There are 8 ways to get from San Jose to Malpais by train, plane, shuttle, bus, or car
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Caltrain to San Francisco International Airport, fly to Liberia International Airport, shuttle
best- Take the train from San Jose Diridon Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northboundtrain
- Fly from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Liberia International Airport (LIR)plane SFO - LIR
- Take a shuttle bus from Liberia Airport to Malpais
14h 35m$581–2,089Caltrain to San Francisco International Airport, fly to Nosara Airport, shuttle
cheapest- Take the train from San Jose Diridon Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northboundtrain
- Fly from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Nosara Airport (NOB)plane SFO - NOB
- Take a shuttle bus from Nosara to Malpais
15h 23m$261–739Bus, shuttle
- Take the bus from San Jose Diridon Station to Los Angeles Union Stationbus
- Take the bus from Los Angeles to Managuabus
- Take the bus from Managua to Terminal NicaBusbus
- Take a shuttle bus from San José to Malpais
5d 6h$508–628Drive 5,850.5 km
- Drive from San Jose to Malpaiscar 5,850.5 km
3d$785–1,134Fly Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Liberia International Airport, shuttle
- Fly from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) to Liberia International Airport (LIR)plane SJC - LIR
- Take a shuttle bus from Liberia Airport to Malpais
15h 24m$348–1,172Fly Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport, shuttle
- Fly from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)plane SJC - SJO
- Take a shuttle bus from Alajuela to Monteverde
- Take a shuttle bus from Monteverde to Tambor
16h 15m$1,254–1,950Caltrain to San Francisco International Airport, fly to Cobano
- Take the train from San Jose Diridon Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northboundtrain
- Fly from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Cobano (ACO)plane SFO - ACO
15h 18m$283–869Caltrain to San Francisco International Airport, fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport, shuttle
- Take the train from San Jose Diridon Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northboundtrain
- Fly from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)plane SFO - SJO
- Take a shuttle bus from Alajuela to Monteverde
- Take a shuttle bus from Monteverde to Tambor
15h 55m$1,268–1,617
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Liberia International Airport (LIR) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from San Jose to Malpais is to Caltrain and fly and shuttle which costs $260 - $750 and takes 15h 23m.
The fastest way to get from San Jose to Malpais is to Caltrain and fly and shuttle which takes 14h 35m and costs $550 - $2,100.
The distance between San Jose and Malpais is 5088 km. The road distance is 5850.5 km.
The best way to get from San Jose to Malpais without a car is to bus and shuttle which takes 5 days 6h and costs $500 - $650.
It takes approximately 14h 35m to get from San Jose to Malpais, including transfers.
Malpais is 1h ahead of San Jose. It is currently 11:42 AM in San Jose and 12:42 PM in Malpais.
Yes, the driving distance between San Jose to Malpais is 5850 km. It takes approximately 3 days 0h to drive from San Jose to Malpais.
There are 392+ hotels available in Malpais.
What companies run services between San Jose, CA, USA and Malpais, Costa Rica?
There is no direct connection from San Jose to Malpais. However, you can take the train to Millbrae Caltrain Northbound, walk to Millbrae, take the subway to San Francisco International Airport, walk to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) airport, fly to Liberia International Airport (LIR), walk to Liberia Airport, then take the shuttle to Malpais. Alternatively, you can take a bus from San Jose Diridon Station to Malpais via Los Angeles Union Station, Cesar E Chavez / Vignes, Los Angeles, Managua, Terminal NicaBus, and San José in around 5d 6h.
- Website
- flysansa.com
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Las Vegas, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 15m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $280–1,100
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cobano via Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 10h 35m
- When
- Wednesday to Sunday
- Estimated price
- $200–750
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cobano via San Salvador, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 12h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $320–1,100
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cobano via Los Angeles, Liberia International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 16h 45m
- When
- Friday
- Estimated price
- $200–750
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cobano via Las Vegas, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 17h 5m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $200–750
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nosara Airport via Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 50m
- When
- Wednesday to Sunday
- Estimated price
- $180–650
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nosara Airport via San Salvador, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 56m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $280–900
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nosara Airport via Houston, Liberia International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 14h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $180–700
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nosara Airport via Las Vegas, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 16h 20m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $180–700
- Website
- worldticket.com
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Las Vegas, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 15m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $280–1,100
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cobano via Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 10h 35m
- When
- Wednesday to Sunday
- Estimated price
- $200–750
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cobano via San Salvador, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 12h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $320–1,100
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cobano via Los Angeles, Liberia International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 16h 45m
- When
- Friday
- Estimated price
- $200–750
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cobano via Las Vegas, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 17h 5m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $200–750
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nosara Airport via Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 50m
- When
- Wednesday to Sunday
- Estimated price
- $180–650
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nosara Airport via San Salvador, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 56m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $280–900
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nosara Airport via Houston, Liberia International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 14h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $180–700
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nosara Airport via Las Vegas, Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 16h 20m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $180–700
- Website
- united.com
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Liberia International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 29m
- When
- Friday and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $230–900
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Denver
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 19m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $260–950
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Houston
- Ave. Duration
- 10h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $250–950
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Denver
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 25m
- When
- Friday and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $210–800
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Los Angeles
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 30m
- When
- Friday
- Estimated price
- $200–750
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 40m
- When
- Wednesday to Sunday
- Estimated price
- $170–650
- Website
- alaskaair.com
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Liberia International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 18m
- When
- Saturday
- Estimated price
- $420–1,500
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Los Angeles
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 33m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $420–1,500
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Los Angeles
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 40m
- When
- Saturday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $480–1,700
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Los Angeles
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 15m
- When
- Tuesday and Wednesday
- Estimated price
- $340–1,300
- Website
- avianca.com
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via San Salvador
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 42m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $430–750
- Website
- aa.com
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Miami
- Ave. Duration
- 12h 52m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $290–1,100
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Los Angeles
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 14m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $480–1,700
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Los Angeles
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 15m
- When
- Tuesday and Wednesday
- Estimated price
- $340–1,300
- Website
- delta.com
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Liberia International Airport via Atlanta
- Ave. Duration
- 12h 50m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $330–1,200
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Los Angeles
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 26m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $200–750
- Website
- southwest.com
Flights from Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Las Vegas
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 30m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $200–750
- Website
- aeromexico.com
Flights from San Francisco International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport via Mexico City
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 13m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $170–650
- Phone
- +1 800-660-4287
- Website
- caltrain.com
Train from San Jose Diridon Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northbound
- Ave. Duration
- 56 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $7–10
- Website
- https://www.caltrain.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab
- One-way Adult
- $7–10
Train from San Jose Diridon Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northbound
- Ave. Duration
- 56 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $7–10
- Website
- https://www.caltrain.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab
- One-way Adult
- $7–10
Train from San Jose Diridon Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northbound
- Ave. Duration
- 56 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $7–10
- Website
- https://www.caltrain.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab
- One-way Adult
- $7–10
Train from San Jose Diridon Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northbound
- Ave. Duration
- 56 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $7–10
- Website
- https://www.caltrain.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab
- One-way Adult
- $7–10
- Phone
- +506 2640 1900 / 2640 0811
- [email protected]
- Website
- tropicaltourshuttles.com
Shuttle from Liberia Airport to Malpais
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $65–69
- Website
- https://tropicaltourshuttles.com/
Shuttle from Liberia Airport to Malpais
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $65–69
- Website
- https://tropicaltourshuttles.com/
Shuttle from Nosara to Malpais
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 39m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $65–69
- Website
- https://tropicaltourshuttles.com/
Rome2Rio's guide to Greyhound USA
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +1 214-849-8100
- [email protected]
- Website
- greyhound.com
Bus from San Jose Diridon Station to Los Angeles Union Station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 15m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $50–110
- Website
- https://www.greyhound.com/
- Website
- greyhound.com
Bus from San Jose Diridon Station to Los Angeles Union Station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Schedules at
- greyhound.com
- Website
- example.com
Bus from San Jose Diridon Station to Los Angeles Union Station
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 15m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Schedules at
- example.com
- Website
- flixbus.com
Bus from San Jose Diridon Station to Los Angeles Union Station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 40m
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Schedules at
- flixbus.com
- Phone
- +1 (855) 626-8585
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.com
Bus from San Jose Diridon Station to Los Angeles Union Station
- Ave. Duration
- 8h
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- $55–95
- Schedules at
- flixbus.com
- Phone
- +1 213 368 1172
- [email protected]
- Website
- busesusatours.com
Bus from Los Angeles to Managua
- Ave. Duration
- 4d 6h
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $330–400
- Schedules at
- busesusatours.com
- Phone
- +505 2222 2276
- [email protected]
- Website
- nicabus.com.ni
Bus from Managua to Terminal NicaBus
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 15m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $37–38
- Website
- https://nicabus.com.ni/en/
- Phone
- (+506) 4100 0888
- [email protected]
- Website
- interbusonline.com
Shuttle from San José to Malpais
- Ave. Duration
- 6h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $86
- Schedules at
- interbusonline.com
- Phone
- 1 800 715 1370
- [email protected]
- Website
- ridecr.com
Shuttle from Alajuela to Monteverde
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $315
- Website
- https://www.ridecr.com/
Shuttle from Monteverde to Tambor
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- $461
- Website
- https://www.ridecr.com/
Shuttle from Alajuela to Monteverde
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $315
- Website
- https://www.ridecr.com/
Shuttle from Monteverde to Tambor
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- $461
- Website
- https://www.ridecr.com/
Want to know more about travelling around Costa Rica
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