A trip to Costa Rica is on just about everyone’s bucket list these days, and we get asked for Costa Rica travel tips constantly. We have spent years living in and travelling every corner of the country. Max even grew up here and between us, we have a good sense of what first-timers need to know, and this guide rounds up the 20 essential tips we share with everyone: when to go, whether it’s safe, money, driving, what to pack and the rest.
Key Takeaways
- Costa Rica is good to visit year-round, with the dry season (December–April) the most reliable and the green season (May–November) quieter and cheaper.
- It is one of the safest countries in Central America; petty theft, not violent crime, is the main risk to watch.
- You’ll want at least two weeks, as the country is bigger than it looks and the drives are long.
- A rental car (with the mandatory insurance) gives the most freedom, though the bus network is a reliable, cheap alternative.
- Tap water is safe, US dollars are widely accepted, and a little Spanish goes a long way.
Costa Rica at a Glance
At a Glance
| Language | Spanish (English widely spoken in tourist areas) |
| Currency | Costa Rican colon; US dollars also widely accepted |
| Best time to go | Dry season (Dec–Apr); late Nov / early Dec is a sweet spot |
| How long | At least two weeks to do it justice |
| Getting around | Rental car (4×4) for freedom, or the reliable bus network |
| Safety | One of the safest in Central America; watch for petty theft |
| What to pack | Light, quick-dry clothes, sandals, closed shoes for hikes, bug spray, a reusable water bottle |
Costa Rica packs an extraordinary amount, hundreds of beaches, two dozen national parks, volcanoes, cloud forest and world-class wildlife, into a small but surprisingly slow-to-cross country. These are the 20 things every first-timer should know.
20 Costa Rica Travel Tips: Things to Know Before You Go
1. Brush Up on Your Spanish
The official language is Spanish, and while many Costa Ricans in tourist areas speak English, plenty do not. It is well worth learning a few phrases or bringing a phrasebook; locals love to chat, and a little Spanish goes a long way toward a warmer welcome. Don’t be surprised if a stranger strikes up a conversation in the street, Ticos are genuinely happy to have you in their country. A few phrases go a surprisingly long way: pura vida (used for hello, goodbye, thanks and “all good”), con mucho gusto (you’re welcome), mae (a casual “dude”), and tuanis (cool). Greeting someone in Spanish before switching to English is always appreciated.
2. You Can Visit Costa Rica Any Time of Year
Costa Rica is genuinely good to visit at any time of year. The most common question we get is when to go, and the answer is always the same: any time is a good time. Costa Rica has two seasons, the dry season (December to April) and the green season (May to November), but the weather varies a lot by region. Northern Guanacaste is the driest, the Central Valley and mountain areas (San Jose, Monteverde, Arenal) are cooler and wetter, and the southern Pacific and Caribbean stay greener and rainier for longer.
Don’t be put off by the green season: the prices are the lowest of the year and the crowds almost vanish, with rain usually arriving in lazy afternoons rather than all day. December and January are the peak, with the best coastal weather but high-season prices. Our own sweet spot is late November or early December, when the rains have eased, the landscape is lush, everything is open and the crowds have not yet arrived. For the full season-by-season breakdown, see the best time to visit Costa Rica guide.
If you do have to travel in the high season, book well ahead, start sightseeing early or late to dodge crowds, and consider some lesser-known destinations for cheaper prices and a more local experience.
3. One Week in Costa Rica Is Not Enough
The country looks small, but it takes far longer to get around than the map suggests. Many people ask if they can see Costa Rica in a week, and honestly, you can’t. The drive from Tamarindo to Monteverde alone is at least three and a half hours, and basing yourself on one beach to day-trip to the national parks, Arenal and Monteverde simply doesn’t work, the distances are long and exhausting.
Each destination deserves at least two to three days, so plan for at least two weeks to get a proper taste of the country. If a week is all you have, treat it as a sneak preview of one region rather than trying to see it all; a good list of the best things to do helps with prioritising.
4. Costa Rica Is Safe, With Common Sense
Costa Rica is one of the safest countries in Central America, and the main risk to travellers is petty theft, pickpocketing and bag-snatching, not violent crime. Keep valuables out of sight, never leave anything in a parked car, keep an eye on your drinks on a night out, and don’t wander off the beaten path after dark in busy tourist areas. Rather than carrying your passport everywhere, photograph the photo page and your entry stamp. The capital, San Jose, warrants the most care at night, and solo women travellers should take the usual extra precautions. None of this should put you off, Costa Rica is genuinely welcoming and laid-back, but a little awareness goes a long way. For the full picture, including region-by-region notes, see our dedicated guide to whether Costa Rica is safe.
5. The Tap Water Is Safe to Drink
In most of the country, including the main tourist areas, the tap water is perfectly safe to drink, so skip the bottled water and save the plastic. Bring a good insulated reusable bottle and refill from the tap. We use a LARQ self-cleaning bottle, which uses UV-C light to purify the water, and for the rare spots where the water isn’t potable, its filter cap means we drink without worry.
The LARQ comes with two cap options worth knowing about: a UV cap that sterilises the bottle and mouthpiece with the same UV-C technology, and a straw-filter cap that filters as you sip, ideal for the rare spots where the water isn’t potable. Either way, a good reusable bottle saves you a small fortune in plastic over a two-week trip, and the tap water genuinely tastes fine.
6. Get an eSIM to Stay Connected
You don’t need a pricey roaming plan to stay online. Wi-Fi is easy to find in hotels and restaurants that cater to travellers, but the easiest option is an eSIM, a digital SIM you can activate before you land that keeps your home number while a local Costa Rican data plan runs alongside it. If your phone doesn’t support eSIM, you can buy a cheap Kolbi tourist SIM at large stores and some airports for a dollar or two and top it up at any supermarket. Kolbi is the most established local carrier, with the best rural coverage, and a basic prepaid plan with a couple of gigabytes of data runs around $10 a month. Wi-Fi is also easy to find in hotels and restaurants that cater to travellers, so between an eSIM, a local SIM and free Wi-Fi, staying connected is rarely a problem.
7. Carry Cash: Colones and US Dollars
The local currency is the Costa Rican colon, but US dollars are widely accepted across the country, so a mix of both is ideal. If you pay in dollars, keep the bills small (under $20), and pay in colones when buying souvenirs or bargaining, as you’ll usually get a better rate. A few money tips worth knowing:
- Bring some US cash and change it as needed; even small businesses give a reasonable rate.
- Pay with US dollars at large supermarkets and take the change in colones, their computerised rates are among the best around.
- Withdraw from an ATM (Scotiabank or BNCR are reliable) and take out the maximum to minimise per-withdrawal fees. There are no ATMs in small towns, so get cash in cities before heading into the countryside.
- Avoid airport currency exchanges, the rates are poor compared with an ATM.
8. Add Insurance to Your Car Rental Budget
Rental insurance is mandatory in Costa Rica, but it is almost never included in the cheap rate you see online, so the price often jumps at the counter. The mandatory third-party insurance adds roughly $10–18 a day, and in most cases your credit card or travel insurance won’t cover it, so budget for it. This is the single biggest reason a $12-a-day rental becomes far more at the counter, and why we recommend booking with a transparent local company rather than chasing the cheapest headline rate online. It is worth checking your own credit card and travel insurance first, as some cards cover the optional collision waiver (CDW), though almost never the mandatory third-party liability.
Costa Rica car rentals are notorious for surprise insurance charges at pickup. After years of frustration we settled on Vamos, a local company with honest, all-in pricing and no hidden fees.
Book through our link for 10% off your rate plus a free additional driver and child seat. Reserve early, as availability is tight in the dry season.
9. Driving Can Be Tricky (and There Are No Addresses)
Driving in Costa Rica is best left to confident drivers. Many roads are unpaved, potholed dirt tracks, drivers can be aggressive, and you’ll share the road at night with people, cattle and stray dogs. Drive slowly, use your high beams after dark, and for river crossings, check the depth on foot first and cross slowly in 4×4 (never if the water is above the exhaust). A 4×4 is genuinely worth it for the rougher routes; our full guide to renting a car covers the rest.
One quirk that catches everyone out: there are no street names or house numbers outside San Jose. Directions are given by landmarks (“300 metres north of the church, then the house before the barking dog”), so download Waze, the locally-updated navigation app that even flags potholes and speed traps, and keep an offline map as backup.
A few more hard-won driving notes: always fill the tank in the bigger towns, as fuel is pricier and harder to find in rural areas; if you drive on the beach, use 4×4, keep your speed up and avoid soft sand or you will get bogged; and at night, expect the roads to be unlit and shared with pedestrians, cattle and dogs, so slow right down. If all of that sounds like more than you want to take on, comfortable private and shared shuttles connect the main tourist hubs and are a stress-free alternative to driving yourself.
10. Buses Are a Reliable, Cheap Alternative
Costa Rica has a well-developed bus network that reaches almost everywhere, on comfortable, often air-conditioned coaches rather than “chicken buses”. Rides take longer than driving, but they are cheap and reliable. You usually pay the driver in colones on boarding rather than buying ahead, so ask to be told your stop or follow along on a map. For comfortable door-to-door shared shuttles between the main tourist hubs, Bookaway is the easy option. To give you a sense of the network, San Jose to Arenal (La Fortuna) takes around four hours, San Jose to Manuel Antonio about four and a half on a direct bus, and San Jose to Tamarindo roughly five and a half; cross-country routes between the beaches often need a transfer or two and can eat a whole day, so plan longer hops carefully.
11. Costa Rica Can Be Expensive
Costa Rica is the most expensive country in Central America, so plan your budget accordingly: roughly $50 a day per person for backpacker-style travel, and $100–300 for nicer hotels, organised activities and good restaurants. Hotels add up fast, especially in high season; compare dates and destinations on Booking.com for the best deals.
To save money, travel in the green season for lower prices and thinner crowds, use the buses, eat at sodas (small local diners serving cheap, delicious traditional food), ask hotel staff for the local hidden gems, and remember that plenty of beaches and viewpoints are free even when national-park fees add up. Hotel staff are a goldmine for local hidden gems, the cheap-but-great restaurant, the free beach, the swimming hole the tour companies don’t mention, so it always pays to ask. Our Costa Rica on a budget guide has more ways to keep the costs down.
12. Tipping Is Usually Included (Around 10%)
Restaurants in Costa Rica typically add a 10% service charge to the bill by law, so extra tipping is optional rather than expected. Rounding up or leaving a little more for genuinely great service is appreciated, and it is customary to tip guides, drivers and hotel staff a few dollars for good service. There is no need to add 20% on top of a bill that already includes the service charge.
13. Manage Your Wildlife Expectations
Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse places on earth, but sloths and toucans are not hanging from every tree, and the best sightings take patience (and often a guide). Hiring a knowledgeable local guide for the national parks is genuinely worth it, they spot wildlife you would walk straight past and bring a scope so you actually see it. Early morning is the best time, and a quiet, slow hike beats rushing through. Costa Rica is home to sloths, monkeys, toucans, scarlet macaws, crocodiles and an incredible variety of frogs and insects, but the animals are wild and the rainforest is dense, so patience and a good pair of binoculars do as much as luck. Keep a respectful distance and never feed the wildlife, no matter how tame the white-faced monkeys near the beaches seem.
14. San Jose Is Worth a Day
Many travellers skip the capital, but San Jose is worth a day for its markets, museums, food scene and a window into everyday Costa Rican life. It is the one place to take more care at night, so stay in a safer neighbourhood like Escazu and explore by day. It is also the best place to eat at a soda, fill the tank cheaply, and stock up on cash before heading into the countryside. Highlights include the Mercado Central, the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and the National Theatre, and the leafy suburb of Escazu has some of the country’s best restaurants. Many travellers fly into San Jose and out of Liberia (or vice versa) to avoid backtracking, so a night in the capital at the start or end of a trip makes practical sense.
15. You Don’t Need Vaccinations (but Pack Bug Spray)
No vaccinations or special medications are required for Costa Rica. Do pack the travel essentials, a small first-aid kit, reef-safe sunscreen and plenty of insect repellent. The mosquitoes here can carry dengue, Zika and chikungunya; these aren’t widespread, but they are around, so cover up at dawn and dusk and use repellent.
16. Don’t Dress to Impress
Costa Rica is not a place for fancy clothes. Simplicity and comfort rule, and the ocean and jungle care nothing for your jewellery or perfect hair. Your clothes will get dusty, your hair will frizz, and that is all part of it, embrace it. Pack breathable, quick-drying fabrics, you’ll live in a swimsuit in the beach towns, and flip-flops will be your default, with a pair of closed-toe shoes (Keen or Chaco sandals are ideal) for zip-lining and hikes. Your clothes will get dusty, your hair will frizz and your nail polish will peel, and that is all part of the fun, so leave the going-out outfits at home. Pack a light rain jacket whatever the season (the cloud forest earns its name) and reef-safe sunscreen to protect both your skin and the ocean.
17. Mind Your Plugs and Electronics
Costa Rica uses North American type A and type B plugs and runs on 120 volts at 60 hertz, the same as the United States and Canada. If your devices use type B (three-prong) plugs you are fine; if you are coming from elsewhere, bring a plug adapter and check your devices can handle the voltage. It’s a small thing that saves a frustrating first evening hunting for an adapter.
18. Budget for the Exit Tax
Costa Rica charges a departure (exit) tax of around USD $29 per person, payable at the airport before you check in, by cash or card. Increasingly, airlines build it into the ticket price, where it appears under a name like “international boarding tax” on your fare breakdown, so check your ticket. If it isn’t included, have the cash (or a card) ready at the dedicated desk before security, as you cannot board without paying it. It is a small amount, but it is the kind of last-minute surprise that is easy to forget after a relaxed couple of weeks, so it is worth checking your ticket when you book and setting the cash aside.
19. Always Travel With Insurance
This one is personal. Back in 2016, Oksana broke her leg surfing here, simply hopping off her board. Because we didn’t have travel insurance, we paid over $7,000 for surgery in a private hospital, a mistake we have never made since. Travel insurance covers exactly this kind of surprise, plus missed flights, lost bags and car mishaps, so we always travel with a policy like SafetyWing. It is well worth having on any trip here.
20. Expect the Unexpected, and Embrace Pura Vida
Our most important tip: in Costa Rica, nothing goes exactly to plan, and that is fine. The whole country runs on pura vida, a relaxed, optimistic outlook that shrugs off the bumps. Ticos meet a hiccup with a smile and a “pura vida”, confident it will all work out. So when a plan falls through, a tour is cancelled or a road washes out, take a breath, roll with it, and crack open an Imperial. The travellers who have the best time here are the ones who lean into that rhythm rather than fight it. Embrace the slower pace, leave room in the plan for the unexpected, and you will understand why so many visitors end up dreaming of coming back. Everything tends to be OK in the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you know before traveling to Costa Rica?
A few essentials: the dry season (December to April) is easiest but the green season is quieter and cheaper, the tap water is safe to drink, US dollars are widely accepted alongside colones, a rental car (with the mandatory insurance) gives the most freedom, and a little Spanish goes a long way.
Is Costa Rica safe to visit?
Costa Rica is one of the safest countries in Central America for travellers, with petty theft (not violent crime) the main risk. Use normal precautions, don’t leave valuables in cars, take extra care in San Jose at night, and see our dedicated Costa Rica safety guide for the full picture.
When is the best time to visit Costa Rica?
The dry season from December to April has the most reliable weather, while late November and early December are a sweet spot of green landscapes and fewer crowds. Our best-time-to-visit guide breaks the seasons down by region.
Do you tip in Costa Rica?
Restaurants usually add a 10% service charge to the bill, so extra tipping is optional. Rounding up or leaving a little more for great service is appreciated but not expected, and guides and drivers are commonly tipped a few dollars.
How much money do you need for Costa Rica?
Costa Rica is pricier than its neighbours; budget travellers can manage on roughly USD $50–70 a day, while mid-range travellers should plan for around $100–200, with car rental and tours the biggest costs.
Can you drink the tap water in Costa Rica?
Yes, tap water is safe to drink in most of the country, including the main tourist areas, so you can refill a reusable bottle rather than buying plastic.
Do you need a car in Costa Rica?
A rental car (ideally a 4×4, with the mandatory insurance) gives the most freedom for reaching beaches and national parks, though the reliable, cheap bus network is a good alternative on the main routes.
Final Thoughts
Costa Rica rewards travellers who come with the right expectations: give it time, embrace the slower pace, pack light, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Get those right and you’re in for one of the most rewarding trips you can take, all beaches, wildlife, cloud forest and pura vida. Which corner of Costa Rica are you most excited to explore?
READ NEXT: The Best Things to Do in Costa Rica
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