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Safety
When traveling abroad, tourists are usually not familiar with the areas they should take extra care. Downtown areas in San Jose, Alajuela and Heredia are common sites for getting mugged. Carrying around expensive video cameras and photo cameras can attract street thugs.
In rural areas take extra care when leaving belongings in your car rental. Unfortunately in some beaches tourists have come back to their car to find their belongings missing.
Here are a few pointers to observe in order to avoid theft:
Do not carry around your original passport and airline ticket. Make a copy of these to carry with you and leave the originals at your hotel’s safety box.
Try using fanny packs for carrying your keys and money or use your pockets. Ladies should always hold their purse tight or cross over your head, never walk around with your purse dangling loosely. Men should avoid using wallets in their back pockets. If you are carrying backpacks, switch them to the front when walking around downtown.
Avoid wearing expensive jewelry or watches.
Change money either at your hotel or at the bank, never on the streets
Take a cab when going out at night.
Leave valuables, passports, airline tickets and money at your hotel’s safety box and never lying around your room.
Postal System
Costa Rica’s postal system is infamous for its delay in sending and receiving letters. Unfortunately it is also well known for cash and other valuables to never reach its intended destination.
The Costa Rican postal system will be ok if you want to send a postcard or letter with no hurry. Otherwise, it is best to use FedEx, DHL or UPS.
What to Bring
Costa Rica has a wide range of temperature and climate which can change within minutes. When traveling to Costa Rica, be prepared to visit volcanoes, rainforest and beaches. This means that you will be exposed to temperatures that range from 50’s to the high 80’s degree.
Costa Rica is a tropical country therefore it will be likely for you to encounter rain. Heavy rainfall is always expected in the central region during the months of May through October and even November.
It is recommended for tourists to bring light clothing along with lightweight and waterproof jackets. Quick dry clothes are also recommended when visiting the rainforest and mountain areas.
Here are some recommendations on what to pack:
Please note that when taking domestic flights or water taxis, companies have a maximum luggage weight of 25 pounds.
Weather
Costa Rica’s terrain is quite varied and so is its weather. Due to the country’s topography, a number of microclimates are found throughout the territory. Tourists will find that they can go from cloudforest to rainforest to tropical forest in a matter of hours and sometimes even minutes.
This means that tourists can expect sun, rain, cool breeze and humid jungle weather all in the same day.
High Altitudes:
When visiting Costa Rica’s higher terrains such as the Poas Volcano, Irazu Volcano, Chirripo National Park, Monteverde and others, expect temperatures to be in the 50-60 degree range accompanied by fog and wind.
When traveling abroad, tourists are usually not familiar with the areas they should take extra care. Downtown areas in San Jose, Alajuela and Heredia are common sites for getting mugged. Carrying around expensive video cameras and photo cameras can attract street thugs.
In rural areas take extra care when leaving belongings in your car rental. Unfortunately in some beaches tourists have come back to their car to find their belongings missing.
Here are a few pointers to observe in order to avoid theft:
Do not carry around your original passport and airline ticket. Make a copy of these to carry with you and leave the originals at your hotel’s safety box.
Try using fanny packs for carrying your keys and money or use your pockets. Ladies should always hold their purse tight or cross over your head, never walk around with your purse dangling loosely. Men should avoid using wallets in their back pockets. If you are carrying backpacks, switch them to the front when walking around downtown.
Avoid wearing expensive jewelry or watches.
Change money either at your hotel or at the bank, never on the streets
Take a cab when going out at night.
Leave valuables, passports, airline tickets and money at your hotel’s safety box and never lying around your room.
Postal System
Costa Rica’s postal system is infamous for its delay in sending and receiving letters. Unfortunately it is also well known for cash and other valuables to never reach its intended destination.
The Costa Rican postal system will be ok if you want to send a postcard or letter with no hurry. Otherwise, it is best to use FedEx, DHL or UPS.
What to Bring
Costa Rica has a wide range of temperature and climate which can change within minutes. When traveling to Costa Rica, be prepared to visit volcanoes, rainforest and beaches. This means that you will be exposed to temperatures that range from 50’s to the high 80’s degree.
Costa Rica is a tropical country therefore it will be likely for you to encounter rain. Heavy rainfall is always expected in the central region during the months of May through October and even November.
It is recommended for tourists to bring light clothing along with lightweight and waterproof jackets. Quick dry clothes are also recommended when visiting the rainforest and mountain areas.
Here are some recommendations on what to pack:
- Bathing suit
- Sunscreen
- Sun hat
- Hiking shoes or boots, sneakers and flip flops
- Long pants and shorts
- Short sleeved shirts and T shirts
- Lightweight Jacket
- Waterproof jacket or rain poncho
- Sweater
Please note that when taking domestic flights or water taxis, companies have a maximum luggage weight of 25 pounds.
Weather
Costa Rica’s terrain is quite varied and so is its weather. Due to the country’s topography, a number of microclimates are found throughout the territory. Tourists will find that they can go from cloudforest to rainforest to tropical forest in a matter of hours and sometimes even minutes.
This means that tourists can expect sun, rain, cool breeze and humid jungle weather all in the same day.
High Altitudes:
When visiting Costa Rica’s higher terrains such as the Poas Volcano, Irazu Volcano, Chirripo National Park, Monteverde and others, expect temperatures to be in the 50-60 degree range accompanied by fog and wind.
Central Valley:
The central valley area is the region normally has a temperature between the 70’s to low 80’s degree during the day and drops to around 50-60 degrees at night. During the rainy season, May through November, clear mornings are a followed by rainy afternoons.
Beaches
The majority of Costa Rica’s beaches are hot and humid. Temperatures can reach the high 80’s and low 90’s. The beaches in the Northern Pacific Coast tend to be more breezy and dry than the rest of the country. It is important to apply sunscreen with your appropriate SPF number.
Rainy Season
The rainy season, or the green season as the tourism industry calls it, lasts from around May to November. Don’t let a bright sunny morning fool you! During this time of year it’s typical to have bright sunshine in the mornings and heavy rainfall in the afternoons. Closed or waterproof shoes are appropriate for this season.
In the rainforest and cloudforest regions it normally rains everyday.
Dry Season
Dry season lasts from December to April. The months of December and January are characterized by having warm days with a very cool breeze in the evenings due to the northern tradewinds. So if you are planning to spend the whole day exploring the country, make sure you dress light during the day and carry a nice warm sweater or jacket for the evening.
Costa Rica Quick Facts
Name: Republic of Costa Rica.
Location: Central America. To the north Costa Rica borders with Nicaragua and to the south with Panama.
Capital: San Jose.
Area: 51,100 sq km.
Population: 4,133,884 (July 2007 est.).
Life Expectancy Rate: 76.53 years for men, 81.03 for women (2005 Ministry of Health).
Infant Mortality Rate: 9.2 for every 1,000 born alive.
Ethnicity: White (includes mestizos) 96%, Black 2%, Indian 1%, Chinese 1%.
Religion: Official State Religion is Roman Catholic of which 95% of Costa Ricans practice. Protestant faith follows as well as a small Jewish community.
Language: Spanish (Official Language), English is widely spoken by the majority of younger professionals.
Administrative Division: Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces: San Jose – Alajuela – Heredia – Cartago – Puntarenas – Guanacaste – Limon.
Legal System: Spanish Civil Law System – Judicial Review of Legislative Acts in the Supreme Court.
Direct Election: Democratic Republic, elections are carried out every 4 years. The president is chosen directly by the people.
Education: Free and obligatory up to the 9th grade.
Main Industries: Tourism, agriculture and electronics.
The central valley area is the region normally has a temperature between the 70’s to low 80’s degree during the day and drops to around 50-60 degrees at night. During the rainy season, May through November, clear mornings are a followed by rainy afternoons.
Beaches
The majority of Costa Rica’s beaches are hot and humid. Temperatures can reach the high 80’s and low 90’s. The beaches in the Northern Pacific Coast tend to be more breezy and dry than the rest of the country. It is important to apply sunscreen with your appropriate SPF number.
Rainy Season
The rainy season, or the green season as the tourism industry calls it, lasts from around May to November. Don’t let a bright sunny morning fool you! During this time of year it’s typical to have bright sunshine in the mornings and heavy rainfall in the afternoons. Closed or waterproof shoes are appropriate for this season.
In the rainforest and cloudforest regions it normally rains everyday.
Dry Season
Dry season lasts from December to April. The months of December and January are characterized by having warm days with a very cool breeze in the evenings due to the northern tradewinds. So if you are planning to spend the whole day exploring the country, make sure you dress light during the day and carry a nice warm sweater or jacket for the evening.
Costa Rica Quick Facts
Name: Republic of Costa Rica.
Location: Central America. To the north Costa Rica borders with Nicaragua and to the south with Panama.
Capital: San Jose.
Area: 51,100 sq km.
Population: 4,133,884 (July 2007 est.).
Life Expectancy Rate: 76.53 years for men, 81.03 for women (2005 Ministry of Health).
Infant Mortality Rate: 9.2 for every 1,000 born alive.
Ethnicity: White (includes mestizos) 96%, Black 2%, Indian 1%, Chinese 1%.
Religion: Official State Religion is Roman Catholic of which 95% of Costa Ricans practice. Protestant faith follows as well as a small Jewish community.
Language: Spanish (Official Language), English is widely spoken by the majority of younger professionals.
Administrative Division: Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces: San Jose – Alajuela – Heredia – Cartago – Puntarenas – Guanacaste – Limon.
Legal System: Spanish Civil Law System – Judicial Review of Legislative Acts in the Supreme Court.
Direct Election: Democratic Republic, elections are carried out every 4 years. The president is chosen directly by the people.
Education: Free and obligatory up to the 9th grade.
Main Industries: Tourism, agriculture and electronics.
Costa Rica Information
Airlines and Travel Time:
Over 30 international airlines arrive daily to Costa Rica’s International Juan Santamaría Airport. Several mayor airlines also offer international flights to Costa Rica’s International Liberia Airport in the province of Guanacaste.
Costa Rica is at 2 ½ hours from Miami, 7 hours from Los Angeles and approximately 11 hours from London with stopovers included.
You may visit our sister site, www.128trip.com, for flight availability and great fares.
Important Travelers Information:
Visa Requirements
Visa is NOT required for U.S, Canada and Western Europe Citizens.
Citizens of some Latin American countries, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe do require a Visa which can be obtained at your nearest Costa Rican Consulate.
Tourists may stay up to 90 days provided they are traveling with a valid passport.
Money and Banking
The Costa Rican currency is the Colon. Please see our Daily Exchange Rate for today’s exchange rate.
US Dollars of small denomination ($1, $5, $10 & $20) are widely accepted throughout many businesses. If you prefer to exchange your US Dollars to Costa Rican Colones, we recommend you do so at your hotel.
DO NOT exchange money on the streets.
You may also exchange your money at the local banks; however this can sometimes be overwhelming due to long lines and having to present your passport at the cashier.
Credit Cards are widely accepted in San Jose and mayor businesses throughout the country but not in small businesses and in rural areas. The most accepted credit card is Visa, followed by Master Card and American Express.
ATM’s are also easy accessible in San Jose, but not as easy in rural areas.
Phones
If you would need to make an international phone call, the best place to do so is at your hotel. You may be able to call collect or use your credit card. The numbers for making international calls are normally listed next to the phone; otherwise ask at the hotel’s lobby for instructions.
Costa Rica has two types of public phones: payment by phone card and coin slot. The latter is less common. Phone Cards can be purchased at local pharmacies, convenient stores and supermarkets. The coin slot phone takes 10 or 20 colones coins.
Electricity
Costa Rica uses the 110 volt electricity although the 220 volt is usually available depending on the construction. The most common type of plug is the regular two-hole socket although the three-hole plug can also be available. It is recommended that you bring an adapter just in case.
Pedestrian Safety
Please take extra care when walking in Costa Rica as cars rarely give pedestrians the right of way. Walk with care and always double check before crossing the street regardless of what the street light indicates.
Health
Costa Rica is among the top ranked countries in Central America when it comes to its health system. Tourists are not required immunization before entering the country; however it is wise to take the extra precaution when traveling to a tropical country.
The risk of contracting malaria is very rare and cautionary shots should be decided by the tourist and his or her physician before traveling.
It is also wise to have your doctor give you an extra prescription should you take prescription medicine. Have you physician give you an alternative medication in case the brand you use is not available in Costa Rica.
Both private and public hospitals are capable of treating foreigners. Medical services should be paid to the doctor and hospital upon treatment. Private hospitals take credit cards while public ones do not. The majority of Costa Rican doctors speak English. Private hospitals such as the Clinica Biblica, Hospital Cima and Clinica Catolica are the best options should you require medical assistance when in Costa Rica.
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