would it be UNADVISABLE for me and my friends to drive from arizona to costa rica?

Question

we will all either be 18 or 19 when this happens. oh yes, and girls.

please tell me of the dangers.

Answer 1

Unless you are doing this merely for the adventure it's an expensive and time consuming way to get to Costa Rica, with a lot of hassles along the way.

Driving through Central America is relatively easy, and in my opinion, the best way to see the region. The biggest headache you should encounter will be at the borders. It takes an average of 2-3 hours at each border to go through immigration and Customs with an Automobile.

The Honduran border is the worst in the bunch, and the worst of the worst is the border leaving El Salvador and going into Honduras- expect a full day being spent at this border. (At this border: Arrive EARLY because the bank you need to finish your application closes at 5 p.m.. We ran out of time at this border and ended up being stamped out of El Salvador in our passport, but unable to get the car into Honduras. We had to spend the night in our car in "No Mans Land" at the border between the two nations and finish our paperwork in the morning when the bank opened.)

All of the borders are set up in a similar way: there are two separate buildings: one for Immigration and one for Customs.

Immigration- this is where you go to have yourself stamped out (in your passport) of the country you are exiting, and into the country you are entering.

Customs- this is where you import/Export your car into and out of the countries you are visiting. This is the building that demands the majority of your time.

HOW TO GO THROUGH THE BORDERS IN CENTRAL AMERICA:

-We used the kids at every border (except the US/Mexican) and I suggest you do too.

When you approach a border, local kids will rush your car offering to guide you through the process. Seriously, I have NO IDEA what we would have done without them. These kids take you to every booth in both immigration and customs that you need to go to; they translate for you, make sure you have all the paperwork signed by the people who need to sign it, instruct you on how and where to pay the import fees, and help you bribe officials that need to be bribed. If you use their services you should pay them US$5-10 (total) depending on how long the ordeal took.

We have heard crazy things about these kids from locals and tourist lore... People say they are thieves who will bring you into a dark corner and rob you blind. We never saw anything like that. Furthermore, most people who told us these stories had never used their services, they had only 'Heard these things from someone else". Here is their track record in my book, and feel free to tell anyone you know that you heard it from me: 7 borders crossed with the kids help - 0 problems as a result of it.

CUSTOMS: Before entering the customs building make sure you have your car sprayed if it is required, and insurance for the nation you are entering if it is required.

SPRAY- Some Nations require that your car be sprayed for bugs before you enter (Belize and Costa Rica). This service costs $1-2 and is performed at the border.

INSURANCE- The only 2 nations that require that you buy their national insurance before importing a car are Belize and Costa Rica. This insurance is sold at the border and is really inexpensive.
Insurance is not required in Mexico, however, you would be really stupid not purchasing Mexican auto insurance at the border. In Mexico, if you are involved in an accident for any reason, both parties are held in jail until the police figure out who's fault the accident is. This can take days to weeks.... and guess whose fault it always ends up being when there is a gringo involved. If you have Mexican Insurance, the policy guarantees to pay the penalty if (when) the accident ends up being your fault. You won't go to jail or have a huge fine to pay in Mexico if you buy the insurance.

After you go through immigration, you can start the process of importing your car into the country. This is a lengthy process that requires a lot of 'fees' and paperwork. The kids can get some of the 'Fees" lowered if you ask them to.

You will need:
-local currency or US Dollars to pay the fee/bribes.
-Your title
-Your Passport already stamped by immigration.

In the forms you will have to record the VIN number of the vehicle, as well as the make, model, age and kilometers on the odometer- so bring those things with you when going through customs.

-After you complete your paperwork, an inspector will take a look at your car. This is really straight forward, he will ask you about the stuff you have inside in plain sight and how old the car is, etc.

-The Customs officials will put a large stamp in your passport (an easy way to fill it up quick). On this stamp they will write the date, car info, and VIN #. This is a temporary import stamp for your car- and it does expire. We had ours expire in Costa Rica before we left the country with our car- we paid a bribe/fee to a Customs Official and that cleared things right up.

-You are finished when: the stamp for the car is in your passport, your car has been inspected, and the customs officials have handed you your signed/stamped papers that you must keep to exit the country with the car.

-All-in-all, the fees to import the car at each border should be around US$20-50 (never more).

EXITING A NATION IN C. AMERICA WITH A VEHICLE.

Exiting is easy. Bring the papers and your passport into the customs office- they will take your papers, and (MAKE SURE THEY) stamp your passport by the temporary import stamp- showing that you have taken the vehicle out of the country.

MEXICO:
Some words have to be said about how Mexico differs from the rest of CA in terms of driving and bringing a car across the US/Mexican Border.

-First of all... the Mexican border towns with the US are NOT SAFE AREAS! I have crossed through just about every border town south of Texas and California and have found no exceptions. I have heard that some of the border towns south of Arizona are a little better, regardless, EXTREME CAUTION SHOULD ALWAYS BE USED, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.

Because of the safety issues in these border towns, DO NOT USE ANY OF THE KIDS WHO TRY TO HELP YOU AT THE BORDER!!!!!!! They will, most assuredly, be thieves.

-Mexico will give you a visitor's card when you enter the country in Immigration- DO NOT LOSE THIS CARD! You will need it to exit Mexico, and if you do not have it they will fine you.

-Any American (and, I believe, foreigner with an American Car) Can enter Mexico for free with a car if they have proof of registration (or title, but it is not required) for 2 weeks. After two weeks, a fee is assessed depending on the length of stay you want to have in the country. This fee is paid at the Mexican/US Border (on the Mexican side) - where border officials, in all my experience, are fair and honest about exactly how much the fee should be. They usually give you 90 days for about $30. However, when exiting Mexico, IF THEY TRY TO CHARGE YOU, AGAIN, AT THE BORDER FOR THIS FEE, THROW A FREAKING TANTRUM AND ASK TO SPEAK TO AN OFFICIAL HIGHER IN COMMAND. If you haven't guessed, this is one of the biggest scams at the Mexican Borders. The Guards will tell you that you stayed too long and tell you there is a penalty involved.. the exact amount will be decided depending on how frustrated you look. We found that throughout Central America, if you are traveling with a woman, let her throw the fits- the Latino men in CA seem to find it humorous when a woman lashes out at them, and if you can get them to chuckle, you can get your way.

-Mexico will only allow one vehicle per person to be brought across their border. If you are driving a truck, for example, and towing a motorcycle, the title of both the truck and motorcycle CAN NOT be in the same person's name, or you will have to leave one of them at the border back in the US.

-TOPES: What's that you say? You've never heard of topes! Oh, you will... Dear God, you will...
Mexican Topes will be the bane of your existence while driving through the country. Topes are speed bumps with a twist: The Mexican Government will put a tope on any street if a Mexican person pays to have one there.
Here's a math problem: You're driving through the Sierra Madres and you come up to a small Mexican village, with a bank, 3 shops, a restaurant, and a fruit stand all in the space of 1 city block. How many Topes will be on that street?
Answer: 15 topes - 2 for the Bank, 3 for each shop, 2 for the restaurant, 1 for the fruit stand, and 1 for Maria Ramerez, may she rest in peace.
To make things even more annoying, there is no maximum height on topes. In our little Mitsubishi with 7 inches of clearance, we had to stop and go over them one wheel at a time so they wouldn't scrape the underside of our car.

-TOLL ROADS: Mexican toll roads are ALWAYS WORTH IT! Not only will they cut your drive time in half, but if anything happens to your car while you drive on them (i.e.. flat tire) the Highway officials will tow and fix your repair for free. The down side is: the tolls are not cheap. Count on paying about $10/ hour for the privilege.

-CAR PRIVILEGES IN MEXICO: If you bring a car into Mexico and do not take it out with you when you leave- YOU WILL NEVER AGAIN BE ABLE TO BRING A CAR INTO MEXICO. There is no fee you can pay, or official you can bribe to change this- this rule is etched in stone. So, when exiting Mexico, it is REALLY IMPORTANT that you give all of your papers and get the stamp in your passport from the customs office. If the customs office is closed when you are trying to exit, it is in your best interest to spend the night in the border town and leave the next day when the office is open.

SELLING THE CAR:
Selling your Car in Central America is somewhat time consuming- and can be prohibitively expensive in certain Nations, like COSTA RICA. In fact, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SELL YOUR CAR IN COSTA RICA- even if it breaks down during your visit and is un-repairable. Should this be the your misfortune, have the car towed to Panama and get the temporary import stamp out of your passport at the border.

Answer 2

This is definitely not safe... especially in Mexico and Hondores. There are still gorilla groups that will stop you and demand a $500 toll "for their cause". There are a lot of really unsafe area's along the way. The borders will be a pain in the butt, taking several hours to get through... and the roads are not safe for 18 year old female inexperienced drivers.... you have to have driven in central america to know what I mean... it's crazy.

You can fly down there for as little as $300 per person round trip.... that is MUCH safer then driving down.

You also really need to have a guy with you... you dont want a Nancy Gracy special on you. It's can be a dangerous country, there is an increase of human smuggling , and a bunch of white girls will have a target on them.

Costa Rica is the safest of all Central American countries.... but you will have to drive through some rough places (Mexico, El Salvador, Hondouras to name three) and even Costa Rica has some rough places, depending on exactly where you are going.

SO...

1. FLY down.
2. Bring a guy.

Answer 3

From one of the answers above, I would suggest to cross into Honduras from Guatemala and at El Florido custom, it is not as bad as the crossing in El Salvador and you have the mayan ruins 15 min from there. Driving in Honduras is not dangerous whenever you dont drive at night, just be careful with the trucks when they try to pass another car coming into you. And if you spend the night in Honduras Copan is ok or San Pedro or Tegucigalpa. If you spend the night in one of this cities you will be out to Nicaragua the next day. Copan is the farthest from the Nicaragua border.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

I think it is a swell idea! If anyone rapes you, you could just charge them. So they don't get any free "rapes" cha know. Smuggle some sloths and crack cocaine also.

Answer 6

I certainly wouldn't advise it....escpecially if all of you traveling are girls. I mean, I wouldn't want to get lost in Mexico with just my girlfriends but that's just me. I would definitely fly!