15 Hints and Tips for Traveling in Costa Rica
Planning an upcoming trip to Costa Rica?
We compiled 15 things that we learned from our travel that has helped make our trips go smoother and help you get the most out of your vacation.
See if there is anything on the list that is new for you!
1 – Learn Some Spanish Phrases. Most people speak English. Most areas, you’ll be able to do everything you need to without knowing Spanish. But that is very isolating. You’re missing out on some great friendships. My Spanish is about on par with a 2 year old. However, they were very kind with my attempts and it helped me to feel more connected. I would pick up on a word here or there and was able to often get the gist of what was going on. It’s not necessary, but it made my experience better and helped me gain some friends for life. Spend what time you have before your trip doing Duolingo or another program just to give you something to go on and you’ll enjoy your trip more. If you don’t want to or already know Spanish, print out our common Spanish Phrases sheet so you’ll have some basics or local sayings. When in doubt, of course say Pura Vida!
2- Know Your Hotel Address. When we went through customs in the San Jose Airport they asked us two questions: What’s your employment, what’s your address. We had to provide an address in Costa Rica. I knew the address was in my itinerary, but I hadn’t connected to the wifi yet and was a little unprepared. I was able to get it, just know that’s going to be a question and you won’t have time to look it up, so be ready. The address of your first hotel should be in your itinerary.
3- You Will Need Your Passport for More Than the Airport. Some hotels asked us for our passport and made a copy before we could check in. I was way caught off guard, to me it was a part of my identity that I didn’t want stolen. Yet I didn’t have anywhere else to stay so I ended up surrendering it. You will also need to provide your passport number if you have an activity at a national park. Costa Rica has different laws and protections. I believe it has something to do with their immigration systems, but don’t be alarmed if a hotel asks for your passport. They are simply following the law. That being said – don’t take your passport everywhere. Especially if you’re doing a water activity. Water and passports don’t play nice together. It seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised.
4- Get a Driver – and Maybe Bring Dramamine. The roads are not wide, and they are not direct. They wind up and down mountains and hills. It is beautiful and you get to see much of the country. I loved seeing the jungle, the houses, the cemeteries, the gardens. I was so grateful I wasn’t trying to find a street sign that wasn’t there or passed by the soda or restaurant that wasn’t well marked. You will enjoy more and find favorite out of the way places when you have a driver and can ask them about their favorite soda (restaurant). However, it can get nauseating if you don’t look at the road every once in awhile. It’s not too expensive and something good to have just in case, so grab some dramamine or other motion sickness medicine before you go.
5- Don’t Stay Up Late. It gets dark in Costa Rica around 5 or 6 pm year round. Around 10 pm, honestly the local night life usually wraps up. It’s not safe to be out and about on your own and it can be tempting to stay up late watching a movie or something. But – it also gets light around 5 am year round. To get the best out of most activities it’s good to be up and headed out around 8 am. Don’t stay up late and then get up late. You’re burning daylight. Take advantage of the daylight hours to get the most of your day.
6- Bring A Poncho/Rain Jacket. No matter when you come, it’s likely that it will rain at some time during your trip. You’ll be so grateful if you have a poncho you can pull out and keep going on your adventures. Don’t worry about the rain – it won’t hamper any of your activities. It rained every single day on our trip and the only thing we didn’t get to enjoy was the zipline. We got to where we hardly even noticed the rain with our ponchos on. The rain is warm and the temperature stays quite pleasant. You’re just wet without a poncho.
7- Go During the Rainy Season. You’ll get more personal service. If you go during the months that are not as popular, you’ll find you get extra attention and friendship. The rain didn’t hamper or dampen our trip at all – yet we found that we developed strong relationships with everyone because they weren’t as busy with other guests. Our group activities were small and personal and often we got better rooms in our hotels because we weren’t competing with anyone. It was a more homey relaxed atmosphere and we loved it!
8- Bring Bug Spray and Sunscreen. Also long pants and a long sleeved shirt. I didn’t think the bugs were bad, but I was grateful to have the spray and used it in unexpected situations. You are closer to the equator, and beyond the obvious health implications, the fun stops when someone gets badly burned. You can buy sunscreen there, but it doesn’t seem to be as good and it’s super expensive. Just throw some cream into your checked luggage. The long pants and shirt were a blessing in the evening – natural bug repellant and when eating outdoors it was nice to be covered. I brought hospital scrub pants honestly and loved having them there. They also are nice sunblock for a mid day hike. I was grateful for all of these items.
9- Wear Shoes and Socks to Dinner Outside for Bugs. If you hate bugs, then maybe Costa Rica isn’t the country for you. We ate outside, the windows and doors were always open, we loved the al fresco and light breeze and didn’t notice the bugs – until we had an itchy bite. Just wear your shoes and socks later in the day and you’ll be golden.
10- Bring a Bag For Wet Clothes If You Do Any Water Adventure Activity. Also bring a towel. There were places to change, but what do we do with our wet clothes after? I would have loved to have a small hand towel to whisk off that last bit of moisture and a garbage bag handy to dump all our wet clothes in. We just flopped them into a gloppy pile and the guides worked with us, but next time, I’ll be more prepared.
11- Go On a Night Hike. It gets dark early so a night hike doesn’t keep you out too late. You will see and notice things you never get to see during the day. Go with a guide so they can point out the critter’s homes and hang out places. We each had a flashlight and were able to get up close with the tinier creatures. We saw frogs, snakes, sleeping birds, and dragonflies among other things. It was like a treasure hunt that was really fun. If you can’t afford a guide, at least bring your own flashlight and explore the area around your hotel.
12 -Visit the Jungle Camp. Hands down everyone in our group loved the Jungle Camp. This is one of those things that you don’t want to miss. You can go to the camp with other companies, but the experience will not be the same like the smaller group, personal attention and care you will get with Amazing Vacations Costa Rica. They have such a great relationship with the camp that everyone will become instant friends. They eat with you, they cook for you, they do extras for you to ensure it’s your favorite night or nights. Going in the off season you might even have the place to yourself! I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that there wasn’t electricity and it was called the Jungle Camp. I felt so comfortable there. It was clean. The rooms felt divine and luxurious. When it got dark we pulled out our lanterns and they lit candles all along the common area. It was magical. Butterflies flitted across the path as I walked. You get the experience of rafting into the camp, hiking through an Indiana Jones movie set look alike, the option to zipline or tarzan swing, which even my youngest did (schedule this in advance), and the most magical night of your life with a raft out of the camp the next day. This is my biggest tip: Go. Don’t leave it off your itinerary. It’s more expensive since they have to transport everything into the jungle, but we felt it was completely worth it.
13- Give the Food a Bite. You are in another country experiencing another culture. You are going to find things that are different from what you are used to. That is all part of the adventure. So try something new! You might be surprised. We went with kids and they all gave everything a one bite rule. By the end of the week they were scraping their plates and came home with new favorite foods. Maybe it looks and sounds like something you won’t like, but my tip for you is try it. Maybe you’re right – but maybe you’ll love it! We loved the food.
14- Don’t Worry About the Water. Or the plugs. If you come from the US, you don’t need a plug adapter, and the Costa Rican water system is great! You can brush your teeth with tap water, and you should have no concerns with drinking the water and filling your bottles. If you want ice, get it from the hotel staff, but this is not a concern. There are very few locations in Costa Rica where drinking the tap water is not advised, but they are not areas that cater to tourists and we will let you know if you’re headed that way. As with anywhere, don’t drink the river water.
15- Think About Where to Put Souvenirs in Your Luggage When You Buy Them. After days and weeks of fun and travel it can be tricky to get your mindset back into airport security mode. We simply put things back where they were when we brought them – but didn’t think about the souvenirs that we had purchased. A lovely bottle of balsamic vinegar was confiscated upon our connecting flight in the US since it was in our carry on rather than our checked luggage. We blame it on vacation brain.
What suggestions and ideas do you have that will help your trip to Costa Rica?
Let us know in the comments!
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