets: ALL non-Costa Ricans arriving in the country MUST have a VALID PASSPORT with an expiration date of at least six months beyond the date of your return flight home AND a RETURN TICKET (airline, ship or bus) to show at Immigration.
Visas: US, Canadian and EU citizens DO NOT require a visa to visit Costa Rica for less than 90 days. If you are not a US, Canadian or EU citizen, please check with your local Costa Rican embassy or consulate regarding any needed travel visas.
Vaccines: The only vaccination that Costa Rica Outward Bound requires before coming on course is an up-to-date tetanus booster (as indicated in the Medical Section of the Online Enrollment Form). No other vaccines are required.
Your Travel Information: Arrival and Departure information should be submitted to Costa Rica Outward Bound at least 15 days prior to the student’s arrival. Please submit this information as either part of the Online Enrollment Form or in a separate email to enrollment@crrobs.org.
Arriving by Air: All students flying to San Jose, Costa Rica must fly into the Juan Santamaria International Airport. The airport code is SJO.
Some of the airlines that fly to/from the Juan Santamaria International Airport include:
| Air Canada - www.aircanada.ca |
America West - www.americawest.com |
| American Airlines - www.aa.com |
Continental - www.continental.com |
| Delta - www.delta.com |
Frontier – www.frontierairlines.com |
| JetBlue – www.jetblue.com |
Mexicana - www.mexicana.com |
| United Airlines - www.united.com |
US Airways - www.usairways.com |
Unaccompanied Minors
Many airlines REQUIRE that passengers under certain ages (generally passengers 15 and under) fly as “unaccompanied minors.” This is a paid-for service (usually about US$100) that ensures the child passenger boards their aircraft, is introduced to a flight attendant on the aircraft, chaperoned during connections and turned over to the appropriate party upon arrival at their final destination.
PLEASE check with the airline your child is flying to Costa Rica regarding the rules for unaccompanied minors. Rules differ from airline to airline.
IF YOUR CHILD IS FLYING AS AN UNACCOMPANIED MINOR, please inform us as we need to ensure that one of our staff personally presents them to an airline representative when we take them to the airport for their return flight out of Costa Rica.
At the Airport:
 When you arrive in Costa Rica follow the signs to Immigration/Baggage Claim/Customs. Wait in line at Immigration with your passport ready. After clearing Immigration, go down the escalator to the Baggage Claim area. Collect your baggage and head to Customs. Put any luggage onto the x-ray machine at Customs and present the Customs Agent the Customs forms that you filled out on the airplane (your flight attendant should provide these during your flight).
Once you pass through customs, follow the Exit signs.
San Jose International airport is very small and has only one exit. Once you exit the first set of automatic doors TURN LEFT and pass the official Airport Taxi window, where you will see a crowd of people. Before you enter this crowd look for our “Costa Rica Outward Bound” sign – we are there. Once you see the Outward Bound staff person please identify yourself to them. A contact back home will be notified of your safe arrival once you get to our Outward Bound base.
Air Travel Troubleshooting
Flight Delays/Missed Connections/Cancellations:
If your flight to Costa Rica is delayed, if you miss a connecting flight or your flight is cancelled, PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE IMMEDIATELY. Please provide specific information to help us track your flight and adjust our schedule to ensure that our staff meets you at the airport.
Lost Luggage:
If you arrive and your luggage does not – don’t panic. Proceed to your airline’s stand in the baggage claim area. Give them a full description of our luggage as well as our Costa Rican phone number. Hold onto the luggage check-in tags you were issued when you checked in at the airport you departed from. The airline will notify us when your luggage arrives.
Our International Numbers – 1-800-676-2018 or 1-877-531-2037
Our Costa Rica number – 2278-6062
Non-Air arrivals: If you are already in Costa Rica prior to the start of your course, or if you are arriving in Costa Rica via a mode of transportation other than aircraft, please call our office to arrange a pick up time and location.
Getting FROM Costa Rica:
Students should book their return flight from Costa Rica on the FINAL DAY of the course. This is the last day as it appears on the course schedule.
Costa Rica Outward Bound will transfer students from our base to San Jose International airport. We run several shuttles on the final day of the course to accommodate all of our departing students.
Note: Costa Rica Outward Bound is not able to accommodate students who would like to spend extra time on our base before or after a course, but we can assist you in making arrangements for those situations where flight dates dictate extra time in the country.
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