Costa Rica Travel Guide
Latin America

13 active Costa Rica vacations from the South American specialists: nature, culture, and multisport adventures. e.g. Beaches and Rainforest activities; Costa Rica Quest; Multisport; Earth, Fire, Water; Wild Costa Rica

Why visit Costa Rica?

Costa Rica vacations offer first class jungle /rainforest experiences with a huge diversity of flora and fauna - particularly flowers and birds - in a lush, peaceful environment (national slogan: 'teachers not soldiers').
Nature trips range from jungle wire-slides, canoe rides and easy walks on well-serviced gravel tracks to seriously sweaty off-piste hikes, but with bubbling hot spas and mud baths to end the day with.
There are also some good sporting options including horse riding, white water rafting, surfing, fishing and catching a tan on pleasant beaches.
The world's liveliest volcano - Arenal, pictured above right - is a stunning sight, cloud permitting.
Costa Rica is inexpensive.

Downside:
- The biggest disappointment is the lack of colourful human culture compared to Guatemala or even Mexico.
- Towns are pretty dull, while ancient sites are elsewhere.
- Crime is catching on here too, though not as bad as some other Central American countries.

Costa Rica Weather:
Best: December-April. Cool, dry but crowded season.
Good: November, May. A little damp but far fewer visitors.
Worst: May to mid-November is the wet season, though it usually only rains for part of the day and waterfalls are spectacular.
n.b. The coasts are both hot and humid, 68F- 86F (20C - 33C). Inland temperatures range from 59F-81F (15C - 27C).

Length of stay:
Minimum worthwhile stay, not incl. flights: a week would enable a pre-organised wildlife tour with a couple of days of other activities. Recommended: 2-3 weeks to have a serious look, especially considering the poor roads.

Things to Do in Costa Rica:

***Naturally nature comes first, with about 70 great parks featuring all kinds of wild things. Pick your park according to desired sights and time available though beware that the most easily accessible parks are getting a LOT of visitors. See Safari Wildlife for National Park details.

***Arenal Volcano, near la Fortuna: climbing is forbidden, but the live lava views can be spectacular.

**Rincon de la Vieja, a satanically misshapen volcanic landscape of craters and pools and bubbling mud. Good for hiking, riding and simmering in hot springs.

*San José, Costa Rica's capital, is dull but unavoidable as it's en route to the main airport and within a day trip of **Poas and Irazu volcanoes, as well as ***white water rafting and other activities. It has a couple of OK museums though not of the zoological/botanical sort.

***Costa Rica Beaches - many are near to nature reserves so beach/wildlife combos (e.g. Manuel Antonio Beach) are a good option.
The Pacific side offers the best selection of beaches though some - like Playa Jaco - are overdeveloped while Puntarenas is unpleasantly polluted.
The NW Nicoya Peninsula is hard to reach (fly to Liberia?) but has some superb beaches with laid back village support, including Tamarindo, Samara and Montezuma.

Activities:
Hiking: mostly through the jungle/ rainforest, with or without a guide, long or short, easy or blistering, take your pick...Corcovado National Park (SW) has the most serious hikes, tho' sticky. Santa Rosa (NW) is drier, while Chirripo (centre east) offers highland hiking.

Volcano viewing: Arenal Volcano is currently the liveliest cone in the world and has mini-eruptions hourly while the neighbouring town of La Fortuna offers loads of activities, including Arenal treks.

Biking: not a common form of transport but possible, with some first class mountain bikes for rent. Roads can be crude but empty and interesting, tho' avoid the wet season unless you enjoy mud wading. Prime targets are the Orosi Valley near San José or trails around Lake Arenal. Serious bikers may care to tackle the Ruta de los Conquistadores from the Pacific to the Caribbean.

Caving: Barra Honda National Park has the best, NW in Peninsula de Nicoya.

Wildlife Parks: birding is the biggest attraction here, with monkeys, iguanas and frogs slithering behind. Like the Amazon, rainforest wildlife is tricky to see because a) the forest is dense b) many of the mammals and reptiles hunt at night. See Safari Wildlife pages for details on best parks and what to see in them.

Canopy tours: Get to see the rainforest from a monkey's viewpoint. Platforms, wire slides and suspension bridges high in the trees.

River/sea kayaks: There's plenty of white water rafting and kayaking from lightweight to serious in really picturesque surroundings around San José, on the coasts and in many national parks.

Windsurfing: on the Laguna (lake) de Arenal and some beaches.

Swimming and snorkelling: See Beaches section above.

Scuba Diving: Costly. OK on the Pacific side from Playa del Coco, Playa Octal and Playa Hermosa on the Peninsula de Nicoya (NW). Caño Island, off the South Pacific coast is better while the long haul out to Cocos Island gets the best Costa Rica dive of all.

Surfing: there are often good waves on the Pacific side at Pavones (South), Boca Barranca, Playa Jaco and Doña Ana (centre) and Playa Tamarindo (NW, Peninsula de Nicoya) and on the Caribbean at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. Boards are available to rent.

Deep Sea Fishing: excellent boats and skippers can be found on both coasts but prime areas in the best seasons get fully booked so consider booking a package.

Award-winning Central America holidays from GAA. Good value, small group tours of Costa Rica. e.g. Costa Rica Panama Trail; Reef and Jungles; Surf and Volcanoes: Family Discovery; Volcano and Tropical Paradise Walk

Transport:
Buses are fine in Costa Rica but watch out for pickpockets.
Choose official taxis with a light on top and a yellow triangle. Others often fiddle their fares.
If you've got a rental car keep a close eye on the pump counter when you're filling with gas - another fiddle!

Festivals:
Jan 14, Santo Cristo de Esquipulas day, San José and other places. Religious activities, fairs, dances, games.
March, International Arts Festival, San José.
1st week of Dec, Light Festival, San José. Parade of decorated carts and festive lighting.

Cuisine:
Costa Rica cuisine is on the solid side, featuring traditional Central American staples like rice, black beans, corn, beef and chicken.
Otherwise some Mexican-style food is on offer, such as tortillas, or the usual North American suspects - pizzas and burgers.

Money:
ATMs are picky over cards they pay out to. Visa cards are the only safe bet. Also take some cash $ for emergencies, but buy some local currency (colones) too for little purchases out of town.
If you shop/eat/drink using your credit card you may find an absurd (up to 10%?) surcharge on the bill.

Phones:
Don't use either credit card phones or special 'Call USA/Anywhere' phones. Prices are outrageous. Buy a phone card instead.

Electricity:
120v, flat 2 pins.

Visas:
Just about everyone is OK for a 30 day tourist visa on arrival, while citizens of most of Europe and South America, USA, Canada, Japan are fine for 90 days. But things change...check it!

Costa Rica Safety:
Pick-pocketing or bag snatching is quite commonplace - especially in San José and beaches along the Nicoya Peninsula - and mugging also happens but rarely.
Do not wear backpacks on your back or shoulder bags on your shoulder (put them across your chest); keep most of your money in a safe in the hotel, the rest in a zipped/ buttoned or velcroed pocket; do not take your eyes off your bags/ cases for a second, unless you put an arm/leg through a strap first, de-baggers are inconspicuous and sooo fast!
Do not wear expensive jewellery/watches, nor even gold earrings.
Travel in pairs, avoid empty streets and night walks.
But the easiest way to avoid trouble is - choke - take a tour package and let your guide sweat.

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