Pura Vida, Costa Rica
A beautiful and tranquil Central American country that boasts lush jungles, picturesque sunset surfs, and howler monkeys.
But, as a newbie, what should you know about traveling to this gorgeous and enormous place?
1. Where should I fly into?
Costa Rica has a few major airports, depending on where you plan to spend your trip. My itinerary went as followed and I would recommend a similar route for ease if possible.
I started flying into Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) with a plan to stay on the west coast in Nosara.
The drive from Liberia to Nosara can range from 2.5-3ish hours. Split a taxi with someone on this trip to save money. You can utilize Tropical Tours Shuttles to schedule pre-arrival taxis for ease of pick up. They’ll pick you up right outside your baggage claim. You can WhatsApp message them +506 8890 9197 OR send them an email inquiry info@tropicaltourshuttles.com.
Once you arrive to your destination, it’s easy to rent a car or a 4v4. If you are not comfortable renting, you should take down a TukTuk driver’s WhatsApp contact. A TukTuk is Costa Rica’s version of a small taxi. In heavily populated areas, you’ll usually always see a TukTuk available. But if you are going on a more remote excursion, it’s best to have someone’s number saved in your WhatsApp that you can give a ring to if need be. Keep Google translate handy, not everyone speaks English.
My trip back was a bit different, which I prefer. I took a very small sea plane, kid you the smallest airport I’ve ever been at. With no public bathroom, and one runway. This seaplane is a cool experience to see the breathtaking sea views of Costa Rica. The airport was NOB and I took Sansa Airlines for the 45 minute flight.
My advice, always book direct with the airline whenever possible. My first flight of my three flight leg home got absolutely cancelled, with no new flight being provided automatically due to me purchasing with a 3rd party, who I will not name. It took the 3rd party, until AFTER I had gone home, to rebook my flight. To which I fought for a refund because I had gone around them and just purchased a secondary ticket direct with the airline to ensure I could get home. To which I had to report the 3rd party to DOT, to which the DOT found a way for them to refund me, thank you Department of Transportation.
After the 45 minute flight, I was in San Jose (SJO) which is a BEAUTIFUL airport. They have the best concessions, giving free samples of pretty much every food and drink being offered. They had a ton of food options and live vendors selling their prints. I really enjoyed my time leisurely around the airport, which is something I can’t say about many airports. If you have a chance to fly into or out of SJO International, I would recommend it.
Now you can do your round trip out of LIR, I saw a ton of people do that. But I wanted the 45 minute sea plane ride over the 3 hour drive back to a major airport. Plus SJO was an experience in itself, so I recommend if your cities allow for it, to think less about a round trip, and more about a round about multi-city itinerary.
2. Should I carry USD or their currency?
So, this is always a hot question. To carry cash or to not. On vacation, it is really in your best interest to have cash on you. For one, 99% of the TukTuks don’t accept anything other than cash. So any taxi drives you may need, will require cash. I’ve started to realize that smaller bills are your friends. Not everyone can break a $20. Going to the bank and getting yourself a watt of $5 bills can save yourself some anxiety.
I didn’t notice too many ATMs in Costa Rica which would lead me to my hot tip, always take out local currency, in the country. Avoid the fees that your banks or airports will stack on to convert, and just take out the money from the local ATM. But again, that’s if you see or have access to one.
And about the currency, in Costa Rica the economy is a bit structured to accept both. The CRC (Costa Rican Colón) is accepted. But if it’s not available as a tourist, they will provide you the USD rate. Don’t be confused, it’s expensive. Especially in a touristy part. While exchange rates are always fluctuating, I would recommend asking a local once you touch down what the local exchange rate is so you have a general ball park idea when bartering with street vendors and TukTuk drivers.
3. Where should I stay?
Depending on the type of travel you are doing would help me answer this question. Are you a solo bird looking for a good community in a surf lodge hostel? Or are you boujee looking for a private getaway with sunset views? Or possibly in the middle, an individual looking for community without breaking the budget? I would recommend, in Costa Rica, specifically Nosara, staying at a retreat facility.
My recommendation when visiting this country is to stay at your all-inclusive. I don’t recommend this everywhere. Sometimes I think the all-inclusiveness can be stuffy. But in countries where resources can be spread out and you’re not necessarily renting a vehicle for transportation, it is convenient to have everything in one spot.
My bias and humble opinion will lead you to stay with BioCultures Retreats. You can reach out to me for a link to apply. If you like biohacking, social media content creation, yogis with a fire sense of humor, and clean feel good food, you’ll fit right in.
4. What are some must dos?
Some of these I did directly and some were word of mouth that I did not get a chance to experience due to how far away they were.
Manual Antonio National Park: wildlife, like sloths, lush rainforests, and many colorful birds
Arenal Volcano: hike volcanic trails and experience hot springs
La Fortuna Waterfall: breathtaking waterfall views
Rio Agrio: home of jurassic park filming location
Ostional Wildlife Refuge: thousands of olive ridley turtles nest (June-December)
Playa Guiones: sunset surf of your dreams, soft and long waves, perfect for beginners
As a takeaway, always be kind to the locals of the country you are visiting. Tourism can be a double edged sword. One way to show respect to the locals is to always share kindness. Learning a few phrases in the local language can make all the difference in your experience. Be kind to all kinds. Costa Ricans are some of the most polite and respectful people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Pura Vida beautiful Costa Rica
xx
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