Our June trip will take us from San Jose to Arenal, then MA and back to San Jose. We plan on dropping off the car when we arrive back in San Jose (where we'll stay for a couple days to do rafting) and taking a cab to the airport when we head home. Should we arrange for a GPS (sometimes we like to check out areas off the beaten path) or will a decent road map suffice?

GPS is desirable if going off the beaten path...

otherwise www.mapcr.com good map will usually suffice.

Well, we thought a GPS was invaluable - even if not going off the beaten path!

We've done the drive both with and without a GPS. For us, personally, we found the GPS to be a waste of money in CR. While I love my GPS at home, it couldn't compare to a decent road map in CR. However, I know a lot of people here seem to really love the GPS, so we may be the exception. What we found was that using the map as compared to the GPS, the GPS would try to take us in directions that were so far out of where we knew we wanted to go. It also didn't have several of the locations we wanted to go programmed into it, so we couldn't use it for some of our destinations. We ended up just leaving it in the glove box for the second half of our trip.

For us, personally, we did better just using the map and the directions we had to get from one hotel to the next. If we go back, I wouldn't spend the money on the GPS.

I should add that I didn't mean to imply that I'd rely only on GPS. They can be quirky at times. I would agree absolutely with ShellD that there's no substitute for a really good map - especially in CR. We got an excellent one at one of our local bookstores and also from the rental car company.

Thanks for the input. Maybe a map is a bit more reliable - we should be able to find our way without the GPS. We'll follow the advice about getting to our destinations before dark (always makes me chuckle - sounds like the we're avoiding Dracula!). Our quote from Tricolor is for a Nissan with "full extras" - not sure if that means a GPS is included but, if so, it'll be a bonus to our maps.

I just saw this posting on T/A and couldn't resist after reading the above posts on the quirkiness of GPS in Costa Rica. LOL!!

Posted on: 9:47 am, May 06, 2009
The interesting and peculiar results of GPS in Costa Rica . . .

This weekend a guest heading to friends of ours in Arenal reported to them the following tale which I can't yet verify. They decided to drive to La Fortuna/Arenal using the road that no longer exists to Cinchona and San Miguel around the back of Poas Volcano from Alajuela and the international airport. This was one of our favorite routes to Arenal before the 6.2 earthquake of Jan 8th sent the road and Cinchona and many neighboring houses sliding down the volcanic slopes.

The reason these intrepid guests chose to use a road that no longer existed was simply the blind faith that they have adopted with regards to GPS . . . "if it exists on GPS it must be". Of course in this case the reality was "not yet".

The guests did not know about the earthquake and the workers on the road trying to reconstruct the mess just kept waving them through as they diligently followed the instructions on the GPS "turn right towards Poasito in 100 meters etc etc".

The road got worse and worse but the GPS kept encouraging them . . . "Turn left towards Varablanca." The road crews with their big diggers watched and waved as Ticos always do to unsuspecting gringos and the guests continued with complete faith in their electronics and the soothing voice of Ms. GPS "Continue past the La Paz Gardens".

About 5 hours later the guests 4WD emerged baffled and worried in La Fortuna explaining to our friends that they had heard about Costa Rican roads but had not expected it would take a tractor to get them out and going again near Cinchona.

As far as I know there is no road at Cinchona and even with a 4WD you can't get through (unless you use a GPS?). But these folk swear they made it.

Anyone else tried it?
Berni
Alajuela

Hi, I'll go with ShellD. I have gone EVERYWHERE in Costa Rica and never needed a GPS. The nice thing about Costa Rica, it's a small enough country to not have many roads. With that said, the locations you're going to are very popular places and there are signs everywhere to lead you to them.

Don't worry. Plus, if you get sidetracked, just ask anyone and they'll point you where you need to go!

Hope this helps,
Marina K. Villatoro
http://travelexperta.com