Fly into Liberia
LIR (Daniel Oduber) is the front door. Most of the Gold Coast is 45–90 minutes away. San José is a longer, prettier story.
Liberia to the sea
Plan your trip
Fly into Liberia, pick a coast or a volcano, and leave one day unscheduled. Guanacaste is easy if you do not try to see all of it.
Rent a car, or don’t
A 4x4 helps in green season and anywhere past the last paved turn. In Tamarindo or Sámara you can leave it parked.
Two seasons, two provinces
Dry (roughly Dec–Apr) is gold and dust. Green season is emptier, cheaper, and suddenly a rainforest.
Bring the longer stay
Guanacaste rewards a week more than a weekend. Beach + volcano + one slow town is the shape that works.