Getting around Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a relatively small country with a good road system, which is one of the many reasons why we love it so much as a family holiday destination! Plus, with so much spectacular scenery to see from the window, your journeys become an adventure rather than a chore.

Your travel specialist will help you plan a route that works for your family, and there are a few different ways you can choose to get around Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is very well setup for a self-drive holiday, and this is probably our favourite way to travel the country, especially for families. The main roads are smooth and well maintained, and the vehicles on offer are of a very good standard too.

Having your own car gives you the freedom to travel from place to place at your own pace, allowing for lunch stops, toilet breaks and leg stretches whenever your kids start to get fidgety. Costa Rican towns can also be quite spread out, and some of the best lodges and hotels are located outside of the ‘centre’. Therefore, having your own car makes things easier day-to-day and gives you more options during your free time – want to go explore a local park or more remote beach? Just jump in the car!

On the downside (at least for UK drivers), Costa Ricans drive on the right hand side, but you’ll soon get used to it. The terrain can also get a bit rough when you stray off the main roads. However, we always book 4×4 cars and they’re also automatic, making driving pretty much anywhere a breeze.

We also include in-car Wifi as standard, allowing you to use GPS navigation and helping to keep the kids entertained on longer journeys.

If you don’t fancy driving in Costa Rica then your best option is the tourist shuttle bus network. We use a couple of different providers and can book pretty much any route you need to travel during your holiday. They’re a little more expensive than the local buses but far more reliable and comfortable, which is very important when travelling with kids of course.

These buses are modern, air conditioned, and generally have 10-20 seats on board, so it can be a really nice way to meet other travellers and have a chat during your journey. They will also pick you up and drop you off directly at your accommodation, and usually offer morning pickups so you can get to your next stop in time to enjoy the day.

There won’t be toilets on board but the driver will make regular rest stops, and you’ll also stop for lunch on the longer journeys.

Flying within Costa Rica isn’t usually necessary and the vast majority of our family holidays operate entirely by road. However, when you tailor-make a holiday with us you can go pretty much anywhere, including some more remote locations like the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado. While these are accessible by road, sometimes flying is just much quicker and easier.

In these cases, your flight will be in a smaller propellor aeroplane. We work with the most reliable local airlines and it can be a lot of fun to see the jungles and coastline from the air. Luggage restrictions are a little tighter than on your international flights, but we’ll advise on this in advance.

For shorter or unscheduled journeys where you don’t want to drive, like heading out to a restaurant in the evening, local taxis are widely available. We highly recommend sticking to the official licensed cabs (usually red with a yellow triangle on the door) and ensuring the meter is on. You can always ask your hotel to book one for you. The restaurant will do the same when you’re ready to head home.

Taxi drivers won’t always speak English but will be familiar with most local hotels and restaurants, so just saying the destination will usually be enough. Tips aren’t expected but will be gratefully received.