Renting a car is the best way to explore Costa Rica and get around. You have the flexibility, freedom and convenience of a car and you can go wherever you want! However, if you’re renting a car in Costa Rica, then you have to research beforehand how the road conditions in Costa Rica are because roads here aren’t known for being in great shape.
It’s hard to find thorough up to date information about certain destinations and routes so I created this handy guide detailing what the road conditions in Costa Rica are like. Find out if you need a 4×4, what the routes are like from both San Jose and Liberia international airports and more tips! Planning on renting a car? Get our car rental discount!
Not sure what kind of car to rent? Check out our most popular types of cars to rent in Costa Rica article with videos!
Road Conditions in Costa Rica: Popular Routes and Destinations
Click to skip to the section.
- Arenal
- Monteverde
- Puerto Viejo
- Costa Ballena
- Central Valley
- Manuel Antonio
- Jaco
- Osa Peninsula
- Perez Zeledon
- Tamarindo
- Ostional
- Samara
- Santa Teresa
- Turrialba
- Playas del Coco
- Rio Celeste
- Rincon de la Vieja National Park
- Irazu Volcano National Park
- Palo Verde National Park
- Poas Volcano National Park
- La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Peace Lodge
Arenal and La Fortuna
The roads to La Fortuna are in good condition. There are a few unpaved roads in the Arenal area such as the one to Arenal Volcano National Park and to some of the hotels located out in the hills but they are not that bad, just gravel.
You don’t need a 4×4 for Arenal, you can drive a sedan perfectly fine around Arenal and Fortuna.
San Jose to Arenal (3-3.5 hours)
The route from San Jose to Arenal is in good shape. It gets a bit windy and curvy after San Ramon so go slow, but you won’t run into bumpy roads or need a 4×4. You can see what the drive from San Jose to La Fortuna is like here.
Liberia to Arenal (3 hours)
Liberia to Arenal is also in good shape. You go on the InterAmericana highway 1 for a little bit from Liberia to Canas and then you will pass through Tilaran and around Nuevo Arenal. It’s a beautiful route and does get very curvy around the lake. There may be some big potholes once you get around the lake so watch out.
We have a video of us driving from Liberia to Arenal you can watch here:
Arenal to Monteverde (3 hours)
You can also drive from Arenal to Monteverde. You can go through Tilaran or get back on Highway 1. This is an unpaved road for most of it but has gorgeous views. A 4wd is recommended.
Monteverde
Monteverde is one of the destinations in Costa Rica where it is highly recommended to have a high car. Several roads around Monteverde are unpaved and has big holes. There are two main routes going to Monteverde, Route 145 (Las Juntas) and Route 606 (Sardinal). The 606 is much smoother going up the mountain with a completely asphalted road, 145 has many concrete sections but is super narrow. Read our detailed post about Monteverde road conditions for more information.
You can take either of these routes from San Jose and Liberia. Las Juntas is closer from Liberia, the Sardinal route is closer from San Jose. It takes about 3.5 hours both ways depending on how fast you drive and we recommend to go slow. We personally recommend to drive on Route 606 instead of Route 145 because 606 is in much better condition.
We have a video of us driving to Monteverde from San Jose you can watch here:
Puerto Viejo
The roads around Puerto Viejo are in fairly good shape for the most part. The main road that goes into town and along the beaches is paved. There aren’t any painted lines but at least the road is paved. You can watch our video to see what the roads in Puerto Viejo are like.
San Jose to Puerto Viejo (4-5 hours)
You don’t need a 4×4 to Puerto Viejo. There are some unpaved roads around Puerto Viejo but no steep hills or that it’s so bad you will need a 4×4. We took our sedan there back in 2010 when there were a lot more unpaved roads and our car was fine.
The road from San Jose to Puerto Viejo is on a major highway, route 32 and even passes through Braulio Carrillo National Park but it is all on a well paved road with lines.
Costa Ballena (Dominical, Uvita, Ojochal)
For the Costa Ballena in the South Pacific, it is highly recommended to have a 4×4. Though the main road through this area, the Costanera Sur is a very well paved road. In fact, this particular Costanera Sur highway has probably the best road conditions in Costa Rica! However, the roads going up into the mountains and into Ojochal town are unpaved and steep.
If your hotel is up in the mountains of Uvita or Ojochal, definitely get a 4×4. Hotels like Oxygen Jungle Villas and Manoas require a 4×4. Some restaurants like Jolly Roger also require a 4×4 s so it is worth renting one but if you plan to book a hotel/hostel in town and stay in the town area, you may not need one.
San Jose to Costa Ballena via Interamericanca 1 and Costanera Sur (~3 hours)
This route is goes part of the time on the highway which is well paved and then onto the Costanera Sur, which is a very well paved road. It is super easy to drive since there aren’t a lot of cars and it has nicely painted lines.
San Jose to Costa Ballena via Cerro de la Muerte (~3.5 hours)
The Cerro de la Muerte is the route that goes from Cartago down past San Isidro de Perez Zeledon, Platanillo and ends up in Dominical. It’s paved but super curvy (hence the name which means hill of death). It’s more straightforward to go through the Costanera Sur and you can drive a lot faster on it since it’s just a straight road instead of tons of curves.
Dominical, Uvita and Ojocal
The town of Dominical has unpaved roads but it is not too bad. Uvita has paved roads through the town and Ojochal has unpaved roads. If your hotel is up in the hills of Uvita or Ojochal, it is required to have a 4×4.
We have a video of us driving through Dominical you can see here:
Central Valley (Alajuela, San Jose, Heredia, Cartago including Grecia, San Ramon and Zarcero)
Since these are small cities, roads are paved. There are pot holes here and there (especially San Jose) but not really any unpaved roads. Most of the city Costa Ricans drive small compact cars so you don’t need a big car if you’ll be going around these areas.
Some roads may not have painted lines and raised pavement markers aren’t very common. But roads are paved with a pot hole here and there.
Some hotels in the mountains outside the cities may have unpaved roads but most of them are not too bad. I would check with the hotel just in case if yours is out in the hills.
Manuel Antonio
The roads around Manuel Antonio are paved and in good shape. There is a pretty steep hill going from Quepos to the national park but it is paved so you won’t need a 4×4, you can drive a sedan.
This route is the same as it is down to the Costa Ballena since Manuel Antonio is on the way. You’ll get onto the highway, exit at Jaco and then go all the way south on the Costanera Sur.
San Jose to Manuel Antonio (2.5-3 hours)
Depending on how traffic is getting out of San Jose, this will take roughly 2 hours. It’s all on paved roads as it’s only through major highways.
Liberia to Manuel Antonio (4 hours)
Paved road. You’ll get onto the Interamericana highway like you’re going to San Jose and then exit at the same exit on the highway to Jaco.
Tamarindo to Manuel Antonio (5 hours)
The best route from Tamarindo to Manuel Antonio is via Route 21, Route 18 (Friendship Bridge), Route 1 and Route 34. All paved roads.
If Manuel Antonio is the only destination you’re going to, or Jaco + Manuel Antonio from San Jose, you can rent a sedan for your whole trip.
Jaco
Jaco town has one of the nicest roads with painted lines and even parking lines! Make sure to pay attention to the parking signs because the police does give parking tickets. You can see what the town looks like in this video:
But there are a couple spots outside of Jaco that do require a 4×4 if you want to explore. The road is the one that goes up to Rainforest Adventures and continues through the mountain.
But if you don’t plan to go to those spots, you don’t need a high car at all.
San Jose to Jaco (1.5 hours)
Route goes onto the highway, past Tarcoles bridge and to Jaco. Great well paved road.
Liberia to Jaco (~3 hours)
Same route as Liberia to Manuel Antonio as Jaco is just 1 hour north of Manuel Antonio.
Tamarindo to Jaco (4 hours)
Same as the route from Tamarindo to Manuel Antonio.
So if you’re only visiting Jaco from either San Jose or Liberia, you can rent a sedan.
Osa Peninsula
As a very remote destination in Costa Rica, a 4wd/4×4 is absolutely necessary. The main road down to the Osa Peninsula from the east side (Puerto Jimenez) is all paved but that’s it, it ends in town.
Puerto Jimenez
The main road to Puerto Jimenez is very nicely paved since it goes from the Costanera Sur, past Palmar and all the way down south but it ends once you get to town.
Carate/Matapalo
The road to Carate/Matapalo is extremely bumpy and has a ton of holes. If you’re going all the way to Carate, make sure you check tides because there’s a couple of rivers and in rainy season, they get very full.
Drake Bay
Drake Bay road is very bumpy and has one of the worst road conditions in Costa Rica. You can drive it in dry season but you do need to cross a couple of rivers so it is recommended not to drive at all, especially in rainy season. In rainy season, you can even get rained in since the rivers may flood! You should take the boat from Sierpe to Drake Bay instead.
Perez Zeledon
The roads to Perez Zeledon are on well paved roads as you go by way from Cartago and the route Cerro de la Muerte. The roads around town are paved and if you go outside of town, there are some unpaved roads but nothing too bad.
From Perez Zeledon, you can keep going on the Cerro de la Muerte road down to Dominical.
Tamarindo
The roads around Tamarindo are in good shape. You don’t need a 4×4 and can rent a sedan if you’re only staying in Tamarindo or the area.
You can see what Playa Tamarindo looks like in this video:
If you plan to visit other beaches around like Conchal and Flamingo, a sedan is fine too. If you plan to go down south to Negra, Junquillal, San Juanillo or further, a 4wd is recommended.
Liberia to Tamarindo (1 hour)
All on a well paved road. A section of it doesn’t have lines or street lights so drive carefully as that part is also a little curvy.
San Jose to Tamarindo (4 hours)
This route goes by way of the Friendship bridge and is all paved. A lot of it doesn’t have painted lines or lights but it’s all paved.
There are some roads to nearby beaches that have bumpy roads. The road to Playa Avellana, Negra, Junquillal and to the JW Marriott is on a bumpy unpaved road. But they recently re-did the first section so it’s a lot better. You can drive a sedan but you will need to go slow to avoid all the holes, it’ll be a very bumpy ride.
Ostional
From Liberia to Ostional, it is about a 2.5 hour drive via Route 21 and Route 160. From Tamarindo, we take Route 160 going down the coast.
We recommend getting a SUV to go to Ostional as that road is extremely bumpy. Update 2019: They have now built a small bridge over the last river before reaching town. We still recommend a high car in rainy season but in dry season, a standard car can make it and they fill the pot holes. It’ll be a bumpy drive in rainy season though when the holes get big so a high car is best for that area.
This bridge is sometimes under construction because it’s not the best quality so if you are visiting in peak rainy season months like October and November, check the Ostional Guide Association Facebook page for updates. Once you enter Ostional, the town has some paved roads but most of it is still unpaved.
Samara
Samara town has paved roads and doesn’t require a 4×4. A section is unpaved but it is nothing bad and can be driven to with a sedan. Make sure you take the route through Nicoya when driving from Liberia as it’s all paved (Route 21 and Route 150).
Santa Teresa/Mal Pais/Montezuma
From San Jose, the best route is to take the Puntarenas ferry to Paquera. That route is completely paved and the road from the Paquera ferry to Montezuma is paved. Beyond Montezuma starting at Cabuyal towards Mal Pais and Santa Teresa, the road is not paved at all. For Santa Teresa and Mal Pais, it is recommended to have a 4wd.
If you are coming from Liberia, make sure to take paved road around the Nicoya Peninsula (route 21). There is no road going straight down the coast connecting Liberia to Santa Teresa completely.
Turrialba
You can get by without a 4×4. The road up to the Turrialba Volcano National Park is mostly paved, the last several kilometers are dirt but not bad. It gets unpaved around Guayabo monument but it is nothing horrible.
Since Turrialba is a large city, roads are well paved in town and up to the neighborhoods in the mountains like Santa Cruz. You can drive a sedan there from San Jose (2 hours).
Playas del Coco/Hermosa/Ocotal/Panama
The Gulf of Papagayo and Playas del Coco beaches are easily accessible via Liberia and on a good road. You can see what Playas del Coco town looks like here:
The roads to the other beaches nearby like Hermosa, Ocotal, Panama and Four Seasons are all on a good road as well. There are just some “hidden” beaches that require a 4×4 like Playa Iguanita.
If you’re staying at the Riu Guanacaste, you don’t need a 4×4.
Liberia to Coco (20 minutes)
Super easy short drive on a well paved road.
San Jose to Coco (4 hours)
All paved roads, goes through Interamericana highway 1.
Tenorio Volcano National Park (Rio Celeste)
There are 2 ways to Tenorio Volcano National Park: from La Fortuna or Liberia in Guanacaste. Both ways now have freshly new paved roads to the national park, with only an short unpaved section.
You can watch in the video below hat the road is like from Bijagua to the entrance of the park. As of December 2018, the road from Bijagua to Tenorio Volcano National Park is completely paved!
La Fortuna (1.5 hours)
This route takes you by way of Guatuso and Upala and is unpaved for a small section to the national park entrance but is a very nice and beautiful route.
Liberia (1 hour)
Drive on InterAmericana highway and you’ll turn left a little before Canas to get to Bijagua, the closest town to the national park. It’s all paved right to the national park entrance.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park
The road to both sector entrances of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park are unpaved but you don’t necessarily need a 4×4 since it’s a flat road. We drove our sedan once and though super bumpy, we made it.
Irazu Volcano National Park
You can drive a sedan up to Irazu Volcano National Park from San Jose, the road is all paved. It is a bit curvy as you’re going high up into the mountains of Cartago.
Palo Verde National Park
Though this road to Palo Verde National Park is unpaved, no 4×4 is necessary since it’s flat with no hills.
Poas Volcano National Park
The road up to Poas Volcano National Park is completely paved but narrow and curvy. Drive slowly!
La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Peace Lodge
The road to Peace Lodge and La Paz Waterfall Gardens is completely paved but is narrow, curvy and windy. Make sure to drive slowly, especially in rainy season.
Now you know what the road conditions in Costa Rica are like for popular destinations and routes and it will help make your trip planning a lot easier since you know what to expect!
Read other Costa Rica travel tips below!
Costa Rica ultimate survival guide
Tips for driving in Costa Rica
Renting a car with Adobe Rent a Car in Costa Rica
Mike Rossi says
Thanks for the detailed info! We’re coming for two weeks at the end of July, and it seems the only place we’re visiting that you recommend a 4×4 is when we go to Monteverde. During that time of the year, is there any way to get to Monteverde in a larger sized sedan? Besides a 4×4 costing me $200+ over the two weeks, I like the idea of having a trunk that locks and takes our belongings out of view if we’re traveling between spots and can’t drop our bags at our new place we’re staying. Your blog is wonderful so thanks again for all of the great info!
Sammi says
Hi Mike, July is during our rainy season and Monteverde tends to rain more so a 4wd is highly recommended for rainy season in Monteverde. (A sedan, whether it’s a big or small sedan is not 4wd)
Gaby says
Hi Sammi and Yeison.
Your blog is out of this world! Thank you for all your time and effort you put into it.
I do have a question about the road conditions. I have been reading on Facebook and the news say that Ruta 160 is destroyed by the recent rainfalls and wanted to check out with you guys that are there (in Costa Rica). What parts of the road are affected? Should I just avoid the whole mid/south Nicoya Peninsula or is it safe to drive around? Plans were to visit a lot of stuff in between Tamarindo and Montezuma but now I don’t know because of this Thanks!!!
yeison says
Hello Gaby,
Thank you for the nice comments about the blog 🙂
The route 160 always has problems during the rainy season, this route is mostly a gravel road and you will have to cross a 2 or 3 rivers that 11 months of the years are perfectly fine to cross, however when the area gets a lot of rain, rivers get high and cars can’t cross the river. Just last week the river that you need to cross to get to Ostional got super high and people had to wait for river to get lower.
If you are planning to come during the dry season you will be fine, local governments always fix the “roads” after the heavy part of the rainy season.
My recommendation is to always check the day before you come or you drive this route things here changes very quicky one day the road can be perfectly fine and then the next day you can’t use it (especially during heavy rains), you can also use the paved roads that connect those areas, for example, if you are planning to go to Nosara and you heard that the 160 is not in good shape you can use the route 21 to Nicoya then the 150 to Samara and the section from Samara to Nosara is usually in good conditions even in the rainy season, same with Montezuma you can take the 21 and go all the way down (public buses use the #21).
Thank you again for reading our blog!
sian says
Thank you so much for your amazing blog!! So so grateful for all the information! What is it like to drive from La Fortuna to Monteverde? Also if we are driving to Sierpe to get the boat to Drakes bay will we still need a 4×4?
Sammi says
Hi Sian, the drive from Fortuna to Monteverde is on an unpaved road. It takes around 3 hours or so.
You will need the high car to get out of Monteverde, once you get onto the highway, it is a paved main road down to Sierpe. It gets unpaved for a little bit on the road to Siepe when you turn off the highway but it is not bad.
Gloria Barber says
we will be driving from Liberia Airport to El Castillo next March, 2020. what vehicle do you recommend and how long is the drive? Absolute excellent blog site!
Sammi says
Depending on how many people you have, the road from La Fortuna to El castillo is mostly gravel but it is not bad and doesn’t require a high car or 4×4. It’s about 3.5 – 4 hours from Liberia Airport.
Amie says
Thank you for this great blog! We are staying in Dominical up in a mountain house. Do we need a 6v or 8v, or is a standard 4×4 (4 cylinder) okay? We are going in July.
Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Amie! That depends on how steep/muddy the road is, I would recommend to ask your host because in that area, they do have some pretty steep roads and can get very muddy in rainy season (and that area tends to rain a bit). Generally a 4 cylinder is fine but it is hard to say for sure without seeing the road so I would check with your host.
Laura says
Hi, I’m headed from LA Fortuna to the ferry parking at tortuguera at the end of August and from there down the coast to Puerto Viejo. I don’t see anything specific to that route and wanted to be sure I don’t need a 4×4 or anything other than a regular sedan for those roads? Thank you!
Sammi says
There is a part of the road to la Pavona parking lot to Tortuguero is unpaved but it is not bad and from Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna it is on a major road so a sedan should be fine.
Cristina Flippen says
Can we get by with a sedan from the SJO airport to Villa Blanca in the Cloud Forest , from Villa Blanca to Hotel San Bada, from Hotel San Bada to Villas Sol in Playa Hermosa, from Villas Sol to Los Lagos in th Arenal area and from Los Lagos to the Bambú area of San Jose?
Sammi says
Hi Cristina, I’m not sure where Villa Blanca is but if it’s in Monteverde, then you need to have a high car. The roads in and around Monteverde are in unpaved, potholey and very hilly since it’s up in the mountains and a high car is required.
David says
Hi, I have a question. Can I get by with a regular sedan in Montezuma? Is it that bad?
Sammi says
Hi David, you can technically get by with a sedan to Montezuma, depending on where you’re coming from and where you’re going afterwards. The road from Paquera if you take the ferry is unpaved but not too horrible but the road from Montezuma to Mal Pais through Cabuya is pretty rough and we definitely recommend a high car. You can get by with a sedan if you go super super slow but you may damage the bottom since it’s so low so if you get a sedan, I’d recommend purchasing full insurance since there is a huge chance to hit the bumper or damage the bottom.
Brady and Shelly says
Great list of road! We drove the Osa Peninsula in our 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4×4 and couldn’t have done it without it. We had to cross 7 rivers to get to San Josecito, and one of them was quite deep (up to the top of the hood) and we barely made it across. So, keep that in mind if you think you can just take any car off-road here, you won’t make it far.
Sammi says
Oh wow I bet it was even crazier back in 1998! We went in July last year and the rivers thankfully weren’t that high though we did time it so we drove in low tide. But yes, definitely – you won’t make it far and it won’t be a very pleasant drive!