Driving in Costa Rica (Caribbean side)?
 

My husband and I are planning a 10 day trip to Costa Rica in the fall, and we were planning on renting a car and driving along the Caribbean side. This is a map of our planned stops:

http://g.co/maps/5y63s

Basically I think we'd fly into San Jose, rent the car and then drive to La SElva biological station, then to Siquirres, and finally down Cahuita. Ive heard a lot from people who have driven on the Pacific side, but not much else. I've also heard a lot of mixed reviews about whether or not driving is a good idea. My hubby (who will be doing said driving) was born and raised in the South and spent most of his high school years off roading in the country, and now we live in NYC, where he's taken a shine to city driving. I just want to make sure we're not getting in over our heads, and know what we're getting into.

Also any suggestions of routes, and ways to break up the trip would be great!

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

mapcr.com good info have rented a lot down there driven your route first fall is quite rainy Carib side floats away every year or 2 in fall bridges wash out thousands left homeless. weather2travel.com so WINTER preferred for me. Albylodge.com
La Selva Le Chameleon or pachamamacaribe.com my favs Carib side. Carib side is a drug transship point military/police check points drug shakedowns frequently kind of a rasta vibe 20 rasta guys tried to sell me all different types of drugs when there last.servicecarrental.com mapache.com my top 2 agents.Main roads are paved fine La Selva fine go slow in town $500 speeding tickets speed limit 28 MPH in small towns
travel.state.gov scams safety info driving in San Jose is crazier then driving in NYC so I try to do little of that.

Arenal.net tabacon.com hotelvillacaletas.com manuelantoniopark.com issimosuites.com
makes a far better trip for first timers for me.Nice roads far more touristic.Find my cheapest flight on spirit.com jetblue.com aa.com

Happy Trails!

You may also want to look into stopping by the Jaguar Rescue Sanctuary outside of Puerto Viejo http://www.jaguarrescue.com/jag_site/Home.html

Am assuming you are staying somewhere in Sarapiqui and not driving there only for La Selva, right? On your return, you could return via Turrialba and stay in some of the nice places on that area for a night or two.

We just did this drive recently. The only difficult part of the drive is getting through San Jose- I'd recommend a GPS. Once you're out of there it's just a two lane road the whole way down, with just one turn off. The issue is the trucks that slow you down through the mountain roads. it's a beautiful drive, but can take much longer than expected!

You have a good plan. Do NOT drive at night. Have fun.

qwovadis - Wow thanks for all the info! Thats so helpful! I was under the impression the the Caribbean side is actually drier in the fall, since the mountains hold most of the rain over the pacific. Is that not true? My husband and I are poison dart frog hobbyists, so the Caribbean seemed like the best bet for us to see some of our favorite species in the wild. We also want to add on a trip to Bocas del Toro so we can visit Isle Bastimentos, where the frogs we raise come from. I'd love to come back and do the Pacific side too!

Tully - Ooh that rescue looks like a lot of fun! I will keep that in mind thank you! We haven't really decided what to do in Sarapiqui! Do you have any recommendations on places to stay and other things to see? I have heard good things about La Selva, and the fact that they have some paved trails was a plus for me (I have arthritis so hardcore hiking is out of my range). But outside of that I have not done enough research! I'm not sure how many days to divide up between the stops either.

Mad - Thank you! That is very encouraging! We are so excited! Do you know how long we should leave between stops? I am having a hard time gauging how much time we should leave for driving, and if we'll need to stop between places!

Arenalbotanical - Thank you! We can't wait!

We drove straight from San Jose to Puerto Viejo and I think it took us 4 hours going there, only stopping for gas, and almost 6 coming back (due to traffic and a longer lunch stop). We also went to Bocas del Toro- noticed you were going there. We took Caribe Shuttle, which worked out really well. I wrote a trip report, if you want to see if there might be useful info there for you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We had a great trip!

A nice place to stay enroute would be Casa Rio Blanco near Gaupiles. We loved it and the hosts are great and offer great travel tips.

http://www.casarioblanco.com/

In Sarapaqui there are several nice lodges. I have stayed at Selva Verde, which is about 10 minutes by taxi from La Selva. You could also look into staying right at La Selva, from what I saw the rooms are basic but nice, and you'd have those wonderful grounds right there.

Re the Jaguar Rescue, I will be visiting there in May and will reports back afterwards, but previous reports have given it great reviews.

yes, the Jaguar Rescue Center is a worthwhile visit, although I have to say we enjoyed visiting the Toucan Rescue Ranch outside of San Jose even more. You get more close contact with the sloths and it's a much more personal experience. The owner there also said she's concerned about the monkey house at the Jaguar Rescue Center, as some of her guests report being bitten there, so be careful!

Sept/Oct are some of the drier months on the Caribbean side, but of course, in the tropics it can rain any time.

You might want to check out the Sloth Rescue Center at Cahuita. Haven't been to the Jaguar Rescue, but have read good reviews.

We like staying at Selva Verde while in the Sarapiqui area - lots of frogs, birds and wildlife on the grounds.

Mad - Oh WOW!! YES! Your trip report was VERY helpful!! I have been a little nervous about how to go about the side trip to Bocas. I wasn't sure if we should book a package tour, or just try to arrange things on our own. All the package places seem to be with hotels in Bocas town. which sounds like it will be a little to "lively" for us (my hubby and I are very low key, quiet types). Can I ask what you did with your rental car while you were in Bocas? Thats another part I haven't quite figured out yet. Also, OMG I am in LOVE with your suggestion of the Toucan Rescue Ranch!! That is EXACTLY the type of place I would LOVE to start off our Costa Rica trip! I have already emailed Leslie to ask about availability! So excited!! XD

MichelleY - Thank you for your rec! I will definitely check it out!

Tully - Oh thank you for your rec! I have been debating whether or not to stay at the station, or to find an alternative nearby. Selva Verde looks amazing, I'd love to check out other option sin the area too. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the Jaguar rescue, have fun!!!

Colibri - YES! I am determined to go to the Sloth Sanctuary!! I have been dying to go there for years, so it is at the top of our list! :D

Oh good, glad that info was helpful! We left our rental car at our hotel in Puerto Viejo, which worked out perfectly, as I knew it would be secure there. You can book Caribe shuttle directly from their website I think. They'll pick you up at your hotel and bring you to Bocas Town were you can easily get a $15 water taxi to Isla Bastimentos.
If you do stay at the Toucan Rescue Ranch, take a taxi from the airport to get there and then have the rental car company deliver your car to you. It's hard to find and this will save you the San Jose driving part. Staying there will get you within a couple blocks of the highway down to the Caribbean. Leslie is amazing person. You'll love staying there, but bring ear plugs!