Getting Here: Map
Be careful, Google gives two roads into Los Angeles, take the one at the bottom of the hill with the three towers, from the bus stop with the duck flying on top.
From the North
Tracopa busses serve this area from the capitol, San Jose. A taxi from the airport in Alejuela to the Tracopa station costs about $30. If you are traveling light, you can catch a bus on the other side of the parking lot to San Jose for about $2, but it doesn’t go directly to the Tracopa station, so if you take the bus, you will need to walk or take a short taxi ride to the bus. Tracopa’s clean modern busses take about 6 hours to get to San Vito. Tickets cost about $15. Buying a ticket early can ensure a seat. It is best to arrive in daylight. It is dark at 6:00 pm. The bus stop is called Los Angeles San Vito on the Tracopa Bus Schedule Buy your ticket for San Vito when you arrive, as it fills fast and you want a good seat close to the front, even if you don’t typically get carsick.
You will need to tell the driver to stop at Los Angeles de Limoncito 10K prior to San Vito, the stop just before the hill with three communications towers. The bus speeds up there to climb the hill, so if he’s on auto pilot, he’ll miss it. The covered bus stop structure on the left has a metal duck on top. Take the gravel road from there, 1.6 km (1 mile) to find our colorful metal gate on the right with ducks flying into the sun and Patos sign. The dogs are named Fin and Yuki is the big one. They will bark and sound threatening, but are happy to make new friends.
Taxi from San Vito
If you miss the stop or have too much to carry, you can take a taxi back to the Patos finca from the park in San Vito for about $18. We can recommend a driver. A local bus to Sabanillas or to Buenos Aires can also get you back to the stop for just over $1. It can be confusing to find the right bus. It helps if you speak Spanish.
From the South:
Busses from Cuidad Neily go to San Vito several times a day. From San Vito, you can take a taxi, or a local bus can drop you off at the bus stop at Los Angeles de Lemoncito, toward San Jose. (Look for the metal painted duck on the top of the bus stop at the bottom of the hill with three towers on your right.) The finca is 1.6km on the gravel road from the bus stop. From the Rio Soreno Panama border, there are regular busses to San Vito.
Busses from San Vito to Sabanillas leave on the odd hours from San Vito. It can be hard to find the station, you may find it easier to locate the BM grocery store next to the rio javagas station with a covered bench in front. From there you can catch a bus to Sabanillas or Buenos Aires. Tell the driver you want to get off in Los Angeles de Limoncito to be sure he stops. The locals on the bus are pretty helpful to make sure you get to the right place.
Border tip:
When going through customs, ask for more days than you think you’ll need. They can give you up to 6 months, but sometimes give fewer and it can be a hassle to get it extended later. Make sure you look to see the number of days so you can be mindful of when you need to exit the country. Seriously. We know people who have found themselves in jail without the proper stamp.
Vincent will sing you how to get here:
