Last updated February 12, 2008
- Where is Jaco located?
- How do I get to Jaco?
- Where can I stay in Jaco?
- What is there to do in Jaco?
- Is Jaco overdeveloped?
- Is Jaco safe?
- Are there grocery stores, banks, and pharmacies in Jaco?
- Are there medical facilities in Jaco?
- What schools are in Jaco?
- How do I get around in Jaco?
- Can I rent a car in Jaco?
1. Jaco is located about 2 hours southwest of San Jose. Jaco is the closest beach town to Costa Rica’s capital city, which explains its popularity with tourists who fly into San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International airport, and also people who live in San Jose who want to go to the beach for the weekend.
Currently there is a new road being worked on between San Jose and Jaco which when completed, will cut the drive time in half between the two locales.
2. For foreign travelers, the best way to get to Jaco is to fly into San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International airport and hire a van or shuttle to transport them to San Jose. You can rent a vehicle to do the drive yourself, but it is recommended that first time visitors take a transport instead as the drive is quite windy and through the mountains - a little intimidating if you haven’t gone this route before.
There is also a small domestic airport located in Quepos about 1 hour south of Jaco. You can take a domestic airline, like NatureAir, and fly to Quepos, then drive the 1 hour to Jaco. In addition, helicopter flights are available between San Jose and Jaco.
3. Jaco has numerous hotels, like the Best Western, the stunning Doce Lunas just outside of the town limits, and condos that you can rent like Bahia Azul, Bahia Encantada, or La Paloma Blanca. Inquire for more information on condo rentals in Jaco.
4. Lots! Shopping at the many shops along the main drag in town. Dining at the many restaurants in town with cuisine ranging from sushi to pizza to more traditional Tico cuisine.
Jaco is a beach town, and it shows! There are numerous surf shops where you can purchase surf lessons or rent a board. Or take the more relaxing route and just lay on the beach and listen to the breaking waves.
The nightlife is also active in Jaco. There are numerous bars and dance clubs along the main drag, usually walking distance from the major hotels and condos. There are also casinos in Jaco, as gambling is legal in Costa Rica.
Also along the main drag in Jaco, you’ll find numerous tour operators offering zip line canopy tours, visits to a butterfly farm, trips down to Manuel Antonio National Park (a must for all visitors), fishing expeditions, scuba diving trips, and so much more!
5. Jaco is a small town, with a population of 7,800 (according to 2006 census). In the past few years, there has been an explosion of development of growth in Jaco, though by no means would North Americans consider it “overdeveloped” - a very relative term.
With the development that Jaco has been experiencing, a cleanup effort has also been going on. Local developers were kind enough to donate very expensive beach cleaning equipment to continually maintain the cleanliness of the beach by removing large and small debris. These same developers also paved the main drag through town, which at the beginning of 2007 was just a dirt road. These efforts have improved the quality of living in Jaco for locals and tourists alike.
6. Costa Rica in general is safe, as is Jaco. Still, tourists do tend to be preyed upon by petty thieves, so a good amount of common sense is in order.
However, in addition to common sense, Jaco boasts a Tourist Police force put in place by the Costa Rica Tourism Board, and which works in conjunction with the local police force. The Tourist Police main goal is to keep tourists safe from crime targeted towards them. And even better news is that the Tourist Police are working, as it was reported that last year, tourist-related crime decreased by 26%, directly attributed to the Tourist Police.
7. There are grocery stores, banks (several) and pharmacies (several) located in the town of Jaco, with most of them easily found along the main drag. They will also accept North American credit cards and ATM cards.
8. There are several private medical facilities in town which also provide ambulance transport services to larger facilities in San Jose. Foreigners can use these facilities and it is even possible that they may accept your medical insurance. However, out-of-pocket costs are considerably less than medical costs that you see in the US, so paying out-of-pocket shouldn’t put you in debt.
9. Costa Rica has an excellent public school system, and also a variety of excellent private schools. Jaco has several private schools in the area, one being Las Nubes and Falcon International, which have an English and Spanish curriculum.
10. That depends on where you are staying. If you are in one of the many hotels or condos along the main drag, you can easily walk to anywhere you need to go in Jaco. There are also numerous taxis in town which are quite inexpensive, though there are no consistent taxi rates in town.
11. Yes. National Car Rental, Advantage Rent a Car, Economy Rent a Car and Europcar are all car rental companies in Jaco. And all you need is to be able to provide your driver’s license from your home country.
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Costa Rica is well known for its eco-tourism, and for the most part, Costa Rica has done an exceptional job when it comes to being a leader in protecting its precious environment. It started years ago when Costa Rica truly came onto the global scene as a hotspot for eco-tourism (still a popular niche in the tourism industry), and continues today as Costa Rica is one of four countries in a race to be the first to go carbon neutral (the other three countries are New Zealand, Iceland, and Norway).