which route?

[jpm1690]

I am looking for the best route, timewise and safety to Dominical from SJ. Thanks.

[Andrew]

PLEASE BUY A MAP – This is a Discussion Forum!

[grb1063]

The safest route is to fly Nature Air from the Pavas airport.

[jpm1690]

Ouch! My apologies, I’ve seen all sorts of questions asked here, didn’t realize this one was out of line. We’ve rented a house south of Dominical and will be driving from San Jose and have been given conflicting reports on which road we should take to get there. The home owner believes that the road thru San Isidro may have wash-outs this time of year and not the best choice even though it seems the more direct route when looking at a map.

[costaricafinca]

Yes, expect wash outs and road closures!
Sorry, don’t know much about the area to divert you to safer routes, though.

[jpm1690]

Thank you costaricafina, I appreciate the information as this helps which route we will take.

[grb1063]

Dangerous and highest road in the country with numerous switch backs to get to San Isidro. The only other option is through Orotina, Tacoles, Jaco, Parrita and Quepos to Dominical parallel to the coast. There is a newly improved road between Quepos/Manuel Antonio and Dominical, but bring a good map (NatGeo Adventure Map is very good) and travel during daylight. Be prepared to fjord some rivers = 4WD.

[anneliseped]

I think this is worth discussing. I happen to like driving both on North American Highways and on Costa Rican roads. If you are easily frightened by BIG trucks on narrow roads it will be a scary adventure. If you are in a hurry take the highway past the airport, through Atenas, Orotina, Jaco and south along the Ocean. It will still take the most of a day to do the trip, but you will enjoy it more if you spend 2-3 days and stop to enjoy the scenery and the sunset.
Alternately, you can go through Ciudad Colon and Santiago de Puriscal and come out over the mountains near Parita south of Jaco. The road is used by inter city busses, to Quepos, so is ‘well’ maintained. That is shorter in distance but also a day’s drive allowing time for a rest at a mountain soda for refreshments.
Through Cartago, San Isidro to Dominical is most likely the shortest distance. I would take 2 days to enjoy the special flora and fauna that exists here along with the mountain views.
Safety is usually up to the driver, rent a solid 4w drive, drive defensively, start early in the morning to get the best light, go slow and expect everyone else to be in a hurry and talking on the ‘phone while eating lunch.

As mentioned by others, if speed and safety are your needs, then fly Nature Air and rent a car at the other end.

Enjoy,
AnneLise. P.S. Do buy a map!

[surfer02025]

I agree it worth discussing because I think some of these responses are inaccurate. I (your basic 50-ish gringa) drive between Dominical and San Jose almost every month, usually by myself. I’m a little surprised at the alarming descriptions of these two lovely drives. It is about 4 hours by either route, not an all day affair at all.

These are major, highly traveled routes–not the road to Timbuktu. The mountain route has fewer trucks now that the coastal road has been improved. It is best driven early in the day because clouds do build up in the afternoon and visibility suffers. If you are worried about passing trucks, don’t pass. I tend to find a bus that is maintaining a good pace and let it lead my way. The bus drivers know when its safe to pass, when its wise to slow down. The landscape is dramatic. Plenty of good places to stop along the way. The coastal route is very easy nowadays, with just a few km still unpaved down by Hatillo. The bridges have all been rebuilt. Taking a puddlejumper is always a possibility, but you can be perfectly safe on either of the driving routes. This has been a dry year and there have been no significant closures on either route this year.

Here is a link to the transito site where you can check current road conditions: http://www.transito.go.cr/estadorutas/index.html

Good luck.

[jpm1690]

Thanks annelise, we do have maps so not a problem there. Just didn’t know what mother nature might have in store for us this time of year. We live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mtns. so we know that the passes can be difficult in winter time. We are just unfamiliar with road conditions at this time of year. Thanks for your help.

J&P

[jpm1690]

Thank you Surfer, appreciate your thoughts. Seeing as we need to make this trek twice, once coming and once going, maybe taking the costal route first and then going back through San Isidro on the way home might work for us. If this trip was during the dry season I don’t think I would be worried at all. Thanks again!
J&P

[DENISE]

that’s harsh!
if i was in a group at a coffee shop and asked this question, i think a discussion would arise

[Andrew@CR]

Hey JPM, I thought your question was perfectly acceptable–geez! I also have flown Nature Air from San Jose to Dominical. They are quite good and I’ve had no problems with them. The only thing to consider is your timing. If you are flying into the international airport (SJO), and want to connect to fly to Dominical right away, note that Nature Air is at another airport–the domestic one–in Pavas so you’ll need to catch a taxi to get over there–it’ll take around 20 minutes I believe. TACA Regional flies out of SJO so if you are coming in from overseas, you can catch one their flights from there.

[dkt2u]

My wife made the drive all the way to Panama last month and she said only the last 5km between Quepos and Dominical were not paved yet. A friend who went a couple of weeks ago said even that is completed now. So that makes the drive fairly easy even in the rainy season.

[Author]

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