San José - Arrival

28.10.2026 Arrival Düsseldorf - Amsterdam - San José

Here we go. Off to Costa Rica for our 3-week rental car road trip. It has been long anticipated, and now it’s finally happening 😆. We start early at 5 am in Cologne and fly with KLM via Amsterdam to San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The flight is pleasant, the service is good, my girlfriend even has an empty seat next to her, and I barely notice my fellow passengers. There's really nothing to complain about, except that the flight feels too long to me. We land on time and quickly navigate through the roaring taxi drivers and an incredible hustle to find our rental car provider, Jumbo, who takes us to the rental station after a bit of waiting. There, we receive our charming little camouflage green Suzuki Jimny, freshly washed and with only 5000 km on the clock. 

The drive to our hotel in San José is a first test, which I handle well, even though the traffic, darkness, and the unfamiliar car 🚓 are quite demanding. Everything is slow and calm, patiencia. The biggest challenge is the railroad crossing with two red blinking lights. To stop or to go, that is the question. I choose the safe option to stop and get honked at and passed. So I decide to go after all 🤣. 

After the long day, unfortunately, we can’t go to bed yet; it feels too early even though it’s already 3 am in our time perception. In the Mexican-themed restaurant around the corner, we enjoy delicious tacos with Pico de Gallo (classic uncooked tomato salsa in the colors of Mexico) and chicken and fried Yuca. The Pico de Gallo tastes wonderfully refreshing. We also have our first Costa Rican beer 🍻, a Pilsen ... very tasty.