Costa Rica - carjacking, fake police and surf tips
 

I just got back from a trip to Costa Rica that I’d been waiting for years to take. Some tips: We thought we’d try to sneak in on the tail end of the rainy season. Don’t try it. We got rain 8 days out of ten, washed out roads and bridges, beaches littered with debris, and surf polluted with sewage.

Driving: Don’t do it. I read in Fodor’s how the scam there is to flatten your tire or get you in a rear-end collision then offer help only to rob you. I thought this was a little alarmist but it turns out to be standard operating procedure. The rental car company even hands out a sheet with the contract paperwork that warns you about the problem. The Payless agent told us to drive straight out of there and get out of the city ASAP and warned us to beware of the tire trick as soon we left the lot. We left San Jose right away without a problem. When driving through San Jose a few days later however we got lost and I stopped to ask directions. A car pulled up behind me with two guys in it stopped then followed me when I pulled away. After a few fake turns and a quick U-turn it was clear we were being followed. We were a real target in an obvious rental car with a surfboard on the roof, and my beautiful blonde girlfriend reading the map in the passenger seat. After trying to lose the other car over about two miles we got stopped in a turnabout and the car pulled up next to us out of nowhere. The driver leaned halfway out his window and with a large knife and in plain view, in broad daylight, stopped in traffic, he popped the back tire. I drove off on the flat expecting the driver would give up after awhile – he didn’t. We ended up in a car chase through San Jose in some bad neighborhoods looking for a safe, crowded place to stop. Driving on a flat (and, eventually partly on the rims) I took fake turns, last second turns, jukes and swerves and other evasive maneuvers but the driver of the other car was not going to stop. He would occasionally disappear off a side street only to reappear on my tail a few blocks away. It was clear these guys were not going to just try to take our wallets. They were after the car, the girl, and whatever else they could get. I’m not a pushover…I’m 6’1”, 180 pounds and in pretty good shape but there was nothing I was going to be able to do against two guys who had a large knife and had already shown themselves to be brazen enough to use it in broad daylight. We finally found a Peugeot dealership that was open and drove onto the lot. The other car finally gave up. We were pretty shaken and the guys at the dealership were great. They changed out the tire and called the rental agency to get a replacement for the spare. Neither the guys at the dealership or the rental agency thought it was worth the time to put in a police report. Before we left the lot one of the salesmen gave us a final admonishment – do not drive at night under any circumstances and in no case should you ever stop for the police at night. Just keep driving. The roads are dangerous as it is with cars and motorcycles with no lights, mothers with babies in their arms walking in traffic while semis blow past them inches away. Yet apparently the Costa Rican police never patrol the highways at night so there are people who pose as police, get you to stop, then rob you or worse. Later that night as we were trying to make it to Quepos (we had no other option at this point) we came across a car pulled over on the right shoulder with headlights on facing into oncoming traffic with blue flashing lights. We kept driving.

Forget driving. Fly to San Jose then take a local flight to your next destination. You can rent a car in safer, more tourist friendly or rural areas, then take inexpensive taxi rides. Fly into Liberia if you can.

Epilogue: I talked to my sister-in-law last night and told her the story. She recounted how two of her girlfriends recently went to CR and fell for the slashed tire trick. They were let go with nothing but the clothes they wore but only after one of them was forced to perform oral sex on one of the men. Nice place.

Surf tips: What you may not know (and I found out the hard way) is that Sansa Air limits boards to 6’9” and under. For my 8 footer they wanted me to buy three additional seats for the board. Nature Air was more nebulous and I got on one flight with no trouble because it wasn’t full. But later in the trip had to get my board to the Tamarindo airport the day before I was scheduled to fly out of San Jose and try to get it on any available flight. If you bring a board make sure you can travel all the way to your destination without leaving it behind or sending it in advance and trying to catch up with it. At one point it was looking like it made more sense to sell it my board to a local shop instead of laying out $270 to get my board a few seats and meet my flight out of San Jose. Better yet, rent a board there. If I ever went back there I’d pay to upgrade to a full size SUV like a FourRunner so you can fit the board all the way in the car and lock it up. I spent hours taking boards and soft racks (yes, racks get stolen, too) off the car and putting them back on. Water quality – we smelled sewage in the storm drains emptying onto the beaches at Manuel Antonio and Tamarindo. Where I live in San Diego as a general rule you usually don’t surf for 2-3 days after a rain because of E.Coli contamination and the threat of getting Hepatitis and other diseases. This is in a first-world country with adequate plumbing and where sewage treatment is standard. It isn’t worth it to spend 3-4 days vomiting in your hotel room to get some surf as one of the guests at our Tamarindo hotel did. When we were a fairly safe distance away from populated areas it was common to find the surf full of logs, debris and full sized trees floating around. Ten days there lugging my board around to blown out polluted surf spots and I never took it out of the bag. See my tip above….don’t try to sneak in at the end of the rainy season.

Manuel Antonio – skip it. We were there in the off season and I can only imagine how crowded and grid-locked it is during the busy season. Book yourself into one of the lodges on Drake’s Bay near Corcovado Nat’l Park. You’ll see better and more wildlife in an un-crowded, less developed area. You can fly into Palmar Sur and take a boat down river from Sierpe during which you’ll see crocodiles and other wildlife rather than sitting in traffic in Quepos or Manuel Antonio trying to get into the park.

Arenal – great! Stay at the Arenal Observatory Lodge where you can sit on your balcony at night and watch the fireworks show that’s the Arenal Volcano.

San Jose Hotel – we flew in on a red-eye from Los Angeles and we were cooked from traveling and evacuating our homes from the recent San Diego wildfires earlier that day. (Don’t try this – pack for your trip and at the same time pack and move your things out of the house in case it burns down while you’re gone.) I’m so glad that I’d planned for some post-travel decompression at a great hotel just outside of San Jose called the Hotel Finca Rosa Blanca. Check the Fodor’s guide for more info but it was worth every cent to kick back for a night instead of immediately leaping into the white knuckle, full-participation driving that’s ahead of you.

Costa Rica is beautiful and the wildlife was great. Going when we did and encountering what we went through however, I felt like I was in a surreal video game adventure that I might have just done in San Diego. My trip to CR might be compared to a dirty nasty triathlon that I could have done within 40 miles from my house: wait for El Nino rain storms to hit Southern California then cross the border into Tijuana at night and drive through the slums at high speed in a Korean mini SUV powered by a Vespa engine as raindrops the size of Thompson seedless grapes batter the windshield. Next, surf the estuary of the Tijuana river. Don’t forget your tetanus shot and Hepatitis vaccination and absolutely do not get any water in your mouth or in any open cuts. Then drive to the San Diego Zoo and see some monkeys and colorful birds. Be sure not to leave any valuables in the car.

Adios.

Well, that sounds really awful. Glad you made it home safely. I always try to discourage people from going in October; it's the rainiest time of year for a lot of CR. I asked one of our guides in the Osa about October, and he said, "Who in their right mind would go to CR in October?!" He said even he leaves in October because there's so much rain. I'm glad that at least Arenal was good for you. Seems like the police would try to crack down on the driving scams, especially since that affects tourism.

We went the first time in March, my daughter went the second time in Feb .. both times to surf camps in the Hermosa area (near Jaco) and frankly we had the time of our lives and not a drop of rain of course (dry season). Heading in Jan this time, ya to Hermosa, but first going to check out the south Nicoya Penisula at Mal Pais ... so looking forward to that. Sorry you had such a bad time ... I learned from you about rental cars and night driving ... which I was contemplating only because I am not sure I could make a flight out after landing in San Jose. The hotel in Mal Pais suggested sending a driver and think I will take her up on that.

Yes, I hear that my experience may have been unusual but I don't think I'd ever go there again with a girlfriend or kids...especially after the robbery/rape story from my sister-in-law. Maybe on a guys surf trip. Driving definitely isn't worth it.

Most of the information I was getting was that the rainy season ended around the 1st week in November and I could see that all the hotels went into high season rates during the 1st 2 weeks of Nov.

Have a fun, dry, and safe trip!

Hi surfersmom, we hired private drivers through our hotels and had good luck with that. Have a great trip.

I want to echo the basis of this post. We just got back from CR, had a great time, but would never drive there again. It did give us freedom, but it was shaky at best. Someone damaged a side panel on the car, Elegante Payless was cool and did not charge us for it. The roads were narrow as all get out, random potholes and bumps, poor signs...I think you are just better off using taxis and day drivers.

On the crime issue, my son is a student in Heredia and several of his mates have been held up, one girl sustained a minor stab wound when she tried to fight off a robber. I think the crime is increasing in the major population area of San Jose/Alajuela/Heredia. It is sad.

Wow. I'm seriously rethinking our plans to rent a car.

I agree that renting a car is not a good idea, at least from SJO.

When I rented a 4x4 SUV I got "complete coverage". Unfortunately I didn't read the small print, "complete coverage" doesn't include tires or radio antennas. The SUV I rented had two nearly worn tires (which is my fault admittedly for not noticing). I got a flat and had to pay $150 for a new tire. In my opinion, this was a scam so the company never has to buy tires for their fleet.

Crime is also very common away from SJO. I personally witnessed someone being robbed in Manuel Antonio. Last year there also was a gang rape at Manuel Antonio and the perpetrators were not prosecuted.

Good post, thank you. What are your thoughts on safety and driving around Nosara and Mal Pais, and in and out of Liberia. From everything I have read, a car is pretty much a necessity in those areas and not AS dangerous or sketchy as in some of the bigger areas like San Jose or Manuel Antonia. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Hello Mcwinery, That is so terrible about the near carjacking. I could feel the terror when reading your report. Thanks for very much for sharing that with us.
I must say I was a little concerned about this and then reading MRand possible near miss. And now your encounter and the other other you had about the 2 women that you told us about definitely makes me wonder.
We are to leave in a week and have a SUV rented for 11 days and think its too late to change plans now. Just contemplating what preventive measures that we can take to avoid this happening.
Thanks again for sharing your terrible ordeal with us.

crlover I would just go over what is very often repeated here at fodors and other places - namely don't leave stuff in your car, stay out of San Jose, if you do get a flat or something drive to you get to a safe place. Tens of thousands of people rent cars in CR every year, and while I feel bad for the OP, it's something that is rare so I wouldn't get too stressed about it. Enjoy your trip.

Hello Tully, thanks for the reassurance BUT(haha) it sounds as if that type of crime is on the increase as Shillmac decided to forgo going it alone. Also, I dont know if I could foregive myself if something like what happened to that woman happened to my wife.
I not saying we arent going but I do want to take ever precaution that i can.

I ve read most cautions that I can.
Dont drive at night. If you do drive at night, dont stop for the police. Dont leave any valuables in the car. Stay with your car if at all possible.
Any suggestions on renting a mid-size car vs. an SUV. I was debating on changing to a mid-size before this happened. We were going to go to Monteverde when I rented the SUV but arent going there now. Do I really need it now. We are going to Flamingo area, Arenal, Poas, Savergre, and flying to BdC) WE would save on gas and also thought if i had a trunk would at least keep the luggage out of sight when driving so not to be a dead giveaway that we are tourists. Any thoughts on that would be helpful.

Also, we have plans to be pickup by our hotel(Hotel Bonita) at the airport as we wont be arriving till 10 pm. Then dropped back off at the rental car(Thrifty) the next morning. My thought was to pay a little extra and have them wait and follow us to the hotel and then drive on our own.
Am I being pananoid or just trying to do all that possible to insure a safe trip.

Any other suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Bill

Note: we leave for our trip this coming Wed.(Nov. 14 and depart Dec.1)

Makes me appreciate even more those nice drivers I paid and tipped. The road conditions alone were enough to make me not want to drive while were there but this- yikes!

I've been thinking about this post all day, and it's really starting to bother me.

Mcwinery, did you report this to NO ONE? Don't you think you should, that it should be documented in some way so that the authorities are at least aware of this very serious threat to their country's largest source of revenue? If tourism is threatened then I would think that would prompt some action.

I hope that you and the woman who was raped have documented these crimes. This isn't the kind of thing people should just "let go" and not be bothered with, it doesn't help anyone. I'm just amazed that it wasn't worth the time to report.

I don't know, maybe I'm alone in my thinking.

In Costa Rica they won't prosecute if you don't remain in the country to testify. This is one reason why crimes against tourists are common.

Thank you for posting such important information. Most people only write trip reports when they have completely wonderful vacations. I think lessons learned from less than ideal experiences are really helpful. I was considering Manuel Antonio for a future trip -- but now am reconsidering. Thanks for your input.

crlover, we all know this stuff can happen. It's been going on for awhile. Yes, I decided to NOT rent and drive myself around alone (used to do it all the time), but wouldn't hesitate when with my husband to rent and go wherever. My daughter and I drove all over San Jose on a Sunday afternoon a few months ago. The next day we drove up to Colbert's Restaurant near La Paz for a nice dinner. We never gave it a thought.

Reading the report does give me pause, but I'm not going to TOTALLY change everything I do.

We try very hard not to look too touristy. Driving around with a surfboard is pretty obvious. I'm not criticizing, just saying that, of course, that attracts attention. So does flashy jewelry (or any jewelry at all).

Although I know it doesn't make much difference, but Costa Ricans are troubled by these issues as well--most of them believe the perps are out-of-country folk who are living in CR illegally.

It is a dilemma that, if it grows worse, we will all have to think about more carefully. But I hate to see everyone getting all paranoid about their vacations and reconsidering all of their plans. There is an occasional story, and mcwinery's is very unpleasant. Generally, as Tully stated, thousands get along just fine--on a daily basis.

Tully and Shillmac .. it seems that you 2 are the ones that know the Mal Pais area well, so a few questions.
To begin, I agree that it is best the hotel send a driver and have had 1 offer from Mal Pais Surf Camp for $135 to pick me up in San Jose (and my 22 yr old daughter). We will head to Hermosa (near Jaco) later where she will stay with a surf camp when I head home. We want to see all the beaches in Mal Pais and she will surf and we will eat out and take pics.
1/ Stay at Mal Pais Surf Camp or Tropico Latino?
2/ Any good spot to rent a board for less than the $20 we were quoted?
3/ Do you recommend getting a car once in Mal Pais to tour around or just cab it?
4/ Good spots to eat or see?

Oh dear, not me surfersmom, haven't been there! Sorry - though I am very strongly considering hitting Mal Pais in May. I've found this site helpful in getting my bearings: http://www.nicoyapeninsula.com/malpais/ Tropico Latino gets uneven reviews, shillmac can tell you more as she's been there.

And shillmac, I agree. While I see being aware as a good thing, it's a bummer that people are reconsidering - thousands rent without incident but this creates such a stir. I hope those reconsidering see MRand's sensible post.

surfersmom: In 6/06 we stayed at the Tropico Latino & they arranged transportation for us through Montezuma Expeditions. We were unable to take the shuttle transfer from SJO because it departs at 9am & we arrived later than that. They charged us $55 per person. For our return we were able to take the shuttle at 8:15am &
arrived back at the airport at 2:30 for $35pp. The van had racks on top for luggage & my husband's surfboard traveled as well. We were very happy with their services. We also rented a car for a few days in Mal Pais from Budget. We had fun shopping & eating in Montezuma & also hiked through the Cabo Blanco Park. We had terrific meals at Luz De Vida Resort (next to Tropico Latino)& also at Brisas Del Mar. Hope this helps.

I'm sorry mcwinery that you had such a horrible experience. Maybe we were niave, maybe we just had a great experience, maybe you just had a rare experience. Whatever the circumstances, I would really hate for your experience to scare away anyone from taking the time to rent a car and use the appropriate precautions and drive on their own. There are certainly risks in driving in a foreign country. However, there are risks driving right here in the US. I live in a suburb of Philly, which is now a city where the murder rate is approaching 350 and that is just murder. I don't often drive into "those" areas - but if I would - I would take precautions wouldn't I? I live way out in the country, where amish horse and buggies are found on nearly every back road and you would never speed on a winding hill at night - they don't have headlights, just like in Costa Rica. You'd hit a horse for sure. Patience and common sense come in every part of the world and taking that into consideration is a big part of travelling.

Personally, we loved the freedom of having a car, especially in La Fortuna. We only drove at night there from our hotel to and from restaurants. Everywhere else we stuck to daylight driving, when possible. I was a little caught off guard by the flat tire scam warnings, but also received a similar warning by the rental agent the last time we rented a car in Las Vegas!

It's true that there are not guard rails on most of the winding mountain roads and that there are cars passing everywhere and often people walking on the sides of the road, we took it slow when appropriate.

I had no second thoughts about renting a car on our next trip as well, with our kids...We will continue to follow the appropriate precautions. I really hope that you take a chance and visit again - I also hope that no one else has such a horrible experience that you did.

It really would be a shame if people stopped enjoying the freedom that comes with having their own vehicles.

mcwinery - I'm glad you were able to have some good times on your trip and that you enjoyed Arenal and some other portions. Sorry about the rains!

If I remember correctly the attack in Manuel Antonio was in 2006 at Mar Y Sombra. I remember reading about it before we went. Mar Y Sombra was a bar on the beach known for late night partying and getting wild at a certain time. We were told to avoid it. I think it has closed down now. As far as MA goes, we never ever felt unsafe there at all. I would just take the same precautions I would at home about being out late, not drinking excessively, etc. It's awful that things like that happen, but I never got any kind of bad vibe or felt threatened there. San Jose is another story - I think all the bars on the windows are there for a reason. We always get out of there as quickly as possible and then get out to see the rest of the beautiful country. I do think it's awful that the police don't seem to do anything about the flat tire scam in San Jose - that one is infamous on these boards.

What a shame. Same story I have been hearing for over 15 years now. Some people even brought those cans of flat fix back then. Except for our first time to CR we don't rent a car in San Jose. We wait until we get to our first destination. Even better, we rent Orlando to drive us around a lot of the time so we can really enjoy the trip. We have learned so much from him over the years. It is true that thousands rent cars every year (probably every month) so when you average it out the chance of it happening is pretty small. I just don't feel good about the fact that it is becoming more common and more brazen. It does seem like the country is regressing in that respect. Even Guatemala has tourist police now in many places to escort people or to just be visible to deter problems. A boycott of car rentals might give CR a reality check. It would take only a couple of months before the rental companies start screaming. Maybe just boycotting the rental offices near the airport. Seems a little drastic but it is a latin american country and sometimes it needs a little shaking up for them to see what is really happening.

Mcwinery, I'm so sorry to hear about your experience in Costa Rica. That's awful.

You know, I've never bought the "These things can happen at home too" response, which I've seen mentioned here. They can, but that doesn't change the fact that they happen in Costa Rica and many other popular travel destinations. The thing is, they don't happen often to you at home, because when you're at home, you know the lay of the land, you know what areas are good and bad, you know how to get around, and you know the language. You don't have that same home-field advantage when you travel.

The truly distressing thing about Costa Rica to me is that you can't count on the police. They are not very visible, and if something happens, there's little they can do. You should still file a police report if you plan to make an insurance claim for something you had stolen, and the police will be very nice, but they have almost no resources to solve the crime. They generally can't help you much.

The majority of visitors who come here have great times and problem-free vacations, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't love the place. But nobody should ever lull you into thinking that the situation in Costa Rica will be like it is back home. It's not.

As for visiting a second time, I wouldn't blame someone for saying, "Never again!" after an event like this. With +/-200 countries in the world, a traveler can afford to be fickle, and not go back voluntarily to a place where such a bad experience happened. It's a shame, but it's human nature to think that way. And when a small country like Costa Rica stakes so much on tourism, ever incident like this that happens to a visitor is a big problem. Negative accounts like these have far greater ripple effects than positive ones.

After reading this thread I decided to check with some well-traveled surfers through the coconut grapevine (many with houses/property in CR and thousands of days as visitors) .

Here is the gist of what I was told; 1) never leave a car unattended, hire someone to watch it if you have too, even for short runs to the store, 2) use extreme caution when travelling through the main towns, 3) don't drive at night if you can avoid it, and 4) the water at the mainland beaches is pretty dirty (Jaco, Boca Barranca, etc.), dose up on pepto or other stomach remedies if surfing there.

Hope that helps

We are renting a car out of Liberia and going to Monteverde. Since we don't arrive until mid-afternoon we are spending the first night in Liberia, leaving early the next morning. Are the same sort of flat tire scams experienced around Liberia airport and on the way to Monteverde? Or is it mainly a San Jose area problem?

Thanks.

My vote goes to Tropico Latino, surfersmom. . .we really enjoyed it there. The beachfront cabina. . .

I read this post and immediately wrote to NatureAir to change our tickets to fly from Puerto Jimenez onto Arenal (connection in San Juan). We had planned to fly to SJO and rent from Tricolor which has great rates and take the car to Arenal and back. I may still rent a car in Arenal and return in there. It doesn't seem worth it to rent near SJO. Armed robbery is serious!

Again - in no way do I want to minimize anyone's experience. Crime happens. And for sure I hope I don't post anything after our next trip. But it seems like a thread of panic has starte here. Yes, armed robbery is serious, but a picture that seems a bit skewed seems to be happening here. Tricolor is not in downtown San Jose. Many car rental agencies are not downtown. The airport is not in San Jose. You do not need to go into San Jose to get to Arenal.

I slightly disagree with Jeff on the fact that yes - crime happens at home and outside of your comfort zone of your neighborhood - you are still travelling - even in the US. You are in a "foreign area". Maybe still in the US, but the police are still not all on the straight and narrow and many do not really care about tire slashings or luggage thefts. I've know very specific situations where serious crimes are reported and the police basically said - it's not our jurisdiction, your out of luck.

Costa Rica is a beautiful country. I think you'll find that the majority of people are kind and love the tourism that is brought there. They are not "out to get you". Sure we were only there once, but not one person we encountered was harsh to us or seemed ot try to take advantage of us in any way. We never saw any of the scams nor did we encounter any person that we met who did. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen or that it's not a problem or that it's not getting worse - maybe it is, but I honestly don't think it's cause for a mass panic. Just maybe cause to be a bit more aware of yourself than you would be at home. Follow the guidelines given about the driving at night, both for scams and the roads themselves. Be safe and hopefully everyone will be ok.

When we were in CR in May we had 2 SUVs for 6 adults. At a stop light the smaller vehicle, with a single couple aboard, experienced the stab the tire scenerio. We weren't far from a gas station where we'd just filled up so we didn't have an experience like mcwinery's, thank heavens.

Another difference was the attitude back at Tricolor. While we waited for them to get our friends a new spare, they got as much information from us as they could. Where it happened, description of the other vehicle and the occupants, as near as we could recall the exact time. They didn't ask us to wait until the police arrived, but they had called them and intended to file a full report. Everyone in the Tricolor office said it's an increasing problem and they (Tricolor) are doing all they can to fight it.

Tourism is a huge industry now for CR. If they don't get control of this it could be a costly mistake. As a small business owner I know that for every unsatisfied customer you have, you better have at least 14 satisfied ones. That one unhappy person will tell as many, or more, people of their experience with you as all 14 of your happy customers will combined.

mcwinery is more than unhappy - and he has every right to be - I don't fault him one bit for his post. His experience was far and above the usual tire scam.

Bottom line, the Costa Rican government has to decide that any tire scam is unacceptable and crack down on the guilty parties. I know money is an issue, but it will be more of an issue if the tourist trade drops.

Fran

Fran -
Where were you when this happened? my boyfriend and I leave in 2 weeks and are driving ourselves everywhere..and were really excited to be doing so.
Now I can't help but be very worried.
We are flying into Liberia, going to Arenal, up to Cano Negro then back to Playa Grande.

Costa Rica is a fantastic country and there are probably no friendlier people on the face of the earth, but that doesn't change the fact that crime is a growing concern here, not just for tourists, but for people who live here too.

Travel requires an extra layer of vigilance, especially when coming to a place like this with a growing gap between the rich and poor. You don't have to be paranoid about it, and so suspicious of everybody that you neglect to interact with the people. (That's the real attraction of Costa Rica.) But you have to exercise caution to a greater degree than you do at home. I don't think anyone should lead you to believe otherwise.

Fran, I think you are completely right. Someone's negative experience generates far more publicity than someone's positive experience. Is that fair? Of course not. But it's human nature to listen more closely to the bad that happens, and to lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of people who visit have no problems and a wonderful time.

Many, like Shillmac, come back again and again, and for good reason. ;)

But all it takes is one bad experience, and Costa Rica loses a potential return visitor, and that person tells a dozen people about their unfortunate experience, and there go 12 potential first-time visitors. It's a ripple effect. It may be unfair to Costa Rica, but it's understandable.

ag123,

We had made a wrong turn and were lost, but somewhere in Heredia, I think. This is not far from San Jose and nowhere near where you'll be when you get in at Liberia.

We plan to go back to Costa Rica, most likely in February or March of 2009, with the couple we shared our SUV with. And, we won't hesitate to rent a vehicle and drive ourselves again. Overall our experience was wonderful.

Yes, some of the drivers are insane or have an unknown death wish, or so it seems. And the same could be said of some pedestrians. But the beauty of the country and the warmth of the vast majority of the people are what will draw us back.

You do have to use extra caution driving in CR, but for us, it was the only way to do what we wanted, the way we wanted. The posted speed limits may seem too low, by our (U. S.) standards, but they make sense when you consider the condition of the roads and the traffic (vehicular, pedestrian, and animal). Just allow plenty of time to drive from one place to another and enjoy the changing scenery as you go.

Petty theft is a problem, no doubt. But it seems to be mostly crimes of opportunity - an unattended purse or camera, a car with valuables in plain sight - which are likely to happen just about anywhere. Most of the armed robberies I've heard about from the many surfers here who go to CR over and over, occur very late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Those in daylight tend to occur in sketchy urban areas.

We never felt at all personally threatened driving or walking around once we got away from the greater San Jose area. We just used common sense with our valuables and vehicles, drove at night only in familiar or known to be safe areas, and didn't flash around our money.

Because I knew I'd be spending a lot of time on the beach, in the water, and easy hiking I left all my jewelry at home, even my wedding ring. But this is something I do on our hiking trips to the southwest here in the States and had nothing to do with CR. But any jewelry that you aren't able to wear at all times, even in the water, I'd leave home unless you know that the place you'll be staying has an excellent safe. Again, this is something I do where ever I travel.

Hope this helps you relax a bit, but if your gut instinct is telling you that you aren't going to enjoy this trip as much now if you rent a car, then maybe you shouldn't. There are many excellent drivers for hire. Tons of posts about that here.

Just remember - far more people DON'T have the negative experience of a slashed tire, much less the awful experience mcwinery had, than DO have such an experience. The odds are in your favor, especially considering your itinerary. But only you and your boyfriend know if any risk that something like this could happen is acceptable.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

Fran

We usually operate out of a "worst case scenario" mindset. I think it is helpful in many ways to be aware of what COULD happen and to take preventive measures in every way that is in our power to do so.

No doubt our many trips without incident have lulled us into being a bit too complacent, so, even for folks like us, it's a good reminder of the potential. And no, it isn't the U.S.A. When the police are virtually invisible or impotent (with regard to their impact upon criminals!!) it certainly makes it more tempting to commit the crimes. No consequences is quite an encouragement.

I'm a single woman, traveling alone for work, and I just finished driving around Costa Rica for a month in a Daihatsu Terios, the most popular rental vehicle in the country. I logged more than 5000km. Someone attempted to break into my car once, in the parking lot of a $200/night hotel near Playas del Coco, Guanacaste. They failed to get into my car (which had a book and some paperwork in the front seat), but broke the lock, which cost me $18 to have fixed. I had no other problems, unless you count the potholes and San Jose traffic. (It's worth noting that roads have improved, particularly in Guanacaste. Unfortunately, this isn't saying much).

But, I always parked in guarded parking lots or paid someone to watch the vehicle. I kept my doors locked and windows up in congested urban areas. I almost never left anything at all in the car. I tried to avoid driving at night, though I often did. I would not have stopped for a flat tire, had I gotten one. Happily, that never happened. In fact, with the exception of a few dodgy river crossings (I caught the tale end of rainy season, too), it was a lovely trip filled with positive, professional and friendly interactions with all sorts of Ticos, tourists and expats. Certainly, no one held a gun to my head and forced me to perform oral sex.

I've lived and worked in Costa Rica for a while now, and I agree that renting a car can be a pricey hassle. The ridiculously expensive mandatory insurance and taxes probably aren't noted (prominently) in your online rental car reservations - check. Besides, buses are inexpensive, safe and reasonably comfortable, while private shuttles, personal taxis and convenient internal flights can be arranged quickly and cheaply at any hotel. And, for many destinations - Tortuguero, Osa, the "road" between La Fortuna and Monteverde - a car is a useless headache.

But if you do rent a car, which is an admittedly enjoyable option, it's not like you're going into some crazed Mad Max world. This is Costa Rica, where some of the roads are still unpaved, where the capital city and some touristy beach towns have crime problems. Take precautions, because it's worth a few colones for guarded parking, it's worth a few minutes to unload your car immediately. Upgrade to a 4WD if you're planning to travel on unpaved roads. But don't stress out too much and ruin your vacation.

Well,mcwinery,you have managed to put me right off a trip to CR, with the posting of your obviously horrid experience. What a shock that must have been, poor you guys. I really feel so sorry that you had such a bad experience.

I have read all of the replies, etc. and although there were some very positive ones, I am still quite nervous about the trip I was trying to arrange for myself and my husband in Feb 08.

We originally wanted to go to Argentina, but our son persuaded us to try CR instead, which he visited a few years back and enjoyed tremendously. He is, of course, a very seasoned and adventurous traveller and younger than Mum and Dad, but still, we are not that old and very young at heart, so I started to investigate CR.

BUt, as I said earlier, I am quite worried about the driving part of the trip. I know we can get around by public transport, but it's not like having your own car, is it?? And some friends of ours, who had also visited CR recently, said that a car is a must, although it must be a 4x4.

So, I have to do some re-thinking now, unless I hear otherwise. I am also hoping to speak with my friend again and ask her more questions regarding her experiences with the driving part of their holiday.

Thanks

travelqueen, we hired private drivers through our hotels and loved that option. It made us feel very safe, and we could just sit back and enjoy the ride. You might look into it. CR is definitely worth seeing.

We were in Costa Rica in early part of December and drove all over with no problems. Three adults and two children. I read this posting before our trip and flipped out! Started researching pepper spray and other forms of protection but finally rationally calmed myself to realize that all that was needed was to be aware of our surroundings and always keep a alert eye out for any signs of possible trouble. We had the best time and never even a hint of trouble although my brother in law thought my sister and I were a little paranoid. I've also been to Argentina where they also have problems with crime and was cautioned by the Argentine family I was visiting with to be extremely careful. Once again everything was great but I was well protected there. Please don't let this posting stop you from visiting and enjoying such a beautiful country as Costa Rica. It was an unfortunate incident that really in this day could happen anywhere.

Travelqueen,

Like Tamararules, I read this post before my trip to CR last month and was quite nervous (even though I had driven there without incident in 2006).

We kept a wary eye out while we left the airport area and drove through bustling Alajuela. Once we were safely at our hotel, I never really gave it a second thought. Our driving adventures kept us out in the countryside away from the more congested areas, and aside from a pothole or two, we just didn't encounter any problems at all.

Costa Rica is a wonderful, beautiful place to visit. I've already got a few ideas for trip number 3 knocking around in my head!

I have beento Costa Rica 5 times since 05 and headed there again the end of this month.
While i have not traveled the entire country (intend to some this trip) I have rented a car and never had a problem, and intend to rent again this trip. I belive in "anything can happen" but I also believe that the proper precautions greatly narrows the odds.