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Just curious…has anyone had experience making this trip? I know a couple of people who have done it recently but have also heard that passing through El Salvador and Guatemala can be quite bad.
Yes, I am currently checking out the rout to CR from Minnesota.
My wife and I are thinking about driving our SUV down and shipping the other car.
When we make the trip the first thing that I will do is give the RSO in the embassy’s a heads up where and when we will be traveling thru.Did you see:
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=D985B4DD-24E8-5ED2-F1CA16A7DBCB6D50
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=D7DE2F15-24E8-5ED2-F18EE0466A96A7D2
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=B63DA8CC-24E8-5ED2-F1DA2171549BE46C
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?messageid=B662261B-24E8-5ED2-F11EFA84BE75C7F6#B662261B-24E8-5ED2-F11EFA84BE75C7F6
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?messageid=B6620861-24E8-5ED2-F16C836D795C819B#B6620861-24E8-5ED2-F16C836D795C819B
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?messageid=B6598E37-24E8-5ED2-F1CE33D8F940F9BC#B6598E37-24E8-5ED2-F1CE33D8F940F9BC
https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?messageid=B653B42B-24E8-5ED2-F130B5B5D41A9599#B653B42B-24E8-5ED2-F130B5B5D41A9599
http://drivemeloco.com/yes it is dueable,my husband and I just returned to Texas after two months in CR, we left and traveled thru Brownsville to Matamores, traveled the toll roads thru Mexico,Guatamala,ElSalvador,Honduras,Nicaragua,and then CR The only thing I can tell you is that be prepared to pay or wait,indefinitly. The border as soon as you leave the US and Mexico are all the same. Pay Pay Pay,the guides scrathing at your window to take you thru with out any problem!!!!30 minutes and your finished they tell you. You pay at least $100. That is if you don”t want to be stuck there for 4 or 5 hours. Don’;t believe anything they promise and don,t let them take your licence and passport with out going with them, they will object but go anyway!!! We traveled with a full SUV of household items worth more then the trip expense so we broke even, the toll rode thru Mexico are great but get a map book at the border so you don,T get lost. The toll roads are also hard to find,signs are poor and the people just don,t know. You can pay with a credit card but you have to use the truck lane, they are also expensive but worth every penny. It took us three day to go thru Mexico but we didn’t get started until about 9 am each morning and stopped after or about dark. We had know problems in any place that we stopped and met the nicest people also the way. ElSalvador was great! Got lose there and stopped at night in San Salvadora for directions and a place to stay and was treated great with a guide from the Shell gas staion to a safe hotel that treated us lovely. In Hondoras people treated us the same,Guatamala the same,Nicaragua the same. We got lost about 250 mile the whole trip,asked the police in every place for direction they helped. Just beware at the Mexico Guatamala border for the scam!!! The Mexican border was the worse. also the border at CR pena Blancas is closed until 7am, so we slept in the car until it opened. Know different there the only place we didn,t pay was at the ElSalvador border, we adked directions along the way of everyone and they helped as they could, would I do it again?? You bet, the worst thing about driving is that if you leave your car in CR you have to pay importation tax,for us that is about $4,700.00us,but that is still better then buying a wrecked fixed car there. We live in San Luis de Tilaran which is lovely,have a lake view and the climate and wind are wonderful,except in JAN,FEB< when it blows about 50 miles per,but coming from Hot TExas,it,s ok. Any questions I,ll answer, I couldn,t find any resent info, any place before we left
GL can you give us some more information on the hotels that you picked and the route that you took?
Also how was the experience pulling a trailer there?
“ticorealtor”
We did not pull a trailer just us and the suv,packed tight never once did they ask us to take anything out. Matamoras To Tuxpam down to Tuxtala never had a reservation any place
Holiday Inn, $125. Howard Johnson aboout the same. Look http://www.paisano.gobmx or http://www.sctgob.mx for all information. I don,t know where you are coming from the consulate Mexico has a great handbook that tell alot. Also you can get your permits and visa at the consult or at the border best to get insurance to go thru Mexico. Cost 19 bucks for 3 or 4 days. Go on line and get Guia Roji 2010 it also has Guatemala in it. about $20. excellant for all your road needs it tells all toll roads,costs gas,available ect. never had a problem using a card card at all and cell phone worked until the end of Mexico. Head towards Guatamala City but don’t go into it go around it look at the map, haed towardsSanta Ana,your in El Salvador already!!!! On to Honduras, Nicatagua and CR. Get good maps go to Barnes and Nobles, I got maps for Nica, and Honduras on the road. Bring stuff to drink in the car and don,t buy anthing at the borders, all borders are called Frontiers so if asking directions use Frontier. Expect to pay along the way. I never found anything current about anyone who made the trip and one guy from CR who made it, was just matter of fact about inf. Nica. has hotels called car hotels, secure garages that you lock and a hotel room separate but attacted. They are all over. We did not stay at any. Hope this gives you a little insite into all.A close friend of mine drove an RV from Canada to Costa Rica. He claims that it was a wonderful experience. Only problem is that he can’t afford the taxes on his RV, so he only drives after 4am and before 7am. Good thing it takes about 3 hours to get anywhere in CR by car.
Surely it’s only a matter of time before he’s caught?
And with the new traffic laws, his fine could be SUBSTANTIAL…
Scott
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