gama asked 8 years ago
We are planning a trip for 2 weeks in the beginning of December. We plan to drive from San Jose to Uvita area ( 2-3 nights) then on to either Golfito, Drake Bay, or Puerto Jimenez (4 nights), then drive up to Fortuna/ MonteVerde for the remainder (6 nights). Being that we will be there at the tail end of rainy season, is one of these locations (Golfito, Drake Bay, or Puerto Jimenez) easier to access than the others? Drake Bay seems easier but Golfito and Puerto Jimenez seem more remote and more what we are looking for. If we rent a car in San Jose, should we return it and fly from Quepos? We could then fly back to San Jose and rent another car for Arenal area. Any thoughts or advice is much appreciated.
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 8 years ago
Hi Gama,
The roads getting to Puerto Jimenez and Golfito are paved so they are actually a bit easier to access than Drake Bay. While it is possible to drive to Drake Bay, it is not recommended because of some river crossings and poor road conditions. For Drake Bay it is better to return the car in Sierpe (Adobe allows this from their Uvita location) and take a shuttle boat. More info about that option can be found in our Drake Bay post. All three of those destinations have small airports, so your plan to fly back to San Jose would work to save time. You could also look into flying from San Jose to Arenal and renting a car there (but the drive isn’t bad either) and continuing on to Monteverde after.
Hope this clears up some questions, have a great two weeks!