alternatives to riding the highways out of the central valley

Alternatives to riding the killer roads

The easiest alternative to cycling out of the central valley on one of the three highway routes is to take a bus (get a seat near the middle where you are relatively safe from the head-on or rear-end impacts). Buses go nearly everywhere in Costa Rica, and will drop you off anywhere you desire along the route. Your bike will fit somewhere, in the luggage compartment, on the roof or inside, and you have a few tons of steel to protect you in case of an accident. In reading the travelogues of our tours you will notice that we weren't hesitant about using mass transportation, there were even a couple of times we shelled out the big bucks to hire a Range Rover taxi because there was no bus when we wanted to go. Hitchiking is also a possiblity. At least half the vehicles on the roads are pick-ups or farm trucks so the bikes are no problem, and there is something about having a bike that makes people more willing to pick you up.

There is no reason you CAN'T ride out of the central valley. We did it on many occasions and there are some beautiful sections of the coutry you will miss if you chose to go the bus route. Below is a list of some of the alternative routes we have discovered. I couldn't really recommend one over the others because we have great memories of each of them.

North from San Jose there are several options. How you get there will depend on exactly where you start but if you can get to Alejula (about 10 km from San Jose and right next to the International airport. We recommend NEVER GOING TO SAN JOSE AT ALL. Just get go from the airport to Alejuela or Heredia and use one of them as a base of operations) you can choose from several routes up over the mountains.
- Up to Vara Blanca (via Poasito or Barva) then on to San Miguel where you can continue North towards Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui or turn West towards San Carlos and Arenal.
- Up to Sarchi then over the spectacular pass to Valle Bajo de Toro Amarillo and down to Florecia
- Up to Zarcero and then down to San Carlos (there are several minor roads, besides the major one. All are good routes)
- Up to Naranjo and through the Valle el Tigre to San Carlos.
South from San Jose is Pretty limited. The only good way we have discovered is to head East or West first, then turn South. This might be a good time to try out the bus system if you are really interested in the Southern zone, and not what is along the way.

East from the Central Valley there are a couple of choices.
- You can follow the North route to San Miguel then head East, or continue to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui then head Southeast
- The first section is short (15km) but bad for traffic, if you head to Cartago then on to Turrialba and Siquirres
Two of our favorite routes are to the West
- From Alejuela head to Santa Ana, then Santiago de Puriscal (called alternately Santiago and Puriscal) and on to Orotina (where you can head South on the coast road), or Puntarenous where you can catch the ferry to the Nicoya Peninsula
- San Marcos is on top of a huge ridge and Napoles is about 800 feet higher, but the ride down to Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park is spectacular. From there you can head South along the coast to Palmar and then Corcovado, or North towards Jaco, Puntarenous and the Ferry to Nicoya.

However you choose to go, rest assured that it is the right choice. We've looked everywhere and haven't found a wrong place yet in Costa Rica