costarica2017 asked 7 years ago
Hello – we we’ll be in Costa Rica from 6/11th – 6/18th and driving from San Jose airport, Poas volcano, Arenal, Tenorio, Monteverde back to the airport. How reliable is the WIFI access in these areas? (we have AT&T) if we lose access while driving, what’s plan B? We are using Google Maps how accurate did you find the travel time & mileage to be?
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 7 years ago
Hi costarica2017,
Cell phone coverage is pretty good overall in Costa Rica. I’m not sure how it works with AT&T but am assuming they share the same towers with the local companies here. In some areas coverage can be spotty, in which case you might want to have a real map as a backup (here is one we have and recommend). Lots of restaurants have WiFi too, so you could pull into one of those to get a snack. Google works pretty well but can lead you on some secondary roads if you aren’t careful. We would recommend planing your route out ahead of time (sticking to main roads with route numbers) and cross referencing our Road Conditions on Specific Roads post, to make sure you know what to expect. Another post that will help is the Driving to Monteverde one that we wrote. Drive times from Google are usually pretty accurate once you have the correct route, but sometimes you might want to add a half hour or so, especially for dirt road travel times. If you’re heading back to the airport, add even more in case of construction or an accident along the way. Have a safe trip!