U.S. Issues a Travel Warning for Roads Near Costa Rica’s Busiest Airport

The U.S. Embassy in San José, Costa Rica, is warning Americans traveling to and from Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), the country’s busiest airport, about potential dangers on surrounding roads.

According to the advisory, the embassy has received reports of several incidents along a common route between the airport and Santa Ana, a popular tourist destination.

The embassy highlighted a couple of incidents in which stones were thrown at passing vehicles near the airport’s main route in an apparent attempt to get drivers to stop. In one case, the driver stopped and was robbed, and the car was stolen. In another, the driver did not stop and was able to escape, though the vehicle sustained moderate damage.

The embassy is advising travelers not to stop and instead continue driving before contacting authorities when it is safe to do so.

Here’s some of the advisory:

“The Embassy recommends all travelers use caution when frequenting this area or routes from SJO Airport and consider using alternate routes. If confronted with a similar situation, do not stop, continue forward progress, and contact 911 when it is safe to do so.”

Overall, the U.S. State Department considers Costa Rica a moderately safe destination for Americans. As of December 2024, it has issued a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory for the country—the same level assigned to Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The advisory specifically warns about petty crime, which is common throughout the country, as well as some incidents of violent crime.