Every shared and private shuttle company serving Santa Teresa in 2026 with prices, departure times, routes to San Jose, Liberia, Tamarindo, La Fortuna, Monteverde and Montezuma, whether the ferry is included, and how booking and cancellation work.
A shared shuttle to Santa Teresa costs $50 to $95 per person in 2026 depending on the company, and a private van $280 to $480. Tropical Tours Shuttles, with its office in front of the Banco Nacional in Santa Teresa, is the pick for most routes: $60 from San Jose, Liberia, or Tamarindo with morning and afternoon departures and the ferry handled for you. Transporzuma is the cheapest from San Jose at $50, and Zuma Tours runs the taxi boat to Jaco.
The short version
Four companies do most of the shuttle business in and out of Santa Teresa. Tropical Tours Shuttles has the widest daily shared network and the best local reputation (4.6 from more than 500 Google reviews). Transporzuma, based in Cobano, is a few dollars cheaper on the San Jose run and has two daily departures each way. Interbus, the national shared shuttle brand, charges more ($95 from San Jose) but connects Santa Teresa to almost everywhere, including a $95 taxi boat option to Jaco and Herradura. Zuma Tours and Montezuma Tours are the Montezuma operators: they sell the same long shuttles plus the boat across the gulf and the short hop between Montezuma and Santa Teresa for $18 to $40.
All of them include the Paquera ferry on the San Jose route, either by driving the van onto the boat or by handing you to a second van on the other side; Interbus sells both versions at different prices. Every one of them books on WhatsApp or online, takes cards, and wants 24 to 48 hours' notice to cancel. For the full route logic from each airport, read San Jose to Santa Teresa and Liberia to Santa Teresa; this guide is about which company to book.
Tropical Tours Shuttles
Tropical Tours Shuttles is a family-owned Santa Teresa company with a walk-in office in front of the Banco Nacional near the Playa Carmen cruce, open 8am to 9pm daily, WhatsApp +506 8890 9197. It runs daily shared minibuses on every route that matters, per tropicaltourshuttles.com: San Jose or SJO to Santa Teresa at 6:45am and 3:45pm for $60 (5 hours, ferry included), Liberia airport at 9am and 3pm for $60 (5 hours), Tamarindo at 8:40am and 3pm for $60 (4.5 hours), La Fortuna at 6:30am for $75 (5 hours), Samara and Carrillo at 6:30am and 3pm for $60, and Montezuma from $50 to onward destinations. Private minibuses run $260 to $280 per vehicle on the same routes, with any pickup time you like. It also sells the Montezuma to Jaco taxi boat at $55 including the road leg.
Reviewers on Tripadvisor (4.3 from about 780 reviews) describe on-time pickups, drivers who handle the ferry transfer, and easy day-before booking in low season. The company's own rules matter: minibuses carry up to 10 people but shared fares add $20 per person beyond four in one booking, long surfboards cost $10 extra on some services, private pickups between 9pm and 6am add $20 to $30, and cancellations need 48 hours' notice or you forfeit the fare. Payment for a next-morning shuttle closes at 9pm the night before. There is a $10 low season discount right now on the Liberia, Tamarindo, and Samara routes. Who it suits: nearly everyone; the caveat is that the afternoon departures arrive after dark.
Transporzuma
TRANSPORZUMA is the Cobano company next to Good Munchies, open 6am to 9pm daily, with 377 Google reviews at 4.2 and 236 on Bookaway at 4.3. Its site, transporzuma.com, lists Santa Teresa from $50 per person with two daily departures on the San Jose airport route and door-to-door pickup; on the booking platforms the same seat shows at $57 from the Alajuela and airport hotels, with morning departures around 5:30 to 6:30am and an afternoon run around noon to 3pm, 5.5 hours each way. It also sells Tamarindo (from $60, about 5.5 hours via the coast), La Fortuna, Monteverde, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Nosara, and the Caribbean.
The review theme on Bookaway this summer is friendly drivers who help with heavy luggage and transfers that connect even when the trip involves two vans. Who it suits: anyone who wants the cheapest reliable seat to or from San Jose. The caveat is that the office is in Cobano and communication runs through WhatsApp (+506 8821 6277) and email, so confirm your pickup point in Santa Teresa the day before.
Interbus (Santa Teresa Shuttles)
Santa Teresa Shuttles - Interbus is the local page of Interbus, the national shared shuttle company whose network covers most of the country. It is the most expensive of the group but the most connected: its 2026 catalogue at costaricashuttlesbus.com prices the shared shuttle between San Jose airport and Santa Teresa at $95 per person, the same $95 to Liberia, Tamarindo, Flamingo, Playas del Coco, Samara, La Fortuna, and Monteverde, $130 to $155 to Papagayo and Nosara, and $225 to Puerto Viejo. Private vans run $310 to $380 to the Guanacaste beaches and airports, $350 to San Jose airport with the van riding the ferry, and $450 to $480 for the version where you keep one van the whole way. Taxi boat combinations to Jaco and Herradura are $95, to Manuel Antonio $150 to $155, and to Uvita $175 to $180, with the 7am boat from Santa Teresa arriving at 11am.
Who it suits: travellers linking Santa Teresa to a less common destination in one booking, and anyone who wants a large company with a 24-hour phone line behind the reservation. The caveat is price: on the San Jose, Liberia, and Tamarindo routes you pay $35 more per person than Tropical Tours for a comparable minibus.
Zuma Tours
Zuma Tours Santa Teresa has an office at Plaza Kahuna on the main road (7am to 9pm daily, 4.6 from 83 reviews) and a bigger base in Montezuma (Zuma Tours Montezuma, 4.6 from 416). It has been the boat operator on this coast since 1993 and its shuttle business is built around the boat: the taxi boat from Montezuma to Jaco or Herradura, one hour on the water, at $40 per person per the Montezuma guide at montezumabeach.com, with departures from Montezuma at 9:30am and from Jaco at 11am, surfboards $10 extra, 20 kg of luggage per person, no pets or bikes. From Santa Teresa it sells the road leg to Montezuma plus the boat, and shuttle connections onward from Jaco to Manuel Antonio, Uvita, and San Jose, per zumatours.net. It also runs shared and private vans to San Jose, both airports, and Tambor and Cobano airports.
Who it suits: anyone heading to the central or south Pacific coast, where the boat saves three to four hours of driving around the gulf. The caveat is that the boat is a beach launch: you wade in, luggage goes in plastic bags, and rough mornings in green season can cancel or delay it.
Montezuma Tours
Montezuma Tours, on the beach road in Montezuma (7:30am to 9pm, 4.6 from 45 reviews), is the other Montezuma desk, in business since 1995. Its shuttle page at montezumatour.com is the clearest published price list on the peninsula: Montezuma to Santa Teresa $18, to San Jose $50, to Samara, Tamarindo, Liberia, and either airport $65, to Monteverde, La Fortuna, and Manuel Antonio $75. The Montezuma to Santa Teresa shuttles leave at 9 or 11am and 3 or 6pm, other routes at 7am, and private vans and taxis go anywhere on request. It takes deposits by PayPal and cash or cards at the office. Who it suits: people staying in Montezuma or hopping between the two towns. The caveat is that the long routes are the same vans the other companies use, so book here for the Montezuma pickup rather than for a different service.
Rich Coast Tours and the public bus
Rich Coast Tours & Transportation appears on the map near the Playa Carmen cruce and has a booking site at richcoasttours.com with airport transfers and tours, but it has no public price list or reviews we could check, so message before relying on it. The public bus is the real budget alternative: about $14 to $15 total from San Jose via Puntarenas, the ferry, Paquera, and Cobano, taking 8 to 9 hours, as the San Jose guide explains.
Comparison table
| Company | Base | Shared from San Jose | Liberia or Tamarindo | Private van | Boat to Jaco | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Tours | Santa Teresa, by Banco Nacional | $60, 6:45am and 3:45pm | $60, two departures | $260 to $280 | $55 via Montezuma | 48h cancellation, $10 low season discount |
| Transporzuma | Cobano | $50 to $57, two departures | Tamarindo from $60 | On request | No | Cheapest San Jose seat |
| Interbus | National, local page | $95 | $95 | $310 to $480 | $95 | Widest network, 24h phone |
| Zuma Tours | Plaza Kahuna and Montezuma | Shared and private on request | On request | On request | $40 from Montezuma | Boat operator since 1993 |
| Montezuma Tours | Montezuma | $50 | $65 | On request | Via Zuma or Tropical | Montezuma to Santa Teresa $18 |
Shared or private
A shared shuttle is a 10 to 14 seat minibus that collects people from several hotels, so add 20 to 40 minutes of pickups to the quoted time and expect a fixed departure. A private van is $260 to $480 for up to six to eight people with your own schedule, so it beats shared on price from about five passengers and on convenience for families with a 5am flight. Both types on the San Jose route cross on the Paquera ferry; Tropical Tours and Transporzuma usually hand you to a second van at Paquera, and Interbus lets you pay $100 more to keep one van on the boat. For the ferry itself, and whether to route via Paquera or Tambor, see Paquera vs Tambor ferry. If you would rather fly the last leg, the flights to Santa Teresa guide prices Sansa into Cobano against the shuttle.
Practical notes
Book two to seven days ahead in green season and two to three weeks ahead from December to April, when the morning San Jose and Liberia shuttles fill. Every company confirms by WhatsApp; send your hotel name, flight number, and passenger count.
Pay online or by card in the office. Tropical Tours closes payment for a morning shuttle at 9pm the night before. Cash in dollars or colones works at every office.
Cancellation windows are 24 to 48 hours. Tropical Tours refuses refunds inside 48 hours and treats a 10 minute no-show at a hotel as forfeited; the agencies reselling Interbus and Transporzuma often allow cancellation up to 24 hours before, sometimes minus a fee. Read the rule on your confirmation.
Surfboards ride for $10 or free depending on the company and the vehicle. Say you have one when booking so the driver brings the right van.
Airport timing: the 6:45am shared shuttle from Santa Teresa reaches SJO around noon, which works for afternoon flights but not morning ones. For a flight before 1pm, sleep near the airport the night before or book a private van at 3am. Browse every transport operator on the coast at the /directory/activities hub.
FAQ
Which shuttle company is best for Santa Teresa?
Tropical Tours Shuttles for most trips: $60 shared seats from San Jose, Liberia, or Tamarindo, two departures a day, an office in Santa Teresa, and 4.6 stars from more than 500 Google reviews. Transporzuma is $10 cheaper on the San Jose route, and Zuma Tours is the one to book for the taxi boat to Jaco.
How much is a shared shuttle from San Jose to Santa Teresa in 2026?
$50 to $57 with Transporzuma, $60 with Tropical Tours, and $95 with Interbus, all including the Paquera ferry crossing and about 5 to 5.5 hours door to door. Private vans for up to six people run $280 to $480 depending on whether the van rides the ferry with you.
Is the ferry included in the shuttle price?
Yes, on every San Jose route. Most companies drive you to Puntarenas, put you on the ferry as a foot passenger, and have a second van waiting at Paquera. Interbus also sells a $450 private option where the same van boards the ferry so you never move your luggage.
What time do shuttles leave Santa Teresa for the airport?
Tropical Tours leaves for San Jose at 6:45am and 3:45pm and for Liberia at 9am and 3pm; Transporzuma has a 5:30 to 6:30am run and an early afternoon one. The morning San Jose shuttle arrives around noon, so it suits flights after 2pm. Earlier flights need a private van or a night near the airport.
Can I take a boat from Santa Teresa to Jaco instead of driving?
Yes. Zuma Tours and Tropical Tours run a taxi boat from Montezuma beach to Jaco or Herradura in about an hour, $40 to $55 per person, leaving Montezuma between 8:30 and 9:30am. Add the $18 to $40 road leg from Santa Teresa to Montezuma. Interbus sells the whole combination for $95.
How far in advance should I book a Santa Teresa shuttle?
A few days ahead in green season and two to three weeks ahead from December to April. Tropical Tours closes payment at 9pm for a next-morning departure and needs 48 hours' notice to refund a cancellation, so book once your flight is fixed.
