Anyone have any info on road and gravel riding in Costa Rica. I’m staying at the Marriott Los Sueños. I’m wanting to do a bunch of riding while down there, but I’m not sure if it’s safe to be solo on the roads away from the resort areas.
Any info would be appreciated.
Costa Rica has the largest potholes on earth. Or at least that was my experience. A gravel bike might be OK but you won’t need your road bike. Scary drivers too, so I would sit this one out.
I agree @Erik_Wahlstrom Costa Rica is generally safe to be out and away from the resorts but the drivers can be dangerous. Many roads don’t have much of a shoulder either. Depending on how long you’re going, I’d consider a gravel bike and go explore. Once you’re off the main roads, expect many dead ends, pavement that suddenly turns to dirt and steep climbs. Many of the types of roads I’ve been on would be better on a mtb.
I have not been to where you are going. I would not ride roads anywhere near the big cities like SanJuan. Too much chaos. I drove roads across the bay from you, out on the peninsula to surf beaches. The roads there are mostly gravel until you get to the coast where they can be graded dirt. They can be washed out and need 4 wheel drive. When it’s dry they might coat the dirt with a molasses by product which is a mess.
I’m sure there is a lot of mtn biking since they have a large amount of protected jungle/forest.
Have fun
FWIW this week I’ve seen some cyclists in kits around Liberia, and some MTBers in Monteverde. Seemed safer in the mountains, on a gravel bike or MTB because of the roads.
Thanks for all the info. Sounds like it might be safest to take mtb or just take some time off.
Is that the one near Jaco? If so, I’d just take a MTB. There aren’t many paved roads in that area. Highway 34 or “La Costanera” has a lot of traffic including freight, it’s narrow and the shoulder is also narrow or non existent. You’ll see a lot of cyclists tho, even in MTB because it connects to very popular routes and many beaches, but I wouldn’t ride there if it’s my first time in the area.
The Pacific coast is immediately next to the mountains so there’s plenty of MTB routes with less or almost no car traffic. It’s also a beautiful area to explore.
I think it’s safe but you should be as careful as in any touristic destination.
Lots of tourists and local do MTB there, so you’ll find many people and routes. La Ruta de los Conquistadores usually starts close to where you’ll be staying. This is one of the most popular multi-stage mountain bike races in the world. It’s what inspired the creation of Cape Epic (citation needed).
Road cycling it’s better In the rural in the center of the country. Around the volcanoes (Irazu, Turrialba, Poas), “Zona de los Santos”, etc.
If you want to do gravel, the Northwest is better. Peninsula de Nicoya, Liberia, the coast of Guanacaste in general.
Thanks. I ended up just taking the golf clubs and made it a recovery week. The main road would have been scary as hell to me, but I did see one guy out there.
Halfway between the coast and San Jose I saw lots of good roads, especially around the national forest.
Next time I’ll know what to expect
Thanks
I’ve been to CR several times. The riding would be great for climbing, but the drivers are not afraid to come within 12 inches of every single rider. I rode in multiple taxis and all the cars on the road, including the taxis, blew past cyclists within a foot or so. There is no way I’d ride in CR unless someone knew some off the beaten path roads.
It’s pretty safe, just stay away from the main highways. Tons of great riding out there. I’ve been all over as part of a cycling tour (exodus travels). We had front suspension mountain bikes due to pot holes but it wasn’t that bad and the bikes were overkill. Gravel bike with slick tires would be ideal. Saw plenty of people on road bikes too.
For future people heading out there, maybe check out where the cycling tours go for ideas, look at heat maps or ask one of the local tour colonies for tips . There are also some events such as the Vuelta Ciclista Internacional a Costa Rica where you could look up the routes used
While there are safe out of the way places to ride there, the experience is super dependent on where you are so I’m cautious to provide blanket advice. Even on smaller less trafficked twisty mountain roads you can still encounter buses or semis that are using very possible inch of the road.
I lived in Costa Rica off and on for a decade and have had some of the scariest on road related experiences of my life there. It’s a lovely country and cycling has exploded in popularity there over the past decade with locals riding on roads that I’d never go near due to traffic.
I ride whenever I’m down there visiting family, but I stick to MTB. Not many proper MTB trails, but lots of great out of the way dirt mountain roads where I hardly will ever see a car.
I heard there’s a dinosaur park nearby.