Costa Rica - Nomad America 4x4 rental

[pugslyyy]

Just finished up our 6 days with the Defender 110 from Nomad America and we are all smiling ear to ear. Fabio the owner of Nomad America met us in Liberia (where we flew in) with the truck loaded with all camping gear and a local cell phone loaded with helpful apps including Ioverlander for camping spots. The truck, an 2005 Defender 110 was SWEET and ran like a champ. I'm in love
We beach camped (dispersed) 3 nights and grabbed a room for 2 nights in the middle of the trip to clean up and enjoy some AC.
I'm working on a video but here are a few pics.

That's great Randy - looks like you all had a fantastic time!

 

[rcharrette]

Thanks everyone, we're already discussing next winter and possibly getting the Defender again to explore the Caribbean Coast. Here are some more pic's from our time here.

 

[whiskeytacos]

Well, my wife and I finally booked our tickets for December. Now to figure out which vehicle we want to rent and start planning routes.

 

[whiskeytacos]

Update: Ended up booking the Hilux. I was looking forward to having a Defender, but with only two of us I couldn't justify the cost since our other couple backed out. So, I've basically got the same truck as mine (2014 Tacoma Off Road) but a diesel and manual transmission. Can't wait! If anyone has suggestions on places to camp, or has been to areas like Drake Bay in December, please let me know.

 

[rcharrette]

@wiskeytacos, that's great! You guys are going to have a blast!! Get the Ioverland app on your phone and start searching around on it. I just had a quick look around Drake Bay and there is a place called Playa Josecito there. Free dispersed but 4X4 and a river crossing required to get to it (perfect!) according to the write up. Have fun.

 

[rcharrette]

Oh, and also I'd suggest bringing along a external battery pack to charge your phone, etc. On the Defender we rented the cigar lighter only put out a few amps at best so while driving our phone would maintain it's charge level but never actually charge up to full. Not a huge problem as you can pull up and grab a drink/lunch somewhere and usually plug in but a battery with USB plugs would be helpful for sure. We used the heck out of our phone for nav, campsites, reviews, etc.

 

[whiskeytacos]

We're back in CR! When checking out our Hilux, I noticed the driver's side CV boot was off and axle grease was everywhere. The guys immediately took it into the shop and dropped us off at a local soda where they bought us lunch. So far I'm loving this Hilux. I miss the power and speed of my Tacoma, but this truck just doesn't stop.

Our first night was up on a volcano, where we got lost twice trying to find the campground. Of course it rained for 14+ hours and was down to nearly 50°F.

Now we're farther south near Quepos, camped next to the beach. We had dinner at El Avion, a restaurant made out of an old CIA C-123 cargo plane. There's a group here who drove a custom truck camper down from New Jersey! Too bad they don't want to talk to us...

Tomorrow it's on to Playa Josecito, south of Drake Bay. Hopefully the river crossings are manageable and we get a great campsite.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[rcharrette]

Too bad about the CV but not surprising, those trucks get worked hard on those Costa Rican roads and tracks! Luckily the guys there at Noamad America are awesome (as you know). I never asked, how long are you taking to do your drive? Have fun!

 

[whiskeytacos]

Too bad about the CV but not surprising, those trucks get worked hard on those Costa Rican roads and tracks! Luckily the guys there at Noamad America are awesome (as you know). I never asked, how long are you taking to do your drive? Have fun!

We're here for 9 days only. We stayed in a hotel tonight in Liberia for a freshen up after 4 (sweaty and dusty) days out. Two more nights of camping and then we end in Santa Teresa for a couple of nights in a hotel. Happy wife happy something or other. We're excited to finally be back on the Nicoya Peninsula later this morning!

 

[rcharrette]

Nice, we did pretty much the same thing splitting time between camping in the RTT and hoteling it. Enjoy!

 

[aharp94]

any rentals options to have a stay in?

 

[rcharrette]

All their vehicles are listed right here: https://www.nomadamerica.com/ourcars/
Not sure I understand your question. Do you mean like a camper? Anyway, just email them. They are very helpful.

 

[corerider]

I came across Nomad America while watching a YouTube video last night, which then lead me to this post when looking for more info... The folks in the YouTube video flew into San Jose, but looks like others on the thread have flown into Liberia... Will Nomad America meet you at whatever airport you fly into or is it better to be at a certain airport?

I visited Costa Rica this past August and stayed near Uvita... Been looking for a chance to go back ever since and overlanding is high on my list of ways to do it! Any advice, tips, etc would be really helpful from either of you.

 

[Morgan Weafer]

Lifestyle Overland recently shared part of their experience in Costa Rica with Nomad America.

 

[corerider]

Lifestyle Overland recently shared part of their experience in Costa Rica with Nomad America.

That's actually the YouTube video I'm referring too... awaiting their next installment of the trip and was wanting more info from folks who've used Nomad America.