Upala is in the north of the country, near Lake Nicaragua. It’s not far from the city of Liberia, which is where Costa Rica’s other main airport is located (I’ve flown in and out of both).
Mrs. Colonel and I (well, she was Mrs. Captain at the time) flew into San Jose on the jump seats of a Herc back in 1989. She was 7 months pregnant at the time and when the pilot pitched out to land, she swore she was gonna have the baby RIGHT damn then. Quite the ride...
Colonel, USAFR