Car

Highway 27 connects San José to the Pacific port of Caldera, near Puntarenas. This 77-km (46-mile) toll road eliminates a winding drive through the mountains and puts the coast just one hour from the capital. Costa Ricans call the modern road the Carretera a Caldera (Caldera Highway). Before the coast, an exit to the two-lane paved coastal highway, or Costanera, leads southeast to Tárcoles, Herradura, Jacó, Hermosa, Esterillos, Bejuco, and Quepos. An asphalt road winds its way over the hill between Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park—plan on about 1½ hours to drive to Jacó and 2½ hours to Quepos.