TRAVEL TIPS
Practical Advice for Your Visit
PASSPORTS - Citizens of the U.S., Canada and many European Countries may stay in Costa Rica for 90 days. The passports need to have at least 6 months of validity left on them before the expiration date when you arrive.
EXIT TAX - $26.00 dollars paid at the airport when leaving the country.
REQUIRED IMMUNIZATIONS - None. It may be wise to get a tetanus booster or anti-malarial medicine if you plan to spend a great deal of time hiking in the forest.
MEDCIAL CARE - Costa Rican medical care is good. Many doctors are U.S. trained and the hospitals are generally well equipped. The new CIMA medical center and Hospital, outside of San Jose is comparable with US facilities.
MONEY - The unit of currency is the colon. Current exchange rate (Feb 2009) is 562 colons for one dollar. Rates at the airport are quite bad, better to change at your hotel or with the help of our guide. Dollars bills can be easily used for goods or services almost anywhere in the country. It’s important to bring smaller bills 20 notes are the biggest many smaller shops and convenience stores will accept. The notes must be in near perfect condition, have your bank change any old notes for new ones and take good care of them or they will not be accepted in Costa Rica. Banking can be time consuming due to long lines. Your passport is required to cash travelers’ cheques or make other transactions. Travelers’ cheques are accepted in major hotels but not by other businesses.
CREDIT CARDS - Credit cards are widely accepted in Costa Rica but not in the rural areas. Visa is the most common, followed by Master Card and then American Express. Some businesses charge a service charge if you pay by credit card. ATMs are widespread in San José. It is wise to call your credit card issuer and tell them that you’ll be in Costa Rica and plan on using your card to avoid denials due to fraud protection protocols.
ELECTRICITY - Compatible with that of North America, 110 volts however, three hole grounded plugs are not always available, so you might bring a three to two prong adapter.
PHONES - Costa Rica has direct dial service to nearly every country in the world. Though calls within Costa Rica are relatively cheap, calling long-distance is expensive. You can call collect to almost any foreign country from payphones in Costa Rica; simply dial 09 or 116 to get an English-speaking operator.
CELL PHONES- Cell phones from the USA generally do not work here and when they do, service is poor. AT&T and T-Mobility are the only two US providers who currently have roaming agreements with ICE, the Costa Rican cell provider. Additionally, roaming charges can easily run over $4.00 per minute. Please check with your mobile provider before leave.
DRIVING – Costa Rica has by many accounts one of the highest auto related death rates in the Western Hemisphere. To combat this legislature has recently passed (2009) new traffic laws that, while well intentioned, range from impractical to draconian. Driving with 0.75% of alcohol is subject to 1 to 3 years to prison. Speeding over 92 miles an hour is punishable with imprisonment for a term of 1 to 3 years. Lower amounts carry high monetary fines to 6 months in prison. Don’t drink and drive, or better still don’t drive at all, the downside is too great. All of our trips include a driver. After all you’re on vacation.
TIME ZONE – Costa Rica’s closeness to the equator means that there is little variance in the daylight hours. Therefore they don’t observe Daylight Savings Change. The local time zone flip-flops between Central Standard Time and Mountain Time coinciding with the changes in the United States.
WEATHER - Rugged geography means we have remarkable biodiversity and a wide variety of microclimates. As you ascend or descend in altitude, or move from the beach to the mountains, weather changes significantly. In San Jose and the Central Valley, year-round daytime temperatures are in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit. At night, expect temperatures in 50s and 60s. Costa Rica’s beaches are hot. Temperatures will be in the 80s and 90s at the beach. The northern beaches tend to be breezy December through May. Costa Rica is close to the equator - the sun is strong and requires an equally strong sunscreen. Expect windy weather and temperatures in the high 40s to the 60s Fahrenheit at Costa Rica’s highest altitudes, including Cerro de la Muerte, Poás Volcano, Monteverde and other mountains.
RAIN – Rainy season (or the “green season” as marketing spin would have it) is from May to November, though in some areas it can rain at any time of the year. The driest part of the country is in the northwest, the rainiest in the south and east. Rain is such an essential part of the tropics that few would want to miss entirely, though avoiding the rainiest months of Sep and Oct might be a good idea. For most of the rainy season it is uncommon to have a day that is totally rained soaked. Usually the days in the rainy season start with a sunny morning and the clouds roll in by early afternoon.
TIPPING - Only mandatory on restaurant bills. Restaurants charge an additional 23%, which is found on your check; 13% goes to a sales tax and a 10% for service. Both are required by law. If you receive good service, consider giving a few bucks extra directly to your server as the mandatory 10% tip rarely gets paid to them. Our guides and drivers often receive tips, as do local guides in the nature reserves or for various activities. These tips are always optional and normally average about US$10-20 per per day for the guide, if you have a separate driver he might receive US$5 per day and local guides often receive tips of around US$20-40 per day. All this depends on how much they inspire you. Taxi drivers do not expect tips, baggage porters at hotels and lodges usually do, about US$1-3 per bag.
WATER - You can drink the water. The public water system supplies clean water to over 91% of the country. Water is filtered and chlorinated, and the quality is controlled by the Costa Rican Government. Nevertheless, bottled water is available everywhere.
SAFETY TIPS - The same common sense that you’d use on a visit to London or New York City holds true in San José. Costa Rica has a cottage industry of passport theft, so make a photocopy of your passport and leave the original at the hotel safe. Cars never give pedestrians the right of way in Costa Rica. Walk defensively and be very careful when crossing streets.
