Transportation Around Costa Rica
 

We are flying into San jose and leaving directly for Tabacon. We'll be in Tabacon for 2 nights. We then head to Tamarindo(Capitan Suizo) for 3 nights. Then to Manuel Antonio(Makanda) for 3 nights. We are wondering if we are going to waste a lot of time driving oursleves? We don't mind really how we go from place to place, but want to know what's the most effective way of transportation. Also, is there an extra charge for most car rental agencies if you are only 24? Thanks!

We found car rental in Costa Rica to be expensive. All of the 'optional' insurance here in the states is required there. So, our small 4-wheel drive vehicle ended up being over $600.00 for eight days. I don't know about the age thing, unfortunately, I'm well over 24....<BR><BR>We considered the driving part of the 'adventure' of the trip. Some of the roads were awful (Tilaran to Monte Verde is forever etched in my mind). The distances look short, but even when the roads are in good condition there are lots of curves and hills. And animals on the roads. Like herds of cattle. So, it's slow going.<BR><BR>There is reliable domestic bus service. Also several private bus companies, Interbus is the name I see most often. The 'regular' buses are really cheap, probably around $8.00 from Tabacon to Tamarindo. I'm guessing Interbus would be about $25.00 between the same cities.<BR>

We found a 4 wheel drive small jeep for $60/day from thrifty - call their international line and see what you can find - if you drive carefully, you should be ok and it's so much more convenient. Even w/insurance, there's a $1000 deductible so try to use a credit card w/collision/dammage coverage :)!

For your itinerary, either renting a car of going by bus are your options. Flying on either of the two small airlines (Sansa or NatureAir) is convenient and quicker, but you are limited to flying to/from San Jose. They used to fly from San Jose up to La Fortuna (town closest to Tabacon), but that no longer is the case. Guessing that proximity to Arenal Volcano has made those commercial flights unsafe. If you do opt for rental car, I'd suggest you look into one of the companies that has offices in Quepos (I know Alamo does; think I also saw signs for Budget & Thrifty) --- by using one of these, then once you finish you Manuel Antonio visit, you could turn in the rent car there and then fly back to San Jose (one-way flight that I took on Thursday cost $45).<BR><BR>Driving in CR is quite an adventure. Many of the roads are riddled with potholes. Signs are few and far between --- primary way to navigate is from town to town --- if you've reached San Ramon then you know you're heading in right direction to Tabacon. And speaking of which, you will find driving directions on the Tabacon website which is what we followed --- you will note those directions never reference a route number or a north/east/west/south orientation. This was my second trip to CR in less than a year --- I love the country and its' people. Have a great time!<BR>

Sarah: I traveled this past June for 3 weeks to Fortuna, Santa Elena, Montezuma, Manuel Antonio, and back to Alajuela and never once rented a car. I highly recommend Interbus (www.costaricapass.com). I understand that Grayline is also recommended, although we didn't use them. Although it's not for everyone, we used public buses twice to travel long distances and had great experiences both times. A rental car does make it easier to get around once you're at your destination, but weighing that against dealing with horrible roads, no signs, wrong turns, etc, I'm glad we didn't. We also found it very easy to get around by taxi and bus at our various destinations.