Costa Rica Guide

travel information and maps

  • Vacation Planning
  • Best Trips Ever>>
  • More Fun Than Humanly Possible
  • Costa Rica
    • Top Ten
    • Best Time to Visit Costa Rica
    • Things To Do in Costa Rica
    • Maps
    • Transportation
      • Rental Cars
        • Advantages of Driving
        • Disadvantages Driving
        • Code of the Road
        • Navigation & Drive Time
        • Rental Insurance Explained
        • Can’t Get There
      • Airports
        • Flights Worth Taking
        • LIR or SJO
        • Airfare Deals
        • Domestic Airlines
        • Domestic Air Tips
      • Taxis
      • Bus Schedule
    • Food
      • Typical Menu
      • Batidos & Refrescos
      • Gallo Pinto
      • Tamales
      • Ceviche
      • Ensalada Palmito
      • Sopa Negra
      • Vinagre Chilera
    • Weather
      • Seasons in Costa Rica
      • Current Storms in Costa Rica
    • Regions
  • Nature & Wildlife
    • National Parks
    • Wildlife Refuges
    • Ecozones
    • Best Places to See Wildlife in Costa Rica
  • Practical Info
    • Health & Safety
      • Health Tips
        • Altitude Sickness
        • Chikungunya
        • Natural Disasters
      • Crime
        • Cons & Rip-offs
        • Corruption
        • Violent Crime
    • Will My Phone Work?
    • Packing List
    • Passports & Docs
    • Money – How To?
    • How Much Does it Cost?
    • Travel Tips
  • Stories
    • Photos
    • Trek Across Costa Rica
    • Sendero de Oro
    • Quebrada Gata
    • Bicycle Touring
    • About Us
  • Move to Costa Rica
  • Free Travel Pack
no obligation custom trip plan & price quote

1-866-816-0197

· Copyright © 2025 ·

¡Pura Vida!

…and Ni Sa Bula Vinaka… or Aloha…

If there were just one phrase to evoke Costa Rica it would be ¡Pura Vida!

Pura Vida Costa Rica Coca Cola

“What does it mean?” you ask.

Well, it’s roughly the equivalent of bula bula! (pronounced mboola mboola) – or more formally – ni sa bula vinaka! (pronounced nee-sahm-boola-vee-nahka!) in Fijian.

“Thanks for nothing!” you say if you’ve never visited Costa Rica or the Fiji islands.  How about Aloha from Hawaii?

There’s something about the most laid back beautiful tropical places on earth that bring words like these into the lexicon and they all have somewhat vague but similar meanings.

Hammock at Sand dollar cove
Pura vida… hammock at Sand dollar cove

Literally “pura vida” translates from Spanish to English as “pure life,” but it can mean much more than that.    Like it’s south Pacific cousin, bula, it can mean hello, goodbye, good luck, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, now this is living, “that’s life” with a shrug, and even gesundheit depending on the context.

When we hear Ticos use it we insert the literal translation and it always seems to fit.

Tuanis!

Another phrase you won’t find in dictionaries but you may hear in Costa Rica with the general meaning of “good” or “it’s all good” is “tuanis.”  Its usage becomes clear when you understand its origin in a sort of Central American version of pig Latin.

In the 1800’s a Salvadorean general (who later became president) named Francisco Malespín was concerned that his messages were being intercepted by spies and created a simple code where a=e, i=o, b=t, m=p, f=g, and p=m.  Thus, buenos (the plural of good) becomes “tuanis.”

All these phrases are being absorbed by global pop-culture, utilized as marketing slogans by the tourism boards of their respective countries, and converted into trademarks for clothing companies (bula fashions are a little bizarre because they specialize in snowboard apparel…), but we like the original spirit of well wishes and can’t resist saying ¡Pura Vida! for now

Ray & Sue

Cost · ToDo · Plan·Costa Rica Guide logo animated·Top10 · Best Time · Contact


toll free Costa Rica travel desk!
1-866-816-0197

CONTACT US

Stories

Stories
  • Common Misconceptions
  • Trans Talamanca Trek – How To
  • Quebrada Gata
  • ¡Pura Vida!
  • Turtle Hatching
  • Round Rock Roads
  • Ask the Right Questions
  • History of Canopy Tours
  • Killer Cashew
  • Missed by Miles
  • Traffic Frog
  • Mountain Bike Palo Verde
  • How Costa Rica Got its Name
  • Intimate Sea Turtles
  • Heart of Palm
  • The Big Screwdriver
  • Bad Trip
  • Don’t Drink the Natilla
  • Imperial Beer in the U.S.
  • Disastrous Border Road



Costa Rica Guide on facebook
Costa Rica Guide on Facebook