Transportation to and from the centre is either by car, bus or plane.
Please remember that you need to book your own flights, bus, shuttle or car (your travel to and from the centre) separately from any retreat or training event. It is not included in any package. The following information is designed to help the process! These are your options:
1. Flying from San Jose to the centre:
We recommend flying with SANSA Airlines. They are our favourite option for flights. They’ve recently paused their route to Palmar, since tourism has been significantly impacted in the area, but they are ready and waiting to put a special flight on for us for groups of 5 or more people. With just a little coordination and planning, we can sort that out with you and the rest of the people coming in your group. They will get you to the Palmar Sur (PMZ) airport, which is the one we’ll collect you from, as it is 15 minutes away from Navina. Even though it’s the more expensive option, it only takes 35 minutes to get you to Palmar, and the views are spectacular.
Note that if you’d like this option for a flight with SANSA please reach out to us to help coordinate.
If your arrival in San Jose doesn’t line up with your domestic flight, or if you want to explore San Jose we’ve got two great hotel recommendations for you. For all the details of these recommendations, please head over here.
2. Getting a bus to Palmar Norte:
We would recommend only taking this option if you understand Spanish well and can communicate in the language, as there is no guarantee that anyone else will speak English and it will be important to understand where you are along the journey (and if indeed you got on the correct bus). It will also depend on what time of day your International flight arrives. If you land after 6pm, book a hotel, and wait until the next day to catch a bus.
The easiest thing to do is turn on your data on your phone for 24 hours then use your app to order an uber to pick you up at the airport (or at your hotel if it’s the next day). Ask them to take you to the Tracopa bus station(this is a brand/company). You will then need to purchase a ticket to Palmar Norte and ask where to wait for the bus.It is a much cheaper option at around $12 USD, however it does take between 4 and 6 hours to arrive.
If you take the bus, you’d arrive in Palmar Norte at the station, where we’d collect you. And since you will have your data on, keeping in touch with us while you travel is easier.
3. Taking a shuttle to the centre:
Another option is to arrange a shuttle to the centre. Depending on who you choose, this option will either bring you to the bottom of the mountain, where we collect you – or to Ojochal (where we can also collect you). You would need to keep in touch with us about this so that we’re all organized for the pickup.
There are multiple ways you can book this shuttle. If you’d like our help, we recommend a private shuttle with Jonathan, who has become a friend over the years. This option is a little more expensive and best suited if there is a group of you traveling together. Otherwise, you can request the assistance of the Adventure Inn (if you stay there), as they have connections with shuttle services, or you can book directly with a company like “Easy Ride” too.
4. Driving to the centre:
If you’re renting a car in Costa Rica, and you’re driving to the centre, you must rent a 4WD (not an AWD) vehicle. We are located on a mountain road where you need to cross through two rivers (yes, real off-roading 🙂 ). If you need the directions for this, you can either email us directly and we can send them to you, or you can google “Navina Costa Rica”, BUT do not use google maps directions, as they are wrong. Even though we have a verified location here, the directions to get here that Google gives you are incorrect.