8 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE A COSTA RICA ROAD TRIP

Renting a car and driving in Costa Rica is one of the best ways to see the different regions of the country. 

From the beaches in Guanacaste to the Monteverde cloud forest, Manuel Antonio National Park, or the Arenal Volcano area, Costa Rica is very diverse. The country’s landscape, climate, and topography can change drastically from one area to another.

But if you want to rent a car and drive in Costa Rica, there are a few things you should know before your trip.

Most roads in Costa Rica are smaller, two-lane roads.

This Costa Rica driving guide covers the necessary information you need if you plan to rent a car and drive in Costa Rica, plus, we offer tips and observations from our personal Costa Rica road trip. 

Is it safe to drive in Costa Rica?

This is a question we got asked a lot after our trip to Costa Rica, and periodically we still get asked about any safety issues we encountered on our Costa Rican road trip. Is it safe to drive in Costa Rica? The short answer is yes.

We never felt unsafe driving in Costa Rica, although we avoided areas where crime might be higher and were primarily visiting tourist areas. We were also visiting Costa Rica with kids, so we weren’t driving around at night, going out to bars or visiting areas where alcohol may negatively influence someone’s decisions.

Our experience driving in Costa Rica

When traveling with a baby, it is much easier to do a self-drive so you can stop as needed.

We visited Costa Rica when our daughter was just a baby, and we wanted to see more than just one area of this relatively small country.

Costa Rica is home to some of the most beautiful places in Central America, and since we had an infant with us, we decided to rent a car and drive instead of using a shuttle service or hiring a driver. 

For us, it just makes sense to rent a car when traveling with a baby or toddler because it’s easier to stop if the baby gets fussy or irritable. And that is exactly what our daughter did.

Llanos de Cortes waterfall, one of our favorite stops on our Costa Rica road trip.

While driving across Costa Rica, we stopped multiple times in one day. On our drive from the beaches in Guanacaste to the Arenal rainforest, we first stopped at the beautiful Llanos de Cortes waterfall, then at Lake Arenal, and again for something to eat at Cafe y Macadamia.

While we were stopping to stretch and give our baby a break from the car seat, which is important when road tripping with a baby, our impromptu stops turned out to be one of the highlights of our road trip!

What you need to know about driving in Costa Rica

An unpaved, bumpy, dirt road in Costa Rica.

Like in the United States and Canada, people in Costa Rica drive on the right-hand side of the road. In fact, driving in Costa Rica isn’t that much different than driving in the states. However, there are a few unique rules and things to know if you plan to drive in Costa Rica.

Following these Costa Rica driving tips will not only ensure your Costa Rica travels are safe, but that your trip is stress free. 

Renting a car

Rental car companies in Costa Rica, even the well-known American-owned ones, may try to scam you. They will try to upgrade you to a larger, more expensive car without telling you.

We always compare rates and book through DiscoverCars. Once we were there, however, the Costa Rica rental car company we went with tried to give us a larger and more expensive car than we originally booked online without any prior discussion about doing so. They just pulled the upgraded car around to the front and started loading up our bags before we had signed the paperwork or agreed to the price. 

Car rental companies may also try to sell you expensive car rental insurance. Chances are, if you have purchased travel insurance or have a travel credit card, you do not need the additional car rental insurance. 

However, you will likely also be offered insurance on the wheels and tires. You may want to strongly consider adding on the wheels and tires insurance (we did) because many of the roads in Costa Rica aren’t great.

If you are sticking to the cities, you likely don’t need this, but most of Costa Rica’s beauty is found outside of the cities and in areas where the roads can be in disrepair or even unpaved.

Depending on where you are going, you may even need a 4×4 rental car for your Costa Rica road trip.

Driving after dark

Driving down the highway in Costa Rica at sunset.

Driving after dark is not necessarily a safety issue as much as a car maintenance issue. As previously mentioned, a lot of the roads, particularly in rural areas are in bad shape due to the amount of rain which can cause frequent damage.

The roads are typically passable, but potholes, downed trees, and erosion issues don’t always get fixed in a timely fashion. 

The highways are in good shape, but a lot of the smaller roads, which ultimately you will have to take to get to just about any tourist area, can often present unforeseen hazards after nightfall.

No one wants to be stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire and a bent wheel in a foreign country because they hit a pothole the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. (A bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point.)

Road conditions can vary by season and region

Driving in Costa Rica often means driving in rain.

During the rainy season, the roads in Costa Rica can be significantly worse than they are in the dry season.

It rains a lot in Costa Rica, and torrential rains can cause erosion and disrepair to the roads. After a heavy rain, the issues can be pretty widespread and take a while to repair.

City roads typically are in good condition and paved. But in rural areas, many of the roads aren’t even paved.

At some point in your Costa Rica trip, you will likely come across at least one dirt road. This can create yet another issue if you’re driving, so renting a 4-wheel drive vehicle may be worth the investment.

Navigating the roads in Costa Rica

You won’t find a lot of signage along smaller roads to help you navigate to your destination. For this reason, a GPS will come in handy.

Navigating roads in Costa Rica definitely requires a GPS at times. Luckily, Google Maps, Waze, and Maps.me are great options to help you get around in the Central American country. 

Streets are not well marked. Signage is few and far between. Even the exits off the highway aren’t even that noticeable. The road signs that do exist are in Spanish, a great language to learn for travel in Central or South America. 

Speed limit signs, when you see one, are posted in kilometers because Costa Rica uses the metric system. 

Getting from town-to-town or between places you want to visit isn’t necessarily difficult, particularly if you use a GPS app. But without one, finding various attractions along the way might be tricky.

You won’t find big, bold signs pointing you toward a waterfall, a great lookout spot, or other awesome spots. So, do your research in advance so you know where you are going and what you want to see. If you don’t, there is a good chance you might end up driving right past something that is truly spectacular without even knowing it’s there.

Destinations are further apart than you might expect

Costa Rica is small, but the drives will take you longer than you might expect.

At some point while planning a road trip to Costa Rica, you will probably look at a map and say, “that can’t be more than a one-hour drive.” The country is small, geographically speaking, but it is mountainous, and the roads twist and turn to take you around those mountains. 

For this reason, getting from one place to another will inevitably always take you longer than you expect. Don’t get frustrated, just enjoy the drive and the scenery and accept it for what it is.

No international driver’s license needed

A police checkpoint we came across during our Costa Rica drive.

Perhaps one of the more convenient things about driving in Costa Rica is that your US driver’s license is sufficient.

No international driver’s license is required. Although we never got pulled over to test this, we were able to rent a car in Costa Rica without an international driver’s license. 

You may come across a police checkpoint, as they are quite common, and you might be asked to show your driver’s license. We did go through one police checkpoint, but apparently, we must have looked like tourists because they didn’t even stop us. The police officer just waved us right through.

Fines for breaking the traffic laws are quite expensive in Costa Rica, so follow the posted speed limit at all times, even if the locals are zipping past you.

Gas stations are full-service

Fueling up at a full-service gas station in Costa Rica.

Gas stations, at least the ones we stopped at, are full service in Costa Rica. You are strongly encouraged to tip if you need to fill up.

We’ve read tipping isn’t a requirement, but the recommended gratuity is posted at the station. Personally, as Americans we are used to tipping culture, so we gave the recommended gratuity. 

We didn’t purchase a lot of gas in Costa Rica, but I believe the recommended tip was a couple of dollars to fill up your tank. The gas stations we used did take US dollars (although the tip rate was posted in colones, the currency of Costa Rica).

Driving in Costa Rican cities

A typical street in San Jose, Costa Rica. | Photo by Lisa Van Vliet Heh from Unsplash

The majority of Costa Rica’s population lives in the capital city of San Jose. Although San Jose isn’t likely where you’ll spend much time if you are traveling to Costa Rica for tourism, there is a good chance your travels will start or end there. 

Driving in San Jose takes a bit more defensive driving skills than other parts of the country. You will deal with traffic congestion, and aggressive drivers who don’t always seem to follow the traffic rules.

As a southerner who grew up in Texas and lives in Oklahoma, I found myself missing the friendly wave from other drivers who slow down to allow others to merge.  

Other things you may notice while traveling around Costa Rica

Roads are typically paved in both the cities and small towns in Costa Rica.

Despite the aggressive driving in San Jose, in general, the people of Costa Rica are extremely friendly, happy, and laid back. After all, their motto is ‘pura vida’, which means ‘pure life’. 

One would think with such a laid-back lifestyle, things would feel much less locked down and more carefree. However, we drove through some small towns where every building seemed to have bars on the windows.

The small towns we drove through were somewhat underdeveloped, similar to some very rural areas in the United States. While we don’t make the assumption that poverty equals crime, some of the towns did not seem inviting because everything was barred up.

There are plenty of other charming Costa Rican towns, however, that felt welcoming and safe. And we loved every minute we spent in those towns in Costa Rica with kids! 

Planning a trip to Costa Rica? Be sure to check out the hanging bridges near Arenal and the country’s world-class zip-lining!

Conclusion: Should you hire a driver in Costa Rica or rent a car?

A cute little church we saw along our road trip in Costa Rica.

Although not our personal preference, you can hire a transfer service to take you from the airport to your hotel or book guided tour packages that include transportation to many of the more popular areas for tourism around the country.

Personally, we would recommend renting a car and driving in Costa Rica! Not only is it safe to drive in Costa Rica, but it’s a beautiful country and you will get to see more of it if you rent a car and drive. Plus, having your own transportation lets you travel at your own pace and stop whenever you want.

2025-04-24T17:00:13Z