Cool Fun Stuff | Full Annotated List | Simple Checklist | Unpacking List | 25lb Carry-On List Packing is a personal process. I've seen people arrive with nothing but baggy shorts, flip flops, a t-shirt and sunglasses. I've also seen travelers with two huge roller suitcases bulging with who knows … [Read more...]
Practical Information & Logistics
Once you know when and where you want to go and what you want to see and do it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty, make sure your budget can handle the trip, get your documents in order, find out if your phone will work (if you want it to), pack your bags, buy travel insurance and stash away the $29 bucks you may or may not need for the departure tax. This section includes all the logistical information we've accumulated over the decades.
Rent-a-Car Cost Comparisons
As you can see from the rate quote comparisons below from the three top most recommended companies on TripAdvisor the cost for a full size SUV rental can vary from $55.59 per day from Alamo to $95.90 from the local company Vamos, and finally more than three times as much at $178.54 per day from … [Read more...]
Save Money Renting a Car in Costa Rica
Renting a vehicle in Costa Rica is surprisingly expensive for visitors used to north American or European rates. The roads are rough and hard on vehicles. The import duties, taxes and circulation fees all add to the cost of maintaining fleets. local | shop twice | don't rent | skip days | … [Read more...]
How Much Does Costa Rica Cost?
A week of vacation in Costa Rica costs between $850 and $1,450 for an average traveler in mid-priced hotels, lodges or rental houses and doing standard tours (assuming double occupancy). Beachfront accommodations and high dollar activities like deep sea fishing will quickly push the budget over … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Travel Budget & Cost Calculator
It only takes a minute to estimate how much you'll spend and what you will get for your money. Enter your info and your travel budget reads out instantly at the bottom. We are 5 star TripAdvisor & A+ Better Business Bureau and fully accredited by the Costa Rican … [Read more...]
Save a Million
A million Colones is about $1,700 and it's possible for two people to save that much on a week long vacation in Costa Rica using the money saving ideas below... How to Save a Million Colones Traveling in Costa Rica...sensational title for some sensible advice Credit card car insurance … [Read more...]
How Much Does Food Cost?
Obviously at popular vacation destinations you expect restaurants to have high prices just as they do at tourist beaches, ski areas and amusement parks all over the world, but food prices have gotten crazy in Costa Rica even in supermarkets in backwater ranching towns. One question that we … [Read more...]
Biggest Mistakes Travelers Make
Mistakes seem to take on a life of their own pile up, snowball and propagate while traveling. Reading through this list can help you avoid the most common mistakes... Day Trip Delusions. Travelers frequently ask us to help them book day trips to Arenal volcano, Monteverde cloud forest, … [Read more...]
Passports & Visas
Proper documentation is the sole responsibility of each traveler. This information was accurate at the time of writing, but Costa Rican immigration is the only authoritative source for passport, visa and other entry requirements (their website migracion.go.cr has pdf documents with specifics for … [Read more...]
Useful Phone Apps for Travel in Costa Rica
Applications you can download to your phone to help with logistics, communication, and even learning a little during your Costa Rica vacation. All of these apps are free (some offer upgrades to eliminate advertising for a few bucks). All are available at the apple store or the play store for … [Read more...]
Departure Tax (Exit Tax)
For decades the Costa Rica departure or exit tax (aka "departure tax" $29 per person) was paid at a counter in the airport before check-in. The "new" system including the departure tax in tickets has been phasing in since November of 2014. See Examples & Is It Included in My Ticket? NOTE: … [Read more...]
Will My Phone Work?
Five years ago the answer to the question - will my phone work in Costa Rica? - was just a simple no. A couple of years ago the addition of new networks in Costa Rica and changes to phones in the U.S. meant the answer changed "yes it will probably work." Now the big question is "how much will … [Read more...]
Isn’t That Free?
There are a number of things that travelers incorrectly assume are going to be free. An unexpected $50 - $100 expense or two can mess with your plans so read on and budget accordingly. Trails It's easy to understand where people from the U.S. get the notion that hiking, mountain biking and … [Read more...]
Airport Check In
Please have all of your documents in order, all your i's dotted and t's crossed, because petty bureaucrats love nothing quite so much as rare, random, but rigid enforcement of seemingly arbitrary and capricious rules and regulations. TO Costa Rica >> passport | visa | return ticket | $300 | … [Read more...]
What Should I Do With My Stuff When I Go Swimming at the Beach?
Everyone will tell you "NEVER leave your stuff unattended on the beach" and the same warning applies when swimming under a waterfall or rope swinging into a river etc. What no one tells you is how to accomplish that. Bad Ideas (Skip down to Good Ideas) "Oh, there are people around, no one will … [Read more...]
Money- Get & Spend
Three main factors determine the best way to access funds while traveling in Costa Rica. Security Economy Convenience Since dollars are widely accepted the most convenient and economical way to carry and spend money might be to stick $5,000.00 U.S. in your pocket. Obviously this … [Read more...]
Exorbitant Exchange Fee Rip-Off
Can you spot what's wrong with this receipt? It's not obvious but if you look at the two totals at the bottom of the itemized receipt you'll see ¢11,153 in Costa Rican Colones and $22.31 in U.S. dollars. That works out to an applied exchange rate of five hundred colones per dollar which is … [Read more...]
Arrival, Entry or Tourism Tax
There are a total of $58.19 Costa Rica taxes and fees typically charged to international air tickets. Most people don't notice these because they are included in the advertised price of airfares. In July of 2019 Costa Rica's new value added tax (Impuesto al Valor Agregado – IVA) applies to … [Read more...]
Useful Costa Rica Websites
A directory of sources for Costa Rica information - actually useful* not paid promotions birds | docs | embassy | gov | health | hike | maps | news | public works | transport | trivia | weather Finding anything useful in the tsunami of advertising and search engine optimization garbage returned by … [Read more...]
Dollars Accepted – Changing Money in Costa Rica
Travelers frequently ask if they need to go to the bank in the U.S. to get Costa Rican colones (the local currency) before traveling. The answer is no. It's unlikely that any U.S. or other foreign bank would have so much as a single Colón in the vault and commissions on special orders are … [Read more...]