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. TRAVELING TO Costa Rica >> passport | visa | return ticket … [Read more...]
Required Travel Insurance
UPDATE: As of April 1, 2022 the insurance requirement and all other Covid related entry and travel restrictions for Costa Rica have been eliminated. No testing required No vaccination required No "pase de salud" electronic health pass required No travel insurance required No QR … [Read more...]
Camping
Camping in Costa Rica is a great way to get to out of the way places, and experience the fascinating night and very early morning hours in the tropical forests. Costa Rica's Best Camp Sites boondocks | national parks | RV parks | backpacking | cabinas | glamping Tips for Tropical Camping in … [Read more...]
Bribery
It's not common, but it does happen. In thousands of kilometers of driving I've been pulled over twice... three... four times — once "legitimately" and three times fraudulently. I haven't paid mordida (a bribe) or received a ticket in any of the stops. $1,800 parking ticket | corruption | the bite … [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...]
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...]
DEET Alternatives – The Buzzz on Mosquito Repellents
Finally! There are natural alternatives to DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) that actually work. "supernatural" | lemon eucalyptus | picaridin | field test | useless | clothing Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Lemon Eucalyptus Oil (para-menthane-3,8-diol) is an excellent option if you can stand the … [Read more...]
First Things First – as soon as you get off the plane
There are a few things we always do upon arrival. We're usually traveling for a couple of months so some of these may not apply to you. Everyone's first stop is immigration for the required document inspection and passport stamp. Next Stop Duty Free You are allowed to purchase duty free … [Read more...]
Finding (Usable) Public Restrooms
It used to be very difficult indeed to find a public restroom in Costa Rica. 25 years ago your best bet was a bar where you'd likely find only a gent's and it was often nothing more than an outside wall with a drain hole at one end. The advent of fast food restaurants, modern supermarkets and … [Read more...]
Volunteer Opportunities in Costa Rica
Below are some projects we recommend based on personal visits, previous volunteer's experiences, and established history of successful conservation contributions. These positions are all directly through the individual conservation project rather than a for profit "volunteer … [Read more...]
The Costa Rica Bathroom Experience
No we don't have some kind of weird fetish but Costa Rican restrooms have enough unique attributes that it's worth a word or two of warning for first time visitors. The Great Outdoors You never know so look before you go. Outdoor bathrooms come in many shapes and sizes and in some of the … [Read more...]
The Ant Dance
There's wildlife everywhere in Costa Rica and not all of it is your friend If you're standing watching a pair of toucans hopping though the treetops and suddenly you feel a sharp burning pain on your feet, ankles or calves you're probably standing in an ant hill. Tip to Avoid Multiple Painful … [Read more...]
Public Drinking is Illegal
Don't cross that line. As long as you stay on the patio you're fine but if you step off into the public sand you could be facing a fine of almost $400. Looking forward to relaxing with a beer on the beach? A few years ago Costa Rica passed legislation making it illegal to drink in public … [Read more...]
Potential Health Problems
Your ultimate medical resource must be your physician. We have provided some general information, and daily updates by qualified medical professionals are available on the WHO and CDC web sites. Volcanic Ash Back in March of 2015 Turrialba volcano west of San José began intermittent significant … [Read more...]
Discount Travel Websites
Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline and dozens of others offer wily travelers savings of up to 60% in the U.S., but do they deliver in Costa Rica? Not so much-and here’s why 1) Limited participation – Corporate chains have entire departments who do nothing but manage discount site relations. … [Read more...]
On Your Own
How to Plan a Trip to Costa Rica On Your Own The easiest way to travel independently in Costa Rica is to pick a beach resort, go there and relax. Second easiest is to rent an SUV, grab a guidebook and wing it, finding places to stay as you go. If you're not comfortable with that much … [Read more...]
Who CAN You Trust?
Who should you take advice from when planning travel? Your mom? TripAdvisor? Costa Rica Guide? Fodor’s Guidebooks? The guy who cleans your pool? It can be confusing so we’ve provided some advice and insight that might help. Better Business Bureau Since its founding over a hundred years ago the … [Read more...]
Volunteering
It seems like there should be lots of volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica If you're willing to work hard all day setting fence posts to keep cows out of a wildlife refuge or teaching English to indigenous children it seems reasonable to expect a clean dry place to sleep and three square meals in … [Read more...]
Walk on the Wild Side
Walk WAY off to the side or it may be hazardous to your health Costa Rica's highway safety department (Dirección General de Tránsito) statistics show that about a third of the people who die on the roads are pedestrians or bicyclists. Compare that to around one percent in the U.S. or Europe and … [Read more...]
Airport Dehydration Alert
update January 2016 - The international airports have reversed the system described below and now operate like the rest of the world. Currently liquids are not allowed through security but if you buy them or fill your bottle after passing through security you are allowed to take it on the … [Read more...]