18 days, 4x4 for only a week/where is it needed?
 

Hi,
We will be in CR for 18 days, Feb 12-Feb 29.
The last 7 days of our trip we are in a resort/hotel in San Isidro de General which is a confirmed stay which I can not change (I know, bad choice)

The first and last night are at Orquideas Inn in Alajuela.
Feb 19, 20, and 21 are at Montana De Fuego. Arena/La Fortuna area.

Days 2-7 (6 days) are unscheduled and are pretty much open for location/tours, etc suggestions.

I love to drive but we cannot afford to do a 4x4 for the whole vacation. I have read up on the main highway from San Jose to San Isidro, and yes I know what "Cerro de la Muerto" translates to. I'm not a wimp driver but I do not want to be a fool either. I hear the Talamanca mtn. range is beautiful. I just need help on where to get the 4x4 where all things considered it will benefit us the most.

Based on driving conditions, scenic drives, and bus costs and routes, and availibility of taxis and organized tours/things to do where would/should we use a car the most?

North or South of San Jose?

Also, I know staying at San Isidro el General for a week will result in limited things to do, any suggestions?

I would definitely get the car for the San Isidro leg of your trip.

A 4x4 is not needed everywhere in CR; we have done just fine with a regular sedan. Just take it easy, roads are not to our standards - they are narrow and potted. The PanAmerican Hwy between San Jose and San Isidro is nicely paved tho twisty in places; the top of the pass is very high - 3500 meters - so you may encounter fog and low clouds. Don't try this at night! One trip from San Isidro I can recommend is to the beach at Dominical - great surfing if you are into it, otherwise a nice beach town. I also urge you to pick up a CR giude book (like Lonely Planet, etc.) to read up on what is near SI - Parque Nacional Chirripo seems to be a most noted attraction. Good luck - its almost impossible to have a bad time in CR!

Thanks Suzie2 and Dncee11~ Suzie2, are you saying to get the 4x4 for the San Isidro part because of the scenery and the remotness (ie would it be hard to get around without it? I know there are some buses that go there. I think to Dominical too)It seems like we would need it more there to get around. The first 6 days are probably going to be a beach thing then on to Arenal. If we bus it there is there a way to get around Arenal for our 3 days, taxi's or something? If so, we could probably pick up the 4x4 around San Jose on our way to San Isidro then return it there our last night.

Dncee11, I'll pick up a copy of Lonely Planet. I did go to the lonely planet website and they seem to have more on that area. There's supposed to be some marine park where the whales come dec-april with their calves. So that sounded nice. Any other suggestions?

Thanks to you both again. Some knowledge you can find in a book, so I am very appreciative for your time.

My reasoning for that area is because of the remoteness. It is not a high tourist area so options will be a little more limited. Arenal has plenty of options for transportation as do the other places.
Dominical is a pretty area so do visit it. The Tapanti area is great for birds. Do be careful. As Dncee mentioned that area of the Pan Am hwy does get very foggy. It is actually where the clouds from the Atlantic get caught on the mountains. It can be dense as pea soup but if you go down the mountain just a little way toward the Pacific side it will be clear as can be.. This makes for wonderful rainforest hiking but could be damp if you go towards the Atlantic side. If you do go into the parks, bring something warm for the higher elevations. It can get quite cool. The hwy is at about 10,000ft and pretty chilly around Tapanti but even at 7,000 it can be quite cool.

Thanks Susie2~ do either of you know if it's posssible to drive from Manual Antonio to Dominical. We wanted to do the Rainmaker tour but I don't know if we can get to San Isidro from there and how the roads would be and how long it would take. Any pavement there? Thanks in advance.

Hi Paula,
I am a little confused as to when you were going to be staying in Manuel Antonio and then going on to San Isidro. It origionally sounded like you were going from Arenal to San Isidro.
Yes you can get to San Isidro from Quepos/Manuel Antonio via Dominical. The road between Manuel Antonio and Dominical is not very good.
You mentioned having a few days to go somewhere when you first get to CR. I would recommend you head down to Quepos or that area so that you can do the Rainmaker tour then. From Quepos you can get a shuttle bus directly to Arenal for about $25pp or you can take the public bus back to San Jose and then on to Arenal. From the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area you could also go white water rafting among other things.
Different options for transportation are..Interbus, Fantasy Bus (Gray Line), Monteverdeinfo.com, and public bus. Monteverdeinfo.com has shuttle buses and has a listing of public bus times for many places in CR. The bus listing can also give you an idea of travel times between some of the places that you can use to judge driving times also.

Hi Susie2,
You have been so helpful maybe you can help me figure out this mess. I have reserved and paid for (non refundable) 7 nites in Hotel del Sur, San Isidro el General. checking in Feb 22. Feb 19, 20, and 21, prior to San Isidro, I have reserved at Montana de Fuego and I was darn lucky to get those as they were very booked, so I don't really want to change those. The problem I am having now is after the first night in Alajuela (orquideas Inn) I have Feb 13-feb 18 to play with. Nothing is reserved yet. The reason I mentioned Manual Antonio was because if I want to do the Rainmaker thing or Manual Antonio I don't know how to do this from San Isidro based on what I have heard. So the only thing I can do is maybe drive to there from Arenal and check in for a nite, lose a night at San Isidro and check in a day late. I am so confused at this point. I want to pick an area and make the best use of my unreserved 6 days but it seems like now I will be driving from Arenal to San Isidro in one day, unless I stop in mauual antonio or somehwere along the way. (I understand that it would be 6.5 hrs of driving straight if I don't)Please I promise not to bug you anymore. Do you have any suggestions for me? Where should I spend my first 6 days after my arrival day? Manual Antonio, Quepos area or maybe Tamarindo? I'm lost at the moment. Wish I hadn't of jumped the gun on San Isidro. (although on a positive note I have found some good tours/things to do that go out of Dominical, so I lucked out there)Any advice?

I would imagine you found the Marine Park just south of Dominical for one of the tours? Good safe swimming at the beach there because of the reef. Be very careful about swimming in Dominical, it is known for dangerous rips.
Regarding the first few days of your trip down there. I think you would be very happy with some time in Manuel Antonio/Quepos. Easy to get to by public bus. Be cautious at the Coca Cola if you take any buses out of there. It is a well known theft area but if there are two of you to watch each others things you will be okay. Wallets in front pockets no purses just hanging loose, watch for nice jewelry, just common sense things that you would need to look out for anywhere. There are tons of things to do in MA. If you don't want to spend all that time in MA you could just stay in SJ for a couple more nights and take a few fun day trips. When taking the public buses, you should try to buy the ticket the day before or an hour or so before the trip if at all possible because the buses do sell out. There are several each day for MA and Fortuna so if you miss one you can get another.
Regarding having to drive all the way from Fortuna to San Isidro...it will be tricky getting through San Jose. We spoke to someone who rented a car in San Jose and after 5hrs of trying to get out of the city he ended up hiring a cab for $10 to lead him out LOL.
A few tricks to traveling on public buses with luggage...try to get there early so you can get your luggage into the storage area first. Less chance of someone grabbing it and taking off because everyone elses will be on top. Another option would be to sit on the side of the bus that has the storage so you can keep an eye on it. Direct buses are best if possible.

Susie2,
Thanks for your last post. You have made some very good suggestions, and are a wealth of information. Thanks also for responding to my other 2 posts about travelling the road from San Jose to San Isidro. I have been checking out the bus sites you recommended and I think we will do the bus thing the first 10 days and the car rental the last in the San Isidro area. Do you know if we went the coastal route from quepos to San isidro, how long it would take total? Also what kind of clothing for that area in mid february would you recommend. Thanks again Susie2.

For clothes in the coastal areas I would dress as lightly as possible. It can be quite warm and humid.
Regarding length of time for the trip to San Isidro from Quepos, I have not driven that whole route but according to the bus schedule it is about 3 1/2hrs by bus from Quepos to San Isidro via Dominical. You could think about taking the bus from Quepos and then having a car delivered to you in San Isidro.

Hello Suzie2: We will also be in the San Isidro de El General area for a few days in March. You mentioned a park south of Dominical, were you refering to Marino Ballena National Park? You said it is safe for swimming because of the reef, how far from shore is the reef and is it good for snorkeling? Thanks for any advice.

I have friends who love San Isidro and recommend it highly as far as cities go- each to his own.