After researching the best ways to get around in Costa Rica, I felt confident renting a car would be the best option. After driving here, I’m glad I won’t be for the entire trip. There were three things I kept keep hearing when watching vlogs on this topic.
You’ll be fine if you take your time and drive defensively: So far, this is partly true. I have been lucky to drive around the San José area and to Puerto Viejo/Limón (five to seven hours both ways) and back without incident, which is a miracle in itself.
What they should’ve said was drive defensively after you’ve taken a valium. You’ll need it because no one follows the road signs or cares that there are lines on the streets for traffic to follow. People stop abruptly and click on their hazards but never move to the side of the road. Also, there are bikes and motorbikes galore weaving in and out of traffic on both sides of the road with nary a traffic cop in sight. They dart out from side streets and pass in between cars at every opportune moment. They don’t care if they’re riding in the mountains or if it’s raining at night. They rule the road, and you better watch out for them. So, renting a car does allow you more flexibility to explore as you please, but patience and releasing all those “rules of the road” you learned driving in the States gets you back in one piece.
The main roads are paved. No 4×4 is really needed: The first part is mostly true. The second, however, needs a few added caveats, especially if you didn’t grow up driving in the mountains or if you decided to travel to a beautiful country at the beginning of the rainy season. So, yes, the roads are paved, but if the main road to the city you are traveling to is closed, then through the mountains you go—up, up, up through hairpin twists and turns for miles. You’ll see those clouds I mentioned previously, up close and personal. And if it’s raining, driving up those steep slopes feels a lot better in a 4×4. Oh yeah, don’t forget getting back down. You have to get down somehow.
The second issue is just regular congested traffic or someone breaking down, causing traffic to come to a dead stop. If you have to stop on one of the slopes for an hour or two, are you going to feel comfortable in a Toyota Corolla or Chevy Malibu? Probably not. That 4×4 felt sturdy once traffic began again. Lastly, in Costa Rica one right or left turn could take you down a steep hill or up a slippery wet one the causes your engine to whine, moan, and groan until you reach the top. It’s all mountains, really. It’s just how high you’re willing drive for the experience.
You see more of the country if you rent a car: Most definitely! K and I drove through many towns and cities we wouldn’t have otherwise known existed if we didn’t drive. If someone else was driving, maybe we would’ve fallen asleep and missed some of the more interesting sites. We came across a school named after Abraham Lincoln for some reason, which we plan on researching at some point. Also, on our long drive to Puerto Viejo we passed through Cartago-Turrialba. A seemingly very upper middle-class area in the mountains with paved roads on which we are accustomed to driving (a pleasant break from our other worldly excitement up until that point). So, definitely consider taking the added adventure of renting a car. You won’t soon forget it.
All that being said, deciding to drive for me has only enriched this trip even more. But if you decide not to I’d definitely understand.
Garlands Abroad 
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