On a recent trip to Costa Rica we discovered that the public transportation was really taking a lot of our time. Waiting on connections, early departures and many stops along the way were our main issues. After a few days, we decided to rent a car.

Our concern with renting a car was we were not sure whom to choose. We had talked to a few people along the way who told us that renting a car had made their trip better. Once at the hotel, we talked to the front desk and they gave us a couple of suggestions.

We were very happy to find that there were a few companies in Costa Rica that had eco-friendly cars. That was a huge draw for us since we are definitely conscious about our carbon footprint. With that said, our decision became an easy one.

One of the things we were concerned about was the condition of some of the roads. We knew that they were tricky and on a good day, difficult to travel on. With many of our locations being typically in more remote areas, we were a little apprehensive.

We were aware from traveling to other Central American countries that Costa Rica does not use numbers or names for addresses in most places. Knowing that little fact, we decided to go with the GPS with the car. Renting a car was by far the best decision, giving us the independence we needed to really explore.

We want to tell you that renting a four-wheel drive is definitely the way to go. With a lot of the roads being unpaved, especially in the rain, they can be difficult to maneuver. The time we saved by avoiding the public transport schedule allowed us to get to more places than originally planned and that was so great.

It was really nice to know that we could do our part while on vacation and drive an eco-friendly car. A few companies in Costa Rica are working together to save the planet, why not support their efforts? Keep the air clean with an emissions free car.

You should really be prepared for the road conditions if you are going to rent a car. They are some of the worst I have seen with maximum speed on some of them only as high as 25 mph. The GPS is definitely a must have so head the warning.

It gets dark between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. in Costa Rica so we want to suggest that any driving you do should do during the daylight hours. The roads can be very tricky especially in the dark and better safe than sorry. So if you find yourself heading to Costa Rica for vacation, do so with a sense of adventure and rent a car.

Visiting Costa Rica? Leslie J. Riannen invites you to visit in style while staying Eco Friendly by choosing the only Green Costa Rica Car Rental Company. Mapache offers Car Rental in Liberia for its total fleet of low emission cars. Visit their site to reserve safely and securely before your next trip.