Getting to costa rica and Getting Around
safety First
It is such a bummer to have to start out talking about safety, but so many people are postponing their vacations because of concerns over safety, whether travelling domestically or internationally. We get it: we travel quite a bit and have modified our habits somewhat to not go certain places, or to change how we travel. We know it sounds self-serving to say this, but we have never felt in any danger while vacationing in Costa Rica, unless it’s been due to a dumb decision on our parts.
The first time we arrived at the airport in Alajuela was in 1992. Travelling with a three-year old daughter, my wife and I were hyper-cautious about our safety and surroundings since we were travelling in an unfamiliar place. When we exited the airport into the throngs of taxi drivers, tour operators, and “helpers”, we were pretty overwhelmed with the chaos. One after another, Costa Rican men would approach us and say “how can I help you"?” or “do you need a taxi?” or “what are you looking for?” and I, foolishly, would brush them off because I questioned their intentions. Finally, in desperation, having not found our intended contact person, I asked for help from one of the men. He quickly escorted us to a different place and told us to wait where it was a little less hectic. A few minutes later, he showed up with the gentleman we were waiting for. I felt like a total ass for doubting this gentleman’s good intentions. I gave him some dollars (stupid me; I didn’t have colones at that point), and he thanked me profusely and disappeared into the crowd.
That has been our experience universally in Costa Rica. People are nice, they want to help, and they are delighted with a tip of some sort. They are genuinely friendly and polite. Not surprisingly, communication is easier when we’re friendly and polite, too.
Having said that, what safety tips would I have for visitors? Here are a few:
Be very careful driving at night. We would never recommend that someone get a rental car after dark near the airport and head to Dominical unless they have done it several times. The roads are very dark at night, and the reflectors are sometimes present, but frequently not. The first time you drive in Costa Rica, do so during the day.
Be very careful when you pass other vehicles. The highways are largely two-lane, and the roads have lots of curves which hide oncoming traffic. Don’t take unnecessary chances.
Avoid sketchy areas of San Jose and Jaco after dark. We’ve never been bothered, but we know people who have been. Stay in bright, touristy areas, when in those cities. Smaller cities and towns seem to be safer.
Avoid bars and hangouts after, say, 10PM. Again, we haven’t had a problem, but just as with any place where there are crowds of people and alcohol, it can get uncomfortable or worse.
Be really careful of riptides. We have a whole section in this website on Water Safety for a reason. Riptides form quickly and can catch unobservant swimmers. Initially, swim in the ocean where there are salvavidas (lifeguards) and always swim with a buddy.
Getting to costa rica
Airports, Airlines and hotels
While there has been the promise of a “southern” airport (Palmar Sur?) for more than 20 years, your main choice is Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) in Alajuela, a city near San Jose. North American airline choices are American, United, Delta, Frontier, Alaska, Southwest, Jet Blue, Air Canada, and a few others. Selecting an airline from the West Coast of the U.S. has become much more complicated because of recent route changes, and some ridiculous fares. Regardless of where you start from in the U.S., you’ll spend between 4 and 7 hours in the air (quicker from TX and FL, longer from WA and IL). From the West Coast, it takes about seven hours in the air, regardless of which route you take. From the East Coast, it can take five hours in the air via Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Gateway cities, depending on the airline, include Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Washington DC, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami. Click here to see which airlines serve which cities.
Yes, there is another international airport in Liberia (LIR) which serves the northern part of the country. We used to assume that no one would choose to drive the extra 90 minutes to get to the villas, but the navigation is simple, you avoid the bustle of the central Costa Rican valley, and our family is opting more and more for LIR. Frequently, the flights land in the afternoon, allowing you to drive at least half of the route in daylight, and the flights depart around noon, so you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night to get to the airport. And it’s not uncommon to fly into LIR and out of SJO, or vice-versa.
Many flights depart from the US around 2:00pm to 5:00pm and arrive around 8:30pm in Costa Rica. Incidentally, Costa Rica is in the Central Standard time zone and does not change for daylight savings time, so it is permanently UTC-6 hours. While it’s possible to drive to Dominical from SJO or LIR after renting a car at night, we don’t recommend it for your first visit because the roads are not well marked and completely unlit in most cases, and it can be difficult to find your way. Highway 27 and the improvements to Highway 34 have mitigated this warning somewhat, but we recommend that you wait until your second trip to drive at night from the airport. Instead, stay at an airport hotel overnight and get an early start the next day. Alternatively, you can take an early flight from Miami or Dallas, and arrive in Costa Rica before noon.
If staying near the airport, consider the Marriott (extremely nice, about $230 to $300 per room per night) or the Studio Hotel in Santa Ana (about $120, and a tremendous deal). Otherwise, there is a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn close to the airport ($135 or so) and right next to rental car companies.
What about flying into Quepos?
Yes, this is an option. Quepos (XQP) Airport is about 30 minutes north of Dominical, and there are flights from San Jose (Costa Rica) to Quepos so you can save about 2:20 of driving time. SANSA is the local airline, and they fly small single-engine Cessna turboprop aircraft. The flight takes 30 minutes, and costs about $225 round trip. Costa Rica Green Airways is another airline offering similar service. Note: the airstrip in Quepos is not lit, and the flights only occur in the daylight. The last flight of the day generally departs around 4:00 to 4:30.
After arriving in San Jose, and going through immigration and getting your luggage, it’s a very quick walk to the inter-country terminal. If you allow 30 minutes for arrival, and 10 minutes to the local terminal, and a very quick 20-30 minute flight, you can save quite a bit of time using this method.
Once you’re in Quepos, you can book a rental car at the airport, although it’s a tiny airport and you’ll want to book the car in advance. Alamo, Budget, and Adobe are listed as offering cars there.
Navigation
We strongly recommend bringing either a dedicated car navigation device, like the Garmin Nuvi, or an iPhone or Android phone with a mount. We find that a Nano phone mount can be stuck on the rental car dash for the week, then carefully removed without damage. Most phone apps will allow you to enter Caballitos del Mar, which will take you right to our villas, or you can put in Dominical and get within a mile of your final destination.
Hints:
Change the distance measurement in the app to kilometers so the phone agrees with the highway signs.
Turn on the voice directions initially so you can be guided without staring at the display. There are several lane merges where you don’t want to be staring at your phone.
Many rental cars have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. It’s a nice option to ask about, which pretty much negates the need for a phone mount.
driving to Dominical from San Jose (SJO)
Two completely different routes lead from the Juan Santamaria International (SJO) airport to Dominical. While we generally call this the “San Jose” airport, it’s actually in Alajuela, about 10 miles from San Jose. The route in blue is substantially faster, simpler for navigation, and safer. However, the gray route, over the mountains, allows you to see a completely different aspect of the country, since much of the route is above 9,000' in altitude. However, it is less safe, and should be driven by alert drivers with nerves of steel (and good insurance.) We would recommend it at some point if you return to Costa Rica, because it is pretty, has dramatic vistas, and is sooo different from most of the country.
There is a third route that might be recommended by navigation apps. While it’s passable/possible in the dry season, it is predominantly on dirt roads which pass over a summit that can be very muddy. The highway is CR 239, and you can see it in yellow on the map below. Only use this route if you want to see a different aspect of Costa Rica, and you have four wheel drive. It also takes substantially longer than the other routes.
The Quepos Airport is not shown here, nor is Quepos, but it’s located by the Highway 618 icon at the bottom center.
Getting from Liberia (LIR) to Dominical
This is longer and more rural than the route from the main airport, but it can have fewer trucks, and it avoids the congestion of the SJO airport area. Roughly 1:30 to 2:00 hours longer, 260 kilometers (160 mi). From the airport, head south on Route 21 which will join Pan-American Highway Route 1. At some point, Route 1 turns inland and goes to San Jose, so select Highway 27 in the direction of Orotina. A few miles before Orotina, turn south on Highway 34, which will eventually take you directly to Dominical and our villas.
This is the route from Liberia to Dominical. Easy navigation, all two-lane highway, and virtually no navigational decisions. It should take 4.5 to 5 hours. The Highway 34 portion is the same as if you’d driven from SJO.
Vehicle Rentals and Recommendations
I think it is safe to say that driving in a country in which you do not reside (I am trying desperately to not say "a foreign country") is intimidating the first time, and possibly every time you do so. There are so many aspects that conspire to make your hands sweat, your heart race, and convince you to take a car with a driver or a bus the next time around. We have rented cars in half a dozen countries, and we don't pretend to be experts, but we do have some advice on renting and driving in Costa Rica.
First, virtually all American car rental companies are represented at the airport. Yes, there are a few that you haven't seen in the U.S., but the normal Budget, Avis, Hertz, National, and so forth are there, So, if you have had good experience with any of those companies, you might feel comfortable continuing to use them.
Second, our default recommendation used to be Toyota Rentacar which, not surprisingly, rented Toyota cars and trucks exclusively. However, they were bought by Hertz, which we imagined would not be a good thing. It turns out, it was a GREAT THING. Same nice people, same great cars, they are open long hours, quick pickups at the airport, etc. We don’t shop around anymore; we just call Hertz. However, Kayak, Hotwire, and Expedia may allow you to compare competing rent-a-car companies.
TIP: Yes, while searching on the Internet allows you to find ridiculous prices, these inevitably do not include insurance, which can be 60% of your car rental fees. See below!
Third, we think it makes sense to rent medium sized SUVs for most uses. We like the Toyota Rav4, but other models would also work (Hyundai Tucson, Toyota Prado, etc.) Relatively good on gas, rugged for the bad roads, and more likely to be survivable if the yogurt hits the fan. Many, many roads in Costa Rica are dirt and gravel, which turns into mud in the rainy season, and therefore a 4WD vehicle is required to give you access to some remote(r) places. This includes the coastal mountain roads, which are all dirt, and which are very difficult to be navigated by 2WD vehicles after it rains.
Recently, we’ve been renting Toyota Hilux trucks. There are several advantages:
About the same cost as a mid-size SUV.
Diesel, which is available at all gas stations and is more fuel efficient.
30 MPG.
Manual 6-speed transmission, which might be too much in Costa Rica’s traffic but it’s really a sweet transmission
Four wheel drive, and a transfer case with low gears, so you can go to some swampy areas and muddy roads.
We’ve also rented a variety of minivans when we’ve arrived with another family. The older Toyota Hiace vans were gutless and didn’t ride very well, but the new models are much better. Make sure the tires are in good condition: you will need the traction and you don’t want to have to change tires in the mud. Note: many of the larger vans have a diesel engine and a 6 speed manual transmission and surprisingly get great mileage.
Fourth, comparing prices can be difficult because of insurance costs. There is the mandatory insurance (liability) and then the extra insurance (collision, comprehensive). We've never quite figured out how some credit cards like American Express will cover one or more of these insurance costs if you charge the rental on your card. While all the prices seem cheap initially, we find that it ends up costing $65-$90 per day after insurance, taxes, etc. On our most recent rental, the cost for the “Platinum” coverage was about $80 for four days, so prices appear to be negotiable.
We also did a modest amount of damage to our last rental car when leaving a dark parking lot. The damage was covered under the “Platinum” plan (which normally I avoid, but it probably saved me $500 or $1000.) And the rental agency could not have been nicer, despite the dent.
TIP: if you like the idea of dealing with Hertz, email them with your dates and vehicle preferences. Let them know that you want a competitive price AND you want it to include all necessary insurance (perhaps including Platinum coverage.) I have found that they are very competitive if you write and reserve in advance. sales@toyotarent.com.
Fifth, our place is about 150km (90 miles) away, so buying the notorious fuel option can be a good idea. Fuel is expensive, so you don't want to return the car with half a tank. On a recent trip, we were upgraded to a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (large, but relatively simple SUV) with a diesel engine. We opted for the pre-paid fuel and drove our entire five day trip on a single tank of fuel. There was 1/8 tank left when we returned to the airport. Your mileage may vary. We generally fly out early in the morning, so we leave the car at the airport (by prior arrangement). So, not having to get gas is a big plus, but if you fly out of SJC, there are convenient fuel stations within a few miles of the drop-off location.
Sixth, pay attention to the customer ratings of the various car rental companies. Many are in the 30-40% range, and the reason is always that there were unexpected costs, or the price the customer had been promised changed when they should up. Once again, we have not had this problem with Hertz/Toyota Rent a Car, which has very high ratings.
Finally, consider the extra cost option of picking the car up at the airport. We’ve done this a couple of times, and it’s so much easier. There is still paperwork to fill out, but starting from the airport puts you incrementally closer to your destination in most cases. And ask if you can leave the car at the airport when you depart. There is generally a reasonable charge for this drop-off service.
The right vehicle for the trip.
Getting Around
Driving Customs
Hey, it's pretty much like the U.S. but there are a few differences. We have seen very few examples of aggressive driving, as in road rage or purposefully dangerous driving, but we do see a lot of drivers taking chances. This shows up as passing cars and trucks in low-visibility locations, or taking corners too fast and too close to the center line, and so forth. This boils down to the old Driver's Training admonition: Drive Defensively or what the Navy teaches as forehandedness. Assume that the other driver is going to take his half out of the middle. Presume that there are people crossing in the dark up ahead. Don't rely on the other drivers using blinkers or tail lights or following the speed limit.
EIGHT (or more) driving tips
Many, many multilane roads narrow from two lanes to one, and a small sign will say "Ceda el Paso". The distance over which you can merge is ridiculously short, and you’ll be merging from the slow lane to the fast lane (to the left). In other words, the fast lane continues on, and your slow lane disappears in an instant.
While merging, you really don't have any rights so don't meekly merge into faster traffic. Come to a stop if you have to. This calls for advance planning, and getting into the left lane sooner (or staying in the left lane.) Don't wait until you see the signs or the converging lines on the road.
Some two-lane highways will switch to four lanes at major intersections with on- and off-ramps, like Highway 27 from San Jose to Caldera. Trucks and slow vehicles will not pull into the slow lanes, and it's infuriating if you're used to "slower traffic merge right". In this case, however, it seems entirely OK to pass on the right and keep moving. Don't ever expect a slow vehicle to pull over to let you pass.
Many Tico drivers drive extremely slowly and will not, under any circumstances, pull over the let you by. You must pass them and, since they are driving 20 miles per hour, it is not difficult. But your high beams, horn, and gestures won't do a damned thing. It's both sweet and infuriating. Don't fight it: pass when safe on the right or left.
The speed limits seem almost quaint on some sections of highway. We find ourselves traveling at 20 kph faster than the posted speeds, and then getting passed by someone going 20 kph faster than us. There are policemen on major routes, and they will pull you over, but generally we find it possible to exceed the posted speeds without a problem.
Note: there are a LOT of primary schools in Costa Rica (good for them!) painted blue and white. They are frequently located along the highways. Inevitably the area will be marked with 25 kph (15 mph) speed limit signs. Be ready to slow down when you see signs indicating a primary school.Finally, the roads are reasonably good between the airport and our place, but at night they are very dark and lack lines on the road (except at Jaco which is lit up like a Christmas tree by comparison.) You need to use your high beams to see any appreciable distance down the road. You're going to have to dim them like you do in Canada and the U.S., but this will happen every 15 seconds. It's more akin to driving in a cave than driving in the open air. You can do it, but you'll only find lit roadways in cities and at some intersections.
Costa Rican commercial trucks are frequently lit up like a proverbial Christmas Tree, and they are blinding to oncoming drivers. Flashing your high beams is a waste of time. You have to soldier on, looking away from what looks like Times Square driving towards you.
Costa Ricans use the highway as a sidewalk or footpath because there are few sidewalks or footpaths to choose from. They will appear out of the darkness, walking two or three abreast, with very little concern about the cars and trucks passing them at a zillion miles per hour. Be diligent! Use your high beams when possible for more warning.
OK, I promised eight points, but here’s a bonus point: since your lights and wipers are vital for good nighttime driving safety, verify that they are OK before leaving the car rental place. When we returned our Hilux we found that one of the headlights was burned out. That explained a lot, like flashing lights from other drivers, and it made it dangerously hard to see. Wipers get a lot of use, so make sure that they do a reasonable job of wiping before you leave.
returning home
Many return flights to the U.S. depart between 7:00am and 11:00am. While the 9:00am flight seems like it would be too early, you can leave Dominical around 4:00am, drive three hours up the coast and get to the rental car agencies around 7:00am, and still have time to check-in at the airport. The sunrise is beautiful as you drive up the coast, and there is far less traffic. You might encounter some morning rush hour traffic as you get close to San Jose. We still think it’s the best option, and we’ve never missed a flight. Plus, you avoid the cost of an airport hotel and you get to stay in paradise one more night.
You can get gas before returning your car right off Highway 27 on Radial El Coyol. Take the Radial El Coyol exit, navigate the two traffic circles, and there’s a large gas station on the right hand side of the road. Continue to the airport or car rental agencies from there.
We are fans of leaving our rental car at the airport and paying a fee to have the rental car company collect it, especially when the departure time is o’dark thirty. Check with your rental agency to see if this is possible. It can save 30 minutes, at least. Rental car companies do open for business very early; 5:00am in some cases.
It used to be that you had to buy an airport departure sticker before leaving, but most if not all airlines have included this $28 fee in your ticket price. Still, find out if this is necessary so you use your time wisely at the airport. If needed, pay the airport tax (located on the far right side of Departures) before getting in line at the airline counters. The line at the "tax counter" was dramatically shorter recently than in previous years, so it may be a thing of the past.
The Villas
There are lots of lovely places to stay in Costa Rica, yet very few are on the beach, and have direct access to the ocean. When we found a piece of property nestled in the forest but very close to the beach, we bought it despite the many complications of owning* property in the “Maritime Zone.” Regardless, we’re delighted we did because the proximity to the beach is vital to making full use of the beauty of Costa Rica
