Security
Rental Cars
Getting Around
Liberia International Airport (LIR)
Departure Tax
Cash & ATM Reliability
Traffic Tickets and the Police

Security

Do not bring valuables. If you must bring valuables, keep them locked up and put away. Locking an item in your rental car is not good enough. This advice is not specific to Costa Rica, but travel and life, in general. The condo complex has full-time security staff monitoring the parking lot. However, no person can be everywhere, all the time.

Rental Cars

Most tourists to Costa Rica rent cars. An international driver's license is not required, but a driver's license from your home country is. When I need a car, I usually just book it ahead of time over the internet. Most major US rental car companies, such as Alamo, National, Avis, etc, have offices all over Costa Rica. For US persons, note that many/most rental cars have manual transmissions. Automatics may be available depending on the rental car company.

In almost all cases, your existing auto insurance policy will not cover you while in Costa Rica & the Costa Rica government makes rental car insurance coverage mandatory. Rental car companies offer a confusing suite of coverages ranging from collision, collision + liability, collision + liability + zero deductible. Collision is mandatory and priced such the additional coverages look attractive and affordable.

Some credit cards provide rental car insurance. If you want to use it, bring a copy of its terms & conditions. Some rental car companies may be resistent to accepting it. I've considering just using my credit card's insurance, but for one reason or another, I've always paid for insurance through the rental car company. The collision + liability + zero deductible (what I call the "no questions asked" policy) can have its benefits. Bottom line: check your coverages and be prepared to pay almost as much for insurance as you do for the car.

As with everything, rental cars are much more expensive in the high season (Dec - Apr) than other times of the year. Many people recommend a four-wheel drive. Of course, 4x4s are more expensive. If you are just going between the airport, Flamingo, and/or Tamarindo; you really don't need a 4x4 because the roads are paved. Now if you want to zoom over pot-holes or will be traveling to areas without paved roads during the "Green" Season (a.k.a. raining season), a 4x4 is recommended. And as with anywhere, lock your car doors and keep valuables out of sight.

If you only need a rental car for a portion of your stay, you can pick one up later in Flamingo or Tamarindo.

Getting Around

If you aren't getting a rental car and/or need transportation between Flamingo and another part of Costa Rica, I recommend one of the private bus services like Gray Line (www.graylinecostarica.com) or Interbus (www.interbusonline.com). Each offers secure and confortable air condintioned buses & vans with professional drivers. The prices are hard to beat with it costing $35-45/one-way between Flamingo and San Jose, hotel-to-hotel. See their websites for full rates, destinations, and schedules. The only catch is there are usually only two buses to/from Flamingo each day -- a morning bus and an afternoon bus.

Liberia International Airport (LIR)

The international airport in Liberia, also known as the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport, is very easy to traverse through. Its a small airport with a couple gates and an open air terminal. The customs agents are usually diligent about checking anything that looks like commercial goods and will assess duties for the amount in excess of the duty free threshold. After exiting baggage claim, a gaggle of taxi drivers and rental car shuttles are waiting outside. There is currency exchange at the small bank next to the check-in counters & the same place where you will pay your departure taxes.

I highly recommend flying into LIR instead of SJO. The regional airport in Tamarindo is about 15 minutes away from Flamingo. So if you fly into SJO, you could catch Nature Air to Tamarindo and then a taxi to your final destination in Flamingo.

Departure Tax

There is a departure tax of US$26 per person. It can be paid in US dollars, Costa Rican Colones, or a combination of the two. Its a great way to offload your remaining colones before heading home.

Cash and ATM Reliability

ATMs are not as reliable as in the US, so monitor your cash supply with that in mind. Most establishments and tour operators take major credit cards. In Flamingo, there is an ATM and bank (for currency exchange) in the same building as this condo. Also, there are a couple banks and ATMs, in Tamarindo.

Traffic Tickets and the Police

Speed traps are common in Costa Rica. If you do receive a ticket, you can pay it at the end of your stay when you return the rental car. Some police officers will ask you to pay the ticket to them and may claim the ticket will be cheaper if you do. Not only is the ticket usually not cheaper, but this is not an officially sanctioned method of ticket paying. Please do not pay the officer directly as this further encourages such misconduct. While driving, you will need your driver's license, passport, rental agreement, and vehicle registration. Other things to keep in mind:

• Your personal documents and the vehicle's registration are private property and may not be kept by the police for any reason.
• In case of emergency, call the number 911 on any phone.
• If you are involved in an accident, wait until the police arrive and do not move your vehicle. The officer will prepare a report. You may report the accident by calling 911 or 800-0123456.
• Emergency or police vehicles use red or blue flashing lights. Do not pull over for flashing headlights.

In my personal experience, I've seen speed traps, but that's it.