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The first group roll off the plane mouthing, “Where’s the beach?” The rest of us, clutching our Spanish phrasebook wander through the airport muttering “Dónde puedo rentar un carro?” That part is unnecessary. Agencies deliver vehicles directly to the front door of hotels and hostels. Left to my own
timid devices I’d
probably fall into
the first category
....hopping into
When a five-week road trip through Costa Rica was first proposed, I confess to expressing considerable trepidation. “That’s in Central America. Don’t banditos jump out of the jungle to kidnap tourists?” Not usually. Like any country, Canada included, Costa Rica has it’s fair share of crime but is not an inherently dangerous place. Over five weeks and 3400 kilometres there was not a single moment when I felt unsafe or threatened. And frankly, I cannot say the same for trips within North America. That doesn’t mean you can behave stupidly. I wouldn’t walk around San Jose at night and it’s always best to leave the flash jewellery at home. We were careful about where we parked the vehicle and what we left in it. We over-nighted in modest local hotels which invariably had a locked compound for guest vehicles. When we needed to leave the vehicle on the street we didn’t normally leave baggage in it. If that was necessary we looked for a secured parking lot. About $4 buys you a carefree afternoon of wandering the streets and markets. In some places, like a market in San Jose, the moment we parked on the street a fellow jumped out of the bushes with an offer to “protect” our vehicle. We gave him a dollar and told him there would be another if our vehicle was undisturbed when we returned. He earned his second dollar. For short stops we looked for a “Supermercado” or grocery store and parked at the front door. These shops always had several security guards wandering around the parking lot. Supermercado’s are also reliable locations for restrooms, always a consideration on a road trip because there are no “rest stops” as we know them. Look for “el bano” or “los servicios” to be at the front of the store off to your left or right. If it’s not there, ask a clerk, “Donde es el bano?” They will deliver the answer in a rapid-fire machine-gun style Spanish that you have no hope of grasping so ignore it. Just watch their hands. They will be pointing. Follow the hands. Works every time. Small restaurants are also a good bet although you will be expected to pay a few colones for use of the facilities – usually the equivalent of about 50 cents.
It’s not so much that you need the traction of a 4WD. If you avoid the rainy season (although on the Caribbean coast it is pretty much always the rainy season) the roads are dry and generally navigable by 2WD. What you do need however, is the clearance that 4WD offers. The quality of
the roads in Costa
Rica is erratic.
One moment they
are fine, in the
next they deteriorate
into a collection
of potholes strung
together by narrow
asphalt Ticos themselves love to joke about their roads, “How can you tell when a Costa Rican driver is drunk?” The answer: “Because he drives straight.” Guides like Lonely Planet are not much help in identifying the good versus the bad roads because by the time you are reading them the information is already several years old. The road that the guide says is “difficult” will have been graded and asphalted. The “great” road will have suffered a Richter 9 earthquake the day before you get there. Travel guides are even less help with predicting the wet river crossings because these are entirely weather dependant. When I read the procedure for ascertaining the viability of these wet crossings I was not thrilled. After all, Costa
Rica has crocodiles
doesn’t it?
The notion that
I would get out
an So he did and I watched. The water didn’t rise past mid-thigh so he declared it a safe crossing. As far as I was concerned, that still seemed a bit deep for the vehicle. What if it stalled, the river rose and it floated away? Being both the chief navigator and the chief financial officer who would have to finance payment of this vehicle if we sank it (river crossings are not covered by insurance) I grabbed a stick and punching the river bottom in front of me as I walked, plotted out a shallower route. After that I had no fears and happily bounced out of the truck to test the waters at each crossing. If your idea of a great road trip is the I5 from Bellingham to San Diego ...you’ll hate driving in Costa Rica. If, on the other hand, the prospect of wheeling a peppy little 4WD up, down and around some of the world’s most scenic and exciting goat trails gets your juices flowing ....welcome to Costa Rica.
Roads are not
only of poor quality,
but very narrow.
Up, down and around
mountains, they
follow the original
pack routes and
yes, literally,
the goat trails.
You will be sharing
even the skinniest,
bumpiest country
lane with huge
transport trucks
and fat-ass buses.
You want a narrow
little 4WD SUV
like a Diahtsu
Terios or RAV4
On narrow mountain roads truckers will put on their left turn signal to indicate it is safe to pass them. You will still have to use your own judgement, but if you’ve been sucking up diesel fumes for 20 minutes you will probably decide to trust them. Essential to understand
signs: The Interamericana
Highway runs straight
through Costa Rica
from the Nicaraguan
border in the north
to the Panamanian
border in the south.
It is generally
a good road but
as usual, be on
the lookout for
potholes because
there will be no
warning. Also be
aware that even
though it is an
international highway,
everyone uses it.
At the end of the
day there will
be farmers with
donkey carts full
of sugar cane plodding
down the highway
home. Don’t
come roaring around
a corner expecting
everyone to The Interamericana has two other challenges: radar and police roadblocks. The radar is everywhere so take the speed signs seriously. If you do get caught, suggestions that you might find it most “convenient” to pay the officer directly should be resisted. Fines are paid at banks. Roadblocks are not erected to hassle tourists. They are looking for the bad guys smuggling drugs and weapons up from Panama or down from Nicaragua. You will be asked a steady stream of questions in their machine–gun Spanish ...all of which will be more than your phrase book knowledge can handle. Answer by showing them your passport and saying “playa” which means beach. They will laugh and say “turista” at which you will laugh and say, “Si, turista.” They will wave you on your way. Where are you going to go? Geographically Costa Rica divides into five distinct areas. Over five weeks we saw quite a bit of each area. On a shorter trip you would need to pick one or two areas to focus on: Central Valley
Northern Plain North
Pacific Central Pacific South Pacific Caribbean Carolyn Usher
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one of the always
waiting turista
vans for a quick
trip to a hotel
on the beach. Fortunately,
my travel companion
always insists
on seeing everything.
In Costa Rica that
means renting a
4WD and heading
for the hills ...and
everything beyond,
from volcanos and
cloud forests to
yes, beaches.
People always
want to know if
you really need
a 4WD. Yes. Thinking
that you can save
a few bucks by
renting a car and
staying on the
tourist trail does
not guarantee good
roads. The worst
road in all of
Costa Rica has
to be the goat
trail up to the
Monteverde Cloud
Forest, one of
the most heavily
promoted tourist
attractions in
the country.
bridges.
And these are not
polite little potholes.
No, these are nuclear-bomb-sized
craters that swallow
Toyota Echoes whole
for lunch. So don’t
even think about
cheaping out and
renting the economy
compact. The roads
will tear out the
undercarriage and
chew up the tires.
d wade across
the river first
to see if it was
too deep for the
truck had my stomach
in knots. So much
so I had Steve
do it first. “You’re
a better swimmer,” was
my rationale. 
...nothing bigger.
Trust me on this.
be
doing 100 kph.
rbacks
laying their
eggs in the sand.
Pray for a dark,
moonless night.
That’s
what the Big
Mamas like.
osta Rican
paradise
you dreamed about.
Peninsula de
Osa is
home to Corcovado
National
Park, the most
isolated and
beautiful in
the country.
The park boasts
over 400 species
of birds including
the spectacular
Scarlet Macaw.
The Isla del
Caño is
just 15 km offshore
and a magnet
for divers.