Costa Rica is a very small country and most tourist destinations are within a few hours drive of San Jose. Not only will you drive through beautiful countryside, but some small, out-of-the-way places will only be discovered by car. The adventure lover will appreciate the freedom to explore.
Our advice: let somebody else do it if you can. In our case, we let Travel Excellence do it. This is a tour company that will fully customize your trip for you. They organized all our traveling needs and transfers between hotels during our ten-day stay. No need for us to worry about car rentals and navigating around the country! One thing to remember about Costa Rica: this is a country with a chain of mountains running across its centre.
Bottom line, this means that to reach either coast from San Jose, you will have to drive through the mountains on roads with numerous and sizable potholes. You will also have to negotiate several 'religious' bridges as our favorite driver Eduardo (Travel Excellence) informed us. These memorable crossings are so-named because as Eduardo explained seriously, "First we pray, then we cross."
No problem, everything is pura vida when you are on holiday but, remember, what appears to be a 2-hour drive looking at the map, could in reality take 4 hours! Still, the beautiful views everywhere you look will make the drive a fascinating experience. Just give yourself extra time and a four-wheel drive vehicle.
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Important to Know 
