Whereas making ready for our latest journey to Costa Rica, a typical theme emerged from the assorted journey documentaries, weblog posts, and guidebooks we watched and browse—driving within the land of Pura Vida is a little more difficult than the U.S.
Site visitors in Atenas
Automobile Leases and Journey Preparation
To start, if in case you have a sound drivers license you don’t want to use for a world license. Plan to buy further, complete, insurance coverage with the rental automotive firm that covers the car and drivers within the occasion of an accident (we bought journey insurance coverage with our flights and nonetheless opted for the secondary protection with the rental automotive firm). We strongly suggest renting a car with 4-wheel drive and GPS navigation if you’re not planning to have worldwide cellular phone protection. By default, most rental vehicles in Costa Rica (and different components of the world) are guide transmission. If you’re not comfy driving a stick, pay an up-charge for automated transmission. You’ll see why in a bit.
Toll Cease
Earlier than you go, obtain the Waze crowdsource driving course app and familiarize your self with the interface. Models of distance and velocity are in kilometers and kilometers per hour, a setting that defaulted to miles and miles per hour on my cellphone (you could wish to change that setting; for us it wasn’t an enormous deal as we have been principally utilizing Waze for instructions and it appeared just like the velocity restrict was not noticed exterior of metropolis limits). As an alternative of getting into a road deal with into Waze, enter the identify of the lodge, restaurant, or attraction (we learn road indicators and home numbers weren’t frequent exterior of San Jose and this held true).
Value packing (or buying forward of time) is a cellphone mount for a cupholder or vent, charging cable, and a USB charger that matches right into a cigarette lighter (though our rental automotive had a USB hub we found solely after buying the cigarette lighter choice at a neighborhood comfort retailer). In the event you want a clear windshield for things like clear line of web site, you could wish to put money into wipes or deliver an outdated rag. A large parrot, I assume, pooped over the passenger aspect entrance window someplace within the rainforest and I loved a number of hours of obstructed imaginative and prescient. Fuel stations are few and much between when you do wish to cease and clear your windshield.
One Lane Bridge
Earlier than You Drive
Waze gave us completely different choices for instructions, gradual and quick and indicated when the quick route was on a toll street. If you’re leaving instantly from the airport, purchase one thing small on the present store or comfort retailer earlier than you embark in your journey as you’ll want small payments or cash to maneuver with the circulation of visitors. On the interstate, the right-hand lane is the bus lane; busses cease and trigger the circulation of visitors to come back to a whole cease. I’m not totally positive how pedestrians arrive on the bus cease, however bear in mind this occurs abruptly and infrequently.
Parking Lot Attendant
You received’t want to fret about driving on the other aspect of the street or shifting together with your left hand and usually the identical visitors guidelines with a couple of exceptions. We arrived at night time have been glad we had learn this extraordinarily useful weblog submit beforehand as we encountered a single-lane bridge on the way in which to our first lodge and knew to yield to oncoming visitors (whoever arrives on the bridge first has the right-of-way).
Being Tailgated on the Pan-American Freeway
Security Considerations
One other key distinction between the U.S. and Costa Rica is that autos don’t yield to pedestrians or bicycles (we didn’t journey with youngsters, however stressing crossing at designated crosswalks and visitors mild crossings appears notably vital for households). Oftentimes the one option to cross a road was to attend for a break in visitors, which appeared extra terrifying than thrilling.
Landslide and Street Closure
Landslide Detour
Within the occasion of a visitors accident, vehicles don’t transfer out of the street to permit autos to move (police doc the scene and direct visitors if potential). When parking, search for yellow paint on the aspect of the street. Don’t park wherever with yellow paint or different indicators (like taxi or lodge unloading zones). One article we learn stated your license plate might be eliminated within the occasion of a parking violation (navigating that state of affairs with the rental automotive firm sounds depressing).
Taxi Parking and Yellow No-Parking Zones
With reference to terrifying and thrilling, be aware that bikes and mopeds are extraordinarily frequent on metropolis roads and on the freeway. Typically, these autos move on the middle lane (between you and oncoming visitors) and on the precise aspect of your automotive. If visitors slows, anticipate to be handed on either side with out warning. Busses and tour busses are additionally frequent and journey at amazingly quick speeds within the nation and metropolis (particularly within the metropolis; maintain an in depth eye in your toddlers).
Paid Parking Lot
Many articles we learn suggested us to not go away any unattended valuables within the automotive and to park in secured parking if that was an choice. We paid a parking attendant a small tip for watching our car whereas we visited a well-liked vacationer cease and ate lunch. He communicated his expectation forward of time and was pleased to gather the payment both earlier than or after our cease. Generally, we felt very protected in Costa Rica however after having my purse stolen earlier this 12 months in a small city in Oregon, I couldn’t fathom the stress of dropping my passport and prescription glasses out of the country. In San Jose, our lodge parking was gated after 6pm and the attendant and his household lived within the house above the lot (permitting 24-hour entry to our car ought to we want it).
Erosion on the Pan-American Freeway
If you don’t really feel comfy driving at night time, don’t drive at night time in mountainous terrain in Costa Rica. On each rural (grime) roads and on the Pan-American freeway, we skilled detours attributable to landslides, harmful street erosion, and located ourselves wedged between semi-trucks with no protected breaking distance. Passing lanes finish with out signage and guardrails usually are not frequent in any respect. We made the error of touring down a treacherous street with blind switchbacks earlier than the sundown with no mobile reception and white knuckled the complete journey again up the mountain in full darkness.
Electrical Autos in Costa Rica
One actually optimistic takeaway from our driving journey in Costa Rica was the prevalence of electrical car charging stations within the metropolis and nation (at our most distant lodge the charging station was affixed to a tree). Search for the cute blue charging station indicators (EVs aren’t as frequent because the U.S. however we did discover a handful on our weeklong journey).
Electrical Automobile Charging
Generally, I’m glad we reserved a rental automotive and had an adventurous street journey in Costa Rica. Positively do extra analysis and resolve if this route is the most effective for you and your loved ones. Search for extra journey tips about what to do and the place to go to and keep in Costa Rica quickly!
Completely happy Trails!
