There are two stations in Nicoya which you will likely use in your travels. The Traroc is a main hub for several destinations and the other is where the bus heads back to Liberia (see map). The two stations are only about 5 blocks apart and connected to the same street. This means, for instance, if you are arriving from Liberia and heading to Samara or Nosara(Playa Guiones) you will need to walk those five blocks to the other station.
Nicoya to San José
Have a look at the schedule photo below to see when this bus heads to San José. As of 2016 the cost is 4000₡ and it takes about 5.5hrs.
Nicoya to Liberia
Make sure you are at the right station (see map). This bus leaves every 30min from 4:30am to 8pm.
Nicoya to Nosara
From Nicoya to Nosara the bus leaves at: 4:45am (not Sunday), 10:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:30pm (Sunday only), 5:30pm (not Sunday).
From Nosara to Nicoya the bus leaves at: 5:00am (not Sunday), 5:30am, 7:00am, 12:00pm, 3:00pm.
See photos below.
TIP: If you are heading to Nosara (Playa Guiones) from Liberia be aware that the bus from Liberia to Nicoya can be anywhere from 1.5hrs to 2hrs+. To make the 12:30pm bus leaving Nicoya to Nosara it is recommended to leave from Liberia no later than 10am, or you will risk sitting in Nicoya waiting for the 3:30pm bus. Note that 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.
Nicoya to Samara
There are several buses every day to Samara from Nicoya. Have a look at the photo of the schedule below to check the times. As of 2016 this bus was about 1800₡ and took about 1.5hrs.
Samara to Nicoya
For buses heading back to Nicoya you can wait at a covered bus stop right at the exit of town – about 20 meters away from the Alfaro office. Check the Samara page for the schedule. This bus will pass La Bomba – which is where you need to get off for buses to Nosara, see below. As of 2016 this bus was about 1800₡ and took about 1.5hrs.
Nicoya to Playa Naranjo
Check out the Transportes Arsa website for the schedule.
Liberia Airport to Nicoya
You are in luck! The bus from Liberia to Nicoya will pass right in front of the airport. It passes very frequently and you can have a look at the Liberia Airport page for more info.
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!
There is no bus to Samara from Nicoya at 11:30am anymore!
If you are looking to visit Samara or Nosara reach out Maria from http://www.bluezonecr.com she is amazing, provides public bus info or shuttles, she has also the only local bussiness of the area so buy local and received amazing customer services.
took the ferry puntarenas – playa naranjo at 2:30pm and arrived at playa naranjo before 4pm. there was only one bus to nicoya and it took me more than 3 hours. price for the ferry: 1005 colones
Just took the bus last week from Nicoya to Nosara, and it left at 12:30, not 1 pm as listed above.
I was coming from Liberia on the 10 am bus and had just enough time to walk to the other station to catch the 12:30 bus to Nosara (playa guiones).