Taking a taxi in Costa Rica

Visiting a new country definitely demands some good planning and there is no one who will not agree that traveling to the holiday destination is perhaps the biggest worry. But there are very few who actually contemplate what they should do about the transportation factor after they reach the destination. Since the vacationing spot is not familiar to you, an in-depth knowledge about the popular modes of transport is necessary.  Costa Rica is not the largest of the countries, and if you are a bicycle enthusiast then you can perhaps criss-cross in your trail bike. However, if you want a relaxed vacation, a taxi or a hired car is perhaps the best option. When you are visiting Costa Rica for a short duration of time, the best means of transport that you could possibly avail of would be the taxi. The country has well over 7000 taxis in totality and these are found to be all over the place - bright red and easily spotted. Taxis in this Central American country provide cheap and efficient transport services and are perhaps the best way to go about the capital city of San Jose and all other places worth visiting.

Taxis are the most preferred mode of transport in Costa Rica since they are generally considered reliable. Though there are several stories that you might hear upon reaching Costa Rica revolving around how overtly charged tourists are by taxi drivers, but the truth is the majority of taxi drivers are more honest than you can imagine. Knowing the way around in Costa Rica is extremely important and if you cannot, then the most favorable option before you is perhaps a taxi. As a rule, if you go scouting on the streets of Costa Rica you will find that there are very few street signs to look out for and even lesser addresses that you could ever help yourself to find. Most part of the country does not have a logical address, and are referred to with respect to landmarks. This aspect that might deter you from finding a place you wish to is that- all places in Costa Rica are referred to in context of a famous building, church or any other well- defined landmark. In fact there are innumerous churches in the country and this can be quite confusing for the new visitor.

On the flip side hiring a taxi may mean that you will be robbed of your hard earned money faster than you blink. In many cases it so happens that the passenger is not alert enough and the taxi driver fails to engage the taxi meter on time. Its funny that within the country the meter is known as Maria, a name that draws reference to the Virgin and consequently her levels of honesty. So, all you need to do is get on to the cab and ask the driver to fix the meter. Altering the “maria” has become a regular feature with taxistas or taxi drivers.

Costa Rica recently is witnessing an upward trend in the emergence of pirate taxis. These look exactly like the original ones, red in color but if you notice carefully in most of them the upside down diamond can not be found on the car’s door. In most cases they are just locals who try to earn a bit extra charging a bit less than the real taxis. Now that you know all that you needed to about taxis, don’t you think boarding the real thing is much better?