Airport Liberia Costa Rica – Guanacaste Airport
Whether you’re just visiting Costa Rica or are ready to call Costa Rica home, you may be wondering, what airport should I fly into? You could fly into the Liberia International Airport (LIR) in Liberia or you can fly into the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José.
What are the benefits of flying into Liberia compared to San José? Does your chosen airline fly into Liberia International Airport? Can you take an international flight or domestic flight from anywhere to Liberia Airport? What services are available at the International Airport in Liberia? Is the Liberia airport closer to where I want to go compared to Juan Santamaría International Airport? Are there any entry requirements for this airport?
We know you have questions, which is why we’re here! We want you to have all the information and knowledge a local Costa Rican has so you can make informed decisions while you’re planning your trip to Costa Rica. P.S.: Just to avoid any confusion, we’ll be using Liberia International Airport and Guanacaste Airport interchangeably in this article, but they’re the same airport. 🙂
The Location of the International Airport Liberia in Costa Rica
The Liberia International Airport, known before as Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (or officially named Guanacaste Airport) is located in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica. The Guanacaste Province is located in northwest Costa Rica and homes its capital city, Liberia. LIR is the only international major airport, which makes it the most convenient airport, in the north of the country and is only a few miles from the closest beach.
The airport is 8 miles (13km) outside of the capital city of Liberia and is about 135 miles northwest of San José. The Guanacaste Airport is the closest airport to the Guanacaste Province in northwestern Costa Rica. So, if you’re looking to visit Guanacaste and northwestern Costa Rica, your safest bet would be to utilize the Guanacaste International Airport compared to SJO, which is in the central area of Costa Rica.
The Liberia Intl Airport receives both international and domestic flights from places all throughout Costa Rica and the rest of the world. Although, most of Costa Rica’s frequent flights are between the US and Canada. You can also hitch a direct flight from LIR to probably any other part of Costa Rica within 4-6 hours for a low price.
Of course, there are different types of transportation service like car rentals and airport shuttle available at Guanacaste airport. The airport also has other technical services available including a bank, a snack bar, a money exchanging kiosk, a cell phone service store, a pharmacy, and a couple of restaurants you can dine at. Guanacaste airport is no different from any other airport. It has just about everything you would need in an airport.
The Guanacaste Province – Home of Liberia Intl Airport
Guanacaste is known for being a tropical paradise with a very clean shoreline. There are also a number of beautiful mountain ranges and active volcanoes that tourists or locals can hike or visit. Guanacaste’s geological features are diverse, exotic, and one-of-a-kind. Guanacaste has national parks, like the Rincón de la Vieja National Park, which you can visit along with the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica where you can do pretty much everything from surfing, ATV riding, fishing, hiking, and zip-lining. It’s not a surprise why thousands of visitors from all around the world choose to fly to the Guanacaste airport to visit Guanacaste. In fact, according to the Guanacaste Airport’s website, Guanacaste is so popular that visitors demanded they expand their airport with another terminal in 2012. In 2017, they expanded the terminal AGAIN so the airport had the capacity to receive 5 more airlines. They estimate over 1 million visitors pass through Guanacaste airport every year. Talk about popular flights!
Liberia International Airport’s Airlines
A good way to check what airport you should fly to before booking your flight is by checking what airlines Costa Rica’s very own Guanacaste airport works with. We’ve done the research for you so you don’t have to looker further than this post!
Airlines That Fly To International Airport Liberia in Costa Rica
- Air Canada (Seasonal)
- Air Transat (Seasonal)
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Edelweiss Air (Seasonal)
- Frontier Airlines
- JetBlue
- KLM (Seasonal)
- Sansa Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- Sun Country Airlines
- TUI Airways
- United Airlines
- WestJet (Seasonal)
If your airline of choice isn’t on this list, we suggest looking into booking a flight with one of the airlines listed above. Of course, there is always the option to book a multi-stop flight that has a connection to LIR through one of the airlines above. Multi-stop flights also tend to be cheaper flights or have deals on flights so it may be beneficial to do so if you’re also looking to save some extra money. For more information about flights and airlines, feel free to visit the official website for Liberia’s International Airport.
More Information About Liberia Airport Procedures & Requirements
There are some rules and requirements when traveling to any country that should be taken into consideration. Although, the rules and procedures for LIR are not much different from traveling to any other country! The best thing to do before traveling and before leaving the beautiful country of Costa Rica is to educate yourself on the rules, regulations, and requirements.
Visa & Flight Requirements
You may need a visa depending on your origin country. To learn more about whether or not you need a visa to travel to Costa Rica, check the official website of the Costa Rican embassy.
There are a few flight requirements to be aware of as well:
- You must have booked a travel continuity ticket or your return ticket to your country of origin
- You must prove you have the minimum necessary funds or economic stability to stay in Costa Rica for tourism, which corresponds to $100.00 for each month
- Your passport must be in good condition. The validity of your passport will vary based on which group you’re located in.
Customs Rules & Departure Taxes
- Any person carrying greater than or equal to $10,000 in cash or its equivalent in another currency must declare it to a customs officer. Otherwise, your belongings may be confiscated by airport officials.
- Those who fly with any of the following airlines must pay a departure tax: Thomson, Sunwing, WestJet, AirTransat, and Sun Country.
Arriving at Airport Liberia in Costa Rica
- While in-flight, you will receive the customs procedure form. This must be completed.
- After the arrival time has passed and your flight is over, follow the signs towards the migration area.
- A migration officer will review your passport and give you the authorization to enter Costa Rica.
- After the migration checkpoint, there is a baggage claim area you can go to claim your baggage.
- In the baggage claim area, you’ll find kiosks for car rentals.
- Afterward, you’ll go through customs controls with your luggage and the declaration form you filled out on the plane will be checked.
- Upon leaving the lobby, you’ll find kiosks, shops, and all kinds of services available.
Departing Airport Liberia in Costa Rica
- Arrive up to three hours before the time indicated for departure. Make sure you have a valid passport.
- Verify that the departure tax is included in the price of your ticket. If not, you may head to the Banco Crédito Agrícola de Cartago office located in the lobby to pay your tax.
- Make sure you have verified the allowable weights and dimensions for your luggage with your airline prior to arriving at the airport.
- Once your flight is checked, you’ll head over to the departure migration inspection counter where you’ll present your passport and boarding pass.
- Afterward, you’ll head through a security checkpoint before going to the corresponding boarding room assigned to your flight.
There you have it. We’ve covered the most frequently asked questions for traveling to the International Airport Liberia in Costa Rica. We understand you may still have some very specific questions about the procedures and requirements of Guanacaste Airport, which is why we wanted to give you the opportunity to look further into it. We hope you enjoy your stay in Guanacaste and enjoy everything the beautiful country of Costa Rica has to offer!
