Self-drive versus shuttle bus in Costa Rica

04.04.2022

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Car in lush surroundings

Want to visit Costa Rica? And considering choosing a self-drive holiday (renting a car) rather than a regular tour taking shuttle buses?

Below, we compare the two forms of travel.

Should you choose self-drive or a regular tour?

Interbus

We offer two different types of tours in Costa Rica: our “regular” tours and our self-drive tours.

On our regular tours in Costa Rica, we use shuttle buses – a large network of minibuses running between the popular destinations in the country. It’s a cheap and efficient form of travel, and some of the buses even have free Wi-Fi which you can use along the way.

On our self-drive holidays in Costa Rica, you drive around to the various sights in Costa Rica in a rental car. If you’re up for it, it can be a great way to explore this beautiful country. It gives you added flexibility and the opportunity to be spontaneous in a way that’s not possible on our regular tours, where you get about by shuttle bus. The cars are almost new and come with free mileage, statutory insurance and GPS.

Our self-drive tours in Costa Rica follow the same itinerary as our regular tours (where we use shuttle buses). We currently offer two self-drive tours, but all of our tours can be made self-drive if you’ve fallen for one of our other Costa Rica tours.

The pros and cons of self-drive and shuttle buses

Playa Carillo

There are pros and cons to both self-drive and travelling by shuttle bus. What are the differences between the two forms of transport? We’ve listed 5 ways in which the two forms of transport differ from each other.

Self-drive	Shuttle buses
There’s greater freedom, and you get to decide for yourself when you want to leave in the morning	There are set departure times, which are important to keep to
You don’t waste any time waiting around for anyone other than those you are travelling with	You have to wait for other guests to be picked up from/dropped off at the hotels
As a driver, you’re very “on”, as it’s your job to make sure you get safely from A to B.	It’s a worry-free form of travel where your driver transports you safely from A to B.
You need to be aware of the traffic regulations and the other road users as well as potholes or animals in the road	You can use the time spent travelling in the bus to relax. Sit back and enjoy the view or take a nap.
Having your own car allows you to make extra stops en route if there’s a specific restaurant, a beach or anything else you suddenly feel like visiting.	You’ll be picked up from your hotel and dropped off at your hotel at your next destination. There’s always a built-in food and toilet break at a nice service station along the way, but there is no possibility of extra stops in addition to those scheduled.

Self-drive tours are not for everyone. But if you’re toying with the idea of driving in Costa Rica, you might like to take a look at Christina’s travelogue in which she describes her experiences the first time she got behind the wheel of a car in Costa Rica.

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller