Costa Rica - Planning The Vacation

Flag of Costa Rico

Destination

I decided to travel to Costa Rica in May. Apparently May is the start of winter which means a couple of things. One, there is going to be a fair bit of rain and two, if you hate bugs, there are not as many.

If you are flying out of Canada, from what I understand from other Canadian tourists, you will be paying around an extra $500 in taxes for the flight. I spoke to a couple Americans and they got flights from NYC for about $350 round trip - so you might want to check out flights from Buffalo.

Travelling

Before you go here is the official Canadian trip advisor to Costa Rica

Make sure all your vaccinations are up to date if you plan to go hardcore into the Rainforest but for the most part just do not drink the water - though you will see some travelers indulge in tap water, it is better to play it safe.

Another great resource to help book your trip is this site. It has downloadable maps, bus routes and travel ideas.

Language

There are a lot of places that have people that can speak English, but Spanish is good to know. Even if you have the basics a lot of the people in Costa Rica understand small bits of English because of the amount of tourism from English speaking countries.

It is a good idea to get a dictionary or watch Dora the Explorer or try this list of common phrases.

Hotel

Book your hotel online through one of the hotel websites.

I stayed at the Hotel Europa, also known as Central Europa because it's on Central St.

Packing

For a week I packed the following:

- bug spray

- sun tan lotion

- hat

- sun glasses

- goggles

- gloves

- hiking boots

- running shoes

- sandals

- 5 t-shirts

- 2 dry fit shirts

- 2 short sleeve button up shirts

- 2 pairs of jeans (black and blue)

- 7 pairs of socks and underpants

- 1 pair of cargos that can be converted into shorts

- 1 pair of shorts

- 1 bathing suit - swimming kind, not for tanning

- toiletries (toothbrush, razor, etc.)

There are few laundromats and some hotels will provide this service. It is kind of pricey in the hotel and there is a chance you can loose your clothes in the outside service.

For the most part, bring a few sets of clothes you don't mind throwing away just in case you want to load up on souvenirs.

Money

In Costa Rica they use colones and are roughly $1USD to 500 colones.

It doesn't hurt to have some American bills with you, about $50 just in case.

Exchange your currency when you get there. There are HSBC, a few Citi banks and a number of ScotiaBank atm's throughout the city. There is a Scotia bank teller right inside the airport when you arrive, it is next to a currency exchange outlet - banks have better rates.

Always ask for the prices in USD and colones because depending on the place, different currencies will get you better prices since the conversion is not precise.

About $1 USD

Weather

The weather for the period I stayed, May 14-21 had an average of 25 degrees. It rained a total of 3 days and the rain lasted around a few hours, though it would start at various times throughout the day. For the most part it was very sunny and it would vary between a dry heat to extremely humid.

Of course is it always a good idea to check with the weathernetwork.com for updates.

Tours

There are a number of places that offer tours that you can select from and it is a better idea to join a tour when you are there then over the internet. It is also a good idea to go there in person just because you will often find discounts if you book the tours yourself.

If you are walking or if you decide to take a cab, there are 2 tour providers that I went to and they are located on Avenida 7 and Calle 7. One is on the corner next to a Radio Shack sign and the other is just West of it on the South Side.

There are also tons of tours throughout the various spots in Costa Rica so don't feel like you have to use the ones that I used.

Interesting Facts

A number of the cab drivers are illiterate and the majority of citizens in Costa Rica do not know addresses of things. This is because there are little to no signs on the intersections. If you want to visit something less known you better have a picture that you can show the driver and there is a good chance he will know where that is. Otherwise a walking GPS unit or phone with GPS and a program like "Offline Maps" will be a life saver.

Costa Rica has two sets of police, one for the area and a specific one for the tourism industry. You will usually find those ones in high tourist traffic areas.

There is also no military in Costa Rica.