We work with several excellent rental car agencies, and our Travel Consultants can provide more information to you about car rental options for your travels. Overall, renting a car in Costa Rica can add a degree of freedom and adventure to your trip that you would not experience otherwise; however, precautions must be taken to avoid any mis-haps.

Car Rental Tips:

If you do any driving in Costa Rica, you will almost certainly do some traveling on the Pan-American Highway. This is the main artery of Costa Rican travel and is heavily used. The road is windy and somewhat dangerous driving in parts. However, the main highways are constantly improving in quality, and in general are not unpleasant to drive. The roads to the more popular beaches are fairly well kept, but there are potholes that you would not expect in your home country.

The biggest problem with driving in Costa Rica isn't the roads. It's the slow-moving vehicles (mostly trucks) that cause delays and the dangerous passes that frustrated drivers make in attempt to overtake them. You will probably have to make a few passes on double yellow lines if you rent a car and want to get anywhere fast, but use caution and drive VERY defensively. As there are few traffic cops in Costa Rica, drivers tend to be a little aggressive in their maneuvers. Roads to more remote locations (Osa Peninsula, Dominical, Monteverde) are in very poor shape and require a very sturdy 4x4.

Driving times can vary greatly depending on traffic and road conditions. The drives to Jaco, Quepos, Tamarindo, and Playas del Coco are, in our opinion, among the most pleasant and easiest to manage.

If renting a car in Costa Rica, make sure you've allowed yourself plenty of travel time between destinations. The mileage can be misleading when planning short trips, road signs are few and far between, and driving at night is not a good idea. Bear in mind that you will probably average speeds of 70 to 80km per hour on highways and 40 to 50 on back roads. Also, please be advised of the risk of leaving unattended luggage or valuables in your rental car.