Whether you are traveling for adventure, for business, or just for relaxation, you need to know how to get to where you want to be. It may be as simple as getting to and from your hotel, or as complicated as seeing the whole country in a short period of time. Regardless of your situation, you need to get somewhere and you need to get there safely. The most popular means of transportation in Costa Rica are public transportation, taxis, and rental car, although you may take a small plane to get from one side of the country to the other.

Renting a vehicle is definitely recommended for getting around Costa Rica.

A 4×4 is preferable, especially if you are the adventure-type and plan on going on jungle hikes and travelling to less touristy areas. If you fly into San José and you plan on hitting the beach, you are approximately 3-4 hours away from the closest beach (however there is a new highway being built to Puntareanas, which when finish should shed 2-3 hours of your travel time). You can take public transit which is much cheaper, approximately 2500 colones or $5 US to go from downtown San José to the west coast. Although this is a very inexpensive choice, it may be confusing and dangerous especially if you travel alone.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:

Costa Rica's bus system provides the most popular method of travel among locals, and is certainly the least expensive. Almost every region of Costa Rica is accessible by bus, making it very easy to get around.

Although buses are the least expensive method of transportation, they are certainly not the safest. Many bus stops, especially in less traveled areas, do not have stops or signs, and there is no way of identifying that it is in fact, a bus stop. In this case you have to rely on the locals to tell you where it is, and asking locals for directions at night can be unsafe, especially for tourist.

Buses are far from comfortable in Costa Rica; cramped seats, pushy people, pot-hole littered highways and gravel or dirt roads make for an unpleasant ride, not to mention the smell in most buses. In addition, buses can be on-time, but generally run on "Tico time," meaning they arrive late or whenever they feel like it.

Buses in Costa Rica are relatively cheap, however not all bus stops are marked. If there is a corner store nearby, as the clerk where the bus stop is and he/she will be happy to tell you. Buses will take you just about anywhere in the country, and it is a very inexpensive way to get around. I will make the section on buses short, sweet and simple. When you get to a bus stop, read the large sign: it will tell you the cost of the bus ride. You will not be issued a ticket, as they do not do transfers here. You may need to take two or three buses to get to your destination, and the bus driver will tell you which buses to take.

RENTING A VEHICLE:

Across from the airport you'll see a small complex with a Fiesta Casino on one side and a hotel across from it. If you go straight between them you will find a strip mall of car rental places on your left hand side. David and I prefer Solid Car Rental, we have used them on a few different occasions and we have always been given great service for a good price, and they will not try to scam you at all. One problem we want to help you avoid is getting overcharged or scammed on your car rental. Believe it or not it happens often.

BEWARE OF HIDDEN CHARGES!

Do not sign any blank contracts or contracts with missing dates, prices or other blank information. Read and re-read your rental contract. It should be in English, and if they try to add bogus charges into the contract then do not sign it and go to another company. There is no such thing as a "heat/AC" charge or "maintenance" charge, these are bogus. There is usually one flat rate of $x/day or week, and some rental companies may give you a deal if you rent for even longer. In addition, you cannot use your credit card as insurance, you must purchase insurance (this is mandatory not a scam) and most companies require a credit card with $950 available on it as a deposit. This money will not be taken off your card; they will simply put a hold on it until your car has returned. Make sure a representative comes out to the car with you and makes note of all the scratches, dings, dents or marks on the car before you sign anything. You are allowed to point out flaws as well and they MUST make note of it. Also, check the car when you get back, and have the company go over all the bumps and scratches again and sign the noted paper to make sure they are not going to charge you for any false damages. Most companies are glad to do this, and if they are not then move along to a different company who is.

Stephanie Stover is an experienced writer who has been published in a plethora of hardcover books, magazines and online journals. For more tips for costa rica visit Costa Rica Travel Guide or http://www.tipsforcostarica.com/blog.