Whereas getting ready for our current journey to Costa Rica, a standard theme emerged from the varied journey documentaries, weblog posts, and guidebooks we watched and browse—driving within the land of Pura Vida is a little more difficult than the U.S. Automobile rental choices usually are not the identical, you may need to contemplate having your car shipped to Costa Rica as a substitute.
Visitors in Atenas
To start, when you have a legitimate drivers license you don’t want to use for a world license. Plan to buy extra, complete, insurance coverage with the rental automotive firm that covers the automobile and drivers within the occasion of an accident (we bought journey insurance coverage with our flights and nonetheless opted for the secondary protection with the rental automotive firm). We strongly suggest renting a automobile with 4-wheel drive and GPS navigation in case you are not planning to have worldwide cellular phone protection. By default, most rental vehicles in Costa Rica (and different components of the world) are guide transmission. If you’re not snug driving a stick, pay an up-charge for automated transmission. You’ll see why in a bit.
Toll Cease
Earlier than you go, obtain the Waze crowdsource driving path app and familiarize your self with the interface. Items of distance and velocity are in kilometers and kilometers per hour, a setting that defaulted to miles and miles per hour on my telephone (you might need to change that setting; for us it wasn’t a giant deal as we had been principally utilizing Waze for instructions and it appeared just like the velocity restrict was not noticed exterior of metropolis limits). As an alternative of getting into a avenue tackle into Waze, enter the identify of the resort, restaurant, or attraction (we learn avenue indicators and home numbers weren’t frequent exterior of San Jose and this held true).
Value packing (or buying forward of time) is a phone mount for a cupholder or vent, charging cable, and a USB charger that fits into a cigarette lighter (though our rental automotive had a USB hub we found solely after buying the cigarette lighter possibility at an area comfort retailer). For those who want a clear windshield for things like clear line of website, you might need to put money into wipes or deliver an previous rag. An enormous parrot, I assume, pooped over the passenger facet entrance window someplace within the rainforest and I loved a number of hours of obstructed imaginative and prescient. Gasoline stations are few and much between should you do need to cease and clear your windshield.
One Lane Bridge
Waze gave us completely different choices for instructions, gradual and quick and indicated when the quick route was on a toll street. If you’re leaving straight from the airport, purchase one thing small on the present store or comfort retailer earlier than you embark in your journey as you’ll want small payments or cash to maneuver with the circulation of site visitors. On the interstate, the right-hand lane is the bus lane; busses cease and trigger the circulation of site visitors to come back to a whole cease. I’m not fully positive how pedestrians arrive on the bus cease, however bear in mind this occurs abruptly and infrequently.
Parking Lot Attendant
You gained’t want to fret about driving on the other facet of the street or shifting along with your left hand and customarily the identical site visitors guidelines with a number of exceptions. We arrived at evening had been glad we had learn this extremely helpful blog post beforehand as we encountered a single-lane bridge on the way in which to our first resort and knew to yield to oncoming site visitors (whoever arrives on the bridge first has the right-of-way).
Being Tailgated on the Pan-American Freeway
One other key distinction between the U.S. and Costa Rica is that autos don’t yield to pedestrians or bicycles (we didn’t journey with youngsters, however stressing crossing at designated crosswalks and site visitors gentle crossings appears significantly necessary for households). Oftentimes the one technique to cross a avenue was to attend for a break in site visitors, which appeared extra terrifying than thrilling.
Landslide and Street Closure
Landslide Detour
Within the occasion of a site visitors accident, vehicles don’t transfer out of the street to permit autos to go (police doc the scene and direct site visitors if doable). When parking, search for yellow paint on the facet of the street. Don’t park wherever with yellow paint or different indicators (like taxi or resort unloading zones). One article we learn mentioned your license plate may very well be eliminated within the occasion of a parking violation (navigating that scenario with the rental automotive firm sounds depressing).
Taxi Parking and Yellow No-Parking Zones
With regards to terrifying and thrilling, be aware that bikes and mopeds are extraordinarily frequent on metropolis roads and on the freeway. Typically, these autos go on the middle lane (between you and oncoming site visitors) and on the proper facet of your automotive. If site visitors slows, count on to be handed on each side with out warning. Busses and tour busses are additionally frequent and journey at amazingly quick speeds within the nation and metropolis (particularly within the metropolis; maintain a detailed eye in your toddlers).
Paid Parking Lot
Many articles we learn suggested us to not go away any unattended valuables within the automotive and to park in secured parking if that was an possibility. We paid a parking attendant a small tip for watching our automobile whereas we visited a well-liked vacationer cease and ate lunch. He communicated his expectation forward of time and was pleased to gather the price both earlier than or after our cease. Generally, we felt very secure in Costa Rica however after having my purse stolen earlier this yr in a small city in Oregon, I couldn’t fathom the stress of dropping my passport and prescription glasses in another country. In San Jose, our resort parking was gated after 6pm and the attendant and his household lived within the condominium above the lot (permitting 24-hour entry to our automobile ought to we want it).
Erosion on the Pan-American Freeway
If you don’t really feel snug driving at evening, don’t drive at evening in mountainous terrain in Costa Rica. On each rural (dust) roads and on the Pan-American freeway, we skilled detours brought on by landslides, harmful street erosion, and located ourselves wedged between semi-trucks with out a secure breaking distance. Passing lanes finish with out signage and guardrails usually are not frequent in any respect. We made the error of touring down a treacherous street with blind switchbacks earlier than the sundown with no mobile reception and white knuckled the whole journey again up the mountain in full darkness.
One actually optimistic takeaway from our driving journey in Costa Rica was the prevalence of electrical automobile charging stations within the metropolis and nation (at our most distant resort the charging station was affixed to a tree). Search for the lovable blue charging station indicators (EVs aren’t as frequent because the U.S. however we did discover a handful on our weeklong journey).
Electrical Car Charging
Generally, I’m glad we reserved a rental automotive and had an adventurous street journey in Costa Rica. Positively do extra analysis and determine if this route is one of the best for you and your loved ones. Search for extra journey tips about what to do and the place to go to and keep in Costa Rica quickly!
Comfortable Trails!
Visitors in Atenas
Automobile Leases and Journey Preparation
To start, when you have a legitimate drivers license you don’t want to use for a world license. Plan to buy extra, complete, insurance coverage with the rental automotive firm that covers the automobile and drivers within the occasion of an accident (we bought journey insurance coverage with our flights and nonetheless opted for the secondary protection with the rental automotive firm). We strongly suggest renting a automobile with 4-wheel drive and GPS navigation in case you are not planning to have worldwide cellular phone protection. By default, most rental vehicles in Costa Rica (and different components of the world) are guide transmission. If you’re not snug driving a stick, pay an up-charge for automated transmission. You’ll see why in a bit.
Toll Cease
Earlier than you go, obtain the Waze crowdsource driving path app and familiarize your self with the interface. Items of distance and velocity are in kilometers and kilometers per hour, a setting that defaulted to miles and miles per hour on my telephone (you might need to change that setting; for us it wasn’t a giant deal as we had been principally utilizing Waze for instructions and it appeared just like the velocity restrict was not noticed exterior of metropolis limits). As an alternative of getting into a avenue tackle into Waze, enter the identify of the resort, restaurant, or attraction (we learn avenue indicators and home numbers weren’t frequent exterior of San Jose and this held true).
Value packing (or buying forward of time) is a phone mount for a cupholder or vent, charging cable, and a USB charger that fits into a cigarette lighter (though our rental automotive had a USB hub we found solely after buying the cigarette lighter possibility at an area comfort retailer). For those who want a clear windshield for things like clear line of website, you might need to put money into wipes or deliver an previous rag. An enormous parrot, I assume, pooped over the passenger facet entrance window someplace within the rainforest and I loved a number of hours of obstructed imaginative and prescient. Gasoline stations are few and much between should you do need to cease and clear your windshield.
One Lane Bridge
Earlier than You Drive
Waze gave us completely different choices for instructions, gradual and quick and indicated when the quick route was on a toll street. If you’re leaving straight from the airport, purchase one thing small on the present store or comfort retailer earlier than you embark in your journey as you’ll want small payments or cash to maneuver with the circulation of site visitors. On the interstate, the right-hand lane is the bus lane; busses cease and trigger the circulation of site visitors to come back to a whole cease. I’m not fully positive how pedestrians arrive on the bus cease, however bear in mind this occurs abruptly and infrequently.
Parking Lot Attendant
You gained’t want to fret about driving on the other facet of the street or shifting along with your left hand and customarily the identical site visitors guidelines with a number of exceptions. We arrived at evening had been glad we had learn this extremely helpful blog post beforehand as we encountered a single-lane bridge on the way in which to our first resort and knew to yield to oncoming site visitors (whoever arrives on the bridge first has the right-of-way).
Being Tailgated on the Pan-American Freeway
Security Considerations
One other key distinction between the U.S. and Costa Rica is that autos don’t yield to pedestrians or bicycles (we didn’t journey with youngsters, however stressing crossing at designated crosswalks and site visitors gentle crossings appears significantly necessary for households). Oftentimes the one technique to cross a avenue was to attend for a break in site visitors, which appeared extra terrifying than thrilling.
Landslide and Street Closure
Landslide Detour
Within the occasion of a site visitors accident, vehicles don’t transfer out of the street to permit autos to go (police doc the scene and direct site visitors if doable). When parking, search for yellow paint on the facet of the street. Don’t park wherever with yellow paint or different indicators (like taxi or resort unloading zones). One article we learn mentioned your license plate may very well be eliminated within the occasion of a parking violation (navigating that scenario with the rental automotive firm sounds depressing).
Taxi Parking and Yellow No-Parking Zones
With regards to terrifying and thrilling, be aware that bikes and mopeds are extraordinarily frequent on metropolis roads and on the freeway. Typically, these autos go on the middle lane (between you and oncoming site visitors) and on the proper facet of your automotive. If site visitors slows, count on to be handed on each side with out warning. Busses and tour busses are additionally frequent and journey at amazingly quick speeds within the nation and metropolis (particularly within the metropolis; maintain a detailed eye in your toddlers).
Paid Parking Lot
Many articles we learn suggested us to not go away any unattended valuables within the automotive and to park in secured parking if that was an possibility. We paid a parking attendant a small tip for watching our automobile whereas we visited a well-liked vacationer cease and ate lunch. He communicated his expectation forward of time and was pleased to gather the price both earlier than or after our cease. Generally, we felt very secure in Costa Rica however after having my purse stolen earlier this yr in a small city in Oregon, I couldn’t fathom the stress of dropping my passport and prescription glasses in another country. In San Jose, our resort parking was gated after 6pm and the attendant and his household lived within the condominium above the lot (permitting 24-hour entry to our automobile ought to we want it).
Erosion on the Pan-American Freeway
If you don’t really feel snug driving at evening, don’t drive at evening in mountainous terrain in Costa Rica. On each rural (dust) roads and on the Pan-American freeway, we skilled detours brought on by landslides, harmful street erosion, and located ourselves wedged between semi-trucks with out a secure breaking distance. Passing lanes finish with out signage and guardrails usually are not frequent in any respect. We made the error of touring down a treacherous street with blind switchbacks earlier than the sundown with no mobile reception and white knuckled the whole journey again up the mountain in full darkness.
Electrical Autos in Costa Rica
One actually optimistic takeaway from our driving journey in Costa Rica was the prevalence of electrical automobile charging stations within the metropolis and nation (at our most distant resort the charging station was affixed to a tree). Search for the lovable blue charging station indicators (EVs aren’t as frequent because the U.S. however we did discover a handful on our weeklong journey).
Electrical Car Charging
Generally, I’m glad we reserved a rental automotive and had an adventurous street journey in Costa Rica. Positively do extra analysis and determine if this route is one of the best for you and your loved ones. Search for extra journey tips about what to do and the place to go to and keep in Costa Rica quickly!
Comfortable Trails!