TRAVELING IN Costa Rica - how safe is the drive from San Jose to Limón?

[FrugalSaver]

Looking at getting a rental. Should I not do it?  Only drive during the day?

How is cell coverage?

[secondcor521]

I was in San Jose, CR in 2006 and wanted to go to a beach on the west coast.  I ended up taking a public bus which was ridiculously cheap - something like $2.50 round trip - and was sort of fun because I got to travel with a bunch of Costa Ricans.  I felt completely safe - took a nap in fact.

It looks like there are buses from San Jose to Limon.  I'd probably try that over a rental car.

[PVkcin]

The last time I went to Limon (the only time I went there) from San Jose was in 2005. I was studying abroad and we took a bus, but we went out at night in Limon and it was perfectly safe. I don't know much about the actual drive from SJ to Limon, but I assume it's safe.

I actually think Costa Rica in general is really safe. Just like anywhere else in the world including the U.S., you have to be smart about things, know if there is a "bad/rough" part of town just like all bigger cities have, etc.  I've never felt unsafe in Costa Rica, and I studied abroad there for 5 weeks in 2005, then was in the Peace Corps there for 7 months in 2007/2008. I only took public transport during those 8-9 months I spent there over those couple years. After 2008 I have gone back four times to visit the families and have rented a car all four times.

+1 on the public transport/bus option. If you want to rent, I have found a local rental car company that has good prices and great customer service, with no "gotchas" or secret fees. They are called "Vamos-Rent-A-Car."  They have an office in San Jose right near the airport. My wife and I just were there in November. For 4-5 days I think we paid around $120 for a small SUV. Gas is pretty expensive though, if you covert from liters to gallons and colones to USD it was a little over $4/gallon I think.

Regarding cell phone coverage, we brought our i-phone and downloaded the free app "waze" which is basically just google maps but the locals say it works better than google maps. It was great for us, and I didn't notice any gaps in cell phone coverage. We drove about 2-3 hours/day all over the country over those four days and the app worked great for navigation. If you don't want to bring your own phone, Vamos Rent a Car will let you "rent" a local phone for $5/day, although I don't know if it's a smart phone with the waze app or just a flip phone for calls. (I rented it once but it was 2008 or 2009 so it was just a little flip phone for local calls/texts.)

[jbfishing]

Just returned from 2 weeks in Costa Rica with 3 young kids along.    We used taxis and private transports because we had a group of seven which would have required 2 rental cars or a more expensive van.  Bumped into some people we knew that did rent a car and drove all over just fine.  If we go back I would consider renting a car.  Most roads were in good condition through some were narrow, winding, bumpy.  Costa Rican drivers were pretty careful especially about staying on their side of blind corners (probably need to worry about tourists more).  We didn't go to Limon so I can't speak to that route specifically, but on goggle maps it looks like a paved road.  Are you concerned about road conditions or "bandits"?  We felt safe the entire time even with young kids. 

In our group 2 people had verizon iIphones with international plans that worked well.  We also purchased SIM cards for an Iphone and Android for about $15 total.  The Iphone card worked fine but data on the android card stopped working after a couple days.  Phone and text still worked.  Google maps (with maps downloaded for offline) worked for us and we also heard WAZE works good. 

Have fun and good luck!

[Abe Froman]

*Jumping up and down*

We are on our way to CR as well - in 2 weeks time for about 2 weeks total.
Wife has done an INCREDIBLE amount of research that we plan on compiling and sharing at some point for all those co-workers and friends that are interested in how we could get a 2 week vacation down to around $3k, including finding the hot springs where the locals hang, to volcano tour and beach time.

We are renting as well - from Adobe - where we have read multiple reviews that that company does real well to present all costs up front. Many others do not. Depending on where you choose to drive a 4x4 may be needed as some distance off roading and steep hills may need it. We have also read that if you go park at National Parks and places like that where there are "guards" - it is often best to pay them a few dollars to "watch" the vehicle as small petty crime seems to hit the vehicles that do not "gift" the security. Again not a big deal - but an item we have read about on multiple independent sources.

Wife, 2 boys and I are staying a few days around Arenal to checkout the Volcano and springs, and then going down to Manuel Antonio for 9 - 10 days.

@jbfishing - would I be able to pass along a few questions my wife has ?

[MaaS]

I was in San Jose, CR in 2006 and wanted to go to a beach on the west coast.  I ended up taking a public bus which was ridiculously cheap - something like $2.50 round trip - and was sort of fun because I got to travel with a bunch of Costa Ricans.  I felt completely safe - took a nap in fact.

It looks like there are buses from San Jose to Limon.  I'd probably try that over a rental car.

+1

Buses are cheap, safe, and convenient in CR. If your objective is to get from A to B, I have no idea why you'd rent a car.

[ohio4life]

Sprint is free in Costa Rica. If you want to upgrade to faster data I think it is only 20 bucks a week or something. Sprint is great for Central and South America, in general. I did notice in Argentina last year that you will get kicked off data if you leave it on all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if they do this in Costa Rica, as well. I think they do this to curtail data use a bit. It's frustrating, but all you do is switch to airplane mode for a second and then reconnect to the network.

I drove all over Costa Rica when I was there in 2017 and thought it was safe. I will say the roads are a bit treacherous (very narrow and windy with cliffs on the side) and gas stations are few and far between. I recommend stopping every time you see a gas station. You never know when you'll see another one.

[jbfishing]

*Jumping up and down*


@jbfishing - would I be able to pass along a few questions my wife has ?

Abe, ask away or PM me with questions.

[dude]

I did that drive with my wife a few years ago and it was a piece of cake. I'd read horror stories about how bad the road was in spots, and it all turned out to be a lie. The road was perfectly fine. We did, however, heed the standard word of caution about only making the drive during daylight hours, and that's probably still good advice. Besides, at night you wouldn't see a damn thing, and it's a beautiful drive through the mountain jungle, small towns and sprawling banana plantations. Once you hit the coast, there's a beautiful view of the Caribbean for much of the drive.

Now, as to Limon -- it's a shithole, and you would be wise to watch your back and your possessions. We passed through briefly on our way down to Puerto Viejo, which is a fantastic place.

[dignam]

In 2009 I did the drive from San Jose to La Fortuna to Jaco, and it was pretty choppy in parts.  Lots of it unpaved (we rented a car).  I can't speak to Limon though.

Went again in 2017, and I don't think we ever had to drive on an unpaved road and we drove all over.  I never felt unsafe at any point on that trip either.  Such a beautiful country with friendly helpful locals.  If you even attempt to speak Spanish they will bend over backwards to help you which is so cool.

[FrugalSaver]

How does it work with buying a SIM card?  My service is with cricket

[FrugalSaver]

I also have a KnowRoaming sticker on my phone but have never used it. Probably will set that up

[clarkfan1979]

I was in Costa Rica for 3 weeks in 2002. We drove through the middle of the rainforest and it was dangerous. Mudslides and cliffs with no guard rails. Probably took the incorrect route. We lived to talk about it.

We went to the beaches south of Limon, but never made it to Limon. At the time, it was considered the poorest and most dangerous city in Costa Rica, so we avoided it. It could be different now.