Driving & Getting Around
Driving : Probably should not drive yourself your first time here. The Obeyance of traffic laws and signals and changing lanes are not what you are used to. Some joke (or is it true?) that red lights and stop signs are advisory.
Some roads are in the mountains and curve. Some roads could be better paved or maintained and have pot holes, often large. Some have missing manhole covers. Also, lanes often end without much warning. Some say that no matter how short it seems, plan on going an average of only 20-30 mph.
There is Grayline and other tours, buses, vans, and cabs for hire that can take you to Jaco. The local bus starts at $ 4.
There are few street signs in Costa Rica and even fewer addresses. Read that as almost none. Just about all addresses are in terms of a well-known building or landmark; often the local Catholic Church, cemetery, or another fixed location. But just to keep things interesting, some addresses are phrased in terms of building that may have burned down 20 years ago! Also, when you see an address that says 200M west of something, that normally means 2 blocks and NOT a true 200 meters.
Bridges in Costa Rica, while generally safe, can be very narrow and many do not have guardrails as in the photo right
Difficult to drive at night when there often is not any lighting.
Be real careful when walking around… especially in San José and especially at street corners.
Local domestic airlines are : SANSA at www.flysansa.com (506)2221-9414 or Nature Air at www.natureair.net (506) 2220-3054. Both have scheduled flights within Costa Rica.
