Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport or Liberia International Airport, (LIR airport code) is one of four international airports in Costa Rica and is the main one in Guanacaste.
In the past few years, Guanacaste has become a very popular province in Costa Rica for vacationers. The nature, wildlife and the natural attractions have drawn tourists from all over the world who are looking for a more adventurous trip in less populated places.
To accommodate all these new visitors, Guanacaste needed a more well constructed airport since it has not been updated since 1995. In 2012 the airport presented a brand new terminal building allowing it to be more efficient and for more flights to go in and out.
Liberia International Airport Location
Less than an hour away from some of the most popular and biggest tourist attractions in Guanacaste such as Playa Conchal, Rincon de la Vieja National Park, and Gulf of Papagayo, LIR is the ideal landing spot for those wanting to visit the Pacific Costa Rica coast.
Directions
Liberia to LIR: From the city, head west onto Route 21 and continue about 10 kms. Turn right at big intersection about a km past Budget Car Rental and then turn left into the airport.
Playas del Coco to LIR: From the entrance of Playas del Coco (the white anchor), drive east on route 151 (towards Liberia) and continue until you hit a major intersection, about 15 kms. Turn left onto route 21 and after about 10 kms, turn left again when you see the airport on your left hand side.
About LIR
This airport is not as busy as the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San Jose but the new terminal was certainly an upgrade. It has full amenities, gift shops, a restaurant, duty free stores, currency exchange, a small parking lot and shuttles going to and from the airport.
There are only 7 gates since around 40-50 flights come through a week. There is one exit for passengers after they pass through customs and baggage check and just one strip for departures and arrivals.
If you’re picking someone up, they don’t allow people inside the airport anymore so you’ll have to wait outside.
Airlines Operating To Liberia International Airport
Liberia International Airport accommodates both international and national flights.
*This information is up to date to Oct 2013 and may not reflect the most current changes*
Commercial carriers – International and Domestic
- Air Berlin
- Air Canada
- American Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Frontier Airlines
- Jetblue
- Nature Air (Domestic)
- Sansa (Domestic)
- Taca (now is Avianca)
- United
- US Airways
- Southwest
- West Jet
Charter Flights
- Air Transat
- Arkefly
- Jazz Air
- Sun Country
- Sunwing
- Thomson
Ground Transportation
Public bus: The Liberia public city bus between the airport and Liberia runs every hour on the hour from 5 AM to 9 PM. From the bus station in Liberia, you can take a bus to the border, San Jose, Playas del Coco and other destinations for cheaper than a shuttle or taxi. Downside to this is that the buses are usually very full, longer waiting times and longer bus rides.
Airport shuttle: If your hotel does not offer you transportation, there are shuttles at the airport that you can book. Liberia airport shuttles run every day, meet every flight and will drop you off directly at your destination. You must pre-book your shuttle and they will pick you up in a private, air conditioned 12 minimum seater vehicle. If you would like to book a shuttle, you can contact us for a quote.
Shared shuttles: For a cheaper price, you can take a shared shuttles with other passengers. You can find one when you come out of the airport but since it is shared, you’ll have to wait for everybody else.
Taxis: There will always be airport taxis waiting outside the arrival gate if you want to take a taxi. Remember that taxis are going to be more expensive than shuttles and they can charge even higher rates for holidays.
Learn how to take a taxi properly in Costa Rica here.
Rental Cars: If you book a rental car beforehand (highly recommended), either your car will be waiting ready for you at the airport or the company will have a shuttle to pick you up to take you to their office.
You can see what the process is like of getting picked up here.
We have a 10% and more discount off a car rental. Get it here!
Hotels
If you need a place to stay close to the airport, there is one hotel that is just across the road from the airport, the Hilton Garden Inn.
Although more expensive being the Hilton, it is the closest compared to others. For a cheaper option, check out Hotel Santa Ana further away but more budget friendly.
Want to read about other options? Click here to read our article for best hotels near LIR.
Other Information
There is an exit tax at the airport of $29 which you have to pay before you check in. When you enter the airport, there is a booth where you go to pay this tax.
They will give you your customs form to fill out after. Check here for Costa Rica entry requirements.
*Update* Costa Rica is now including the exit tax in the flight ticket price. Check your itinerary and the airport also has a billboard list of which tickets include the exit tax.
Want more travel tips? Here you go!
Guide to getting around Costa Rica
How can I contact the Duty Free store to place preorder?
I honestly have no idea but here is the number for the airport: +506 2666 9600. They should be able to transfer you over to the duty free store.
Is there a safe lot to park a car for a week?
Liberia Airport doesn’t have a long term parking lot and I don’t recommend leaving it there for a week at all. You can contact your car rental company if you’re renting a car if you can leave it or I know some people have left it at the Hilton Garden Inn by the airport but they were guests. You can reach out to them and see if they have any options for non guests and see how much it costs.
Can you please tell me what the arrivals duty free hours are? As well can you recommend a cheap shuttle to Tamarindo?
I am not sure what the hours are, but I have been there at 6 AM and it wasn’t open yet so maybe it opens around 7. You can email our friend who runs a tour/transportation in Liberia for a quote to Tamarindo: shamantours@live.com
Hi guys! So happy to have stumbled upon your blog, I think I’ve read every word on all the Costa Rica posts! We are coming down from Seattle in 2 weeks! Looking for current concrete advice that there is a kiosk to purchase SIM cards for our iPhones when we arrive at LIR? I’ve been searching everywhere to make sure.
Thank you for all your posts and great info! I’m loving it all, especially from a fellow PNW kid!
Since noone else has replied, when you arrive, can you let me know if there is a kiosk to purchase the SIM cards? We will be traveling in Feb and I want to verify. May of 2013 was our last trip and there was not a Kiosk at that time – we had to ask the shuttle driver to stop on the way to our resort.
Yes, there should be one. Last time I was there (2014) there was.
Thanks Sammi!
Hi Abbie, yes there is a kiosk when you leave customs. Have a great time in CR and enjoy the fall in Seattle for me, I miss it terribly!
Thanks Sammi for your reply to Nancy. I assume your friend Randall can provide transportation for 2 to Casa Conde del Mar? Is that $50 for one way? I will probably drop him an email. 🙂 I also want to clarify that there is no public transportation directly from the LIR to the coast? We are working on a tight budget (oh BTW Go Huskies! We are up in Concrete, WA in the North Cascades.)
Hi! Yep he can, it’s $50 one way and feel free to shoot him an email for all the details. There is a public bus that goes from LIR to the beaches like Coco but I don’t think there is one directly to Playa Panama where Casa Conde Del Mar (I’m not positive). I do know there is 3 (I think) buses a day that go through Hermosa/Panama area.
Ohh a Husky fan!! I miss UW so much. Go Huskies!! 🙂
Hey guys,
Thanks for the awesome website! We are arriving at LIR on October 2 and heading to Vista Perfecta in Coco. We would like to pre-book a shuttle. Is there a company you can recommend, and what should we expect to pay? We are a family of four.
Hi Nancy! We always use Shaman Tours, it is run by a Costa Rican and they do tours, shuttles, etc. It is $50 for four people, his email is shamantours@live.com and his name is Randall. Let me know if you have other questions!
Thank you so much for getting back to me! We will email him for sure and we’ll let you know if we have any more questions.
Great information – it has been soooo helpful to us! We are set to arrive at Liberia airport on July 5 and will go to Villa Serena. We have a pickup scheduled to take us there but thought their rates were pretty high – $50 plus tip in cash. Is this normal and is it ok to pay in US dollars? Would a taxi be more economical?
Thank you for your info and thank you for elevating our excitement for this trip with all the wonderful information you provide!
Liz
Hi Liz! That’s the right price. It’s usually about $50 if you hire a shuttle and it’s OK to pay in dollars. It is a bit expensive :/ Hope you have a great time here!
Does anyone know the names and phone numbers of the two jewelry stores in Liberiia LIR airport terminal in Costa Rica?
United Airlines flys direct from Chicago on Saturday and Sundays in high season.
Awesome! Thank you, I’ll add that to the list.
I LOVED the old airport, so much fun to watch people come in with “deer in headlights” syndrome. Had so much more character….
Hehehe yes I remember that … One time I saw a person getting out of the airplane with rubber boots, and a Poncho … ready for the jungle!
Thanks for stopping by.
Pura vida
When we landed in Costa Rica, we arrived at Liberia airport, but this was before the new renovation. I was afraid because it was only my second flight ever and they parked the plane on the runway and had us comb down and walk the pavement toward the main building. It was my first time physically on a runway and there were security guards with big guns. It’s kind of funny now looking back on it though 🙂
I remember the first time I ever got to walk on the runway (in Bahamas) I was SO excited but at least I didn’t have men with guns haha. The new airport is super nice now and was a much needed upgrade from the old one.