Should I use a private driver or rent a car?

Most of our travelers choose a private driver, and we think it is the better way to see the country. We happily arrange either.

With a private driver, a Costa Rican driver collects you at your hotel in an air-conditioned van and leaves when you are ready. You watch the volcanoes and the coffee farms go by instead of the potholes, and you can stop whenever something catches your eye: a fruit stand, a viewpoint, a sloth in a roadside tree. Your driver knows the roads, the shortcuts and where the clean bathrooms are. More in How do the private transfers work?

With a rental car, you get complete freedom, and some travelers love that. If you would like to drive, we will book the car for you. A few honest tips first:

• Bring your passport and your US driver's license. Both are needed to drive here.
• Plan to arrive before dark. Outside the towns, roads can be narrow, unlit and poorly signed, and the US State Department advises against driving out of urban areas at night.
• Some roads are unpaved, especially to beaches and rural lodges, and a few places need a 4-wheel drive. We will tell you if your route does.
• Liability insurance is required by Costa Rican law on every rental, bought from the rental company. Your credit card may cover damage to the car itself, but not this.
• Waze works well here for directions.

Not sure which suits your trip? Ask us. Sometimes the answer is both: a driver for the long transfers and a car for a few days at the beach.