This Liberia Municipal terminal can be a bit confusing. There are so many busses coming from and going to so many different places that it can feel chaotic. There is a ticket window where you can purchase tickets for Playa Tamarindo and Nicoya. Tickets for other destinations can be purchased from the drivers of the bus. Looking for Playa del Coco? You need the Pulmitan station. Don’t stress, it is very close – about a 5 minute walk and you can almost see it from this station.
Watch your stuff closely at this station!! Thieves are known to hang out here looking for a chance to distract you from watching your bags. They work in teams and can snatch your bags faster and sneaker than you would think is possible!
If you have a bit of time to spend in Liberia, check the Santa Rosa National Park and Liberia city tour package with Gecko Trail.
Liberia Bus Terminal to the Airport
You can take a taxi for about $25 or you can take the bus. But buses to Tamarindo and Nicoya pass the airport along the way the trip takes about 20-30 minutes and costs about 500₡. Have a look at the Liberia Airport page to see where you end up.
Liberia to Tamarindo
Transportes La Pampa: From the Liberia Municipal Station
Purchase your ticket to Tamarindo from the ticket window at the Liberia Terminal de buses Municipal. And from the driver if you are leaving Tamarindo. As of January 2018 the trip to costs 1400₡ and takes about 2.5hrs depending on time of day. We asked the ticket vender to write out the schedule and it is in the photos below (May 2016). Note that it is almost impossible to get 100% confirmation on the correct schedule. We emailed the transport company but they gave a different schedule than the person selling the tickets. We here at centrocoasting are going to assume the ticket vendor is correct. Good luck!
Liberia to Tamarindo: 3:50am, 4:30am, 5:15am , 6:10am*, 7:10am, 8:10am, 10:10am*(only Sat+Sun), 11:10am*, 1:10pm, 2:10pm, 4:10pm, 5:10pm, 6:10pm*.
*longer route through Flamingo, Brasilito, Matapalo (~3hrs).
Tamarindo to Liberia: 3:30am, 4:30am, 5:45am, 7:30am, 9am, 10am, 11:30, 1pm, 2:15pm, 4:15pm, 5pm. Likely also 6:30pm but we will confirm soon.
Playa Flamingo: One helpful traveller has submitted some extra info about Playa Flamingo in the comments on the Tamarindo page (thanks Jeremy!).
Liberia to Playa Grande
You can take the bus from Liberia to Tamarindo and get off in Huacas. From there take one of the two buses that will now get you there. We are still confirming the times but 12pm and 2pm is what one traveller thought. Or, grab a taxi but don’t pay more than $10.
Playa Grande to Liberia: Two buses per day from Playa Grande, one at 7:20am and one at 3:20pm. If you’ve taken one, let us know the price in the comments below!
Liberia to Hermosa
Liberia to Hermosa: 7:30am, 8:40am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 1pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm
Hermosa to Liberia: 6am, 7:30am, 8:40am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 5pm, 7pm
~1200₡, ~2hrs
Liberia to Playa Panama
Liberia to Playa Panama: 4:30am, 4:40am, 4:50am, 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 1pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm
Playa Panama to Liberia : 5am, 7:30am, 8:30am, 10am, 12:00pm, 2pm, 4pm 5pm, 7pm
Liberia to Nicoya
Purchase your ticket to Nicoya in advance from the ticket window. Buses leave about every 30 minutes between 4:30am to 8pm. Check the Nicoya page to see where you will end up. As of May 2017 the price from Liberia to Nicoya is 1190₡ and the trip takes anywhere from 2-2.5hrs depending on the time of day.
Liberia to Nosara
From Liberia you first need to get to Nicoya and then from Nicoya you can then take the bus that is heading to Nosara. Be aware that the bus from Liberia to Nicoya can be anywhere from 1.75hrs to 2hrs+ so plan accordingly – you will often find the time listed online as around 1.5hrs. Check the Nicoya schedule here and know your connecting bus. To make the 12:30pm bus it is recommended to leave from Liberia at 10am. The station you arrive at and the station you leave from are different. Only 5 blocks apart but you need to factor that in along with bathroom breaks. Have a look at the Nicoya page for a map showing you where both stations are located.
Liberia to the Peñas Blancas (border)
The trip to Peñas Blancas takes about 2hrs and as of April 2019 the price is 1750₡.
Monday to Friday: 5am, 5:45am, 6am, 6:35am, 7:15am, 8am, 8:45am 9:30am – then every 30 mins until 5pm, 5:45pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm 8:35pm.
Saturday and Sunday: every 45min from 5am until 8:45pm
**We have had an update lately saying it’s now every hour to the border – but be aware that this may be during buys season only.
Liberia to Cañas
We have a photo below of the schedule posted inside the bus.The also have the schedule listed on their website: Reina del Campo.
Shedule as of May 2017 is: every day from 5:25 am to 9:30pm. And 4:30am to 8pm the other way, from Cañas to Liberia. The trip takes about 1.5hrs and as of 2016 costs about 1200₡.
Liberia to San Juan del Sur
Head to the Peñas Blancas (see above) and cross to the other side. Nicaragua you can either take a taxi or very easily grab a local bus. Make sure you change your colones to cordobas as this is the currency used in Nicaragua – I recommend to figure out the rate before you ask. Most money changers are honest, but some are not! Buses from the border will leave every 15 minutes for Rivas. To get to San Juan del Sur, you can either go all the way to Rivas and then get the bus from Rivas to San Juan del Sur or you can be let off about mid way at a spot called La Virgin. From here you wait on the highway for the bus coming from Rivas to pass. Have a look at the San Juan del Sur page where it will explain this step in more detail.
Liberia to Puntarenas
There are 10 buses per day to Puntarenas between 5am and 5pm. The schedule is posted below. As of August 2018 the price is 2975₡. The trip takes about 3hrs.
Liberia to La Fortuna
We haven’t done this route but were told this is what you do to get from Liberia to La Fortuna: “In Liberia take the bus to Cañas (~$3), from Cañas straight on the bus to Tilaran at 12pm (~$1.50), from Tilaran straight on the bus to La Fortuna at 12:30pm ($4) and arrive around 2pm. The next one is at 3:30pm and you will arrive around 5”.
Liberia to Santa Teresa
Grab the Puntarenas bus, in Puntarenas get to the ferry and cross to Paquera, from Paquera take the bus to Cobanó, from Cobanó take the bus to Santa Teresa. All of the linked pages above will give you the information you need for each connection and information about each station.
Trip Planning
If you are still planning for your upcoming trip, I am told this Trip Planner from Gecko Trail is quite useful to help you prioritize where you want to spend your time! Gecko Trail is a ICT certified Travel Agency that has great core values and gives back to the community. So much to see and do in this beautiful country!
Help your fellow traveller
If you have taken any of the buses on this page, please drop us a comment below about how the trip went, what time you left, how long it took and what it cost. And, definitely let us know if we have anything wrong.
Lets help each other in our travels!
The bus to the border appears to now be every 45 minutes every day, from 5 am to 6:30 pm. Have a picture of the schedule but don’t know how to get it up! Price was also raised to 1750
Great, thanks! I will update the price and that the bus is now going every hour. There was a really old schedule hanging from the ceiling for years!
The Way to SanJuanDel Sur is still as described above in Februar 2019.
Thanks very much for Keeping up this Homepage.
Muchas Gracias!
Hi! Great site! I am looking to travel by bus from Tilaran to Puntarenas. I know I need to take the bus from Tilaran to Canas and then switch to a different bus to get to Puntarenas. My question is: does every bus coming from Liberia to Puntarenas stop at the bus stop in Canas for people to jump on? Thank you! And again, awesome site, very helpful!
Sorry we missed this question, how did the trip go? Any advice to others?
I’m planning a first trip with my family for March 2019 and am interested in taking public transportation from Liberia to Playa Samara, or Playa Junquilla or Playa Carillo (haven’t decided quite yet). Would we first take a bus to Nicoya and then switch to another bus there?
Yes, Liberia to Nicoya and then switch bus stations for the bus from Nicoya to Samara. You can check the Nicoya and Samara pages on the website for more detailed information.
Will the bus take a surfboard bag?
Yes they will. Or at least they have always taken mine (its a small board though, 5’8). I would think that they might say no if its a long board.
Travelling from La Cruz to Monteverde. What is the best route, how much and link for times? Want to arrive around 3-4 pm
Sorry for the delayed reply. If you get a chance it would be great if you could reply here with your times and experience to help the next traveller looking to do the same trip!
Hello, do you know when is the latest I can catch a bus from the airport to Liberia? My flight arrives at 10:00 p.m. on a Wednesday. Thank you very much for your help!
Hey Edu, I am not 100% sure how late the last bus is but I think it is closer to between 8-9pm. You’ll likely have to take a taxi since by the time you get through customs it will be pretty late.
Just a general question: is there any kind of pass for riding all day on the local buses, or transfering to another bus? Thanks!
Sorry to be slow! No there is no such thing.