Heading to Costa Rica for two weeks in Jan with my wife and two kids (5 and 1). Any advice/tips on car rental? How crazy is the driving there? Do i need a 4x4? I keep getting mixed reviews
. Also any other advice on Costa Rica in general would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much!

It depends where you're going.

Driving is fairly easy. If you are going to explore the country I strongly recommend getting an SUV/4x4.

We rented an older small SUV that was perfect for off roading and highway driving. If you want more info PM Me and I’ll dig up the email

Personally I would never drive in San Jose. That city had some of the most aggressive drivers I had seen, everyone honks too. Outside of the city seemed fine.

Thanks for the tip. That is actually the part I am most nervous about
. We are only planning on spending one night there staying outside city a bit closer to the airport. Trying to minimize my drive time in the city

Mat Malm maybe when you go to check out the city you can just take an uber! Cheap and convenient, you wouldn't have to worry about the craziness of the San Jose streets. If you like historical stuff defo check out the church in the centre

Book your accommodations in advance as Jan is the beginning of peak travel time and the locals summer holidays. It is also very hot so a/c highly recommended. As per vehicle you can get away with a car in urban areas but any exploration requires 4x4, many roads are goat trails with large pot holes.

From all the input I’ve seen so far 4x4 is the way to go. Thank goodness car rentals are dirt cheap there anyways
. Thanks for the tip on booking early. I always wait to book accommodations but it sounds like I shouldn’t for this trip. Thanks for the tips!!

I was there in February. It's not so much that the driving is crazy but the roads are virtually nonexistent in many areas and where they are, they contain the hugest potholes you've ever seen. It makes for a very bumpy ride. Of course this is better in some areas than others but nonetheless get 4x4! I agree that San Jose is really crazy, there are roads there but not really any rules to them and it can be very overwhelming. With regards to your insurance, i would recommend getting a letter written from your insurance provider indicating that you are covered to drive an international vehicle. We did not get this letter and therefore we paid about $1600 in insurance for two weeks. I'm still not really sure if we got ripped off or not (entirely possible) but they force you to purchase their extensive insurance.

I think you got taken. We paid 500 bucks for 2 weeks. Yes It was an older vehicle but that was good so we did not have to worry about scratches

Thanks for your advice on the insurance. I typically use my credit card to book which covers CDW. I am just going to get the SLI for liability coverage which is like $280 for 2 weeks. Are you saying I need to just print out the credit card insurance coverage to show them? Do you know which company you rented from? I am going with Budget and it says on their website that CC CDW insurance is fine in Costa Rica with them. Thank again for the help !!

Mat Malm it was called 506 car rental. Our condo owner recommended it when we were there. They are in SAN Jose and deliver car wherever you need it

4x4 is great in the rainy season when many "roads" become small rivers and 4x4 is needed to pass... I don't know what area you're visiting but you are going to be there in the middle of dry season. Car rentals are expensive...we have a home in Playa Hermosa Guanacaste and we find car rentals expensive compared to other destinations so we usually just cab to our condo and have a car delivered a few days later when we actually need it to get around.

That is very strange. I am finding the exact opposite is true with regards to car rental price. I booked a compact SUV 4x4 off expedia for $192 for 2 weeks. With liability insurance the total is $472. Compared to any other place I have visited in the world this is pretty darn cheap.

The driving wasn't as bad as I thought it might be - just watch out for people passing on the one-way roads! I would highly recommend a 4 x 4 as you do come across some rougher terrain off of the main roads. We rented a small SUV (I think it was called a Diatsu Bego) and though fairly compact, it was perfect for our family of four. I spent a LOT of time researching car rental companies and came across Wild Rider. The owner, Thorsten, was responsive and very helpful. He gladly answered my many questions and gave me a lot of useful tips. I highly recommend spending the extra for GPS. The car was not shiny and new but mechanically sound and very reliable. The customer service was great - they waited almost two hours at the airport for us with our car when our flight was delayed on the way in and upon returning the car, they conveniently pick it up at our hotel. It was such a relief to deal with a good company that delivered what they promised with no hidden costs or hiccups. Enjoy your trip! You and your family will love it!

Matt Harris