Costa Rica transportation
December 26, 2010 4:10 PM Subscribe
How to get around Costa Rica?
Five of us are planning an 8 day trip to Costa Rica during the second week of January. We'll be flying into san jose, then off to arenal, monteverde, manuel antonio, and then back to san jose. Whats the best way to get around?
We've heard about renting cars, but with the unknown road conditions we're leaning away from that. Right now our top options are public bus, semi-private bus (interbus, grey line), or private taxi/bus. Anyone have had any experiences with any of these (or anything else we should consider?).
Since our itinerary's pretty tight, our first priority is reliability/flexibility. Muchas gracias!
Five of us are planning an 8 day trip to Costa Rica during the second week of January. We'll be flying into san jose, then off to arenal, monteverde, manuel antonio, and then back to san jose. Whats the best way to get around?
We've heard about renting cars, but with the unknown road conditions we're leaning away from that. Right now our top options are public bus, semi-private bus (interbus, grey line), or private taxi/bus. Anyone have had any experiences with any of these (or anything else we should consider?).
Since our itinerary's pretty tight, our first priority is reliability/flexibility. Muchas gracias!
We rented a little Daihatsu Terios for our week-long trip and drove ourselves. We spent a lot of time being lost. We also underestimated the travel time based on distance--looking back, we tried to cover more ground than we should have. You'll have the most trouble up in the Monteverde region--roads are really lousy and poorly marked. San Jose <> Arenal <> Manuel Antonio will be better, but get good directions, have a good map, or an up-to-date GPS. I'm not sure how good the GPS info is, but it would be better than nothing! Have a great time! It's a beautiful country and I can't wait to go back someday.
posted by tybstar at 4:35 PM on December 26, 2010
posted by tybstar at 4:35 PM on December 26, 2010
Oh, I forgot to mention: our itinerary was similar. San Jose to Manuel Antonio, to Monteverde, to Arenal, and then back to San Jose. We had a few fewer days and it felt like we spent too much time on the road, but with your 8-day trip, you should be fine as long as you stay un-lost.
posted by tybstar at 4:36 PM on December 26, 2010
posted by tybstar at 4:36 PM on December 26, 2010
I think the roads there are fine. I have not been to Manuel Antonio, but your route is probably the most popular CR itinerary and there have been many improvements in recent years to facilitate increased tourism. We visited some fairly remote areas and had no issues with road conditions. If you currently live in an area that gets lots of potholes from snowplow damage, you probably won't notice much difference. If you are the type of people who want to be able to stop in at a local roadside Soda and order a lunch, or check out a roadside homemade cheese stand, driving yourselves is the way to go.
With that being said, the drivers there are definitely aggressive, and you will most likely encounter some interesting road blocks as you travel (some of ours were: horse parade, lemurs, dogs). We were a little unnerved by the aggressiveness of the drivers, but many of the buses/minivans were some of the ones we found to be the most aggressive (the main issue is that there seems to be no concept of unsafe passing zones). If we were to go again and not drive ourselves, the only option I would consider would be a private taxi driver.
posted by smalls at 4:43 PM on December 26, 2010
With that being said, the drivers there are definitely aggressive, and you will most likely encounter some interesting road blocks as you travel (some of ours were: horse parade, lemurs, dogs). We were a little unnerved by the aggressiveness of the drivers, but many of the buses/minivans were some of the ones we found to be the most aggressive (the main issue is that there seems to be no concept of unsafe passing zones). If we were to go again and not drive ourselves, the only option I would consider would be a private taxi driver.
posted by smalls at 4:43 PM on December 26, 2010
Seconding renting a car, four-wheel-drive almost mandatory giving the state of some roads. It is indeed a beautiful country and driving is the best way I know to see it. Have fun.
posted by fivesavagepalms at 5:29 PM on December 26, 2010
posted by fivesavagepalms at 5:29 PM on December 26, 2010
My inclination would be to rent a car. As noted above, a car gives you more freedom to stop off at interesting roadside stands and so on. The roads aren't great, but they aren't horrible. You should be fine as long as you rent something with four wheel drive. I'd also mention, though, that drivers are frequently aggressive. If you are comfortable on somewhat rocky roads and navigating aggressive traffic, renting a car is the way to go. If that sounds like a stressful way to spend a vacation, you might want to consider hiring a driver or a small bus.
posted by pemberkins at 6:11 PM on December 26, 2010
posted by pemberkins at 6:11 PM on December 26, 2010
The destinations you list are all on good roads. Rent a SUV, definitely. The biggest issue will be driving in San Jose. Pure madness. Good luck.
posted by bolognius maximus at 6:29 PM on December 26, 2010
posted by bolognius maximus at 6:29 PM on December 26, 2010
Best answer: I would consider hiring a "Tourista" van (a driver with a van, marked with the word "Tourista"). You can get one at the airport, but I'd advise staying at a B&B in San Jose when you fly in and getting them to book you a driver that they know.
It will be more expensive than renting a car, but it will be very reasonable split 5-ways, and you'll have a local helping you get around which is very advantageous. You don't have to stick with the same driver the whole time (any hotel can book you a driver), but you'll find that they'll be pretty flexible and happy to help out. We've had great experiences including dining at our driver's home, stopping at a small, out of the way restaurants and an amazing organic coffee farm, and having a great time breaking down in on a very remote road between Arenal and Monteverde.
I'm not at my desk, but if you MeMail me tomorrow I can get you a couple numbers of great drivers we've used in the past few years.
posted by maniactown at 6:46 PM on December 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
It will be more expensive than renting a car, but it will be very reasonable split 5-ways, and you'll have a local helping you get around which is very advantageous. You don't have to stick with the same driver the whole time (any hotel can book you a driver), but you'll find that they'll be pretty flexible and happy to help out. We've had great experiences including dining at our driver's home, stopping at a small, out of the way restaurants and an amazing organic coffee farm, and having a great time breaking down in on a very remote road between Arenal and Monteverde.
I'm not at my desk, but if you MeMail me tomorrow I can get you a couple numbers of great drivers we've used in the past few years.
posted by maniactown at 6:46 PM on December 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm going to buck the trend and say to investigate flying. My wife and I spent a week in Costa Rica and we flew. It was fast and cheap. We flew Nature Air.
posted by reddot at 6:46 PM on December 26, 2010
posted by reddot at 6:46 PM on December 26, 2010
I went San Jose to Arenal, to Monteverde, then to Malpais, and then returned to San Jose. I took public transportation the whole time, and that was the single decision I really regretted. Each leg took the better part of a day, so I lost quite a bit of time. Also, the timetables that are given for buses really aren't accurate -- they are approximate times, give or take a few hours. One bus didn't show up at all for the entire day, and I wound up taking a taxi... which was fine, but not how I wanted to spend my vacation. I really, really wished I'd rented a car. The roads are rough, so you will need a 4-wheel drive. But, they are not so rough that you can't drive on them (if a bus can drive on them, you can!).
posted by Houstonian at 7:56 PM on December 26, 2010
posted by Houstonian at 7:56 PM on December 26, 2010
(Also, seconding tybstar -- it takes much longer to get anywhere than you would think. Looking at a map, you'd guess these are rather quick journeys, but they are not.)
posted by Houstonian at 8:00 PM on December 26, 2010
posted by Houstonian at 8:00 PM on December 26, 2010
I drove with a friend, and took buses all around CR (we went to about 5 cities), and both modes of travel were fine.
By the way, if your itinerary changes and you happen to go to Montezuma, eat here; the atmosphere and food are just lovely and very memorable. You eat here, right on the beach, with the waves breaking 10 yards behind you. Man, that was gorgeous.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:54 PM on December 26, 2010
By the way, if your itinerary changes and you happen to go to Montezuma, eat here; the atmosphere and food are just lovely and very memorable. You eat here, right on the beach, with the waves breaking 10 yards behind you. Man, that was gorgeous.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:54 PM on December 26, 2010
I went to Costa Rica, but flew into Liberia and stayed in Guanacaste except for a few day trips with local guides. However, most other tourists I met had rented cars or SUVs and had driven around the country by themselves without any trouble.
The main roads were all in decent shape, but some remote areas I visited had rough dirt roads so I'd definitely recommend a 4-wheel drive.
posted by tomwheeler at 2:54 PM on December 27, 2010
The main roads were all in decent shape, but some remote areas I visited had rough dirt roads so I'd definitely recommend a 4-wheel drive.
posted by tomwheeler at 2:54 PM on December 27, 2010
Getting around Costa Rica sucks no matter how you do it. Driving, if you are not used to the roads, is very dangerous. Bus rides are bumpy, twisty, and barfy. Little planes are scary and inconsistently maintained.
I think the least-sucky way, if you can afford it, is to hire a van and experienced native driver.
Frankly, though, I think you would be better off if you trimmed down your list of sights to see. With only eight days, you're going to spend a lot of unpleasant time on the road if you try to go to all those places. Costa Rica may look like a small country but the roads are so shitty that it takes forever to get anywhere. I think you would have a much more enjoyable vacation if you reduced your time spent in transit and gave yourself a little time to just relax in each place.
I would cut Manuel Antonio from your itinerary. It's way, way overrated. The ride over the mountains to get there is very barftastic and every year the place gets more and more overrun with tourists. I can't think of anything special there worth seeing that you couldn't get from any other generic tropical beach vacation. And I say this as someone who used to live in Costa Rica, has been to Manuel Antonio several times, and whose mother went there almost every year for almost 15 years. Even though she used to love the place, my mom finally gave up and started going to the Nicoya Peninsula beaches instead because Manuel Antonio has turned into such a tourist trap shit hole.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:19 PM on December 27, 2010
I think the least-sucky way, if you can afford it, is to hire a van and experienced native driver.
Frankly, though, I think you would be better off if you trimmed down your list of sights to see. With only eight days, you're going to spend a lot of unpleasant time on the road if you try to go to all those places. Costa Rica may look like a small country but the roads are so shitty that it takes forever to get anywhere. I think you would have a much more enjoyable vacation if you reduced your time spent in transit and gave yourself a little time to just relax in each place.
I would cut Manuel Antonio from your itinerary. It's way, way overrated. The ride over the mountains to get there is very barftastic and every year the place gets more and more overrun with tourists. I can't think of anything special there worth seeing that you couldn't get from any other generic tropical beach vacation. And I say this as someone who used to live in Costa Rica, has been to Manuel Antonio several times, and whose mother went there almost every year for almost 15 years. Even though she used to love the place, my mom finally gave up and started going to the Nicoya Peninsula beaches instead because Manuel Antonio has turned into such a tourist trap shit hole.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:19 PM on December 27, 2010
(The Arenal volcano and Monteverde cloud forest and worth seeing, and relatively special compared to what you might find elsewhere in the world. Whereas touristy tropical beach towns are very similar to one another regardless of what country they're in.)
posted by Jacqueline at 7:24 PM on December 27, 2010
posted by Jacqueline at 7:24 PM on December 27, 2010
But if your heart is set on going to the beach, then I think it makes more sense for you to hire a driver to take you to Monteverde and Arenal, then west to the Nicoya Peninsula to stay at some nice beach town that hasn't been overdeveloped yet, and then fly back to San Jose from Liberia.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:30 PM on December 27, 2010
posted by Jacqueline at 7:30 PM on December 27, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by carmicha at 4:27 PM on December 26, 2010