Costa Rica
Embark on an immersive journey with my Costa Rica travel guide, unlocking the secrets of this vibrant Central American gem. From lush green rainforests teeming with wildlife to pristine beaches and active volcanoes, discover the enchanting beauty and diverse experiences that make Costa Rica a must-visit destination.
All the basics that you need to know for planning a trip to Costa Rica. Here you will find information on weather, currency, language, safety, transport considerations and, most importantly, when the best time to visit is.
The place for learning about all the key destinations to visit when in Costa Rica. We have travelled to all of these places and so offer our first-hand experiences as a guide to help you maximise the enjoyment of your stay.
Detailed guides for all the must-sees (in our opinion) when in Costa Rica. They contain everything you need to know when visiting these places including costs, travel arrangements, what to expect and much more!
Costa Rica is one of the most popular Central American tourist destinations but do not let that put you off. With a population of approximately 5 million people, Costa Rica may be small in number, but it boasts a colossal array of natural wonders within its borders. This tropical haven spans an area of around 51,000 square kilometers, where diverse landscapes range from mist-covered cloud forests to sun-drenched beaches. Costa Rica is flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east, offering visitors the chance to experience a pair of differing coastlines teeming with biodiversity. The climate is as varied as the terrain, with coastal regions enjoying tropical weather while the central highlands offer cooler temperatures. Spanish is the official language, inviting travellers to engage with the friendly locals and fully immerse themselves in the rich culture of "pura vida". There is a reason this country is so popular with travellers - keep reading to find out why you should absolutely have Costa Rica as part of your travel itinerary.
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Best Time to Visit
In terms of weather Costa Rica has a generally tropical climate, with high average temperatures all year round. That being said, there are two distinct seasons; a dry one and a rainy one. The dry season begins in late December and extends through to mid April. During this time you will find the highest temperatures, warm sunshine and the lowest amount of rain (still expect some precipitation as this is a tropical country after all) but this is the best period to visit if you want good weather whilst it also doubles as the ideal time for wildlife spotting. The end of April sees the weather begin to shift ever so slightly and May is the start of the rainy season. However, this season is a gradual period; in May and June the rain is often brief, sporadic and mainly found in the form of evening thunderstorms before it then becomes a little more consistent in June and August. There is still plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures to be found amongst the showers however and this period sees the rainforests erupt with deep, vibrant green hues courtesy of the moisture. September and October are when the country receives its heaviest rainfall, especially in the mountainous interior and the Pacific coast. It is possible to find some dry weather on the Caribbean coast during these two months though in what some term the country’s ‘secret dry season’. November sees the rains beginning to ease and the dry season usually begins in mid-December, just in time for the influx of tourists over the holiday period.
The other thing to consider when thinking of travelling to Costa Rica is cost. Flights, accommodation and even tours during peak season can be extremely high as a result of the amount of people visiting. This is especially important to consider given that we found Costa Rica to be a generally expensive place to travel in relation to restaurant and supermarket prices as well as entrance fees to attractions. There are however a seemingly endless amount of hotel and accommodation options, with something to suit everyone's budget. Just be mindful that if you wish to stay in the most popular accommodations it is worth booking well in advance, especially within tourist hotspots such as La Fortuna or Manuel Antonio, as they will easily be fully booked during peak season.
We actually travelled here in January, going against our usual tendency to travel to places during the shoulder season. It was certainly busy but we had no trouble finding good accommodation options everywhere we stayed. The weather was absolutely excellent throughout although sometimes it might have been a little too hot! We had hardly any rain, even up in the cloud forest, and temperatures at the coast regularly exceeded 30C. January or February would definitely be our recommendation for the best time to visit but If you wanted to try and skip the crowds, save some money and still have reasonable weather then the shoulder months of April (except Easter week), May and June might be a good bet!
Currency
The national currency in Costa Rica is the colón although everywhere accepts US dollars. In general we found it best to pay in colones as we got better value for our money in terms of the conversion rates, plus if we chose to pay in USD any change we received would almost always be in colones (and usually at an exchange rate that was more favourable for the vendor).
Most places, other than some of the really remote ones, accepted MasterCard and Visa debit cards but, again, when using these we would always ask to pay in local currency to get the best exchange rate. We actually had to start paying for things in cash by the end of our trip just to use up our remaining colones because we had found using a card so easy and accessible.
ATMs were readily available in the towns and cities along with there being a number in the arrivals baggage collection area of the international airport. Do know however that nearly all Costa Rican ATMs withdrawals charge a small fee.
Language
Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica and whilst it certainly would help knowing some basic phrases it is definitely not a necessity. In most of the bigger tourist spots you will find English speakers but some hotel staff or restaurant workers might only converse with you in Spanish. When visiting somewhere remote, like Drake Bay for instance, we found almost no English being spoken but we were easily able to get by with the Spanish skills we had acquired following our three months in South America. We also found, especially when in the main tourist spots of La Fortuna or Monteverde for example, the locals would really appreciate it when we tried to speak with them in Spanish - so definitely brush up on that DuoLingo before you head out.
Safety
Costa Rica has long been known as a safe destination for visitors having invested heavily within the tourism sector and having made it a major focus for the countries economy. Recently there have been reports of rising crime levels across the country and rumours of the government wishing to take a harsher stance with those that break the law.
That being said we toured around the country for a whole month and at no point felt unsafe or vulnerable. There are a few things to be aware of before travelling, such as parking scams at beaches and at some of the National Parks (especially at Manuel Antonio) whilst also heeding warnings about watching your belongings when on certain beaches but overall, you should have no worries about travelling to this country - the people are extremely friendly and we felt very safe throughout our entire stay.
Public Transport
Given that we backpack around most places that we visit we try to make the most of public transport where we can. Costa Rica is not the friendliest of destinations for a backpacker given that there is only one main coach company in the country and it has a terrible website/booking system. It is very difficult to work out the exact schedule and it seems almost impossible to pre-book tickets. From what we could gather it appears most of the buses run pretty early in the morning with almost all starting/finishing in San Jose. Most tourists to Costa Rica either hire a car (which we did for the second half of our month here) or take shared/private shuttle transfers, which are readily available everywhere.
Hiring a car is by no means cheap but it allows you to cover the big distances between the key tourist spots in your own time. Driving within Costa Rica is a fairly controlled experience compared to some other Latin American countries and we found fellow drivers to actually be on the courteous side. The main issue we found was some of the roads, especially once you got off the main highway, were not in the best condition. One of the roads up to Monteverde was appalling (huge potholes and no tarmac) and there were a number that were incredibly steep and/or curve heavy. We actually ended up hiring a four wheel drive car and we were pretty glad we did - some of the roads we drove on were not suitable for a normal vehicle. If you are sticking solely to the main tourist hotspots and do a bit of prior research regarding the roads you are taking you'd likely be okay in a normal car but if you plan to do anything slightly off the beaten path I'd recommend spending a bit extra to get something more suitable.
The private/shared transfers throughout the country are usually found in the form of small 8-10 person minibuses and are extremely handy for covering long distances comfortably. We used them for a couple of journeys but they are fairly expensive and seem to only travel at set times of the day - not great if you have to arrive/leave somewhere on a schedule. Within the capital San Jose we used Uber, including to and from the airport, which was much more cost efficient than trying to get a local cab outside arrivals. The airport even has free WiFi making it very easy to order an Uber if, like us, you do not use an international SIM or data. Local taxis are also a good option in towns where Uber is not available. We found it best to agree on a price before getting into the vehicle and do not be afraid to negotiate - there are absolutely no set fares or meters to be found here!
'Must See' Attractions
Parque Nacional Corcovado
Caño Island Biological Reserve
Parque Nacional Marino Ballena
Fortuna Waterfall
Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio