Gillianm

My mother and I are going to be travelling to CR in early February for 3 weeks. Are thought is to start in the Tamarindo area and end the trip in the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area.

What is the drive time from San Jose and Tamarindo and San Jose? best route?
What is the time between Tamarindo and Tambor?

We are trying to decide where to rent the car from....Do we rent a car in San Jose and drive to Tamarindo or fly to Tamarindo and then rent the car? Which does someone recommend?
We have friends that have been several times but it was in the late 90's. At that time they booked their first few nights and then winged it. We are also thinking of booking a few nighs and then winging it. I am wondering what the availabilty of hotels will be at that time. Does anyone have any thoughts?

dncee11

Gillian: The drive from SJ to Tamarindo is an all-day affair but certainly do-able. I understand the new bridge at Tempisque is a time-saver. Try to leave early and plan stops for lunch and breaks. I don't believe it will be too crowded then as long as you are not travelling around Easter week (Semana Santa). Flying to Tamarindo and then renting your car is certainly an option but more expensive, I would think. With 3 weeks you don't really need to rush. Good luck and have fun!

shillmac

Hi dnc11!

Gillianm-
Travel time about 5 hours to Tamarindo from SJO--yes, the better part of the day as dnc11 mentioned! We've done this drive several times after arriving at SJO around noon. If you start early in the day, you can be there by 1:00 and have the rest of the day available to you.

From Tamarindo to Tambor, there are 3 options. You can drive the coastal road (if you have a sturdy 4X4). This road isn't passable during the rainy months (too many rivers to cross), but could provide an adventure for you (and certainly do-able) during February.

You can also drive from Nicoya on down to Paquera (and 30 min. further to Tambor) along the eastern side of the Nicoya Peninsula. It would take you between 5 and 6 hours.

Some people go back across the Friendship Bridge (leaving the peninsula), drive south to Puntarenas, and take the ferry across to Paquera. This allows a bit of a rest while the ferry does the driving for 1.5 hr. It is actually about the same timewise as the above option. The disadvantage is you would need to coordinate your schedule with that of the ferry!

Have fun--3 weeks is great--and Feb. is not too far away!

dcmalia

You can take a Sansa or Nature Air flight from San Jose to Tamarindo that takes 45 minutes, then rent a car in Tamarindo. Based on how horrible the roads are, that would be my choice. That, or hiring someone else to drive a private shuttle so you guys can enjoy the scenery without the driving stress.

Gillianm

Thanks for your replys. We are now trying to decide whether to spend the extra $$ to rent a 4x4 or will a regualr car be fine?

shillmac

San Jose to Tamarindo, a regular sedan is fine. If you go to Tambor, I'd suggest a 4 X 4. There are more potholes down there, which you can certainly navigate with your regular vehicle. The extra clearance is nice, though!

dcmalia

I suggest a 4x4 for sure. And I'd pay extra for the extra insurance also. The roads are beyond horrible and you will be glad you did. I would also suggest that if you need an automatic, you call ahead and MAKE SURE they have one for you. We needed one and they had overlooked that and didn't have one for us, which was a problem.

shillmac

SOME of the roads have large potholes--and lots of them. Some are surprisingly good. I've been on 2 or 3 that were downright wonderful. Depends on time of year (and recent rainfall, etc). Overall, they just never have seemed that bad to me except in places.

dcmalia

To clarify - Yes, some roads are good and others are horrible. It's hard to tell whether you'll be on the good ones or bad ones tho. Here is the rundown of roads that I've had experience on, fyi:

SAN JOSE - MONTEVERDE (I rode in a passenger van): The road from San Jose toward Monteverde is very good for a couple of hours UNTIL the turnoff onto the gravel road up the hill. The last hour and a half is horrible and next to a drop-off.

MONTEVERDE (I rode in different passenger vans and taxis): The road we took around Monteverde and out of Monteverde for 1.5 hours was bad: unpaved, rocky, uncomfortable.

LA FORTUNA / ARENAL VOLCANO AREA (I rode in passenger vans and taxis): The roads in and around La Fortuna in the Arenal Volcano area were fantastic: newly paved, very smooth, nice nice nice.

LA FORTUNA - TAMARINDO (I drove):
The roads are very good in La Fortuna, then dissappear in a sudden flash of potholes and mud. The drive to Tamarindo featured numerous instances of pot-holes and gravel. There was paved road for a short while on the main highway. Then back to potholes and dirt roadways filled with rocks.

Hope that helps.