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Driving Shuttle Service - For someone seeking a short stay in Costa Rica, Costa Rica Gateways has a good shuttle service. For example, one could hire CRG and have them take you to Savegre Lodge for 3 days, pick you up, and then take you to La Selva for 3 days and return you to the airport at the end of the trip. Should a person be interested in this, it would require some advance notice. I have used their shuttle service and can recommend their services. Driving - My wife and I have very little knowledge of the Spanish language, but we have always felt comfortable driving anywhere in Costa Rica, getting gas, or even fixing a tire. Costa Ricans see a lot of tourists and they are exceptionally patient. Driving in Costa Rica requires no skill that any driver in the U.S. doesn't already possess. The most relevant pointer is that you adjust your driving time to account for 40-45 mph driving speeds. Driving in CR is generally no big deal in most areas. However, there are some things to consider. First, it's impossible to treat most paved highways in Costa Rica as if you are driving on a U.S. highway. Most are two lanes with intermittent poor sections needing repair, and there are almost never shoulders on the roads. People will pass you when normally you would think there is no way anyone should be passing in these conditions. Even buses behave badly by our standards. Trust your American instincts. Don't start driving the way most Costa Ricans do (Costa Ricans will be the first to admit this). You'll probably regret it. Play it safe and don't get in a hurry. You will likely be driving about 40 mph on this road on most days. Budget your time accordingly. Also, avoid San Jose if at all possible. The airport is actually outside of San Jose, so if you're renting a car try to start with an itinerary that doesn't take you through the heaviest traffic going southeast from the airport.
Secondly, take your passports with you when you drive. Make a copy of your passport ahead of time, and then leave the copy in your hotel room while driving on day trips. There are a few checkpoints that are set up on roads just to check tourists. These are local uniformed police just doing their job. I don't worry much about them anymore, but don't go out driving without your passport even on short day trips. Thirdly, be very mindful of speed traps. Usually Costa Ricans are very good about flashing their lights and warning you of upcoming speed traps. Pay attention to that. There is frequently a speed trap a few kilometers north of Carara NP. They busted us once, but they only require you to pay the ticket right there on the spot (I know, it's probably a bribe but it beats going to court). Fourth, road conditions are lousy at night. I generally don't drive when its dark unless it's a short hop to a restaurant. There are very few street lights, potholes are unpredictable, bridges are more unpredictable, and road lanes can end rather dramatically. Take a cab at night if possible. It's cheap and safe. If you're getting up before dawn to bird, don't hurry. Finally, you can hire a car the entire time in Costa Rica or just for specific birding trips... and rent the English speaking driver as well. Costa Rica Gateways offers such a service. This may cut down on the stress of driving while still allowing more freedom than a tour group. It can be particularly useful for destinations in the Central Valley when orbiting out of the San Jose Airport. However, it will be more costly even if you take the price of a rental car off your expense sheet for that time (unless you get a shuttle and split the cost with 4 or more people). More general shuttle services in metro areas (that are not natural history oriented) can be found at Costa Rica Travel Transport, Transportation Services Costa Rica, and Liberia Costa Rica Transportation Online .
Collision and Liability Insurance on the Rental Car - All rental car companies in Costa Rica recommend insurance when you rent the car. These companies are right to do so if you're American because most U.S. credit card companies and most U.S. insurance companies don't offer to pay on any accident outside the U.S. You should check with your own insurance and credit card companies before hand. In fact, nearly all rental car companies require you to get the API insurance which covers the other person's vehicle. The liability on your own rental car is separate and is known as the CDW - collision damage waiver. Together, this insurance adds significantly to the cost of renting the car, and you're still not fully covered in some car damage cases. There may be a few ways of cutting a little bit off the cost, but I've not seen a particularly easy way of doing it. We grit our teeth and pay the cost. If you want to know what it's like to have a traffic accident in Costa Rica, I suggest looking over Bert Frenz's RV accident in Costa Rica - I've made a short-cut here . Please see "Day 51, March 3 - Belen." In a nutshell, you will lose money no matter who is at fault. On the good side, I could have easily seen this being worse somewhere else. Web sites on rental car insurance
in Costa Rica: Trip Insurance - Trip insurance can be done over the Internet on your own. If you're going to drive in Costa Rica, you should consider it. We do this every year in case we have a serious accident in the car and have to be flown back. Collision insurance on your rental car won't cover that. Trip insurance will also cover theft on some items, and it will cover your expenses if your flight is cancelled or over 6 hours late - a growing problem. We've had trip insurance pay off on two different occasions while traveling - a stolen laptop in Jamaica and a seriously delayed flight to Costa Rica. Trip insurance is not that expensive... pretty much the price of a good dinner at a restaurant. When it pays off, it's golden. |
