The best time to visit Costa Rica is January after the holiday peak season tourist crowds head home. The rains end in December but the forests remain lush into the new year while dry sunny weather prevails on the beaches. It's one of the best times for wildlife when tropical species like monkeys … [Read more...]
Travel
Practical travel information like transportation options, driving, safety, health, packing, lodging, holidays, festivals, money and much more. Includes a section on weather, seasons, crowds and pricing to help you decide the best time to visit
Uber in Costa Rica – Not for Travelers
NOTE: Early in 2019 we received reports of Uber drivers showing up, cancelling the ride then demanding cash payments higher than the quoted price. This is against the terms of service, could be dangerous, and should be reported. Unlicensed private taxi services are not legal in Costa Rica. Uber … [Read more...]
How to Rent a Car in Costa Rica
Renting a car in Costa Rica can be different - for example needing to decide whether 4WD is necessary or not. Other aspects are just plain bizarre, like the bumpy number requirement. If you want to skip all the fascinating quirks and just take the path of least resistance we've also written … [Read more...]
The Most Dangerous Thing in Costa Rica
Can you guess what danger is hiding in plain sight in this photo of a room with a view in Costa Rica...? There are a lot of candidates for the most treacherous, risky, menacing peril awaiting visitors to Costa Rica - crocodiles in the estuaries, dengue mosquitoes in the swamps, deadly vipers … [Read more...]
Getting the Best Airfare to Costa Rica
Any time you travel to Costa Rica your best bet for getting cheap airfare is to know a good deal when you see one. The second most important thing to know when shopping for flights is that cheapest is almost never the best. The third and maybe most important is that finding the least expensive … [Read more...]
Traveler’s Health Tips
Some basic planning and precautions can help keep you healthy and happy while traveling. Where to Get Care Emergencies Dial 911 toll free, and no coin required at a pay phone for emergency assistance. The Red Cross Rescue unit may be reached directly at 128 throughout the country (2221-5818 in San … [Read more...]
Preventing Theft
Each time I update this page I struggle to figure out how to get people to take crime seriously without making Costa Rica sound like a war zone. What the tourist board wants everyone to know is that "Costa Rica has the lowest crime rate of any Central American country", but this a dubious … [Read more...]
Riders on the Storm(s)
Costa Rica Rainy Season Travel A lot of people ask us "will there be any sun if I go to the beach in rainy season?" but a better question might be "is it possible to go to the beach in rainy season?" We spent this August and an unexpected bit of September traveling all over Costa Rica gathering … [Read more...]
Current Storms in Costa Rica
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather service predicts with "high confidence" that 2019 daily rainfall across most of Costa Rica will be normal compared to historical averages for January and February. Despite a mild El Niño (sometimes causes drought on Costa … [Read more...]
La Nada, La Niña & El Niño in Costa Rica
Warm water in the Pacific Ocean influences weather patterns around the world in a phenomenon called El Niño while cool water and the associated weather patterns are refereed to as La Niña. How it happens and the worldwide impacts are explained in the video below from the U.S. National Oceanic and … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Domestic Airlines
A few domestic airlines serve Costa Rica with scheduled flights. The well known premium tourist airline, NatureAir, ceased operations in January 2018 and a pack of newcomers propose to pick up the slack for the 2019 high travel season - Green Airways, Aerobell, SkyWay, and TAC all have, or promise … [Read more...]
Here Comes the Dry Season
Pacific ocean surface temperature increases accentuate the seasonal shift in the inter-tropical convergence zone amplifying the trade winds across the 10th parallel... ...in other words... The 2018 Rainy Season Might End Early in Costa Rica! The rains usually taper off between late … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Small Boats – Panga, Lancha, Ferry & Raft
Shortcuts - boating across may be much faster than driving around a body of water in Costa Rica. For example the boat ride across the Gulf of Nicoya from Jacó on the mainland to Montezuma on the peninsula takes about an hour while driving around takes at least four hours. ██ Cent. … [Read more...]
Nature Air Grounded
Update January 21, 2019 - One year after shutting down Nature Air has made a financial settlement with Lloyd's of London and announced that they are accepting offers of financing and job applications for all positions in hopes of eventually resuming operations. No new information was provided about … [Read more...]
Strikes, Protests & Road Blocks – Explained & Summarized
The huelga nacional (national strike) in Costa Rica is complicated. The simple version is that in the first part of September 2018 some union workers walked off their government jobs and began protesting the legislature's tax and spending reform plan. After about six weeks the strikes were … [Read more...]
Unexpected Expatriate
If a one week vacation turns into a forced stay of a couple of years it would have severe consequences for your job, your home and your family. A Hypothetical Situation Tom slams on his brakes to avoid hitting a child dashing across the highway. The car following crunches into the rear of Tom's … [Read more...]
Stress Free Car Rental in Costa Rica
If you're reading this you've probably heard horror stories about renting cars in Costa Rica. It may be more expensive than you're used to but it doesn't have to be a trauma. Simple Instructions for Avoiding Frustration Reserve a car with an international rental agency or as part of a … [Read more...]
No, No, Your Other Izquierda – Passing Lanes
On Costa Rica's roads it seems derecho means "left" and izquierda is translated as "right" "tráfico lento mantener a la derecha" = "slow traffic should block passing lane" One afternoon when driving Costa Rica's "super-highway" 27 Sue and I both exclaimed simultaneously "Woah! Did you see … [Read more...]
Guide to Rainy Season Driving In Costa Rica
Roads in Costa Rica are not all designed to handle rainfall which can be problematic since it can rain…a lot. For example, tropical storm Nate caused widespread flooding, loss of life and wiped out sections of nearly every road on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. There's nearly always a weather … [Read more...]
How Caribbean Storms Bring Pacific Flooding to Costa Rica
In October of 2017 Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nate provided a perfect example of how a cyclonic low pressure system in the Caribbean could cause massive rainfall and flooding in the central mountains and on Costa Rica's Pacific side. (see road closures) The Caribbean coast ends … [Read more...]