My first 2 days in Costa Rica were all about driving the 6+ hours to Drake Bay. Of course, I had to stop along the way to see some of what the west coast of Costa Rica had to offer.
These highlights turned out to be a great introduction for what was to come. From spotting my first bit of wildlife to sunset views and a waterfall—I was already living the Pura Vida life!
People warned getting out to Drake Bay would mean encountering bad roads possibly unfit for a simple car. But I managed to get there with no problem and enjoy the views along the way. I hope you, too, enjoy what I share as my Costa Rica adventure begins!
From Plane To Car
Day 1 of my road trip to Drake Bay began on the day I landed in San Jose. Sixt car rental picked me up and brought me to their storefront near the airport.
That’s where I met Lucia—my little white Geely GX3 companion on the road!
Lucia on the road side in Costa Rica
After running a few errands—SIM card purchase, grocery store, gas—I headed along the highway West out of town.
This was May 2nd, the beginning of rainy season. Everyone told me I needed a 4x4 to get around Costa Rica’s bad roads especially in the rain. In particular, the roads to Drake Bay on Osa Peninsula are normally inaccessible to regular cars. Most people fly there or take a boat if they don’t have a 4x4 rental. However, they recently built a bridge that made it more accessible—more on this soon!
When it started raining as I turned South along the coast I worried that more rain awaited me on this trip. But I would soon see that the weather was consistently dry and my car was raised up enough to make it over any flooded roads. I was able to drive anywhere I desired for my whole trip! Yay!
Mapping Costa Rica
Speaking of where I drove, I made a map and marked ALL of the highlights I thought would be cool to check out for this trip. See below!
I definitely did not make it to every destination or drive on every road indicated. But I drove a lot of it and you’ll find out where as you follow along with my blog in the coming months.
Highlight 1: Crocodile Bridge
One of the first highlights along my route was easily accessible from Route 34. Along the Tarcoles River, the road goes over a bridge where I had the opportunity to experience my first bit of Costa Rican wildlife.
Crocodiles!
Many tourists stop here and walk out onto the bridge to view the crocodiles from the safety of up above. I enjoyed getting to see so many American Crocodiles all in one highly visible place. I also simply enjoyed the river views—beautiful!
As a touristy stop, there was a smoothie stand and restaurants as well as toilets and other amenities. I took advantage of these before continuing on my way. This was only about 1.5 hours into my drive and I was already so satisfied. I knew I wanted to get as far South as I could so that my drive to Drake Bay the next day wouldn’t be too long.
Highlight 2: Roadside Views
Back on the road, I enjoyed views from the comfort of Lucia. On occasion, I did get out to take some photos.
The above photo was in the town of Jaco. Jaco is a popular coastal town because of its proximity to San Jose. Lots of tourists and city people go there regularly to enjoy the beach.
Highlight 3: Hermosa Beach at Sunset
I wanted to stop for sunset since I was driving along the West coast of Costa Rica. The West coast is famous for the sunsets and Hermosa Beach is one of the nicest beaches, too. I was only about 1 hour from where I thought I might stay overnight and the sun was just starting to set.
There was barely anybody else at this beach. There were a few surfers and a random person or two far down the beach.
What a gorgeous introduction to Costa Rican sunsets!
Highlight 4: Wide Mouth Frog Hostel
As soon as it began to get dark, I booked a hostel stay in Quepos and drove my way there. Wide Mouth Frog was a hostel I had my eye on because it had very inexpensive rooms. All I needed was a bed for the night so the multi-bed dorm was it for me! I only had to share with one other person.
I didn’t get many pictures of the place because I really was only there for not even 12 hours. But it was really beautiful with lots of plants, pool, and hammocks all outdoors!
I enjoyed a home cooked breakfast with local eggs and avocado the next morning.
Highlight 5: El Pavón Waterfall
Costa Rica is also famous for its waterfalls. There are hundreds of them all over but a select few that are easily accessed and worth getting to.
The most important tip for visiting waterfalls is to try to get there early to beat other tourists. So on Day 2, I was on the road by 8AM to go see my first waterfall in Costa Rica.
The road there was my first off-road experience. This was a bumpy, pot-hole-ridden dirt road that was narrow in parts stretching back far into the forest.
After over 30 minutes of driving, I came to a restaurant located across from the path down to El Pavón Waterfall.
I was perfect in my timing. Looking down the path, there were no other people in sight!
The unique rounded rock wedge in this fall made it special enough to go check out. It’s also small and tucked away and private-seeming. El Pavón was so private, I decided to give into temptation and take a morning dip!
The water was cool and perfect in the humid climate!
With nobody around, I could set up my camera and get all the photos and angles I wanted. Here is a look at my set up!
At the end of this blog post, you’ll get to see some video I took here in a video compilation of my entire road trip to Drake Bay.
The Way To Drake Bay
Other bloggers informed me in advance that Drake Bay is a small town with not much there. In particular, gas and ATMs are hard to come by, if existing at all there. So I made sure to gas up at the station in Charcarita. Charcarita is the town just before turning on the road that takes you out onto the peninsula.
Now for the drive out to Drake Bay. I read a lot ahead of this drive because so many travelers who did it before warned about the terrible roads. I was nervous to drive it without a 4x4 but felt confident in what I read online.
In the last year or so, a bridge was built over a safer way to travel. Without really bad rains, I could theoretically make the drive even without a 4x4.
The bloggers told me I just had to ignore my GPS and make sure to take a left turn before getting to the areas where the river crosses the road.
Below is what the road looks like at that turn with lots of signage and arrows pointing to various stays and attractions.
Had I not turned, I would have traversed a literal river going over the road. I actually took this route on my way back from Drake Bay just to see it. My Geely made it in the sunny weather.
I can imagine in the rain this being a complete disaster to drive through! So I am glad they built the bridge across the other route.
The scenery out to Drake Bay was amazing despite the windy, steep, bumpy roads. The large farms with hills and rainforest as backdrop were gorgeous!
And the coastal views were also quite impressive.
Mostly, I was driving through seriously dense rainforest. Signs reminded me to “look up” to see possible monkeys and sloths in the trees above. Now we’re talking! This is what I came to this area for…
Drake Bay Stay
I made it to Drake Bay after a 2 hour drive from Chacarita.
I immediately checked into my Airbnb stay. This was simple accommodation. I had a room with a bed, desk and fan and access to shared bathrooms, showers, kitchen and porch. It was only $14 per night and boasted beautiful views of the bay from its hillside position.
Up in the trees from the porch every morning I could see Costa Rica’s most famous bird—the macaw, which locals call Lapas.
The macaw make a very loud, distinct sound that can be quite annoying but they sure do make up for it with their beauty!
The central town was basically one main road with restaurants, tourist attractions, resorts, and stores. Otherwise, the area was mainly beach and surrounding forest—ready to be explored!
Video Overview
I put together a 2-minute video below to get an overview of my 2 day road trip out to Drake Bay.
In Conclusion
My Day 1-2 drive was already such a great introduction to my time in Costa Rica!
I covered lots of ground between seeing crocodiles, a beach sunset, and taking a dip in a waterfall to myself. Best of all, the weather seemed to be holding out and my car seemed to be fine even though it wasn’t a 4x4.
With 4 nights planned in Drake Bay, there is so much adventure ahead to share! Stay tuned for a hike, diving, and tons of wildlife sightings!
