Costa Rica Travel
Costa Rica offers miles of unparalleled beaches on both its Caribbean and Pacific coastlines. Stunning volcanoes, sultry hot springs and lush rainforests dot the country from coast to coast. Use the Costa Rica Travel Web Guide to locate everything you need, including valuable travel tips and recommendations. Whether you're a detail-oriented traveler or a spontaneous wanderer, enjoy lodging in the lap of luxury or prefer a budget vacation, our Web Guide can help make planning your Costa Rica trip a breeze.
Expand All Guide SectionsCosta Rica Travel Basics
Costa Rica is a country filled with natural beauty, including beautiful beaches, breathtaking rainforests, and natural hot springs that must be experienced to be believed. If you're planning a Costa Rica vacation, the sites below can help you begin your exploration.
Dulcinea's Insight
- When planning a trip to Costa Rica, the best sites to search first are government sites. These sites have the most up-to-date information on the travel documents you'll need, such as a valid passport and an outbound ticket. See the U.S. State department Web site for consular information.
- When traveling, knowing some of your destination's history before you go can enrich your experience there. The history of Costa Rica is in many ways quite different from the histories of other Central American countries. For a good overview, see the "What should I know before I go?" section of this guide.
Dulcinea's Picks
For an overview of Costa Rica ...
The Embassy of Costa Rica
has a great page called "Costa Rica At A Glance" that provides an excellent overview of the country. Want to know the local currency, the system of government, or the life expectancy? This is the page to visit for a quick education on Costa Rica.
The Costa Rica Tourism and Travel Bureau
provides a color-coded map of Costa Rica so you can easily see the different regions that make up the country. Browse the links on the left for information on geography, climate, national parks, and more.
Lonely Planet
has a wealth of information most anyone headed for Costa Rica would find useful. Use the "Fast Facts" tab for everything from the country's capital (which every traveler should know) to the type of electrical outlets found there. Especially lovely is the "Image Gallery," found on the left.
Costa Rica
is primarily a real-estate Web site, but it also features sections that provide useful background information for travelers. Visit the "Culture" section for insight into Costa Rica's people, cuisine, music, and national pastimes. "Travel" is a well-organized section with a wealth of information. The "Places to See" subsection is particularly useful, brimming with details about museums, national parks, beaches, and volcanoes.
For information on what to do and see in Costa Rica ...
CentralAmerica.com
is the Web site of a travel agency. Aside from a bit of "sales talk" near the top of the site, they offer a very useful tool to help you plan your itinerary. Scroll down to "Step 1" to begin the process of choosing hotels, destinations, and mode of transportation. Destinations are listed with brief descriptions and include links to more information.
The Costa Rica Tourism Board
welcomes you with a slideshow of stunning views and the slogan "Costa Rica: No Artificial Ingredients." Get a taste of these "ingredients" with links such as "Where to go," "What to do," and "Tours and Operators." From lazing on the beach to canopy gliding among the treetops, you'll find it all here.
Costa Rica Tours
offers tours to all of the major hot spots in the country, from Arenal Volcano to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. You'll find a variety of specialty tours, such as packages for business groups and "adventure honeymoons" for newlyweds.
Costa Rica Tours.net
is another excellent, comprehensive Web site. Unlike the similarly named site above, this one specializes in ecotourism, offering a variety of customizable packages for those interested in checking out Costa Rica's natural beauty. The site does offer other types of tours as well, including honeymoons and romantic getaways.
Travel Requirements for Costa Rica
Costa Rica has managed to avoid many of the conflicts that have plagued its Central American neighbors. In this section, we've found sites that delve into the country's history and traditions and that offer practical advice to aid your travels.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Studying a country's history to better understand it before you go can significantly enliven and enrich your trip. Even if you're not a history buff, taking a peek at the general information provided by the Web sites below can help provide context for places you may visit on your trip and can help you have a complete experience.
- Costa Rica is a Catholic country that observes major Catholic holidays. The country basically shuts down during the week before Easter, and buses generally don't run on the Thursday and Friday before Easter. Visit InfoCostaRica for more detailed information.
Dulcinea's Picks
For history and general information on Costa Rica ...
Geographia
provides a straightforward, comprehensive overview of Costa Rican history. For a basic history lesson, this is the only Web site most travelers will need.
CentralAmerica.com
presents more detailed coverage of Costa Rican history and culture, beginning with the pre-Colombian era. It also provides information on Costa Rican geography, climate, government, and politics.
Costa Rica Tours
has a thorough overview of Costa Rica's early indigenous civilizations and modern indigenous cultures. The site also provides information on visiting ruins and other archeological sites.
For local customs ...
InfoCostaRica
provides links to articles on present-day Costa Rican culture. You'll find a great deal of useful information here, such as the importance of the family unit, traditional male-female roles, and how locals celebrate major holidays.
TryCostaRica.com
is well written and offers a wealth of useful information on local customs. The site will give you a sense of general attitudes and cultural values, along with examples of real-life situations. Should you tip at a Costa Rican restaurant? In a taxi? How about tipping a parking lot attendant? Find the answers here.
To learn Spanish ...
The BBC
provides beginner and intermediate online courses in Spanish with a tutor and interactive features. Lessons are free, fast, and entertaining.
Getting to Costa Rica
As it becomes an increasingly popular destination for tourists from the United States, more and more airlines offer direct flights to Costa Rica. Or maybe you'd prefer arriving in Costa Rica on a cruise ship; explore your options below.
Dulcinea's Insight
- TACA and several other Central American carriers offer flights from the United States to San Jose. Be forewarned, however, that smaller carriers don't always adhere strictly to travel schedules and sometimes make unscheduled stops, making travel times longer.
- Many travel agents try to convince tourists to say in San Jose overnight, but unless you are interested in exploring the city, this isn't really necessary. Consider booking a domestic flight or bus to get to your destination city quickly. See the "How will I get around while I'm in Costa Rica?" section for more information.
- Heading to Costa Rica from outside the United States? There are also direct flights from Canada and from many places in Europe. From Canada, try Air Canada's Web site. From Spain, check out AirMadrid for direct flights to San Jose.
- Most major carriers offer flights to Costa Rica and fly to Juan Santamaría International Airport in San Jose.
- Air travel from most U.S. cities to Costa Rica takes about four to seven hours, and nonstop flights are available
Dulcinea's Picks
For information on getting to Costa Rica by air ...
BookingBuddy
lets you avoid traipsing from one airline or travel Web site to another. You can compare flight prices from many different providers in two easy steps: enter your departure and arrival locations and click on the provider icons to see your price.
American Airlines
offers many nonstop flights every day from major U.S. cities, including Miami, Chicago, and Houston.
Continental Airlines
also offers many direct flights to San Jose. As with the Web sites for most major air carriers, this site is easy to navigate.
US Airways
is another worthwhile site to check for flights. The number of flights offered is limited, but flexible travelers can often find good deals.
TACA
is one of the major Central American airlines and has recently expanded to offer flights from more cities in the United States.
For information on cruising to Costa Rica ...
Cruise West
specializes in cruises to Costa Rica and Panama. One of the many specialty cruises offered is a photographers' cruise, cohosted by a professional photographer who conducts field trips and onboard workshops in photography. And don't miss the "Videos" section for a glimpse of past cruises and locales.
VacationsToGo.com
is a cruise clearinghouse that offers discounts from several companies with cruises to Costa Rica. Travelers can do a side-by-side comparison to find the dates and price that works best for them.
Costa Rica Hotels
There are many excellent Web sites listing different types of hotels in Costa Rica by region. Although you can never be certain exactly how a place will feel to you until you get there, it does pay to do a bit of online research when booking hotels.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The travel guidebooks listed in the "Why should I go to Costa Rica?" section also provide information on hotels. The hotel information on Lonely Planet and Costa Rica Tourism and Travel Bureau is organized by price and by region.
- Costa Rica is generally a very safe country for travelers, whether traveling alone or in groups.
- It always helps to see other traveler's comments to gain insight into great places to stay. See the "What do other travelers think of Costa Rica?" section of this guide for recommended blogs and forums.
- If you prefer a more intimate experience, look for hotels that are family-run. Be sure to read hotel descriptions carefully.
Dulcinea's Picks
CentralAmerica.com
is easy to navigate and favors quality over quantity. Though it lists a relatively small number of hotels in each region, you can rest assured that they're good ones: the site's managers filter the hotels carefully and remove or add hotels based on customer feedback.
The Costa Rica Tourism Board
has comprehensive information about hotels in Costa Rica listed by region. The site provides a brief description of each hotel and its amenities, along with an online form to request more information. This is a good Web site for travelers who prefer many choices.
The Costa Rica Hotel Association
is a great resource featuring a detailed, clickable map of the country that links to hotels by region. Choose a region and the site provides a list of hotels with room rates, making it easy to find hotels in your price range.
Costa Rica Tours
offers hotels organized not only by region but also by special interest. Look for surf hotels, eco-hotels, or golf hotels. This Web site is a good stop for anyone planning a specialty vacation.
Costa Rica Tours.net
also lists hotels organized by region but displays the results on a detailed map, so travelers can see exactly where hotels are located in relation to major attractions.
Getting Around in Costa Rica
Costa Rica's beautiful views of stunning volcanoes and tucked-away, glorious beaches practically beg for a road trip. Learn how to rent a car in Costa Rica and get idas for other modes of transportation around the country with help from the sites in this section.
Dulcinea's Insight
- When renting a car or booking a flight online, make sure the site is secure before entering your payment information. Check the URL on the site's payment page to see if it begins with the letters https. The "s" means the page is secure. Trust your gut; if you don't trust a site completely, don't enter your personal information.
- Most of the travel Web sites listed here provide phone contact information. If you have any questions about the services offered, you can always call. Get some insider information by asking for travel tips and favorite spots when you call to arrange your trip.
- Depending on how much time you plan to spend in Costa Rica, your transportation arrangements will vary. Most of the hot tourist spots are within the Central Valley. Those planning a trip of less than ten days should plan to visit only a few places outside of the Central Valley, such as Monteverde Cloud Forest and the Caribbean coast.
- One caveat about car travel is that tourists should be very careful when driving in San Jose, the capital city. Driving in San Jose is very fast-paced, and many of the rules of the road seem to be unique to the city.
- Roads are constantly being improved in Costa Rica, and most of the hot tourist destinations are only a few hours apart by car. Because of this, many tourists rent cars or vans, or ride buses around the country.
- Local airlines in Costa Rica offer frequent flights between cities. Some companies also offer charter flights for larger groups.
Dulcinea's Picks
For car rental ...
CentralAmerica.com
has links to car rental agencies, domestic airlines, and van transportation. The site is simple and straightforward; it doesn't offer too many choices, which makes it easy to find the most effective form of transportation.
Costa Rica Tours
has information on car rental and the basics of rental insurance in Costa Rica. The site has nine types of rentals available and lists an e-mail address and phone numbers (including a U.S. and Canadian number) for more information.
For domestic air travel ...
Sansa Airlines
provides domestic air service to fifteen destinations in Costa Rica, including popular spots such as Monteverde Cloud Forest and Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs. You can safely book tickets online using most major credit cards.
Nature Air
, another of Costa Rica's domestic airlines, is based in San Jose and offers more than 70 flights a day to destinations all over the country. It's a good idea to book domestic air travel before you go, and booking through this Web site makes it easy.
For van or bus transportation ...
Costa Rica Shuttle
has some excellent options for van transportation. From airport transfer shuttles to charter van trips to planned tours, this company boasts comfortable vans with AC and "drivers with excellent experience."
Costa Rica by Bus
is the insider's guide for travelers planning to use Costa Rica's extensive and inexpensive bus system. Bus travel is a great alternative for budget travelers or those who wish to see the countryside as they go from place to place. Find helpful information on schedules, fares, and directions to bus stations.
Costa Rica Travel Blogs and Forums
Why travel blind? Thanks to the Internet, you can mine a wealth of information from those who know best: people who have traveled to Costa Rica. Reading through forums postings and blogs is always worthwhile for the useful tips and inside scoops that aren't covered on travel sites.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The postings on most travel forums aren't typically organized very well. Look for forums with a search feature to help you locate information quickly.
- Joining most forums is quick, easy, and free. Consider joining a forum so you can share your perspective as you plan your trip, and your newfound insights when you return. It's a fulfilling way to share your knowledge and experience with other tourists who are headed to Costa Rica.
- As with any online community, it is important to be careful how much personal information you provide to strangers. Report suspicious behavior immediately. It's a good idea to pick a username that does not contain your last name or other identifying information.
- Visit any site devoted to travel blogs, enter "Costa Rica" in the search engine, and sift through your results. TravelBlog and TravelPod are worthy starting points.
Dulcinea's Picks
For forums on Costa Rica ...
VirtualTourist
hosts very active forums on Costa Rica that run the gamut of topics-from ocean currents and weather to theft on the beach and poisonous plants. Post a question to get an answer from one of over 900,000 VirtualTourist members.
InfoCostaRica
has forums on basically everything under the Costa Rican sun. From renting a home to finding the best snorkeling spots, there is a wealth of information here. The site does have a search feature, so topics of interest can be located quickly.
TripAdvisor
has a forum spot with candid postings by real travelers. Get the lowdown on the best surfing spots, gay-friendly places to stay, or where to cash those traveler's checks.
VacationCity.com
offers a message board with helpful information and reviews of hotels and tour companies. Before your trip, consider posting questions you have, and get them answered by seasoned travelers.
For Costa Rica travel blogs ...
The REAL Costa Rica Blog
is aimed at travelers, retirees, expatriates, and anyone else who "needs to know the REAL Costa Rica." Find everything from money exchange locations to Internet service providers. The categories on the right make it easy to get information quickly.
Costa Rica Vacation Journals
is constantly updated by a team of writers and researchers who frequently travel around Costa Rica. Excellent writing and beautiful photos really bring to life the destinations and activities.
Costa Rica Travel Blog
is useful place for practical travel tips. Postings are updated frequently and include information to help you pack and plan your itinerary.
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