I just spent some time putting together thoughts re: a six day travel-intense trip to Costa Rica. The author specifically wanted to see Samara, Nosara and Montezuma as well as Rincon and Monteverde. He asked about a rental car vs. public transportation.

Here are some of my thoughts on that trip, for everyone to enjoy. Please keep in mind that these are just quick thoughts dashed out and that I reserve the right to rethink them without further notice.

As an aside: Do keep in mind that driving in Costa Rica takes more time/effort than in the States. 50 miles here isn't a quick jaunt. It'll take two hours or more. Four hours of driving here isn't just a morning drive, it is about as much driving as you are going to want to do in any given day.

With that in mind and without further qualification, here is my response:

A decent 4wd car will run you about $75/day, taxes, insurance, included. A very small one can be had for slightly less. A Prado or 4runner (very nice) will cost around $100/day.

Sounds like you are thinking of spending 6 days here, so call it $450.

Taxi/shuttle/bus trips are often per-person and frequently over $25 for longer distance. So call it $300 for 6 transfers.

I'd pay the extra $ for the convenience of being under my own power and schedule.
If you where here for two weeks.... then I would suggest using public/taxi transport as it would save you a bundle and the time you spend organizing your trips wouldn't take away so much from enjoying your destination(s).

The roads in July will be rough, but not impassable.

If you are flying into Liberia, You could drive straight to Nosara on your first day, and get there with plenty of time for sunset.

From there, Samara is a very short drive (half hour? 1 hour? depends on roads, locals will tell you if the beach route is doable).

Samara to Montezuma is an moderate drive. 3 hours or so? I think.

From Montezuma to Monteverde isn't all that short. I've never tried it, but I would leave really early in the morning to do that one. It shouldn't take more than 4 or 5 hours, total. Six if you stop for lunch (not a bad idea).

I've never driven Monteverde to Rincon but imagine it'll take 4 or 5 hours. Rincon is about 2 hours from the Liberia airport.

If Samara has rental car agencies (I think that they do) you could land & take a shuttle/taxi to Samara. Then get your car the next day and set out on your trip. End up in Samara, drop off the car, and take a shuttle to the airport the next morning.

I think you could basically do the same using Nosara as your point of entry/departure. Not entirely sure about rentals down there.

Another alternative is to use Tamarindo as a jumping-off point. Shuttle from the airport to here is $40 for the two of you ($18/person plus tip. Includes cold water and/or cold beer). Spend the night on the 5th in Tamarindo. Get up early and see Nosara on the 6th. See Samara on the 7th. Montezuma on the 8th. On the 9th Monteverde, leaving late(ish) to arrive Tamarindo for sunset on the 10th. Catch shuttle on the 11th to airport ($40). this same plan works for Samara or Nosara, but I don't know shuttle info for either of those, nor car rental. If you choose Tamarindo, email me (steve [at] bbcostarica [dot] com) and I'll help you get a rental car and a nice place to spend the night(s).

This plan cuts out Rincon de la Vieja, but makes for fairly reasonable drives on the rest of the days. A 4 hour drive here takes a lot more toll on you than a 4 hour drive down the interstate in the USA.

You could do that plan in reverse, perfectly well, which would give you beach, mountain, beach beach beach. Whatever you do, definitely plan to get up very early in Monteverde to do a tour of the cloud forest. I think that the first tour leaves at 7am. That's the one you want. Less chance of heavy rain, more chance of animals, less crowded. Buy your ticket the night before at the gate to the cloud forest preserve. Get a guide. They are excellent and informative. Afternoon in Monteverde is a nice time to visit the butterfly garden if it isn't raining. If raining, go to a cafe and enjoy excellent coffee and some relaxation.

FWIW: you could spend 2 nights in either Samara or Nosara and just do a daytrip to the other town. It really isn't far and sometimes it is nice to drive around without all of your stuff because:

Whatever you do. Don't leave your bags in the rental car, unattended. Whenever your bags are in the car, it is the same as if they are sitting on the hood of the car. Seriously. Many of the thieves here have keys to the rental car fleets. It sucks, but it is true.

One option to mitigate the potential problem is to pack stuff in a hard-side case (pelican is excellent, but heavy) and then padlock the case closed with a chain/cable through the seat of the car. The thieves are usually grab n go, not going to take a long time to steal your stuff.... but a much better way is to not leave your gear in the car. Which makes daytrips a good alternative as you can leave your car and hit five or six beaches without worry.

Labels: 4wd, 4x4, Costa Rica, tamarindo, vacation