Coto 47 Domestic Airport, South Puntarenas

Located near the border with Panama in the southern part of Puntarenas province, the Coto 47 domestic airport serves as an important travel hub for this part of the country. The airport is a relatively simple one, and one that sees charter traffic only. Despite the lack of regularly timed commercial travel, though, this airport serves as one of the preferred methods of getting to San José for international flights, both for people in the area and for those who travel up from northern Panama.

Local Transportation Options

If you are sightseeing in south Puntarenas, you will find a number of transportation options available to you in this locale. In addition to the charter flights from Coto 47 to other locations around the country, there are also buses in and out of the nearby towns and 4x4 taxi services available all around the airport. This gives you easy access to the cities of Ciudad Neily, la Cuesta, Paso Canoas and other sout towns in Puntarenas. If you are looking for a bus to connect the airport to the town of Ciudad Neily, you will find the Finca 40 runs between the two locations regularly.

Sightseeing and Activities in South Puntarenas

If you are considering travel to south Puntarenas province, there are a number of activities that are accessible from towns near the Coto 47 domestic airport, including:

• Corcovado National Park: With 23 miles of beautifully preserved shoreline, this park offers visitors is considered the crown jewel of the national park system in Costa Rica. It’s broad span includes 13 unique ecosystems for visitors to learn about and observe, and the biodiversity is so extremely well-developed that over 10 percent of the species that are native to the American continents can be found in just this one location.
• Small Beach Towns: Pavones is just one example of this kind of town, but the southern part of Puntarenas province has many more to choose from. Small towns in the area often have limited but hospitable amenities, including great food and basic lodgings, and they also provide access to some of the most desirable surfing beaches in all of Central America. If you’re looking to go on a surf tour that lets you sample the waves in a number of locations, researching the area is the way to go so you can plan a great surf vacation.
• Drake Bay: For those who want to experience water activities with a bit more variety, Drake Bay provides you with an ideal spot for a number of activities. That makes it easy for everyone in the family to scuba, snorkel, swim, kayak, or enjoy any other warm water activity. With so much to do in one place, it’s easy to understand why people plan to spend an entire vacation in just one spot.
Map of the Area

Click to enlarge map - Map of the Area
• Caño Island: This important archaeological site and natural reserve sits about 20 miles offcoast, near Drake Bay. It offers many of the warm water opportunities you will find available all over the area, but with the unique location that allows you to see ecosystems that are not available on the mainland. It’s worth planning at least a day trip for any traveler interested in the ecosystem in south Puntarenas.

Flights to San José

International flights from the country are easiest to get from San José, and all the local airports in the country should have either commercial or charter services you can book to make the hop if you are coming in by bus from Panama. That makes it easy for you to end a Central American vacation with a sightseeing trip in south Puntarenas, but it also makes it easy to schedule both your trip in and your trip out if the area is your main destination.