If by any chance you are planning on renting a car in Costa Rica, or you just moved in, I would like to share some driving tips with you:
- First of all take into consideration that the roads on the main cities are not in the best condition. Costa Rica roads are not taken care of on the areas that have most traffic: lots of holes and bad signing are the main issues so be very careful. It will be better if you rent a 4×4 just in case.
- Costa Rica travel can be easier if you carry a map. Asking for directions is easy since people are always willing to help, but be careful. They will not give you addresses the way you are used to. In Costa Rica, people are used giving address using reference points, and sometimes those reference points are not even there anymore. They don’t do this on purpose, remember that Costa Rica is a very small country, so people already know where everything is, or was located. If they say something like “From the old pulperia La Luz, two blocks south” don’t hesitate to ask what is located there instead the pulperia, they will tell you anyways.
- Costa Rica tourist areas are usually well illuminated and signs are clear, but other places might be missing one or two directions, so make sure exactly how to get to a location: ask for the best way to get to a place at your hotel front desk or rental office.
- Be careful when driving down town, in Costa Rica, drivers are terrible and most people are in a hurry, so be patient and polite, there is no reason to get scared or mad on the road.
- Like in any other place in the world right now, Costa Rica gas prices are high, so try and make sure you know exactly where you are headed so you don’t waste gasoline if you get lost.
I have been driving here for a few months now, yet I usually only drive through the Guanacaste area, which quite peaceful, most small towns have dirt roads, just be careful if its raining, worst case scenario, your car will get very dirty, but that is pretty much it. Costa Rica has nice sceneries in pretty much every road, so it is worth it to drive slowly and enjoy the view.