Costa Rica Domestic Flights

Costa Rica is about the size of West Virginia, but ground transportation can take many hours on its rough, windy, and mountainous roads. Depending on your travel route, domestic flights may be the most convenient and sensible option. Traveling between some destinations can take up to 8 hours by ground, while a domestic flight can cut that travel time to 35 minutes- a major time saver, especially if you have only a short time in Costa Rica.

Find a Domestic Flight

Starting Location



There are two daily domestic flight providers in Costa Rica: Sansa and Nature Air.  Both providers are based in the San Jose metropolitan area.  Nature Air uses the Tobias Bolanos Airport in Pavas, next to downtown San Jose, while Sansa operates out of Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in Alajuela, approximately 20 minutes from Pavas.  Please keep these separate locations in mind while planning your domestic routes and arrival at the airport.

Both Sansa and Nature Air have strict reservation, cancellation, and luggage restriction policies that are important to understand prior to booking.  You can review this information by clicking on Sansa or Nature Air.

Our Costa Rica Airport Map shows the locations of all domestic airports in the country.  Note that some domestic airports may service multiple travel destinations.  For example, the Tambor airport is a 30-minute drive from both Montezuma and Mal Pais, making each of these destinations accessible by domestic flight.

For more information on the various ways to get around Costa Rica, see the overview in our Costa Rica Transportation Guide.

MORE INFO: Nature Air Sansa