Once you are in Monteverde/Santa Elena is it easy to get around without a car?

We will be staying at the Cloude Forest Lodge (which is where the Original Canopy Tour is located) the last week of December. From the maps, it seems like this hotel is out of the way.

Is it convenient to use taxis or will we spend most of our time waiting on them at the hotel?

Also once you are in Santa Elena can you walk around the town to different shops,etc or is everything more spread out?

Monteverde is not the huge area. Most is in walking distance or a few km with taxi. Normally a lot of taxis wait in Santa Elena. I don´t know how the situation is on holy week.
Saludos
costaklaus www.costaricaweb.<font color=red>de</font>

We walked and used taxis. Never took more than 5 minutes for a taxi to get to us. This was in January 2004.

Driving in Santa Elena is difficult -- dirt roads with huge potholes. Possible but probably very different than what you are accustomed. It's a very small village so easy to walk to most sites.

Thanks everyone.

So you think we will still have a good time even if we don't rent a car?

We will also be going to Arenal and Playa Hermosa (not the one near Jaco).

I do not think it is ever necessary to have a rental car anywhere in Costa Rica. Remember, most Costa Ricans do not own automobiles and yet they travel everywhere in the country. Public buses go literally everywhere and inexpensive taxis can be found with ease in even the smallest of towns.

Of course, many people cannot imagine not having the &quot;independence&quot; of driving their own automobiles. But we are talking about a foreign country here, where secure parking is at a premium, gasoline is very expensive, robbery of rental cars is rampant, potholes cover mountainous roads, which are mainly unmarked by directional signs, and driving is charitably described as chaotic, where traffic signals and signs are viewed as &quot;suggestions.&quot;

Costa Rica is actually quite advanced in having developed ways for tourists to get around their country. Only the truly &quot;auto-addicted&quot; will find that a car is necessary, much less fun to be responsible for during what is a supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

One man's opinion (a man who actually lives in Costa Rica, by the way).