Things to know about Costa Rica

Nature

• Costa Rica is home to a great number of volcanoes — there are six active volcanoes and another 61 inactive ones.

• Costa Rica contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity. That means lots of cool birds, iguanas, monkeys but also lots of bugs.

• Therefore Bug Spray is a must!

• There are some dangerous animals in Costa Rica such as Crocodiles, snakes, poisonous frogs, jaguars, spiders. These are usually not found near populated areas, but perhaps watch your step if you venture into the rainforest.

Food

• Eat a lots of fruits and vegetables – they’re some of the best tasting and healthiest in the world. 

• In Costa Rica, the tap water is drinkable in most larger towns.

• The local liquor in Costa Rica is called “guaro” and is made from sugar cane. It is best enjoyed with slices of mandarin limes, a local citrus with a truly unique flavor.

• You will eat lots of rice and beans called “Gallo Pinto” – basically the national dish of Costa Rica.

Getting around:

• Use the Waze app. It is the best navigation app in Costa Rica.

• Get ready for people ignoring traffic signals and motorcycles speeding by you on either side of your lane.

• Distances may seem close but can take forever to drive due to narrow, bad roads and traffic.

• Watch out for Tolls: There are tolls on the major highway in the country heading from San Jose to the Pacific coast. They do accept dollars though, so if you are heading from the airport to the beaches, don’t stress if you haven’t switched to colones yet. Otherwise most rental cars should offer an EZ-pass.

• Shuttle Service: If you’re not getting a car you can use a shuttle service to and from the airports. This site is a good place to start: https://paradiseshuttlecr.com/shared-shuttles/

General

• One thing to know about Costa Rica is that traveling here is not particularily cheap. In fact, it’s the most expensive country in Central America, though you can still find budget friendly stays!

• You can pay with both USD and Colones throughout the country.

• Costa Rica is located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. The country is a highly seismically active country. Minor temblors occur nearly every day but major earthquakes are quite rare. So don’t get scared if you feel one, most earthquakes in Costa Rica are minor.