SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport → Samara / Playa Carrillo (Guanacaste)
Next: pick vehicle, date, passengers & pickup details
Direct, non-stop service from SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport to Samara / Playa Carrillo (Guanacaste), operated by a professional bilingual driver in a modern air-conditioned private vehicle. Arrival flights are monitored in real time and pickups are adjusted automatically to match your actual landing.
About Sámara
Sámara is a relaxed village on a wide, reef-protected bay whose calm water makes it one of the safest swimming beaches in Guanacaste. Palm-lined, walkable and unhurried, it draws families, language students and long-stay travellers. Playa Carrillo, ten minutes south, is a postcard crescent of white sand with almost nothing on it.
It is the beach town for people who found Tamarindo too busy.
The ride from San José Airport (SJO)
Liberia Airport to Sámara is about 2 hours on paved road through Santa Cruz and Nicoya; Carrillo adds ten minutes. From Nosara it is 45 minutes to an hour, partly gravel. Your driver takes you to your hotel or house door in Sámara or along the Carrillo road.
Good to know before you arrive
- Swim anywhere in the bay; the reef keeps the waves small year-round.
- Playa Carrillo has no vendors or shade structures, so bring water and an umbrella.
- Sámara's Saturday farmers' market is worth a visit for fruit and baked goods.
- Kayak to Isla Chora at the south end of the bay for snorkelling.
Related private shuttles
- Return trip: Samara / Playa Carrillo (Guanacaste) → SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airportfrom $350
- SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport → La Fortuna (Arenal)from $215
- SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport → LIR - Liberia Int. Airportfrom $300
- SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport → Manuel Antonio / Queposfrom $215
- SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport → Monteverde (Cloud Forest)from $215
- LIR - Liberia Int. Airport → Samara / Playa Carrillo (Guanacaste)from $210
- SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport → Conchal (Guanacaste)from $340
- SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport → Flamingo (Guanacaste)from $340
- SJO - Juan Santamaria Int. Airport → Las Catalinas, Guanacastefrom $345
Choose vehicle & trip details
Pick the vehicle that fits your group, the date and time, and tell us where to meet you — we'll take it from there.