My Travel Optimizer

Here is a link to a website that gives you the approximate driving times between cities. This is a better guide than actual miles since Costa Rican roads usually don’t allow for a consistent speed like United States Freeways.
There is another site here and here.
I also have an article on driving in Costa [...]

Here is a link for waterproof (its plastic) map of Costa Rica. It’s accurate, well marked with hotels, restaurants, parks, etc.
http://mapcr.com/
If you order the physical map you will receive, free, the PDF map. Just go to the mapcr.com web page and go to downloads. Enter in the order number from google checkout and you’re done.  [...]

I’d like to provide some more information on driving conditions in Costa Rica. It is not necessary to rent a 4 wheel drive to explore Costa Rica. You can drive on all the main roads just fine with a sedan or other small car. You can do quite a bit of exploring as [...]

I have driven in Costa Rica from one end of the country to the other. Conditions have definitely improved over the years. Some highways are narrow and filled with potholes. Others are as roomy and well maintained as any we have in the States. Overall the driving experience is pleasant. Costa [...]

I recommend renting a car in Costa Rica if you are able to do so. I use Avis. I’ve had very good experiences with them. You can make a reservation at their website and you don’t have to give them your credit card number until you arrive in Costa Rica.
I prefer using a car [...]