Biking

From Costa Rica Travel Guide: Vacation and Travel tips

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Biking

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, bicycling in Costa Rica has something for you, from easy to down-right a ride that will test your very being. Choose a relaxing cruise along the beach, or perhaps ride around a lake, down a volcano, or through the rainforest. For the expert there are grueling single track climbs followed by eighty-percent airborne descents. Obviously some of these rides were not meant for mere mortals.

You could bring your own bike, but several companies in almost any tourist destination will rent them as well, and biking is a great way to spend an afternoon exploring. Many companies will take you on day trips along carefully selected and planned routes designed to get the best bang for your buck.

Biking Costa Rica can be tough but spectacular and well worth it. Literally thousands of miles of roads wind through every type of terrain and tropical ecological zones you can imagine. Street in San Jose are chaotic and you should only bike there if in your previous life you curried mail with your bike through the streets of New York City. But be warned: Outside San Jose, roads can be narrow and many times there’s no shoulder to speak of, and most tico drivers, although not maliciously, can often be oblivious to others attempting to utilize the roadways. As a general rule the major roads can be quite dangerous and inhospitable for cyclists. I personally prefer mountain biking and off-the-main-road trekking around the country as opposed to pavement riding, but obviously it’s your call.

Personally, the area around Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano are among my favorite spots to mountain bike, but I live here, I’m a little bias. The scenery IS great, with primary forest, waterfalls, plenty of trails…. Oh, did I mention the Arenal Volcano. But there’s great opportunity almost anywhere around Costa Rica and it really just comes down to your skill level and what you want to do.