Samara is about 250 km from San José by road, all now paved — the journey takes around 4 hours. The route goes via Nicoya; the last section follows a good paved road down to the coast. Buses run from San José (Empresa Alfaro terminal at Calle 14, Avenida 5) several times daily; the journey takes around 5–6 hours with connections.
Sansa and other small airlines operate flights from San José's Tobías Bolaños Airport to Nosara and Liberia, from which Samara is a 45-minute drive. There is no airstrip at Samara itself.