Gate 5 is your first shot at TERRA TICA souvenirs
TERRA TICA runs three shops in Terminal A at SJO, right by gates 5, 19, and 20, all past security. Hours run roughly 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., so it works for most early departures and evening flights. Think last-minute Costa Rica gifts: coffee bags, local chocolate, keychains, T-shirts, shot glasses, and fridge magnets with volcanoes and sloths printed on them.
Prices sit in the usual airport range: small magnets and keychains often under $10, basic T-shirts higher, and multi-pack coffee or chocolate creeping into the $15–$30 bracket depending on brand and size. Stock is broadly similar between the gate 5 and gate 19/20 locations, so you don’t gain much by trekking between them unless you’re already moving toward your gate.
The shops open at 5:00 a.m., which helps if you skipped the city markets and realize at security that you promised someone coffee from Costa Rica. Selection runs heavily on ground coffee and chocolate bars, so it’s easy to burn through your liquid and gel allowance without thinking; keep an eye on size if you still have another security check ahead.
Staff handle both colones and US dollars, and most items scan quickly through contactless cards, which keeps lines moving when several morning flights bank around gates 19 and 20. If your flight leaves from another section of Terminal A, use the gate 5 branch as your stop and avoid dodging boarding lines near 19 and 20 later on.
Practical tip: if your boarding pass lists gate 19 or 20, shop at that TERRA TICA on the way back from the restroom, not as you head to boarding; those corners get tight when two flights queue at once.