If you are in Puntarenas and are planning to visit Montezuma, Tambor, Santa Teresa, Malpaís, Paquera or any beach in this area, taking the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera is one of the best options for transportation.
Since 1992, Naviera Tambor has been in charge of operating this route of 11 nautical miles that connects Puntarenas from Paquera. They have 2 big ferries that can hold up to 175 average sized cars and more than 1000 passengers. These ferries are named Ferry Tambor II and Tambor III and they have done an excellent job so far.
Taking the Ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera
Location
The Route
If you’re driving
If you rented a car, you need to get in line as soon as you get there to save your spot. During high season, the line gets very long and if you don’t arrive early enough, there is a good chance you will miss the ferry.
They recommend arriving at least one hour before the ferry departs as some employees from Naviera Tambor will start letting cars onto the dock earlier. The ferry entrance is towards the Barrio Carmen, right across the street from where the new waterpark in Puntarenas is.
Buying the ticket
To buy your ticket, you will have to go to the bakery across the street called Musmani where they sell the tickets. You can check their schedule and fares. They charge per car and per passenger.
The ferry
Inside the ferry, you can find everything you need to be comfortable for this one hour ride. They have bathrooms, a spacious cafeteria with A/C and flat screen TVs.
There are open areas on the top deck with benches so you can enjoy the ocean breeze. All announcements and information are announced when they are about to depart and when they are about to arrive (in Spanish and English).
We decided to take this ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera. After we arrived at Paquera, we then drove another couple hours to Playa Carmen. This ferry ride has beautiful views of the ocean and is a great scenic route to take.
The ferry was a great way to see the sights of Costa Rica and a fun and cheap way to get from one part of the country to another besides driving.
More posts on how to get around Costa Rica
Hi Kim, make sure you take the route through Nicoya, that is the good road and it’ll be only a couple of hours, the route that goes along the beach is on a very not nice road and will take a lot longer. There’s not too much to see for the first half once you get to Puntarenas back up to Guanacaste, you can stop by the Catarata Llanos de Cortes near Bagaces: Catarata Llanos de Cortes. In PUntarenas, you can stop and get a churchill (a famous ice cream treat from Puntarenas).
We are currently staying in Playa Hermosa and looking at driving to Playa Naranjo and taking the ferry to Puntarenas and driving back up the Interamericana back to Playa Hermosa. Do you have any suggestions or hints about this route? Love your blogs!
Hello,
We are a group of 8 adults. We are on a cruise with a 12-hour stop in Puntarenas.
We looked into going into Jaco, but are also considering taking the ferry.
What sort of things are there to do/see if we do take ferry to Paquero? Are their taxis available?
Any suggestions for a day trip from Puntarenas?
The ferry ride is very nice but there’s nothing really to do on the other side unless you go to one of the nearby beach towns like Montezuma. Since you have only 12 hours, I would recommend not taking it because the ferry also only has set times and I’m not sure when you land/leave Puntarenas. If you guys rent a car or hire a shuttle, you can go to Jaco and go surfing, you can even take a short walk through Carara National Park which is nearby.
Hi Sammi,
Would it save us a lot of time if we take a ferry from Monte Verde to Santa Teresa? Even though, we have to come early, wait in line to get in, buying ticket…Please let me know your thought.
It wouldn’t be hours of time saved and it doesn’t take too long to load the ferry and get off if you’re not coming in holiday or peak season. Driving would take around 5-6 hours and the ferry is way more fun in my opinion.
Hey Sammi & Yeison,
We’re coming to Costa Rica in some months and your blog and IG-feed have been helpful for planning, thanks for that! 😉
I’ve got a question, we’d be driving from our hotel in La Fortuna to Montezuma, would you recommend taking the ferry in Puntarenas or is Route 18 also doable if we leave early in La Fortuna?
Thanks!
Hi Sylvie! Personally if you can, I do recommend taking the ferry. It’s such a nice ferry ride with some great views and it’s a nice break from the drive which is super long. You can drive it if you leave early as it’ll take around 6 hours driving but I do really enjoy the ferry ride and recommend it 🙂
This is awesome!! I am so grateful for people like you who do stuff like this for people like me. Pura Vida and Muchisimo Gracias!
Ellen
You’re welcome and thanks for reading Ellen!
Hi, we’re planning on getting the ferry and then public bus to montezuma, do you know if we’d have to book in advance or just pay after leaving the ferry? Thanks
Hi! you do not need to pay in advance if you are taking public transportation, and the buses are usually very big.
Are dogs allowed on the ferry from Puntarenas and can they be taken outside of the car on a leash while the ferry is traveling ?
Hi Murray, I’m pretty sure I remember seeing a couple dogs on the ferry. I’m pretty sure dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash and always with a human. There is an area for the dogs under the passenger deck that they must stay during the whole ferry ride and there’s seating for humans.
How much did it cost for the car on the ferry?
On the ferry website, it says vehiculos livianos (lightweight vehicule) is 11,400 colones which is about $23
Thanks for the tips, do you know how long the ferry trip lasts from Puntarenas to Paquera? Im taking local buses, so need to know when I have to take the ferry to reach the bus on the other side 🙂
I would say about an hour 🙂
The ferry ride is about 75 minutes. The bus to Cobano/Montezuma will be waiting for the ferry (except the last ferry of the day, when there is no bus). You can switch buses to Santa Teresa in Cobano.
There are 2 direct buses from San Jose to Santa Teresa. One leaves San Jose at 6am and takes the 9am ferry. The other leaves at 2pm and takes the 5pm ferry. If you are on one of those, you can take the direct bus from Paquera to Santa Teresa.
Do/ you know if there is a Holiday Ferry Schedule? We are planning to take the ferry on New Year’s Day.
Hi Lucy, not sure but don’t think so. Didn’t see any signs or notes about a holiday schedule (but not 100% sure)
Awesome. Great advice. I am wondering how you got from Paquera to Playa Carmen. Are there shuttles available once you land in Paquera? I am asking bc we would like to rent a car once we get there….only place to do so is in Tambor. What would be the best way to get there?
We had rented a car already so we drove straight from Paquera to Mal Pais. Once you get off the ferry in Paquera, there should be a public bus that goes to Montezuma which drops you off in Tambor. Should be about a 30 minute ride or so.