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Planning a camping trip to Costa Rica this winter. We have a Ford F350 4X4 with a slide-on camper. The truck is diesel. Has anyone had any experience with this type of trip? We also have a dog with us. Thanks for any thoughts or experiences. Wayne in Massachusetts
Apart from your own travel documentation, you would need meet all the safety requirements of all the countries you pass through to take your dog with you.
If that’s not complicated enough, the documentation that you will have to complete to return to the USA with a live animal that has passed through all of those third world countries – with tropical diseases that you have never heard of – will be even more problematical.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com. . . and you will face each of those problems at each border crossing. Each country will have its own set of requirements.
And what gets you into Mexico from the U.S., for instance, isn’t necessarily what will get you back into the U.S. from Mexico (and so on).
Edited on Sep 08, 2006 17:05
The trials and tribulations you encounter along the way will bring you to such great depths of frustration, desperation and depression that you will no doubt experience a religious awakening.
Wayne and Family
I love your adventurous spirit. You are an envy of many people that have not expressed their feelings. Some of the others rant in the wrong direction.
Make the trip… Have fun… Enjoy every countries you encounter… Eat the different foods in each state and country. Prepare for the best and most exhilirating experience in your life, one that I would like to make.
If you have a laptop, write of your experiences in a story of the road and send it to Scott Oliver. I would bet he would post your story for all to enjoy.
Then and only then, you will answer the question that has been asked over and over, again…
Enjoy a lifetime experience.
Cheers
Bill MaesI have met a few people who have done the trip. Two guys who stayed in our hotel and whom I became friends with made the trip from L.A. in a diesel suburban. They enjoyed it, but they were two young surfers just out of college. Border crossings were frustrating at times but eventually you get through. Cops will pull you over and ask for you to “pay” your ticket in cash. They often traded porn in these circumstances something another who made the trip said worked quite well. They also said this got them back on the road fairly quickly.(Sorry if you find this offensive, just what I was told). They did meet up with a group that was robbed at gun point in lower Mexico and one was pistol whipped and had his nose broken. They said Mexico had some of the most dangerous stretches on the trip. Often they would link up with others making the trip and ride caravan style. They basically said that it wasn’t so bad.
Wayne,
Are you or someone in your group a fluent spanish speaker? Make absolutely for sure that you do not have a firearm or even one round of ammunition. Make sure that everyone in the group understands the danger involved. HAVE A GREAT TIME!!! It will surely be one of the great experiences of a lifetime. We look forward to hearing all about it… Jerry
Thanks for your input. I am aware of no firearms or ammo, but what about pepper spray and similar devices? Thanks again, Wayne
I, too, admire your adventurous spirit. As a matter of fact, I used to have one myself, but then I got married and had kids, and life as I knew it ceased to exist. Sorry to splash cold water on your idea.
On a serious note, I have made the trip. If you speak Spanish, it will be a lot easier. You must have patience at the border crossings, and be prepared to stay the night should they close. Bringing things to give to the border guards should they indicate an interest is definitely a good idea. Tools is another good idea.
It’s the dog that puts the plan over the top. Unless you can obtain and satisfy all the requirements for bringing animals into the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica prior to making the trip, you’d be crossing the line from adventurous to foolish.
Edited on Sep 10, 2006 06:59
There is a single woman on another board who drove by herself to Costa Rica from California. She had a big dog. if I remember correctly, some border crossings didn’t even care about the dog, and barely checked the paperwork. Mexicans typically don’t like big dogs, so if you are traveling with a Rottweiler or a Doberman, it’s probably to your advantage. I think your bigger headache is going to be coming back and crossing the border into the US after the dog has been in all those other countries. Make sure you check with Customs to see what will be required to bring your dog back.
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