Reservation and communication with our travel experts

We have lived in Costa Rica for over 25 years and have explored the country extensively during this time, so we have extensive first-hand knowledge. We think that working with us will give you the opportunity to ask questions and receive information for your upcoming trip. Traveling can be very stressful, especially during high season and when you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Let our experienced staff help you plan a relaxing and unforgettable vacation.

Get to know our welcome team

After you have reserved your car with Wild Rider, our office team will take care of you. Individual pickup from the airport without waiting time. Call us from the baggage carousel and 7 minutes later your personal shuttle bus will be waiting for you in front of the Malinche restaurant. A few minutes later you will be in our comfortable office and we will fill out the necessary documents with you. If you want, our experts can give you tips and tricks for an unforgettable vacation. If you arrive late and are tired, that's no problem for us. We deliver your car to any hotel, Airbnb or hostel in the Central Valley. If you decide to start or end your car rental in a mountain or coastal village, Wild Rider can deliver or collect your car from most tourist locations.

Get to know our mechanics

We have our own workshops with well-trained employees.

In our facility, we wash, maintain, repaint, adjust, and repair most of our vehicles. Our car mechanics, painters, car electricians, engine specialists, and cleaners work hand in hand. This gives us control over the timing and quality of the necessary work. And your reserved car is ready to drive whenever you want to set off.

Read our interesting company history as a photo story

(If you're not interested in motorcycle and adventure stories, scroll to 2002)

The year we emigrated, we had no idea how our lives and work would develop in Costa Rica. In almost 3 decades in this beautiful country, we have had to evolve from dreamers to entrepreneurs. We are proud to have created stable and qualified jobs with our Costa Rican employees.
We see ourselves as a niche provider within the multinational car rental companies. Our concept is simple – we care for you how we would like to be treated. We try to put a positive spin on all things perceived negatively about a large car rental company.

So you will never wait an hour for other customers in the big shuttle bus, and you will find the personal cell phone number of one of our two managers in your rental agreement the moment you need help. Could you take a look at our exciting history?

- 1996

Like many other immigrants in the 90s, we wanted to earn a living in the emerging tourism industry.
The opportunity arose to cheaply purchase a neglected, uninhabited building in Jan Jose. Our idea was to convert this into an B&B hotel with a center for adventurous tours in Costa Rica. In addition to motorcycle tours and rentals(from another company), we organized rafting tours, volcano tours, kayak tours, turtle tours, Chirripo hiking, and bungee jumping with our partners.

Many backpackers used our hotel as a home base to explore Costa Rica. They returned to the “Ritmo” now and then to share reports with other backpackers over a few Imperial beers and explore new destinations.

The Ritmo del Caribe B&B after the renovation in our early company colors.

The founder with a small group of adventure motorcycle riders.

Great group on the road with lots of fun and many mishaps.

- 1997

Our current company developed from a hobby in the 90s. We ran the small B&B hotel, and after renovating the beautiful Art Deco building, this was a relatively simple business. We were looking for another challenge. During these years, Costa Rica had almost 90% unpaved roads. The Switzerland of Central America was known as the paradise with a million potholes.

Adventure, danger, and surprises were everywhere; there were thousands of kilometers of dirt and gravel roads, hundreds of wooden bridges, and the disused route of the legendary jungle train. These unique places could be explored with an enduro motorcycle or mountain bike, on foot, or on horseback. It was the perfect place for people who wanted to escape the constraints and regulations of industrialized nations.

A warning not to use the trail.

Again and again these wobbly constructions caused heart palpitations when crossing.

What was a leisure activity for us and our employees in the first year, exploring this beautiful country on wild slopes became a business solid business idea. In 1997, we imported a dozen used enduro motorcycles to Costa Rica. The internet was less widespread in Costa Rica, so we did billboard advertisements on trees and bus stops to attract customers. Since we didn't have coffee rides in mind but rather rides on all non-asphalted surfaces, we called ourselves Wild Rider.

Marketing campaign in the 90s. Starting from scratch was a challenging story. We had to draw attention to ourselves with motorcycle travel reports and magazine advertisements. The first success came with a nationwide poster-sticking campaign. In the summer, motorcycling was fun, and we were at total capacity, but as soon as the rainy season came, we had no more customers.

The 90s - The decade of dreamers, pioneers, adventurers and explorers

In the 90s, the number of tourists was still significantly lower. But the future potential as a top travel destination was evident. There was a network among these tourism pioneers in the early years. Many knew each other personally, all had many new business ideas but little equity. We provided the travelers with convincing information and they were grateful for these insider tips. In this network, the internal accounting currency was the number of tourists we sent from one adventure company to another. Many of these young entrepreneurs used their ideas to develop Costa Rica into an extraordinary travel destination.

The friends around Rafael and Victor Gallo generated the most adrenaline with their rafting and bungee jumping tours. They were the real pioneers, exploring all the rivers with the kayaks. And they did a lot for reforestation because water only flows down the river if the rainforest remains intact over a large area.

With Tropical Bungee, we went upside down on an old rusty railway bridge into the narrow valley. At that time, the government still allowed many risky tours for which operators no longer had permission.

Adrenaline in the air.

With Rios Tropicales, there were top-class rafting and kayak tours. Before the construction of dams cut up the long rafting rivers Rio Paquare and Rio Reventazon, whitewater rafting existed to the point of exhaustion. The upper reaches of both rivers, with the most challenging class 4 and 5 rapids, have been closed to navigation for several years.

Adrenaline in the water.

In the days before Google Maps, finding unknown routes was still exciting. Compass, inaccurate maps, and directions from the locals were our tools.

If we managed to drive through unknown territory, we were thrilled and celebrated with a few Pilsen or Imperial beers. If we couldn't get through, that wasn't a problem because we tried a different route the next day. The local farmers were usually very local and only knew their homeland within a 20 km radius; out of politeness, they gave us incorrect directions.

It doesn't cost anything to ask, maybe he knows the way.

Adrenaline on the muddy track. In the 90s, the amount of precipitation in Costa Rica was much higher across the country. At the end of the rainy season, a good quarter of the tracks were so soft that it was impossible to move forward.

If we couldn't go any further by accelerating or pushing, we had to use horses to free our motorcycles from the mud. We often had to use horses to free the motorcycles from the mud.

Crossing rivers is no problem for horses, but walking in ankle-deep mud is no fun for them.

Another pioneer in the 90s was the founder of the Flying Crocodiles. In the first few years, Guido Scheidt did not have a nearby take-off and landing strip for his ultralight aircraft. Therefore, the tourists who flew with him were picked up on the beach in Samara and dropped off again at the end of the sightseeing flight. However, as a former commercial pilot, it was clear to him that these adventure flights would have no future without a set of rules. On his initiative, a set of rules for ultralight and gyrocopter flights was introduced to the authorities to operate this business safely.

Adrenaline on the beach.

Official take-off and landing strip of the Flying Crocodile. Various types of miniature aircraft are in the background.

Adrenaline in the treetops. Donald Perry, a biology student, "invented" ziplining for his studies in the Costa Rican rainforest in the 1980s. He installed ropes with a gradient between the giant trees and moved through the jungle canopy with the help of pulleys and trolleys.

He had no commercial interest in his invention, but Darren Hreniuk thought out the idea well and installed the first commercial canopy tour in Monteverde. He was convinced of the system's success and had applied for a patent. A bitter, years-long legal battle ensued against the Costa Rican ex-president Rodrigo Carazo Odio and other canopy imitators. Darren lost the legal battle in two instances. He was so angry that he sabotaged the new competitors' systems and destroyed the unlicensed competitors' systems under cover of darkness with a large bolt cutter.

While the original systems had around 8 ropes and platforms, the competition developed massive systems with up to 25 cables. Today, these canopy tours can be found worldwide where there is forest.

For tough guys and courageous women, exploring the country on two wheels was a manageable adventure. There was always a feeling of anticipation of the unknown, which could no longer be found in many industrialized countries. The motorcycles were always overloaded when riding pillion, but our customers survived their trip. What today's tourists no longer bring with them is time. Packed with internet information, it's all about completing your holiday schedule perfectly. The old rule - the journey is the destination - no longer has any meaning. All accommodation must be pre-booked in high season, leaving no room for improvisation or finding available accommodation or new locations.

Before tourism, hospitality existed. Many places today had nothing to offer in those times. A hammock and a palm roof from the host were enough for us, and we had the rest of the essentials on the overloaded motorcycle.

Exploring new trails was a constant task to be able to offer increasingly demanding tours. In particular, wooden bridges of all variations and heights brought magic to our expeditions. The helmet requirement had yet to arrive in Costa Rica; a headband was also sufficient for head protection.

Freedom was everywhere in these days. Live and let live; that was part of the culture of life in Costa Rica before the turn of the millennium. Some readers will think that recklessness was always present in us. Taking a little boy who had never ridden on a motorcycle in his life was not viewed by the parents as child endangerment but rather as what it was for the little boy - fun.

- 2001

The parking lot in front of the hotel had become very tight; there needed to be more space to park all our new purchases. When a storefront became available on the opposite side, we rented our first real office. Our new motorcycles were now safely behind the fence.

There was only demand for motorcycle rentals and tours between November and May; the business was dead after this period. That's why we looked for a second source of business. After our hotel customers repeatedly asked us for cheap 4X4 vehicles, we started our own car rental company in 2001 with half a dozen Suzuki Samurai. The vehicles imported from the USA were all between 12 and 15 years old. For the most part, we had the cars with a soft–top version. But there were significant difficulties at the start. These old, high-mileage cars were a constant source of trouble. More and more often, we had to travel to every corner of the country to fix the mechanical problems of the Samurais. It became painfully clear that car rental requires reliable, well-maintained vehicles. We, therefore, had to sell our bad investments very quickly.

What a beautiful unreliable vehicle the Suzuki Samurai. The photo shows one of our 1986 masterpieces.

The first year of our car rental business was dominated by the buying and selling of old vehicles. This was done at the time with a "for sale" sign on the windshield.

- 2002

We needed to make the necessary changes for stable vehicles. Luckily, we quickly found an alternative used vehicle - the reliable Daihatsu Wildcat.

The Daihatsu Wildcat was the first hardtop 4X4 car in our fleet. Like all Daihatsu vehicles, it was highly reliable and robust. Although they were also 12 to 15 years old, we could purchase family-owned vehicles. These were technically in good condition and had fewer kilometers driven. This meant that our emergency trips due to technical problems were reduced.

- 2005

After 3 years of intensive use, the Wildcats could no longer be used as rental vehicles. Once again, a Daihatsu vehicle saved our rental business.

The successor to the Daihatsu Rocky – the Daihatsu Terios. The vehicle was so long-legged that he liked to roll out of the curve! But it convinced us with its off-road capability—the lightest, best, and most maneuverable vehicle on bumpy, rocky, and muddy Costa Rican roads.

Our smiling customers before they are leaving to the big trip.

Our first new vehicle was purchased in 2005. The Daihatsu Terios with a 1.3 L engine 79 HP and an electrically switchable 4X4 drive.

- 2011

Long live Jimny! After being without the Jimny for a few years, we returned this customer favorite to our fleet. He was well received with a genuine reduction gear and an angular exterior. This feeling of having a lot of free space under the floor and “real” all-wheel drive with differential lock conveyed independence from the road and weather conditions.

- 2012

Our growth came with the small all-wheel drive vehicles. Until 2012, we had only small 4X4 cars in our fleet. With the acquisition of Hyundai Tucson, we now have the opportunity to offer suitable vehicles to families with children and strong, tall customer groups.

Foto : Our vehicle types in 2012: Suzuki Jimny for 2 travelers, Daihatsu Terios for 3, Daihatsu Bego for 4 and Hyundai Tucson for 5 people. (from left to right)

Finally, with space for strollers and baby seats, the Hyundai Tucson is part of many rental car fleets in Costa Rica.

- 2018 Goodbye Motorcycles

That year, we said goodbye to the motorcycle business—when we rented two-wheelers and organized tours last season. Buying new cars requires money. The business area was sold in April 2018 to finance further acquisitions with our funds.
Costa Rica has become increasingly popular, and more and more normal tourists and families have visited our unique country. The demand for rental cars rose continuously. While motorcycles disappeared, mobility with 4x4 vehicles became our main business area. Since we were known under Wild Rider in many travel forums and were well-rated, we continued to use this unusual name for a car rental company.

The last dozen Enduro Motorcycles.

- 2020

Until 2020, our company was in a “wild” area between recycling companies that processed waste paper, tires, and bottles. At the moment of the big shutdown, we didn't complain and made a courageous decision. Rental prices for industrial property fell dramatically, especially near the airport, and we had enough staff and time to carry out such a large move.

This year, we set up an optimized office. We were optimally positioned with a distance of about 1 km to the airport exit and 1 km to the center of Alajuela: office, parking spaces, workshops, and car wash in a row.

View from the office to the pick up place.

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View at the parking lot.

- 2023

The owner family, Thomas Brennenstuhl and Sara Lopez-Brennenstuhl, are at the new company premises with the latest flagships of the fleet - the Renault Koleos (2023). Costa Rica is a family travel destination these days. That's why we now offer different types of family cars. In addition to the Koleos, we have Toyota Rav4 and Hyundai Tucson in this vehicle group.

We were picking up the new Suzuki Jimny 2023 from the agency (the car model with which we started our 4X4 rental in 2001).

- 2024

Today, we offer minor to medium-sized 4x4 vehicles for 1-5 passengers. We provide brand-new vehicles for the regular rental period and older cars with high mileage for discounted long-term rentals. We have now developed into a medium-sized car rental company in Costa Rica. On 6000 m2 right next to Costa Rica's Juan Santamaria International Airport, we have offices, a car wash, a workshop, and parking spaces in optimal proximity.

Our fleet includes between 140 and 160 4x4 vehicles, depending on the season. We offer our new fleet to customers for an average rental period. But we also have older cars with higher mileage in our fleet. This means we can offer our long-term customers cheap alternative vehicles at affordable rental prices. In the high season, no rental cars are left due to the high number of visitors; therefore, they reach very high daily prices. If you rent for several months, it can cost much money. With our well-maintained long-term vehicles with high mileage, you can save much money during this time.

Our new spacious customer office.

After a long wait, we receive our first Jimny in the 5-door version. Not available in Europe and the USA, all customers love this friendly, practical, fuel-efficient, and technologically advanced little 4X4. We still feel connected to this type of vehicle, even if the first few years were rather problematic.

Costa Rica has developed from a country for backpackers to a top travel destination. There are far too many visitors in several places, especially during the peak travel season between December and April. While camping vehicles were completely unknown in the 1990s, demand for these vehicles has increased significantly during the pandemic years. More and more tourists are asking us about four-wheel campers. From July 2024 we will be offering small and medium-sized fully equipped camping vehicles. This type of vehicle brings a lot of independence to your vacation.

With our self-made camping guide, you can easily escape the crowds in the tourist hotspots. Choose one of our 60 suggested places, sleep, and dine under the stars with the sounds of the rainforest.