Golfito Trip (Tax free zone)

[LAURA WILLS]

We are in the process of building a home in the Tambor area. We plan to make a trip from Tambor to Golfito to purchase all the appliances we need on our next trip down. I’ve looked up ways to get to Golfito from San Jose, but the bus leaves very late in the day and it’s a long bus ride (8 hrs). I know Sansa flies into Golfito. I would rather avoid traveling from Tambor to San Jose only as a means to get to Golfito. We will have a car, but that’s still a very long trip. I am aware that we must stay over one night to complete the purchases and that we must get our TAC cards the first day.

Questions:

1) Are their any private boat operators that could take us from Tambor over to Golfito? That would cut a lot of time off of our trip and simplify the logistics. If so, what should we expect to pay for such a service?
2) Who would you recommend for transportation of the Golfito purchases. They will either be taking the purchases to a Liberia storage unit or one in Tambor. What should we expect to pay for such a service?
3) Should we get insurance on the appliances while in storage? If so, who would you recommend?

Any advice/insight you can provide would be helpful.

Thanks

[JASON HOLLAND]

Hi Laura,

Congrats on the home in Tambor. And great plan to buy your appliances in Golfito.

In answer to your questions:

1. I’m not aware of any boats going from Tambor to Golfito. There are no ferries or scheduled routes as far as I know. From the Nicoya Peninsula you can take the ferry at Paquera over to Puntarenas. But I don’t know how much time it would save you. I think your best bet would be to take the bus from San Jose to Golfito or if you’d rather break up the trip, stop in Dominical or Uvita and spend the night, check out the beach there, etc. before heading to Golfito.

2. I don’t know any specific transport companies who ship from Golfito to Liberia or Tambor. But I’m sure there are several in Golfito, probably affiliated with the duty free stores there. I’d ask around when you’re there and see who’s giving the best deal. And then feel free to negotiate – it’s expected. I can tell you when I moved goods (about 10 boxes and some furniture) from Tamarindo to San Jose – about a five hour trip, I paid my movers $120. But I was given estimates up to $500. So it definitely pays to shop around and negotiate.

3. As far as insurance for your goods in storage, you’ll need to contact a broker for INS, the national insurance company in Costa Rica.

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