Bases in Costa Rica

Old Feb 25th, 2016, 07:03 AM
  #21  
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I am curious about transportation in Costa Rica. What's the preferred way for tourists to get around - rent a car, or hire a private driver? (Public transportation is not an option for us.)

Is it easy renting a car and driving around? I've driven just about everywhere and we have no hesitation about driving and getting around.
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Old Feb 25th, 2016, 09:10 AM
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A lot of people rent cars and drive. If you just want to sit back and relax, hire a private driver through your hotels when you book them. Most tours will pick you up and drop you back off at your hotel. If you want to go somewhere more off the grid like the Osa or Tortuguero, you can fly. Sansa and Nature Air are in country airlines. The roads around Arenal and Manuel Antonio are in pretty good shape. The road to Monteverde is long and bumpy but doable. You can also take Desafio's Jeep Boat Jeep service between Arenal and Monteverde for about $30 per person if you don't want to drive it.
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Old Feb 25th, 2016, 09:37 AM
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Thanks VG!

You mentioned the Arenal Observatory Lodge as a good place to stay to visit the Arenal area. It looks like it's pretty much off road. How is the driving there? 4W required? Are there drivers available at the lodge if we want to visit La Fortuna?

Taking a boat to Monteverde sounds like a great idea.

What do you do on your visits to Costa Rica? Driver or rental?
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Old Feb 25th, 2016, 09:52 AM
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There's one main road that runs through town from La Fortuna to out by the lake with hotels and restaurants scattered on either side. This road is in good shape. To get to AOL you travel along the main road and then turn left onto a dirt/gravel road that's bumpy, and it will take you to the lodge. If you want to visit La Fortuna town, they have a shuttle that goes into town for about $6 if I remember correctly. If you stay in town you won't have much chance of seeing wildlife, that's why we enjoyed AOL. Nice hiking on the property and fantastic volcano views. We like the Smithsonian rooms. You can also take taxis in town, but it would prob. be pricey to take one out to AOL, so I'd either rent a car or uses the shuttle. Check with them for the schedule; it only runs at certain times. We just had their private driver pick us up at the airport and also take us to our next destination. We do tons of tours and since they pick you up and drop you back off, we didn't rent a car, but a lot of people like to have one to have a little more freedom, really just up to you. There's not much really to the actual town of La Fortuna, very small with the usual church, park, soccer field, grocery store, restaurants, and a disco.
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Old Feb 25th, 2016, 09:53 AM
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You might also want to check into doing the Rio Celeste hike; it's about two hours from La Fortuna, and the waterfall is a gorgeous blue color if it hasn't been raining. It looks almost magical.
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Old Feb 25th, 2016, 09:54 AM
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We rented a car. Small SUV. Never needed 4wd. Roads out to AOL are bad but you just have to take it slow. We tried to avoid driving at night. People always walking along roads near towns.
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Old Feb 25th, 2016, 08:43 PM
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VG:

You wrote:
"We just had their private driver pick us up at the airport and also take us to our next destination."

Which airport are we talking about? It's a long ride from the SJ airport or Liberia airport for a hotel driver, isn't it?
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Old Feb 26th, 2016, 07:04 AM
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No, that's what a private driver is usually used for, to drive you between cities. SJO to La Fortuna is about three hours.
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Old Feb 26th, 2016, 08:06 PM
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That's a long ride. What's the going price for a ride like that in Costa Rica?
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Old Feb 27th, 2016, 05:31 AM
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I can't remember what we paid last time; it changes depending on gas prices, etc. Prob. between $200-300. Arenal and Manuel Antonio are each about 3 hours from SJO but in opposite directions. About 4.5 hours or so in between the two.
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Old Feb 27th, 2016, 06:58 AM
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If that's the price for getting from place to place, renting a car seems like a good option.

You (or one of the posters) mentioned the "water option" for getting from Arenal to Monteverde. Have you done that?
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Old Feb 27th, 2016, 03:22 PM
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When we rented a car, I think it was about $60 per day.

Yes, we used Desafio. They call it Jeep Boat Jeep or Van Boat Van depending on who offers it. You take a boat across the lake and then they pick you up on the other side and drive you the rest of the way. The views are nice along the way. About $30 per person. The road is super bumpy. Definitely driveable but kind of a pain. Think gravel country road in the U.S with kids, horses, dogs etc. in the road.
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Old Feb 27th, 2016, 07:56 PM
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I assume that using the water option, means that you have to get rid of the car to do it (it you have a rented car).

Is that an option (returning said car) in the Arenal area?
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Old Feb 29th, 2016, 09:01 AM
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Yes, you would have to turn your car in before doing the Jeep Boat Jeep. You can rent in one spot and return in another provided your car company has an office there. You'd have to check with them.
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Old Mar 6th, 2016, 03:04 AM
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I want to thank all the posters who have helped me on this topic.

I also have one more question (for now) before I start a new thread (in the interest of topic continuity).

All 3 of you mentioned tours worth taking in the Arenal area and the Monteverde area. Should we make reservations in advance online for these tours, or is that not necessary? Can these tours be easily booked at whatever hotel we will be staying at?
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Old Mar 6th, 2016, 05:43 AM
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Certain things can sell out - Eco Termales limits the number of people they let in, so if that interests you, I would book it ahead. Sky Trek has you reserve a time to go, so if you want a specific time, I'd book that ahead too or you may not get the time you want. Most things can be booked once you get there unless you're traveling at a really busy time like Easter or Christmas, but if you have your heart set on something, reserve it ahead just to be safe. Sometimes hotels will only reserve with certain providers, so we usually just book everything ourselves online. If you don't care which company you go with, you can have your hotel reserve things for you.
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