Getting to Puerto Viejo by bus
Please be aware that there are two towns called Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica. Casa Manu Ciao is located near “Puerto Viejo de Talamanca” (also known as “Puerto Viejo de Limon”). The company “Autotransportes Mepe” provides a regular bus service from San Jose to Puerto Viejo and back. There are several connections per day; please check the schedule at the company’s website. A ticket currently costs around 5,500 colones (approximately $10 US) and the trip takes about 5 hours. There is no toilet in the bus but there are 2 stops along the route. The first 20-minute break is in Limon and the second stop, which only lasts a few minutes, is in Cahuita. The buses don’t have A/C and as soon as you’ve crossed the mountains it will become increasingly warm, so the windows are usually open during the drive.
Tickets can’t be bought directly online and have to be purchased in person at the bus terminals. In San Jose the bus leaves from the “Terminal Atlantico Norte” which you can find in Calle 12 between Avenidas 7 and 9 in Barrio Mexico. Sometimes the tickets might sell out at peak times but you can buy a ticket for the return trip to San Jose in advance at any time at the MEPE office across from the bus stop in Puerto Viejo. Please note that seats on the route from San Jose to Puerto Viejo are reserved, so you’ll have to find your assigned seat printed on the ticket. On the way back to San Jose there are no reserved seats though and it’s first come, first served.
Getting to Puerto Viejo by shuttle
For about $50 US per person (discounted fares are available for children), transport is available in an air-conditioned van or mini-bus from San Jose via several companies. Some services are more reliable than others or make more stops to switch passengers to other shuttles. The trip generally takes 4 to 5 hours, although it can be more especially if you get on at the airport and the shuttle makes many pick ups at around San Jose. From San Jose, Cahuita drop-offs are generallly first (so perhaps a half hour less) and Punta Uva and Manzanillo last (so perhaps 30-45 minutes later).
Interbus, Pleasure Ride and Caribe Shuttle each make daily trips from San Jose to Puerto Viejo and back to San Jose. They will pick you up at your San José hotel or at an off-airport location (right at the airport for Pleasure Ride) and let you off directly at your hotel (almost) anywhere between Cahuita and Manzanillo (e.g. Cocles or Punta Uva).
https://www.interbusonline.com
http://www.caribeshuttle.com
http://www.pleasureridecr.com
Getting to Puerto Viejo by rental car
If you want to rent a car you’ll find all the major at or around the San Jose airport. There are only three companies that have an office in Puerto Viejo though (Adobe, Alamo, Poas). If you take the quickest route via Highway 32 the drive from San Jose to Puerto Viejo takes between 4 and 5 hours. For information about the traffic situation you can visit www.transito.go.cr/estadorutas or call the hotline of the traffic police for recorded information in Spanish: 800-TRANSITO, option #1, option #4.
Getting to Puerto Viejo by plane
There is a small airport in Limon, which is about 65 km (40 miles) from Puerto Viejo. There are no international flights to the Limon airport but the two airlines Sansa and Nature Air offer flights there from San Jose’s main international airport Juan Santamaria. Please check the companys websites for availability and ticket prices.
There are no car rental companies at the Limon airport and you will have to take a taxi from there, book a private transfer in advance or flag down a bus to Puerto Viejo at the highway right next to the airport.
GETTING FROM PUERTO VIEJO TO CASA MANU CIAO
Here are some directions to Casa Manu Ciao in Cocles since we don’t have street names or regular addresses in our part of Costa Rica. To get there from Puerto Viejo you’ll have to take the road to Manzanillo.
You can either take a taxi (about 3000 Colones during the day) or hop on the bus going to Manzanillo. If you take a taxi just tell the driver to bring you to “Caribe Town” in Cocles, near hotel “Le Cameleon”. If you’re taking the bus just look out for hotel “Le Cameleon” on the right side of the road. It’s probably the best known hotel in the area and just 200 meters away from Casa Manu Ciao. Just tell the bus driver to stop there and let you out. Just past the hotel you’ll see a blue sign saying “Caribe Town” at the mouth of a small road. Turn right into that road and follow it for 150 meters until you get to Caribe Town.
When you stand in front of Caribe Town you’ll see a yellow wall with an open gate to the left. There’s also a small sign saying “The Wild Side”. Just go through the gate and follow the small road for about 100 meters. Casa Manu Ciao is the first house on the right side. It’s a three-story yellow and white house. Find your host downstairs on the left side of the house.