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Hello, I will be arriving to SJO shorlty with the intention exploring Costa Rica for 15 days 🙂
I plan to visit Jaco, San Antonio & the Guanacasta area’s & I was wondering how bad are the roads? Can you get around Costa Rica in a normal midsize car or is an SUV a true necessity?
Thank you for your help!
JeffreyDimukee,
I have been to Costa Rica X5 and always rented a sedan. My take is that so long as you are sticking to the main roads, an SUV is not necessary. And when it is, it is because of the high clearance, not because you need 4WD. Unless you are really going way off the beaten path, you do not need an SUV, especially if it is the dry season.I have to agree with Hummer, altho I have rented a 4WD at times, I have been all over the country, crossing rivers(in spite of what the contract says), climbing mountains paths, etc., in an economy car. Many times I ended up in situations where a 4WD would have been preferable, however, if you are staying on the main roads, you should have no problem without one
Buena suerteA 4×4 certainly makes it a bit easier at times, the road into Nosara is no picnic as well as the roads around Mal Pais. If the extra cost is not a big deal go 4×4, we do get off the beaten path on our trips. But we do take a yaris when we want to save some money and it is a significant savings.
If you are renting a vehicle, you can get by with a small sedan because you can’t hurt a rental. Right? It is one more reason never to buy a car that has been driven on these roads.
When we first came to CR we rented whatever was cheaper, but soon grew tired of flat tires and lost mufflers. We started to rent small suvs and found the drive much more pleasant. Not that you needed 4X4 but the additional size of the tires and the additional suspension made it more comfortable. The potholes can be sharp and the small sedan tires often wound up with bent rims and flat tires.That said, I drive a Honda van and have no trouble getting around. Just drive more carefully and you will do OK.
Alberto
All the foregoing advice is good. You can travel almost any road in Costa Rica in a sedan. The worst paved roads may have deep holes, but no matter what you’re driving you’re going to take it very slowly.
We have a 4×4 SUV which I like for the carrying capacity, but we rarely engage even four-wheel high range.
Be very careful when renting that an accurate written record is made of every scratch, dent and rubbed spot. And be sure that the spare tire, jack and wrench are onboard. The rental places will charge you exorbitantly for any damage you do or any missing equipment, so be very careful.
I personally would recommend a 4×4.
A couple years ago we were down, and we were headed to La Fortuna. About 1/2 hour out, there was a landslide that blocked the road. They were clearing it, but the backhoe broke down.
So it was go back and stay somewhere else, or go around. The locals in the 4wd Toyota vans (w/ the snorkels on them) were going around. They said we could follow (in our Terios). If we tried it in a Sedan, we’d still be there. There would be no possible way to make it in a non-4wd. It was technically a road, but more like rock climbing w/ a bit of mudding thrown in.
I personally loved the experience. I couldnt have done it w/out my 4wd.I would never rent anything other than a 4WD anywhere outside of the Central Valley having traveled 3,000 km of CR roads in the last three years. You cant go wrong with an SUV and they are competitvely priced with sedan in a relative way (150%+ of US rental costs).
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