Whereas making ready for our current journey to Costa Rica, a standard 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.
Visitors in Atenas
Automotive Leases and Journey Preparation
To start, you probably have a legitimate drivers license you don’t want to use for a global license. Plan to buy further, complete, insurance coverage with the rental automobile firm that covers the automobile 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 automobile firm). We strongly suggest renting a automobile with 4-wheel drive and GPS navigation in case you are not planning to have worldwide cellular phone protection. By default, most rental automobiles in Costa Rica (and different components of the world) are handbook transmission. In case you are not snug 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 path app and familiarize your self with the interface. Models of distance and pace are in kilometers and kilometers per hour, a setting that defaulted to miles and miles per hour on my telephone (it’s possible you’ll need 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 pace restrict was not noticed outdoors of metropolis limits). As an alternative of coming into a avenue deal with into Waze, enter the identify of the resort, restaurant, or attraction (we learn avenue indicators and home numbers weren’t frequent outdoors of San Jose and this held true).
Value packing (or buying forward of time) is a telephone mount for a cupholder or vent, charging cable, and a USB charger that matches right into a cigarette lighter (though our rental automobile had a USB hub we found solely after buying the cigarette lighter possibility at an area comfort retailer). If you happen to want a clear windshield for things like clear line of website, it’s possible you’ll need to spend money on wipes or deliver an previous 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. Gasoline stations are few and much between should you do need 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 highway. In case you are leaving immediately from the airport, purchase one thing small on the reward store or comfort retailer earlier than you embark in your journey as you’ll want small payments or cash to maneuver with the circulate of site visitors. On the interstate, the right-hand lane is the bus lane; busses cease and trigger the circulate of site visitors to return to a whole cease. I’m not solely positive how pedestrians arrive on the bus cease, however remember this occurs abruptly and infrequently.
Parking Lot Attendant
You gained’t want to fret about driving on the alternative aspect of the highway or shifting together with your left hand and customarily the identical site 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 resort and knew to yield to oncoming site 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 children, however stressing crossing at designated crosswalks and site visitors mild crossings appears notably necessary for households). Oftentimes the one method to cross a avenue was to attend for a break in site visitors, which appeared extra terrifying than thrilling.
Landslide and Street Closure
Landslide Detour
Within the occasion of a site visitors accident, automobiles don’t transfer out of the highway to permit autos to go (police doc the scene and direct site visitors if attainable). When parking, search for yellow paint on the aspect of the highway. Don’t park wherever with yellow paint or different indicators (like taxi or resort unloading zones). One article we learn stated your license plate might be eliminated within the occasion of a parking violation (navigating that scenario with the rental automobile 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. Usually, these autos go on the middle lane (between you and oncoming site visitors) and on the precise aspect of your automobile. If site visitors slows, count on to be handed on each 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; preserve a detailed eye in your toddlers).
Paid Parking Lot
Many articles we learn suggested us to not go away any unattended valuables within the automobile and to park in secured parking if that was an possibility. We paid a parking attendant a small tip for watching our automobile whereas we visited a well-liked vacationer cease and ate lunch. He communicated his expectation forward of time and was completely happy to gather the payment both earlier than or after our cease. Typically, we felt very protected in Costa Rica however after having my purse stolen earlier this yr in a small city in Oregon, I couldn’t fathom the stress of shedding my passport and prescription glasses in another country. In San Jose, our resort parking was gated after 6pm and the attendant and his household lived within the house above the lot (permitting 24-hour entry to our automobile ought to we want it).
Erosion on the Pan-American Freeway
If you don’t really feel snug driving at night time, don’t drive at night time in mountainous terrain in Costa Rica. On each rural (dust) roads and on the Pan-American freeway, we skilled detours attributable to landslides, harmful highway erosion, and located ourselves wedged between semi-trucks and not using a protected breaking distance. Passing lanes finish with out signage and guardrails aren’t frequent in any respect. We made the error of touring down a treacherous highway with blind switchbacks earlier than the sundown with no mobile reception and white knuckled the whole journey again up the mountain in full darkness.
Electrical Autos in Costa Rica
One actually constructive takeaway from our driving journey in Costa Rica was the prevalence of electrical automobile charging stations within the metropolis and nation (at our most distant resort the charging station was affixed to a tree). Search for the lovable blue charging station indicators (EVs aren’t as frequent because the U.S. however we did discover a handful on our weeklong journey).
Electrical Car Charging
Typically, I’m glad we reserved a rental automobile and had an adventurous highway journey in Costa Rica. Positively do extra analysis and determine if this route is the perfect 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!
Pleased Trails!
