Best road I've ever driven on.

[Martin]

I was on vacation in Costa Rica recently, which consisted of getting a guide book, a ticket and a car, then going for a kick-ass road trip around the country. It was really great all-around (probably best vacation I've ever had), but the real gem was the southern Nicoya peninsula.

Its a pretty undeveloped area - no paved roads, no gas stations, no big hotels at like 1 ATM in a 50km radius - just lots of villages and beaches. We were heading from Samara to Mal Pais (map) along the "160" which is a dirt road which is crossed by several small rivers (the road is not usable in the wet season), until at one point it turns into a beach (around here)

my friend took this little video of a part of the drive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=parbTHHRU48

 

[aphex]

Very cool! Need to get out that way sometime. We were over in Tambor last summer (other side of Nicoya). We're actually heading back down in about two weeks but likely won't do much other than Arenal and hang with the family in Escazu.

Glad to hear you had a good time! Costa Rica is such a fantastic place to visit.

 

[lizardboy]

Great drive.

Best scenic roads I've been on.

1) Driving along the Adriatic coast down the Western side of Croatia, all the way from Slovenian border to Dubrovnik. Just breathtaking blue water the entire way.

2) The "Ring" road around Iceland. It's the only road that encircles the entire island, it's not paved the entire way, and many of the bridges are one lane...but the scenery is incredible.

 

[secretanchitman]

OP - thats looks like an awesome road. i definitely will have to check it out one day.

one of the best roads for me is lakeshore drive in downtown chicago...especially at late night. hardly any cars (minus the taxis) and the lights are usually green. on the right side is lake michigan, and on the left is the magnificent chicago skyline. its perfect for a summer drive.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Martin
I was on vacation in Costa Rica recently, which consisted of getting a guide book, a ticket and a car, then going for a kick-ass road trip around the country. It was really great all-around (probably best vacation I've ever had), but the real gem was the southern Nicoya peninsula.

Its a pretty undeveloped area - no paved roads, no gas stations, no big hotels at like 1 ATM in a 50km radius - just lots of villages and beaches. We were heading from Samara to Mal Pais (map) along the "160" which is a dirt road which is crossed by several small rivers (the road is not usable in the wet season), until at one point it turns into a beach (around here)

my friend took this little video of a part of the drive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=parbTHHRU48

Costa Rica is very reasonable, price wise, to vacation in too, right?

 

[Martin]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: Martin
I was on vacation in Costa Rica recently, which consisted of getting a guide book, a ticket and a car, then going for a kick-ass road trip around the country. It was really great all-around (probably best vacation I've ever had), but the real gem was the southern Nicoya peninsula.

Its a pretty undeveloped area - no paved roads, no gas stations, no big hotels at like 1 ATM in a 50km radius - just lots of villages and beaches. We were heading from Samara to Mal Pais (map) along the "160" which is a dirt road which is crossed by several small rivers (the road is not usable in the wet season), until at one point it turns into a beach (around here)

my friend took this little video of a part of the drive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=parbTHHRU48

Costa Rica is very reasonable, price wise, to vacation in too, right?

Yes, the prices were pretty reasonably and I thought it was a really good value too. For example, park entrance fees are like $10 (roughly similar to provincial parks around here), but they're great parks you can't experience around here. The places I stayed at were around 25-30 USD/night/person and had all the basics well covered without any extras.

The real star of the show was the food though - not only is it cheaper but its really good quality as well. Imagine a huge, 2 person paella with really ripe tomatoes and tons fresh seafood and a pitcher of great sangria on a table that overlooks the ocean for $20! A similar meal around here would cost at least 3 times that.

 

[ballmode]

I wanna drive Highway 1