Arrival At The Airport In Costa Rica
If you run into trouble while traveling, please follow these directions for contacting one of us:
- Call Andrea Stephens on her cell phone at 406-203-6408.
- If you are unable to reach Andrea, leave her a message with the exact nature of the problem, the number where you can be reached, and then call instructor Fernando Giaccaglia's cell phone. Dialing instructions vary depending on if you're still in the US, or if you've already arrived in Costa Rica. From the US, dial 011-506-8376-6969. If calling from inside Costa Rica, dial 8376-6969.
- If you are unable to reach Fernando, leave him a message with the exact nature of the problem, the number where you can be reached, and call Rancho Mastatal at 011-506-2-410-6263 (dial 2410-6263 if you've already arrived in Costa Rica).
At the airport: When you arrive in Costa Rica, you will need to go through immigration and present your passport. After you pick up your bags, you will go through customs and present your completed Customs Declaration Form which will be handed out to you by a flight attendant during the flight into San Jose.
After you clear your luggage through customs, a local shuttle driver will meet you at 2pm outside the airport on the 31st of January. He will not be allowed to enter the airport and will have to meet you outside the building. To find the shuttle, simply walk out of the airport and head down the sidewalk to the right. You will have to make your way through a throng of people offering you taxi rides. About 25 yards down the sidewalk, there is a café on the right called Malinche. Please congregate in the café, or just outside on the sidewalk. The shuttle is a large white van. The shuttle driver will only be at the airport at the group meeting time. If you arrive before then, you can wait in the airport, or at Malinche, which is air-conditioned and has decent food.
If you fly in to San Jose earlier than the group pickup day, you will need to get a taxi back to the airport to meet the rest of the group for the shuttle. Just have your taxi driver drop you off at Malinche, which is located at the Arrivals area of the airport, not the Departures area.
If your bags did not arrive, you must complete a lost baggage form at the airline desk after clearing customs. Ask that the bags be routed to Rancho Mastatal at the following address: Rancho Mastatal, Apdo 185-6000, Puriscal, San José.
Please be sure to put your name and the Rancho Mastatal address on all luggage tags. It is not unusual for bags to get delayed in transit; they usually show up within two days. For this reason, it is a good idea to carry some items in carry-on luggage in case your bags get delayed. For example, pack a toothbrush and any medications that would be challenging to do without for several days.
