We spent 4 weeks travelling Costa Rica in a 4×4 camper from Nomad America. In this post, we review our experience and share everything you need to know about renting a vehicle from Nomad America.
This article may contain affiliate / compensated links, that may earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you. For full information, please see our disclaimer here. While all efforts have been taken to ensure the information included in this post is correct and current, travel information such as opening hours, business operations and prices change frequently. If you find anything in this post that is incorrect or outdated please let me know in the comments so I can update it for other readers.
About Nomad America
Nomad America is a Costa Rican-owned and operated car rental agency. Based in Alajuela, just outside the capital city of San Jose, they’re not like any other rental company out there! They solely rent 4×4 vehicles, that come equipped with everything you need for an epic camping adventure.
We discovered Nomad America years ago, when they featured in a YouTube video we were watching, dreaming about our future travels in Central America. We love camping at home in Australia, having previously converted an old Toyota Hiace into a campervan, and more recently buying a 60 Series Toyota Landcruiser. So the idea of wild camping around Costa Rica was something we knew we had to do, and it became a cornerstone piece of our 6 month Central America adventure.
There aren’t any other rental companies in Costa Rica offering what Nomad America do. Not only the model and quality of the cars, but all the gear included, and the experience they are selling. Their ethos is freedom, allowing visitors to experience Costa Rica free from tours, free from public transport limitations, free from relying on hotels and restaurants, and the freedom to go literally anywhere you like, with their off-road vehicles.
We resonate completely with their mission, as this was the Costa Rica we wanted to experience.
To keep it real and transparent, Nomad America provided us with a discount on our rental, in exchange for a blog post and social media deliverables.
We still paid a substantial amount for the car, and we would have paid full price had they not agreed to collaborate, as there isn’t any other company out there that offers the experience Nomad America does.
Everything you read here is our honest opinion, sharing the good and bad of our experience road-tripping Costa Rica with Nomad America.
Why camp and road trip in Costa Rica?
Simply put, Costa Rica has some of the most pristine nature in all of Central America, possibly even the world, and camping allows you to spend every second, of every day, completely immersed in it.
Parking under palm trees on a deserted beach, sleeping to the sound of the waves, waking up to macaws and monkeys – paradise, right?
On a more logistical level, Costa Rica is a small country, making it perfect for a road trip as distances are short. In addition, the public transport system in Costa Rica is poor, with limited connections between destinations, non-existent local transport options and very very expensive tourist shuttles.
Costa Rica is also one of the more expensive countries in the region, making camping a very attractive and affordable option. Nomad America offers transport, accommodation and the ability to cook your own meals all in one package.
Pros and cons of renting a Nomad America 4×4
Even if you love camping at home, it can be a different experience in another country. There’s no denying that camping isn’t always the most comfortable option, so it’s understandable if you have some reservations. There are positives and negatives of camping anywhere in the world, with any kind of set-up.
Here are some pros and cons of renting a Nomad America 4×4 and camping and road-tripping around Costa Rica you might like to consider…
Pros
- You spend all your time outside in Costa Rica’s nature. There is no better way to experience the country’s beautiful beaches, stunning mountains and mystical cloud forests than putting yourself in the middle of it, all the time.
- Go wherever you want, whenever you want. No relying on buses, expensive tourist shuttles or taxis. You can take yourself wherever you like, at whatever time you like.
- Visit places regular cars and public transport can’t reach. Whatever vehicle you rent from Nomad America will be 4×4, so not only do you have the freedom to drive yourself around the country, you have the freedom to drive down dirt roads, across rivers and along sandy tracks, with no concerns!
- Having a kitchen on wheels to easily cook your own meals can save you a lot of money in Costa Rica, where eating out can be expensive.
- Free (or cheap) accommodation! Wild camping is legal in Costa Rica so you can essentially pull up and camp for free pretty much anywhere. If you’re looking for more amenities, there are paid campgrounds around the country that still offer a much cheaper alternative to normal accommodation.
Cons
- It’s expensive. There’s no sugar coating, it costs a lot to rent a vehicle from Nomad America and it is a big upfront cost. But in saying that, it costs a lot to travel Costa Rica in general. 4×4 car rentals from other agencies without the gear cost the same if not more, and if you don’t have a car and camping set up you need to consider accommodation, other transport, tours and eating out.
- Setting up and packing up every day can be tiresome. This is the number one thing I dislike about camping, not just in Costa Rica, but anywhere in the world. Everything takes a long time to do, so a lot of your days are spent setting up or packing up.
- Camping can be uncomfortable, not specifically with Nomad America in Costa Rica, but in general. Personal hygiene can slip, with showers and toilets not always readily available, and living out of a car without space to unpack can be frustrating at times.
- You’re at the whim of the weather. Costa Rica is a hot and tropical climate, which means hot and steamy nights in the tent, and rain to contend with. There’s no AC in the tent!
Is it worth it? Absolutely.
Sure there were times I was whinging because it was raining and everything was wet, when some nights it was so sticky in the tent we couldn’t sleep, and when we were sweaty and smelly and just wanted a long, hot shower.
But then a macaw would fly past, the sun would turn a soft golden colour as it dropped into the horizon, or I would look up at the palm trees above me as I was swaying in the hammock and all the discomfort would be 100% worth it for this experience.
How long should you rent a Nomad America 4×4 for?
Rather than trying to answer how long your trip to Costa Rica should be, and how long you would need to see the highlights (that’s a whole other discussion!), what I want to answer here is how long can I realistically last camping without going crazy?
We rented our vehicle from Nomad America for 4 weeks. But before we even picked the car up, I knew I couldn’t camp for 4 weeks straight. We had agreed we would break up the camping with a few nights in proper accommodation here and there, to give ourselves the chance to enjoy a decent shower, some air conditioning, and do some laundry and generally tidy everything up.
I don’t think I would have any problems camping for up to 2 weeks straight, provided we were staying in paid campgrounds every few nights with access to a proper toilet and shower. Any longer than that, and I would plan a night or two in accommodations here or there, to give yourself a break from the car and camping, for all the reasons I mentioned above.
If you’re travelling in the wet season, and experience a lot of rain, you will probably want a break a little sooner. It can get tricky camping when everything is constantly wet, with no place or opportunity to dry things. We had a big patch of rain towards the end of our rental, and it got old real quick to be wet and soggy constantly!
Just because you’ve rented the car for say 3 or 4 weeks, it doesn’t mean you have to sleep in it every night. It’s not a waste of money to book accommodation, as you still have a mode of transport, and you can still utilise your car’s kitchen. We actually loved being able to book cheap, basic accommodation without as many amenities as we would usually look for because we had all our own things in the car! Even when we stayed in accommodation for the night, we would carry in our little stove and cooking gear to make our meals, still getting value out of the car even if we weren’t sleeping in it that night.
Often times we found the price of booking a paid campground was actually not that much cheaper than finding a last-minute Airbnb. If it’s time for a shower, and you’re seeking out a paid campground, I would encourage you to have a look online for a room and compare the prices. You’ll probably find you can have a break from camping for a night or two, without spending much more than what a campground would have cost.
Nomad America cars
Nomad America has a range of 4×4 vehicles, which they loosely group into small, medium and large cars. The small 4x4s include the Suzuki Jimny and the 2-door Toyota Prado. The medium 4×4 vehicles are the full-size, 4-door Toyota Prado (or 4Runner or Fortuna, essentially all the same car) and the Toyota FJ Cruiser. Their larger vehicles include the Toyota Hilux dual-cab ute, the iconic Toyota Land Cruiser Troop Carrier and their Kia truck camper.
Browse all the Nomad America vehicles here
Do you even need a 4×4 vehicle in Costa Rica?
I’ve fleshed out the answer to this question in my camping guide here, but put simply, it depends. If you’re looking to experience the true Costa Rica outside of the popular spots, then yes, a 4×4 will take you places you could never reach without a normal rental, and will be a lot safer and less stressful to do so! Road condition in Costa Rica varies greatly, and there are many destinations that can only be reached via unpaved, bumpy roads, sometimes even with river crossings involved. You can live the true Costa Rica experience having a 4×4, going anywhere your heart desires, with no risk.
Vehicles are a mix of automatic and manual. If you can drive a manual car, you’ll have the choice of all the cars. If you’re looking for an automatic car, you’re limited to the Toyota Prado (or 4Runner or Fortuna), the FJ Cruiser or the Jimny.
As a couple, any of the vehicles would have suited us fine size-wise. However, if you’re a group of friends or a family larger than two, you will need a vehicle that has enough seats inside (many cars have seats removed for more storage), and one that has the capacity to have more than one rooftop tent attached. The Toyota Hilux, Landcruiser or Kia Truck are the best options for this.
What we rented from Nomad America
We opted to rent the Toyota Land Cruiser Troop Carrier or ‘Troopy’. As Australians, the mighty Troopy is one of the most coveted vehicles in the country and is widely considered to be the greatest 4×4 vehicle of all time. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to drive one of these bad boys around Costa Rica!
Troop Carriers are only made with a manual transmission, so it did mean that Brayden was the dedicated driver, as I can’t drive manual. This wasn’t a problem for us, he is usually the driver anyway and I’m the navigator. Plus, I couldn’t sway Brayden to any other car besides the Troopy! The Troopy also gave us a lot of interior room for all our bags and camping gear as the back is quite large and open.
With hindsight, I actually wish we had rented the Kia Truck, where you sleep in a permanent cabin set up on the back, not in a tent. This means no setup and pack up each day, like a campervan, while still having the benefit of a 4×4 vehicle.
Booking process with Nomad America
The Nomad America website is well laid out and easy to browse and book. You can see live availability for each car, and the booking process clearly outlines the options you have in terms of insurance and extras. When you book, you’ll need to pay a 20% deposit to secure your car, with the balance payable on pick up.
Since COVID, Nomad America has scrapped all cancellation fees. This means you can cancel your booking anytime without any penalties or losing any of your deposit.
What does it cost?
The cost to rent depends on the size of the vehicle and the season you are travelling in. High season (November – April) and holidays incur higher rates, and of course, the larger the vehicle, the higher the cost.
The small 4x4s start from around $85 USD per day, medium vehicles from around $100 USD and the large 4x4s and Kia truck start at approximately $120 USD per day.
On top of the rental price, there is mandatory third-party liability insurance, which is required for all car rentals in Costa Rica. This can be anywhere from $8 – $15 USD per day and provides coverage for any damage you cause to a third party (vehicle, property or person), but does not provide insurance coverage for your own vehicle.
If you wish, you can add a collision damage waiver, which essentially means you have full insurance coverage for your vehicle too, and won’t be at risk of a hefty fee if you have an accident. We always opt for full insurance when we rent vehicles overseas, as it gives me peace of mind, and makes the whole experience less stressful knowing that you’re covered in case of the worst! This is around $10 – $20 USD a day.
As I mentioned earlier, it is expensive. I’m sure these prices are making your eyes water as they did mine in the beginning. But I would encourage you to take a moment to sit down and roughly work out what you would be spending in Costa Rica if you didn’t rent your own vehicle, with accommodation and cooking facilities included. I can almost guarantee your costs will be higher travelling in the ‘normal’ way.
Picking up from Nomad America
If you’re flying into Costa Rica, Nomad America offers free airport pick-up during daytime hours. If you’re coming in late, they recommend booking an Airbnb around the airport in Alajuela, and they can collect you the next morning.
We came to Costa Rica from Nicaragua and got dropped off on the Tica bus at the airport. We didn’t arrive until late afternoon, so we stayed at a fantastic Airbnb nearby and Nomad America picked us up the following morning at 8 am.
We were driven to the Nomad America HQ, where we met some more of the team and were shown our Troopy! We were given a tour of the car, and all the gear included. Because we hadn’t used a rooftop tent before, we set that up and got a full demo so we would know what to do that evening.
Having a Toyota Land Cruiser at home, and having driven offroad and camped a lot before, we felt pretty comfortable with the set-up. But if you’re new to the camping and 4×4 world, this is the opportunity to ask questions and make sure you’re confident with how everything works. All the team are super friendly and helpful, and there are no stupid questions!
Nomad America will need to take a $1,500 USD hold on your credit card as a deposit guarantee, which will be released once you’ve returned the car in one piece.
What’s included in a Nomad America 4×4 rental?
In addition to being able to rent a beast of a car that can take you literally anywhere in Costa Rica, the best thing about Nomad America is all the gear they include, at no extra cost. You will have everything you need to sleep, cook and explore Costa Rica included in the cost of the rental. All the gear is of great quality from good brands.
Tent and sleeping
Unless you rented the Kia truck (which has a built-in bed), your vehicle will have a rooftop tent and mattress for sleeping. Each tent will be slightly different, but any pegs, ropes or other bits required to set it up will be included. Nomad America include pillows, sheets and blankets so you don’t need to worry about bringing bedding.
Camping essentials
All vehicles come with an awning, so you have shade from the hot Costa Rican sun and shelter from any rain. They also come with some kind of water tank. On our Troopy, we had a 20-litre pipe fixed to the roof rack, with a hose and shower head attachment. This meant we could have (quick) outdoor showers, and have water to wash dishes and rinse things.
Inside your car, you’ll have two camp chairs and a fold-out camp trestle table. Our table actually had an additional extension for the gas stove to sit on, which was really handy and gave us a bit more surface area for cooking and prepping.
We didn’t need it at all, but there was also a small bag of recovery gear and emergency supplies.
Cooking gear
You are fully loaded with everything you need to whip up some delicious meals. We had two butane gas stove tops for cooking and all the bits and pieces required. Pots, pans, a Costa Rican coffee maker, a moka pot, a chopping board, knives, utensils, bowls, plates, cups, cutlery – everything.
You’ll also get a cooler box to fill with ice to keep food cold and fresh.
We had a bucket and cleaning gear to wash dishes and wipe down the table. They also included a small dustpan and brush which was amazing for keeping the back of the car clean and free of sand and dust.
Other bits
Nomad America goes above and beyond the basic camping equipment and includes a few extra items that really elevate your experience.
We had two hammocks that were an absolute dream! The ultimate addition to our camping set-up, swaying between palm trees was one of our favourite elements of our Costa Rican camping experience.
Nomad America provides a machete, for cutting open coconuts. Our time camping in Costa Rica will forever be synonymous with fresh coconuts. As soon as we got to a new campsite at the beach, Brayden would go on the hunt for cocos! Climbing trees, finding big sticks to poke them down, or climbing on the cooler and each other’s shoulders, it is one of our fondest memories. Having fresh coconuts on tap? Seriously the tropical dream.
Other bits and pieces that were included by Nomad America and very helpful for our trip were a shovel (when nature calls…), a ton of different lighting options from USB rechargeable lanterns to LED strip lighting that ran off the car in our awning, and a 12v power adaptor that allowed us to charge all our electronics off the car while we were driving.
Optional extras
If you’re interested, Nomad America also offers a number of items that you can add to your rental for an additional per-day cost. These included surfboards, boogie boards, snorkelling equipment, spearfishing gear and a portable WIFI modem.
What’s NOT included (bring/buy)
I didn’t feel that there was anything major missing from the gear Nomad America provided us. We had everything that we needed to sleep, cook, relax and explore Costa Rica.
However there are some personal items that we were glad to have in our backpacks, or that we picked up from Walmart:
- 🩴 Thongs – aka flip flops for my non-Aussies. Good to have for communal showers, and also for around camp when it’s wet and muddy.
- 🧥 Raincoat – a given in Costa Rica.
- 🩳 Quick dry clothing – if you are camping in Costa Rica, you must favour practicality over fashion! Light, quick-dry clothing is best.
- 🔦 Head torches – the easiest way to have light at night, and a hands-free option is great for cooking and moving about camp.
- 🪭 Rechargeable or battery-operated fan – this is one thing we wish we had, but couldn’t find in the shops in Costa Rica and couldn’t have lugged around for the previous 5 months of travel. If you’re travelling solely to go camping in Costa Rica, buy one on Amazon and bring it with you!
- 🧻 Baby wipes and toilet paper – to clean yourself, for wild-toileting and to keep your campsite tidy and clean.
- 💧 Face washer – or flannel, or washcloth or whatever you call it! Another good thing to have for personal hygiene, but also to bring into your tent at night to keep cool.
- 🧖🏽♀️ Two sets of towels – you need beach and bath towels. With the humidity, towels do not dry overnight, and you don’t want to use a wet, salty beach towel when you finally get access to a shower! We bought some bath towels at Walmart, but pack extras if you’re coming straight to Costa Rica. You can never get enough towels when camping.
- 🔋 Power bank – for an extra hit of charge at night when you’re not driving, and so you can charge phones inside your tent.
- 🦟 Insect repellent – a chemical-free natural alternative is best. Also, consider buying or bringing some citronella candles or incense for around your campsite. We even bought incense into the tent in the evening on a plate.
- 🧴 Reef-safe sunscreen – only use it when absolutely necessary, and please remember reef-safe can still be harmful to water sources.
- 🪢 String or a travel clothesline – to set up on palm trees around camp and dry towels, swimwear and clothes. A few pegs don’t hurt either for windy days.
- 🥡 Food containers – one thing we felt was missing in our Nomad America set-up was containers to store leftovers, chopped fruit and other snacks. We always travel with a couple of collapsible containers but we also bought a set from Walmart in Costa Rica.
- 🚰 Reusable water bottles – no single-use plastic bottles! Buy a large plastic water bottle at the beginning and top up your reusable bottle as you go.
- 🛍️ Reusable grocery bags – for your supermarket trips and fresh fruit and produce, then you don’t need to accept single-use plastic bags.
- 🧉 Stainless steel straws – for all your fresh coconuts!
- 👀 Binoculars – a handy addition to any Costa Rica packing list, we wish we had some with us. Both for around camp, when we spotted birds and animals, but especially for national park visits.
- 🐶 Dog treats – you’ll meet some sweet local dogs hanging around your campsite. Most don’t have a permanent home, and could use some love, affection and a treat! Buy some when you do your groceries to keep around camp.
Communication with Nomad America throughout your trip
Nomad America is there as much or as little as you need throughout your trip. You will be added to a WhatsApp group, for quick and easy communication with the team.
If you have questions, want recommendations or need help planning your route and destinations, they are on call! But, likewise, if you’ve got your trip organised, they’re happy to leave you to it.
I fall into the category of having everything sorted and enjoy planning our trips myself. But, on the occasions that we did need some advice, we had an answer within a few minutes. They suggested wild camp spots for us based on reviews from recent travellers and helped with questions about taking the ferry from the Nicoya Peninsula.
The Troopy ran like a dream for the 4 weeks we had it, and we only had one minor issue. The winch attached to the front bumper bar came loose after a particularly bumpy drive. We messaged the team, and there was someone there within the hour, who fixed the issue in a matter of minutes. Nomad America has an extensive network of mechanics all over the country, so if you do run into any trouble, don’t hesitate to contact them and they will sort you out very quickly.
Camping in Costa Rica
Rather than making this post far too long, I’ve written an entire guide covering everything you need to know about camping in Costa Rica. From finding camp spots to the differences between wild v paid camping, and how to handle all the camping essentials like water, electricity, showers and toilets, you can read that guide here.
👉🏼 The Complete Guide to Camping in Costa Rica
GET OUR COSTA RICA ROAD TRIP GUIDE
A 23-page mini road trip guide for Costa Rica, including our route and itinerary plus where to eat, stay and play in 9 destinations.
Dropping your vehicle back to Nomad America
Once your epic Costa Rican road trip and camping adventure has come to an end, you’ll need to drive your car back to Nomad America HQ in San Jose. One of the team will do a quick check over of the car and gear to make sure there is no damage, and everything has been returned.
When we first picked the car up, the team was super relaxed about getting out there, having an epic adventure and not worrying about tiny scratches or dints. Obviously, this isn’t permission to treat the car disrespectfully or willingly damage it. But given Nomad America is renting offroad, adventure vehicles we felt really comfortable and at ease that they weren’t going to be checking the car with a fine-tooth comb like some other rentals. They completely understand the terrain you’re travelling on, and the abilities of their vehicles. We really appreciated their attitude about this, and it meant I didn’t spend 4 weeks freaking out if we brushed up against a branch or anything minor like that!
When you get the all-clear, they will release the $1,500 hold on your credit card, and you’re good to go.
They offer a free drop-off at the airport, or at any other location in the Alajuela area depending on your onward travel plans. We were heading into San Jose for a night before travelling by bus to the Caribbean Coast, and Nomad America suggested dropping us off at City Mall, being the closest point to the city and the easiest place to get an Uber the rest of the way.
Planning your own Costa Rica 4×4 camping adventure with Nomad America
If you’re convinced that camping and off-roading are the way you want to explore Costa Rica, you can book your Nomad America vehicle online via their website. They have a handy live chat tool, so you can have any questions answered quickly.
Once you’ve got your car booked, it’s time to plan your route and itinerary. Don’t forget to check out our camping guide, road trip itinerary and our Costa Rica destination guides for more help planning your Nomad America road trip.
Driving a Troopy around Costa Rica, wild camping on empty beaches and going places other travellers can only dream of is one of the greatest adventures we’ve ever had. We never thought we would be able to have this experience in another country, but Nomad America provided all the tools to make this trip possible. Would you go camping in Costa Rica with Nomad America?
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