A private flight ends at the airstrip. Between the strip and your room there is almost always one more leg, and we do not operate it.
This is not small print: it is the part of the journey that forces most bookings to be redone.
The real chain, leg by leg
A typical trip to a remote lodge has three or four links:
| Leg | Who arranges it |
|---|---|
| International flight → San José | The airline |
| Private flight → airstrip | Us |
| Airstrip → dock or road | The lodge, usually |
| Boat or 4x4 → accommodation | The lodge |
We are only the second. And yet it is the one people book first, which is where the problem comes from.
Why the last link governs
The final legs — river, boat, mountain 4x4 — run to their own schedules, which nobody coordinates with ours.
At Tortuguero, the airstrip-to-lodge leg is by river with a last departure of the day. Access to the lodges is by river and has a last departure of the day that sets your flight time. At Drake Bay and in the islands there is a boat running on tides or sea state. The final leg is by boat, run by a third party and dependent on sea conditions.
Reaching the strip after that departure means sleeping where you landed, not at your lodge. And the flight will have been on time.
That is why the correct order is the reverse of the intuitive one: first the time of the last leg, then the flight.
What we do
We tell you which legs remain and who operates them, with the quote and not afterwards.
We adjust the flight time to the boat or the lodge's transport, if you give it to us.
And we coordinate with your accommodation when you specifically ask. We do not assume it by default, because many lodges already have it solved in their package and duplicating it costs money.
What we do not do
We do not operate boats, cars or ground transport. Nor do we want to: whoever does it every day in that area does it better than we would.
And we do not include those legs in the fare. Ground transfer is not included in the fare: your accommodation or a local operator arranges it. When someone sells you "door to door" at a fixed price, either they subcontract exactly as we would or they are charging you extra for the coordination.
The three questions that solve almost everything
Before fixing your flight time, ask your accommodation:
- Which airstrip should I arrive at? It is not always the closest on the map.
- What time does transport to the lodge leave, and what is the last departure of the day?
- Is it included in my booking or arranged separately?
With those three answers the quote comes out right first time. Without them, it comes out provisional. The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
An example with real distances
To Drake Bay, 83.5 nautical miles from San José. If your group fits the runway, you land there and the lodge collects you.
If the day does not allow operating there, the alternative way in is Palmar Sur, 76.3 nautical miles, then road to Sierpe and boat down the river. Three links instead of one, and only the first is ours.
Knowing that before booking changes the decision. Knowing it afterwards changes the trip.
Frequently asked questions
Does the flight drop me at the lodge?
Almost never. It ends at the airstrip, and there is usually one more leg to the accommodation.
Who arranges that last leg?
Normally the lodge. We do not operate boats or ground transport. Ground transfer is not included in the fare: your accommodation or a local operator arranges it.
Why does the last link govern?
Because it runs to its own schedule. Arriving after the last departure means sleeping where you landed.
In what order should I book?
First the time of the last leg, then the flight. The other way round is how plans break.
Can you coordinate it?
If you ask specifically, yes. We do not assume it because many lodges already include it.
What should I ask my accommodation?
Which airstrip, what time their transport leaves and what the last departure is, and whether it is included.
Enquire
The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
See also: The links that are not ours · The fastest way to get to the Osa Peninsula · All destinations · Osa lodges · Tortuguero lodges · Guanacaste resorts · Santa Teresa and Malpaís · Arenal hotels · Belize caye resorts · Bay Islands resorts · Panama island lodges · Five questions for your accommodation · Broker or operator