The answer to the question "is 4WD necessary in Costa Rica?" is nearly always no. Since renting an SUV can be twice as expensive as choosing a standard car it's worth considering whether the extra capability is needed. Paved access to the most popular destinations means the majority of travelers … [Read more...]
Private (Pirate) & Turo Car Rentals
As the average price of a rental SUV has pushed past $100 per day there has been an explosion in "private rentals". Individuals who have an extra vehicle or don't need theirs for a few days see the opportunity for huge profits. An average salary is less than $1,000 a month in Costa Rica and making … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Domestic Airlines
luggage restrictions | ticketing | airports | flights worth taking | charters | recommended Prices have definitely increased on average since the lengthy competition between Sansa and Nature Air ended. You can still find flights worth taking in Costa Rica but it may take more looking. Puddle … [Read more...]
Charter Flights
Private Planes & Helicopters in Costa Rica A thirty minute flight may save six or eight hours compared to ground transportation. save time & money | scheduled flights | charter companies | air destinations | flying Chartering a plane might sound like something only the rich and … [Read more...]
Uber in Costa Rica – Okay? for Travelers
NOTE: As of April 2022, the license plate based driving restrictions that were making it difficult/impossible to find an uber even in the city have been lifted. Availability is back to the normal limited service area. Unlicensed private taxi services have never been permitted in Costa Rica but … [Read more...]
Choosing Transportation in Costa Rica
How should you travel around Costa Rica? It depends on your priorities - budget? time savings? convenience? safety? cost comparison | uber | 4WD? | air | boat The best way for many visitors to get around in Costa Rica is with a rental car. Typically tourists don't leave the pavement and driving … [Read more...]
Saving Money on Public Buses
I recently helped a family of 4 work through the best transportation options to get around Costa Rica and we were surprised by the results. They arrived late at SJO so planned to spend the night at the Holiday Inn Express before traveling to a rental house in Manuel Antonio the next … [Read more...]
Costa Rican Code of the Road
It doesn't take long to realize that there is a different code of the road in Costa Rica - at least if you want to survive it better not take too long... red = go? | arrows | ceda | danger boots | going straight | stupid | lights & siren | spares Traffic Lights, Yield and Stop Signs Check … [Read more...]
How to Rent a Car in Costa Rica
Renting a car in Costa Rica can be different - for example needing to decide whether 4WD is necessary or not. Other aspects are just plain bizarre, like the bumpy number requirement. If you want to skip all the fascinating quirks and just take the path of least resistance we've also written … [Read more...]
Stress Free Car Rental in Costa Rica
If you're reading this you've probably heard horror stories about renting cars in Costa Rica. It may be more expensive than you're used to but it doesn't have to be a trauma. Simple Instructions for Avoiding Frustration Reserve a car with an international rental agency or as part of a … [Read more...]
Which Airport is better – LIR in Libera or SJO Outside of San José?
Costa Rica has two international airports - Liberia (Daniel Oduber, LIR) and San José (Juan Santamaría, SJO). Both are fairly modern and efficient but are also operating well over their designed capacity. Your itinerary, interests, budget, timing and other factors will determine which is better or … [Read more...]
Credit Card Insurance
We always use the rental car coverage that is included as a free service of our VISA signature credit card. Other Options | Damage Claims | Fine Print Rental Car Insurance Using a Credit Card in Costa Rica For us there are a number of advantages to using our card coverage instead of buying … [Read more...]
Navigation & Drive Time
Getting where you want to go can be challenging but these tips should help. The best advice, use a free GPS app on your phone for turn by turn directions (but don't be a lemming). Also consider a good map for the overview, and ask for help early and often (our nifty waterproof roadmap has … [Read more...]
Getting the Best Airfare to Costa Rica
Any time you travel to Costa Rica your best bet for getting cheap airfare is to know a good deal when you see one. The second most important thing to know when shopping for flights is that cheapest is almost never the best. The third and maybe most important is that finding the least expensive … [Read more...]
You Can’t Get There From Here
We frequently get questions about route finding from visitors planning to drive in Costa Rica where geography, weather, and (lack of) infrastructure can conspire to make it surprisingly difficult to get "there". We recommend a three pronged approach which includes a good map for the overview, … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Small Boats – Panga, Lancha, Ferry & Raft
Shortcuts - boating across may be much faster than driving around a body of water in Costa Rica. For example the boat ride across the Gulf of Nicoya from Jacó on the mainland to Montezuma on the peninsula (see orange line below) takes about an hour while driving around takes over four … [Read more...]
Traffic Violations, Citations & Fines in Costa Rica
Most of Costa Rica's traffic laws are familiar to drivers from anywhere even if the tendency to treat the laws as suggestions is not so familiar. A valid driver's license from nearly any other country in the world allows you to get behind the wheel in Costa Rica. Like the U.S. and all of … [Read more...]
You GOTTA Be Kidding – Stupidity on the Roads
Never underestimate the sheer stupidity possible Costa Rica's roads. In 40 years of driving in some of the most infamous countries in the world I’ve never seen anything like it. The first time I drove down the ramp onto the new section of the PanAmerican between Liberia and Canas in Guanacaste I … [Read more...]
Best Car Rental Agency
Avoid _______ Rent-a-Car in Costa Rica Go ahead and fill in the blank. It’s finally happened. I’m pretty sure we’ve been worked over at least once by every rental agency in Costa Rica. In a couple of decades and dozens of rentals our we've had every imaginable major failure. We’ve experienced … [Read more...]
Flights Worth Taking
It's tempting to look at a 25 minute flight time compared with a four hour drive and think it's an obvious choice but it's often misleading. We recommend flying on a few select routes where a small plane is the cheapest and fastest transport What are the Problems with Flying A few things … [Read more...]