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Tambor Ferry Schedule
The ferry goes between Puntarenas and Paquera with a schedule that changes 2-3 times per year. Puntarenas is on the mainland, and Paquera is on the Nicoya peninsula, so if you're coming from the airport or San Jose, you'll be catching the ferry in Puntarenas.
Generally there are two ferries running, "Tambor Uno" and "Tambor Dos" Tambor II is much larger, so you want to try to plan your trip so that you can catch it. Arriving an hour early is generally enough to catch the ferry you want. If you miss it, you'll usually have to wait 3 hours for the next one. It may be faster to drive around (see below for details.) To check the ferry schedule, you can call 2661-2084. Press "4" to get the times. The message will be in Spanish only, with the times leaving from Puntarenas first. The following schedule is for April 5, 2010 to June 30, 2010:
If you miss the ferry, you'll find yourself waiting three hours for the next one. Then, it will take an hour on the ferry and time to unload as well. It takes a similar amount of time to just drive around. If you'd rather be on the road than sitting waiting in line, then go for it. The roads are now pretty good except for a couple of dirt/gravel parts near to Paquera. I would only recommend this if you have 4WD, but if you must do it in a 2WD car, for example if you miss the last ferry or the ferry is broken, then you will make it with 2WD.
The route from Puntarenas is just to drive on the Interamerica Hwy north, and cross the "Chinese/Taiwan Bridge" Then at some point you turn south and go through the following towns in order: Jicaral, Naranjo, Paquera, Tambor, Cobano, etc" Look for signs pointing towards Jicaral. Another option if you miss the ferry is to take the Naranjo ferry from Puntarenas to Naranjo. If you take this ferry, it will put you about an hour north of Paquera, and so it's faster to take this ferry than to drive around. The road between Naranjo and Paquera is the worst part of the road... all gravel and potholes, but you'll make it. Good luck, and see you in Montezuma! |