From time to time we get requests for Costa Rica self drive tours.
The kind where the tourist receives a rental car and does all the driving him or herself. We can certainly arrange tours that way and, in fact, all our Costa Rica vacation designs can be customized for self drive.
But my usual advise is unless you have experience, don’t do it. Some of our customers have that requisite experience, but most don’t.
To help convince you, here are 5 reasons why it’s our opinion that Costa Rica self-drive tours add unnecessary stress and potential danger to your vacation experience.
1. Costa Rica Roads are Dangerous
Costa Rica roads are bad. They’re better now than they once were, but still bad. Bad in terms of potholes, lack of lane markings and reflectors, and generally poor conditions. Bridges are often only one lane. Most roads, even the busiest, are usually only two lanes. And the quantity of mountain roads with blind curves and switchbacks can be nauseating and extremely dangerous, especially at night in the rain and fog.
Is that enough to paint a picture for you?
2. Driving Conditions in Costa Rica are Hazardous
I mentioned above the rain and the fog. And during the rainy season the mountains are going to be covered in clouds from around midday until dark. And to get from Point A to Point B in Costa Rica, you’re going to have to go right over the top of some high and very steep mountains….once again, on bad roads with only two lanes and constant twists and turns. Oh and another thing is the threat of landslides. During the rainy season they’re very common on many mountain roads.
3. Driving Rules in Costa Rica are Different
This is especially an issue in San Jose, or any city for that matter. The crisscrossing of one lane roads can be mind-boggling. And usually there’s no indication of which direction is the correct one, you’re just supposed to know. Costa Rica rules for merging into traffic sometimes just don’t make sense. At least, not according to the way it’s done in the U.S. Quite often there’s no merge lane at all. You’re just dumped from the on-ramp right into the middle of traffic on extremely busy highways. I mentioned above that most bridges are one lane with one side or the other having the right-of-way. Sometimes it is difficult to know which one, especially if you don’t know that the sign reading “ceda” means yield.
And that brings me to another point about self-driving in Costa Rica…
4. You’d Better be Comfortable Reading and Asking Directions – in Spanish
Costa Rica doesn’t make use of street names or numbers. Addresses are strictly according to x meters north, south, east or west from a given landmark. Some highways, such as the Costanera (Coastal Pacific Highway), have drastically improved in terms of conditions and signage. But other more rural routes haven’t. There’s literally no signage whatsoever telling you where you are or how to get where you’re going. So you will get lost. And you will have to stop and ask where the hell you are.
The general rule is to ask at least three people. Because you’re likely to get three different answers. If at least two answers are more or less the same, then you can be 75% confident you’re on the right tract.
Also, don’t forget to brush up on your metric system knowledge before you arrive!
5. Costa Rica Travel Distances are Longer
In the U.S. you can safely assume that it will take an hour or less to drive 60 miles. In Costa Rica, well, you’d better double that figure. Why? Because of everything that was said above. The speed limit in Costa Rica almost never passes 80 kilometers per hour (which is about 50 mph). Most of the time you’ll have to drive much slower than that due to road and/or driving conditions. On almost any highway, no matter how narrow the lanes, you will encounter massive tractor-trailers traveling about 5 mph. And passing them can be death defying.
Okay I will admit for amusement I may have engaged in a little hyperbole in the 5 reasons above. But all in all they paint an accurate picture of the living hell of driving in Costa Rica. I know because I’ve been doing it for 13 years!
Do I ever recommend Costa Rica self drive tours?
Well, not really. However, if you’re going to camp out in one location for an extended period of time, then a rental car can be helpful.
For instance, if your vacation consists of flying into Liberia and going from there to Tamarindo for 6 nights and then back to the airport for your flight out, sure a rental car can be a pleasant addition.
But if you’re on a vacation to really see Costa Rica and its mountains, volcanoes, beaches and jungles, then it will be considerably less stressful to let someone (trustworthy) do the driving for you.
Pura Vida
Post by CRG
Comments
sara
Thousands of people rent vehicles and drive all around Costa Rica for their vacations every year. The roads are sometimes potholed and the laws are different in some cases but the opportunity to go where you want to, when you want to and to stop along the way whenever the fancy takes you, is the overwhelming advantage of car rental. Certainly, if you are very nervous behind the wheel of a car, it may not be for you, but the average driver shouldn’t be fazed at all!
Costa Rica Guy
Thank you for your comment. A few 1,000 out of 2,000,000 is not a high percentage. I agree that if you want the adventure and the stress, by all means go for it. But it will be stressful and can be dangerous. I am not sure what your experience is driving here, but I have 12 years of it and have driven all over this country and my opinion is that it is not for the majority of tourists.
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