Getting to Nosara: Liberia Flights, Shuttles and Hotels

Nosara is one of our favorite places in the world, and part of what keeps it that way is that it’s a little hard to get to. That’s charming right up until you’re the one standing in an airport trying to figure out the last leg.

So here’s how our guests get from home to their first yoga class, in order, with the times and prices we give everyone who books.

Fly into Liberia, not San José

Fly into Liberia (LIR). It’s much closer to Nosara than San José. From Liberia the drive is about 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the roads and the weather. From San José (SJO) it’s closer to 4.5 to 5 hours, which is a lot of van time on a day you’d rather spend in the pool.

Land in the afternoon window

Our retreats run Saturday to Saturday. On arrival day, aim to land in Liberia between about 10:45am and 3:30pm. That window lines up with our group shuttles. Check-in at Casas Kismet starts at 4:00pm, and the retreat opens around 6:00pm with a welcome. Dinner is at 6:30, and the first yoga class is around 7:30.

For the flight home, look for a departure between 11:00am and 5:00pm on the last day. The final morning starts with yoga at 7:00 and breakfast at 8:30. Checkout is by 11:00. Shuttles leave about five hours before the earliest flight in your group, so a 1:00pm flight means an 8:00am shuttle.

Sun setting behind a resort building and pool

How the shuttles work

The easiest way to get to Nosara is one of our shared shuttles. They’re $60 each way, taxes included, and we schedule them around everyone’s flights. You tell us your flight details on your travel form, and about a week before the retreat we put you on the right shuttle. That’s it. No haggling at the curb.

If you’d rather skip the drive, there’s a short Sansa flight from Liberia to Nosara, usually in the middle of the afternoon. You can also arrange your own ride, and we’re happy to share the drivers we trust.

If your flight lands outside the window

We can still help. If an early or late flight leaves your shuttle with fewer than five people, there’s an extra charge, up to $180 for one person traveling alone. A lot of guests avoid that by flying in the day before and staying near the airport, and we pick them up at the hotel.

Where to stay the night before (or after)

These are the hotels our guests use most. Our shuttles pick up and drop off at the first three at no extra charge:

Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport, across the street from the airport.
Hampton Inn Liberia Airport, also across the street.
Hotel Santa Ana, the most economical option near the airport, a short taxi ride away.
The Mangrove Hotel in Papagayo, about 20 minutes away on the beach. It’s a favorite for a treat after the retreat, and an extra shuttle fee applies for drop off there.

Honest note: the airport hotels are convenient, not scenic. They’re perfect for one night. If you’d like more time in Nosara itself, Lagarta Lodge is right down the street from Casas Kismet. The Living Hotel is a small boutique favorite, and the Gilded Iguana is close to the best surf breaks.

What to have in your hand at the airport

Your passport needs at least 90 days left before it expires. Bring some US dollars, because tips and a lot of what you’ll do that week are paid in cash, and there’s no ATM within walking distance of Casas Kismet. If you want to tip your shuttle driver, about $5 is customary (and always optional). For everything that goes in the suitcase, we put together a whole packing list for a yoga retreat in Costa Rica.

We also recommend travel insurance. It isn’t required, but guests have been glad to have it when a flight was delayed or plans changed.

Yoga for the travel day itself

A long day of sitting is the one part of this trip that doesn’t feel like a retreat. Erin has a few classes made exactly for it.

Her Yoga for Travel Recovery class came out of a 13-hour road trip each way. She starts in toes pose and a little foot massage for anyone who’s been walking through airports, then works into stretches for sore wrists and hunched shoulders. She also admits to sitting up on her car seat with her hips between her heels when her knees got tight (Matt witnessed it). The seated pigeon in that class works in an airplane seat or on the airport floor.

If you’re stuck in a seat, her quick Yoga Break is built for exactly that, breathing with stretches and twists you can do as a passenger without changing clothes. She does them on her own long summer road trips. And for the night before, in an airport hotel room, the Yoga for Business Travelers class was made for practicing between the bed and the lamps. Her advice is to find enough room to move without knocking anything over.

Yoga for Travel Recovery (57m 20s). For the road weary traveler, feet to shoulders.
Yoga Break, Full Body Quick Yoga Class (11m 15s). Seated, for planes and cars.
Yoga for Business Travelers (and everyone else) (32m 50s). Made for a hotel room.
12 Min Low Back Stress Release (12m 43s). Entirely on your back, for after the drive.
Neck & Shoulder Tension Release (22m 11s). For the shoulders that carried the bags.

Everything above lives on our retreats page too, in the FAQ, and we update it when anything changes. Our retreats run every spring and every November. Get yourself to Liberia and we’ll handle the rest.