It is typical for Costa Rica that you discover this country on you. You can see rentle cars all around and you find there many societies which rent cars. The jeep we had while our trip we booked already at home.
This proved to be a good decision because all financial things were put in order and we didn’t have to deposit an extra bail. At the handing over I had to present passport, credit card and also the international driving licence. Not to forget: the voucher!
At the check of the car it’s advised to care about the tyres because there can miss one or another screw, as we heard from other travellers. The question where jack and torque key are stowed is important? Ours was under the driver seat. With good reasons. Unfortunately there happen hitches at odd times namely, which can be hardly explained. Until a helpful person appears.
Of course he knows how the tyre must be replaced and the jack works, but he has just one thing in mind: to get some luggage. That’s the reason, why the boot and all doors have to be closed all the time. You don’t leave the car with luggage without supervision.
Driving in Costa Rica is astonishingly easy. Lots of streets are in a good to very good condition and are driven on less. It could be that there is driving a car in front of you with no working braking lamps. However it happens rarely. For the single stages through the country we got a detailed route description.
Thereby we just got lost between Tilaran and Monteverde. Unfortunately the direction signs are missing sometimes or they corroded. In case of doubt it’s advisable to look back after crossroads. From the other side the signs were in good repair. Generally the roads in the mountains around Monteverde are worst. We got a little foretaste at the access road of the lodge Arenal Oasis, a “Dirty-Road”, that just consists of rough stones and holes. However the journey to Santa Elena is much worse than from Monteverde to Las Juntas.
Considerably wider and with more traffic, we imagined the Highway Pan-American. If you travel in the morning, you’ll rarely meet a truck because they are often still loaded up. Apropos trucks, if one rear-ends, you should let him pass by. The drivers are so much pressed for time that they even overtake at the most unsuited points.
And then there was Quepos as well... hate this place. On the one hand because the drains of the roads are almost invisible, in return they’re up to one meter deep and completely unsecured (the right front wheel suddenly cracked into one on the journey to Manuel Antonio) and on the other hand because the day before a truck crashed into my backlight at the filling station while moving backwards.
Fortunately, however, there is on site a representation of the Nation-wide coach Rental that has looked after us and the jeep. In addition, it is advisable to go by an all-wheel carriage through the land – so you you can also escape yourself from a hole.
