Travel tips: What's the best way to do a road trip around Costa Rica?

MY HUSBAND AND I PLAN A NINE-DAY SELF-DRIVE HOLIDAY AROUND COSTA RICA. WHAT PLACES AND ACTIVITIES WOULD YOU SUGGEST, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON CAR RENTAL AND CAR INSURANCE? S. HOLMAN, KINGSFORD, NSW

Furnished with volcanoes, tropical rainforest and beaches where sea turtles return annually to lay their eggs in the sand, Costa Rica is the ecologically minded adventure capital of Central America. World-class infrastructure, a secure and stable government, relatively high standard of living and an excellent road network make it easy to explore this exotic wonderland. The trails that lace through the jungle-clad slopes of Volcan Arenal National Park offer easy access to this naturalist's paradise, with many waterfalls along the way. Only the lower slopes are accessible, this is still a smouldering, eruptive giant. Deep on the south-west coast, Parque Nacional Corcovado is another wildlife and ecological treasure chest, one of Central America's biological hot spots for walking and wildlife-spotting. At the other end of the country, Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge is home to caiman and hundreds of bird species. It is regarded as one of the world's most important wetlands. North-west of San Jose, Reserva Santa Elena is a luscious, mist-wreathed cloud forest with walking trails that see fewer visitors than the nearby Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, excellent for birdwatching. All the major car hire agencies are represented in Costa Rica as well as several local ones. There are a few traps to be aware of, for example, the surcharge that car-hire operators apply if you pick up your rental car at San Jose Airport. The Costa Rica Guide costa-rica-guide.com/ will put you on the right track. Look for "COSTA RICA" in the left-hand column and click on "Transportation".