Costa Rica Car Rentals

Over half of the tourists visiting Costa Rica opt to drive. Most of the roads are well maintained, however it is advised to pick up your car outside of San Jose. San Jose is the country’s capital and quite frankly, a rather confusing city to travel thru if you don’t know your way around. There are numerous car rental agencies available to choose from. You can call CentralAmerica for more information on what kind of car you will need for the areas you are visiting. Some more advanced tourists sites are harder to get to and require a 4x4 on the rugged or undeveloped roads. Surfers will opt to rent a 4x4 to get to the better surfing not available to general public. If you choose not to rent a care, taxi’s are a inexpensive way to sightsee.

Some of the more commonly known car rental companies are Adobe, Thrifty, Budget, Alamo, and National. Lesser known or locally owned rental companies are Eurocar, Hola’, Service, and Mapache. If you are looking at renting a Toyota, then stick to the Toyota company itself, they bring their own name brand in a lot cheaper than competitors renting their makes. There are two seasons in car rental pricing. The green season is lower rates, usually correlates with wet season in Costa Rica. The high season being when tourism is at it’s peak and everyone want to rent a car. During high season the prices generally jump anywhere from $10-25 higher on an individual vehicle than in green season.

The requirements on a car rental are similar to that of the United States. A valid drivers license and passport, plus a deposit with a major credit card are needed. You must be at least 21 years of age to rent a car. In return, the car rental companies usually provide pick up and drop off service, emergency road service, and bilingual guide assistance with road maps.

Driving in Costa Rica also means you have to obey their traffic laws as are set for the country. The speed limit on highways is 100 kph (kilometers per hour) unless other wise indicated. On secondary roads and some highways it is 60kph. In urban zones, 40kkph, and school zones, 25kph. Driving on the beach is strictly prohibited. And as in America, drugs and alcohol are not permitted, and you must wear seatbelts. There are a few hazards to avoid when driving thru Costa Rica. There is a lot more livestock and wildlife open grazing in Costa Rica, beware of their presence especially at night. The same with bicycles. A lot of the roads have a white asphalt surface known to become very slippery at the suggestion of rain. The potholes are abundant as well and deserve caution. You will notice local’s cars have distorted headlights due to these potholes and continued wear on the cars.

Remember the seasons in Costa Rica. If you are going to visit there in high season, it is advisable to book your car rental as early as possible, the same with hotels. If you book a car at the airport be prepared to pay the 13 percent airport tax. Proper planning for your vacation will save headaches and dollars down the road.