Driving
You have to exercise caution when renting a car in Costa Rica - companies have been known to claim for "damage" they insist you inflicted on their vehicle. By far the best policy is to rent a car through a Costa Rican travel agent or tour operator, which will cost you considerably less than doing it yourself. If you are travelling on a package, your agent will sort this out. Otherwise, go into an ICT-accredited travel agent in San Jose. Car rental in Costa Rica is also expensive . Expect to pay about US$400 per week for a regular (non-4WD) vehicle, including insurance, and up to US$500 for 4WD. You will need a credit card, either Mastercard or Visa, which has sufficient credit for the entire cost of the rental, both at the beginning and end of the rental period. The majority of companies are based in San Jose, and you'll have to return the car there. The exception is Elegante, which has offices throughout the country. If you intend to drive in the rainy season (May-Nov), especially on the Nicoya Peninsula, or want to get to off-the beaten-track places, or to Santa Elena and Monteverde, you'll need to rent a 4WD . (Indeed, due to the condition of the roads some car-rental companies refuse to allow their regular cars to be driven to Monteverde between May and November.) In recent years a system of fines ( multas ) for infractions like speeding has been introduced in Costa Rica. The speed limit on the highways is either 75km/hr or 90km/hr; it's marked on the sidewalk or on signs. If you're caught speeding you could find yourself paying up to US$65. Fuel is positively cheap by European standards: about US$15 a tank on a medium-sized vehicle or about US$30 for a big 4WD.
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