Do you really need a 4x4 in Costa Rica?

It is the most expensive question in trip planning, because the difference between a small car and a 4x4 for two weeks is real money. The honest answer for this coast is that it depends on the house, and on the month.

What is paved and what is not

The coastal highway, the Costanera, is paved all the way from Dominical through Uvita to Ojochal, and so are the town centres. A normal car handles all of that. The hills are another matter. Many of the houses with the views are up steep roads of gravel and clay, and in the green season, from about May to November, rain cuts ruts into them and makes the clay slippery.

On a road like that the issue is grip and ground clearance, not speed. A two-wheel-drive car can get down a wet hill and fail to get back up. That is the situation a 4x4 is for.

So do you need one?

If your house is on or near the highway and you plan to stay on the coast road, no. If the house is up a hill, or you want to reach waterfalls and back roads, yes, and in the rainy months without question. We tell every guest which it is for their house. Ask us before you book the car.

Rules worth knowing

Your home driving licence is valid here for as long as your tourist entry stamp is, so carry a copy of the passport page with the stamp when you drive. Seat belts are compulsory for everyone in the car. Costa Rican law requires third-party liability insurance on every rental, and it is bought with the car: the cover from your credit card does not replace it. Budget for it, because the price you saw online often leaves it out.

Rivers, rain and night

Never drive through a river in flood or a flooded road. Costa Rica's emergency authorities repeat it every rainy season: water that looks shallow can carry a car. Wait, or turn round.

The sun sets between about a quarter past five and six o'clock all year, and the roads have no lighting, with people, bicycles and animals on them. Plan to arrive in daylight the first time. After a long flight, a transfer to the house and collecting a car the next day is often the better plan.

Fuel

Gas stations are full service and fuel prices are set nationally, so there is no need to shop around. Fill up before heading into the hills.