Costa Rica Travel Planning Articles

Comments

1. Julie M. says

   April 29, 2024

   Hi Yeison & Samantha,

   Your website is great! I heard about it on Amateur Traveler. We would like to travel to CR for the first time next January and February for a longer term trip (6-8 weeks). We’re a group of adults (60’s and 70’s, with our 30-ish kids visiting for a week or two). Would like to spend 4 or 6 weeks in an AirBnB in one location for R&R, very close to the beach. Can’t decide if we should be focusing on Caribbean side or Pacific side? We will rent a car. Would mostly like to swim, snorkel, take in nature (birds, monkeys, natural/national parks) with some shorter trips to cloud forest and more touristy activities sprinkled in. Will go out for dinner sometimes, but would like access to grocery stores to do our own cooking. What area or region can you suggest that would be an ideal base for a longer term stay? Thank you so much!

   Reply

   • Sammi says

     May 1, 2024

     Hi Julie, you can check our blog posts to help you.

     Costa Rica itineraries
     Differences between Pacific and Caribbean
     Best places in Costa Rica
     January in Costa Rica
     February in Costa Rica

     Reply

2. Jeff Taker says

   April 17, 2024

   Hi Sammi!
   First…thank you for the wealth of knowledge and tips!!!
   I am visiting May 18 for 8 nights! I am travelling solo and want to see as much as possible without feeling like I’m hopping locations daily!! This is my first time in Costa Rica so I want to experience
   1- the surf/nightlife of Tamarindo
   2- either Monteverde cloud forests or Arenal/La Fortuna
   3- Manuel Antonio
   I fly in and out of LIB and will not be renting a vehicle.
   I’m hoping you could help me with which order/direction would make most sense? And help/insight into adventure connection tours that may work for this trip?
   Ideally I would like 3 nights in both Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio, 1 night in Monteverde/Arenal and my last night in Liberia as I fly out early morning.
   Thank you!!
   Jeff

   Reply

   • Sammi says

     April 18, 2024

     Hi Jeff, for just 8 nights, I’d pick two destinations only. Either Tamarindo and Monteverde or Tamarindo and La Fortuna. There are no adventure connections included for those destinations, you can ask the tour company to drop you off at a different location but usually they can’t do it for only one person or it’ll be super expensive. You’ll need to take one full day dedicated to travel between destinations if going by bus only. If you go to Manuel Antonio, it is a lot farther to Guanacaste Airport than San Jose International Airport you’d have to spend a whole day on a bus anyways the day before your flight out but at least from Manuel Antonio and Quepos, there is a direct bus to San Jose whereas there is not a direct bus from Liberia.

     Reply

3. Laura says

   June 28, 2022

   Hi there,
   Thank you for your brilliant website, I have found it really helpful.
   Please could I ask for your advice about tipping in Costa Rica.
   We have some preplanned excursions and transfers booked. Would you normally tip the drivers?/ tour guides? and how about staff in hotels?
   Also – thinking about cash – how easy is it to locate cash points and are both dollars and local currency usually accepted? and Do most restaurants etc accept credit cards?
   Thank you

   Reply

   • Sammi says

     June 28, 2022

     Hi Laura, please check the following posts to answer your questions

     Handling money in Costa Rica
     how much to tip in Costa Rica

     Reply

4. Bryan Buss says

   May 17, 2021

   Adobe states that their Jaco location is closed. Best alernative? I would greatly appreciate some help.

   Reply

   • Sammi says

     May 17, 2021

     Hi Bryan, their Jaco office is closed but they offer free delivery and car pick up to Jaco still. You can select San Jose and then write in the comments the hotel you’re at in Jaco and what time you’d like the car delivered or picked up (830 AM to 430 PM).

     Reply

5. Yugo Takahashi says

   December 25, 2020

   What a fantastic site! An extensive amount of useful information for someone like me who has always been interested in visiting Costa Rica. I do have one question…How bad are the mosquito? I am trying to plan a family vacation with my wife and toddler son to Guanacasta this August and my wife is very concerned. She is often the target of mosquito bites. Any suggestion other than bringing bug repellent?

   Reply

   • Sammi says

     December 26, 2020

     Hello Yugo, I’m glad you find the site helpful 🙂

     August is right in the middle of our rainy season and mosquitoes are worse during that time of year. Honestly, the best protection is bug repellent and wearing long layers. Unfortunately there isn’t much escaping the mosquitoes since they’re everywhere. Whenever we go out at night, I will always bring a long scarf to cover my legs or wear a long dress/skirt. Then I use insect repellent.

     Reply

     • Yugo Takahashi says

       December 27, 2020

       Hello Sammi,

       Thank you for the quick response and suggestions. I look forward to continuing to explore you site.

       Reply

6. Sarah Stevenson says

   July 1, 2019

   Just wanted to say thank you so much for all the information on your blog!! It was incredibly useful as we were planning our honeymoon. We just got back and had a wonderful time!

   Reply

   • Sammi says

     July 2, 2019

     Hi Sarah! I’m so glad to hear that and that you had a nice honeymoon! Thank you for reading our blog!

     Reply

7. Liz says

   April 14, 2019

   This is wonderful! So excited for my trip to Monteverde next month 🙂

   Reply

8. Millionaire Dojo says

   November 1, 2018

   Thanks so much for creating this website! I’d be clueless without it. Taking our first trip there in a couple of days and I feel comfortable with our plans after reading through a lot of your posts.

   Reply

9. Sammi says

   January 17, 2018

   Hi Debbie! I’m glad the blog has been helpful for you trip! As for Braulio Carrillo national park, it is about a 45 minute – 1 hour drive outside of San Jose so if you can get there by 12 PM, you can visit for an hour or so walk in the afternoon. I actually highly recommend going to this eco park: Rainforest Adventures. They’re right next to the national park and have a nice trail, aerial tram and ziplining tour.

   For renting a car for a day, you can definitely do that but some companies require a minimum of 3 days or else they have to charge the 3 day amount. Mytanfeet has a partnership with Adobe Rent a Car to give our readers up to a 20% discount on the car rental with extra benefits. You can check rates here: Costa Rica car rental discount and don’t hesitate to ask us if you have any questions!

   Reply

10. Debbie Creekmore says

    January 17, 2018

    Hello,
    I have used your resources to plan a 10 day trip to Costa Rica in February! Thank you for so much information!
    We will be flying from Drake Bay to San Jose at the end of our trip. Our flight lands at 10am and we don’t fly home until the next day. Do you think this will be enough time to visit Braulio Carrillo park? Or would there be another option that you would recommend? We are staying just outside of the airport. Also, would you recommend a car rental for the day or would there be another option?
    Thank you!
    Debbie Creekmore
    Jaffrey NH USA

    Reply

11. Sammi says

    August 30, 2017

    Hi Brandon, you will need to do a visa run and you can do it in one day to either Nicaragua or Panama. If you don’t, when you exit the airport, the airport officers will see you overstayed and will fine you I think $100 (but you’re supposed to pay beforehand so they can deny you or fine you more) and you aren’t allowed to come back in for 3 times the amount you overstayed. One way people do a visa run and make it into a fun activity is to take the 1 day tour to Nicaragua from Guanacaste. If you’ll be in the Tamarindo, Liberia, or Coco area you can do the tour and you can get a new stamp plus see Nicaragua at the same time. You can read more about it here: Nicaragua one day tour from Costa Rica.

    Also, depending on which airport you are flying out of and which airline, they will ask you for your return date. Every time I fly with United and American, they have asked us for a return date within 90 days. You need to show them that at one point you’re leaving CR since your ticket is 92 days and proof of the ticket. You may be able to show them a bus ticket or the tour confirmation that you’ll be leaving the country. However, since it is the airline, I am not sure if that is accepted. I always buy a cheap refundable ticket and refund it when I’m past security since that is guaranteed accepted.

    Reply

12. Brandon hatch says

    August 30, 2017

    I just realized that my plane tickets span 92 days because of November and December having 31 days. Will they still allow me in the country? Will I have to cross the border at Panama or Nicaragua? If so how long would I have to stay out of Costa Rica to extend my stay for the two days? Love your site thanks for all the help

    Reply

13. Callie says

    June 13, 2017

    Hello, I’ve been reading up on your blog and it has great resources. I also booked a vehicle through your website. Our group is driving from La Fortuna to Manuel Antonio later this month and was wondering if you had any recommended stops on the way to break up the drive a little bit. Nothing overnight – more like a great short hike or restaurant recommendation for lunch, etc.? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Sammi says

      June 15, 2017

      Hi Callie!

      A lot of people like to stop by the Tarcoles bridge to see the crocodiles, that is near Jaco. There is also a nice waterfall called Las Musas that is in San Ramon which you will pass through that is a nice and short walk to the waterfalls.

      Reply

14. Sammi says

    May 5, 2017

    Hi Denise, Manuel Antonio is the name of the entire area of the national park and the hill. So from Quepos, which is the town next to it, you have to go up a windy hill to get to the national park and beach. Many hotels are on the hill with a few on the beach and near the national park entrance. There is a bus that goes from Quepos to the national park every day every 30 minutes or so so it’s easy to get around. It doesn’t really matter where you are stay in that aspect, but if you want to stay somewhere with a view of the national park, you will find many 5 star luxury hotels on the hill with great views such as Mariposa, Mansion Inn, Arenas del Mar, Parador.

    Manuel Antonio area itself is relatively small so you can cover that very well in several days (national park, relaxing at the beach, night walks, mangrove, etc.) But it’s also very accessible to other destinations such as Jaco (1 hour away), Dominical and Uvita (about 45 minute drive) so you can definitely go and explore different areas.

    I have a few posts that will help your planning.

    Maneul Antonio National Park

    Hiking Manuel Antonio National Park

    Things to do in Manuel Antonio

    Costa Rica 1 week itinerary including Jaco, Manuel Antonio and Uvita

    Reply

15. Denise W. says

    May 4, 2017

    Hello,

    I just came across your blog and it’s one of the best resources I’ve found for Costa Rica! We spent 2 weeks this March in Tamarindo and loved the beach town vibe with all the amenities such as bars, restaurants, shopping and tour operators. We are thinking of going to Manuel Antonio next and are wondering if MA is as big as Tamarindo. Does it have the same number of restaurants, bars etc.?

    I read some where about staying on the “hill” or on the beach, what does this mean? Is one better than the other? We are interested in seeing wildlife, taking a couple of tours and enjoying the beach, will we have enough to keep us occupied for 2 weeks in MA?

    Many thanks,
    Denise

    Reply

16. Jodi Weening says

    April 13, 2017

    Hello, we have really enjoyed your blog here – thanks for some great information! You seem to advise against travelling during Semana Santa; however, we are here now and really wanted to take in some of the processions and other festivities. We are near Neuvo Arenal and are willing to go as far as Liberia in order to get the best cultural experience we can. We have not had any luck online looking for dates/times/places… Are you able to help us or direct us to the information?
    Sincerely, Jodi

    Reply

    • Sammi says

      April 14, 2017

      Hi Jodi, Semana Santa gets suuuuuper crowded at the beaches and it’s really expensive which is why we don’t particularly recommend visiting during this week. I’m honestly not sure of anything going on, I know LIberia usually has a Good Friday parade. I am not sure if there are any fiestas going on (but there is always on somewhere) in the area. If you go to Liberia, there might be something going on at the park this weekend.

      Reply

      • Jodi Weening says

        April 14, 2017

        Thank-you for your reply. We ended up driving to Tilaran and participating in their church service and Good Friday procession. It was a very neat experience – nothing like anything we had been involved in before. Have a happy Easter Weekend and thanks again 🙂

        Reply

        • Sammi says

          April 15, 2017

          That’s great! Glad you were able to find something, Tilaran isn’t nearly as crowded as the beaches so I’m sure it was lovely.

          Reply

17. Jean-Yves Fillion says

    March 20, 2017

    Hi guys. I am returning this year to Esterillos for 1 week. In a few years i would love to stay for months there but i would love to drive with my car from Montreal. I heard that going through Mexico is somewhat dangerous by car . What do you suggest?

    Reply

    • yeison says

      March 20, 2017

      Hello Jean,

      Thank you for reading our blog! Regarding your question we have no experience about driving all the way from North America, we have seen campers here with a Canada o USA plate but to be 100% honest we don’t know. Good good in your trip.

      Reply

    • Sammi says

      March 20, 2017

      Honestly we don’t know too much about it since we’ve never done it before. There is a Backpacking through Central America FB group that talks a lot about this I’m sure you can find someone who has done it before.

      Reply

18. Sammi says

    January 30, 2017

    Hi Carol, if you can stay two nights in Tortuguero, that would be perfect. You don’t need a lot of time in Tortuguero but two nights is good just in case you don’t see any turtles the first night or if you want to go kayaking in the national park (highly highly recommended) or relax. Also since Tortuguero is a bit of an adventure to get there as it takes an entire day, it’s worth it to stay two nights.

    As for Puerto Viejo, there are a lot of things to do in that area like all the beaches, Cahuita National Park, the wildlife refuge, Jaguar Rescue Center and exploring town. If you find yourself getting a bit bored at the beach, you can go snorkeling, surfing or rent a bike. Since you guys have a car, you can also visit the BriBri reservation to take a chocolate tour from the indigenous people (awesome tour, you can read about it here: Bribri chocolate tour). On your way back from Puerto Viejo to San Jose, you can stop by Rainforest adventures to go ziplining or ride their aerial tram. This eco-park is amazing and has tons of wildlife (You can read about it here: Rainforest Adventures Atlantic. You can even stay a night in their lodge too if you don’t feel like staying in Puerto Viejo the whole time. I highly recommend doing that if that’s something that sparks your interest because they are right next to Braulio Carillo National Park so you have a chance to see so much wildlife like toucans, tapirs, anteaters, snakes and lots more.

    Reply

19. Carol says

    January 28, 2017

    Hi- Great website, thanks for sharing all the useful tips! We are coming to CR May 11-20 for our second trip to this beautiful country. The first time we focused on the Pacific side of the country (which we absolutely loved!). This time we’re going to explore the Caribbean side. We booked a night in Tortuguero after reading one of your posts. Any other advice or recommendations for exploring the Caribbean side? We arrive in San Jose at 12pm on May 11 (booked a rental car through you guys with Adobe- thanks for that!) and plan on driving to Puerto Viejo as soon as we pick up the car. We don’t fly out until 1pm on the 20th, and I am starting to get serious about planning our itinerary. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply

20. Sammi says

    June 27, 2016

    I definitely recommend renting – the bus system in Guanacaste is not super efficient and though there is a bus from LIR to Tamarindo, it takes awhile. With a car you can go anywhere you want, explore the area and check out other beaches and towns other than Tamarindo. You can find a lot of real estate resources in Tamarindo on the Internet. You can read more about renting a car here: Costa Rica car rental tips
    Good luck!

    Reply

21. James says

    June 27, 2016

    Hi, we are thinking about a 10-day exploratory trip to the Tamarindo area to see if we want to buy a place there. We would not be living there full-time, maybe 4-6 months there and then the rest in the U.S. We will be flying into LIR which is an hour away. Do you think it would be best to rent a car in Liberia or take a shuttlle/bus and rent one in Tamarindo? Also, can you recommend any real estate companies/realtors in Tamarindo? We have thought about renting our place out there and are curious as to what the rental market is like (we could put it on AirBnB.com too). I think our plan will be to get a Retiree Citizenship if we like it enough to buy a place there.

    Reply

22. Sammi says

    April 20, 2016

    Hi Diego, thanks! We wrote a packing list for CR which has mentions of the places on that tour (Monteverde and Guanacaste) you can check out here: Costa Rica packing list Monteverde is considerably cooler so make sure to bring long pants and a jacket.

    We have a specific guide to packing for rainy season here: Rainy season packing list Costa Rica This post is super helpful since rainy season is starting and it will be well under way in certain areas when you are in Costa Rica.

    The key items to bring are mosquito repellent and sunscreen. You can read our recommendations for both here: Best mosquito repellent and Sunscreen recommendations
    Have a great time on the tour!

    Reply

23. Diego says

    April 19, 2016

    Hi Sammi,

    Your website is awesome! Great information. We are going for our honeymoon to Costa Rica in 3 weeks and doing the Essentials(7 days ) tour thru Monkey Tours. I think you guys also did a video on that. We were wondering if you have a “specific” packing list for those locations/events or recommend a must list.
    Thank you for the help!

    Reply

24. Sammi says

    April 17, 2016

    Hi guys, glad you like the site! As for renting a car, our partnership with Adobe, a Costa Rican car rental company gives the best discount and benefits you’ll find! You can read more about it and book your car here: Costa Rica car rental discount Adobe is a highly reputable car rental company in CR and you won’t find benefits like ours anywhere else 🙂

    As for the route, you’ll take Ruta 1 (Interamericana 1 through Puntarenas to San Jose) from Rio Perdido. You can find the route on Google Maps. Honestly, there’s nothing really that spectacular on this route. You can stop at Puntarenas, which is an important port in Costa Rica to check out the beach and then once in San Jose you can explore the city and Central Valley. In San Jose, you can get the best cultural experiences since that is where majority of the Costa Ricans live and work.

    There are a couple of museums, The Gold and Children’s Museum and a national theater (National Theater) that are excellent for history and culture. I also highly recommend walking through downtown San Jose, this is the best way to observe local city life.

    Reply

25. joy mccalla says

    April 17, 2016

    Hi,
    I just stumbled on your website and love it! I am a single mom with a 15 year old daughter. In June, we will be coming to Costa Rica for for 7 days, flying into Liberia and flying out of San Jose. We are staying at Rio Perdido near Bagaces for 4 days and then have 3 days free and need to end up in San Jose. We should rent a car through your website, right? What route should we take and what should we see on the way to San Jose? I am really interested in experiencing the culture.
    Thanks!
    Joy and Lily

    Reply

26. nee says

    March 25, 2016

    Hi Samantha and Yeison….. We are a group of 4 and are interested in visiting Costa Rica in June 2016. We have approx. 14 days total. This is our first time in Costa Rica. Can you recommend a good tour company that offers a tour package that includes hotels, tours, meals, and transportation for reasonable price. We love your “list of 50 must dos”. We won’t have time to do all of that, but would love to have a piece of that adventure. Please help. Nee

    Reply

    • Sammi says

      March 26, 2016

      Hi!

      We really like Costa Rica Monkey Tours, they have pre-made itineraries that includes hotels, tours, transportation and some meals or they can customize for you which will include everything. They’re excellent at putting itineraries together and can help you put together a package perfect for you. Feel free to email them at info@costaricamonkeytours.com and let them know we sent you, they treat Mytanfeet readers very well 🙂

      Reply

27. Judy says

    January 15, 2016

    Hi, I am planning on visiting Costa Rica the end of March into April for 9 days and just realized it is over Easter. I understand that it is extremely busy and was planning on visiting Arenal, Monteverde, and Partita (near Manual Antonio). Do you suggest I do one area over another first to avoid crowds since we did rent a car from Abode so we will be driving? I am not sure exactly which dates are busy if it is before or after Easter. Also, with Adobe is it unlimited miles? I did not see it written on my confirmation. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Sammi says

      January 15, 2016

      Hi Judy, Semana Santa is March 20-26 and vacation for locals starts the Friday before, the 18th all the way until the Monday the 28th. Honestly, no matter where you go it’s going to be crowded since all those areas are very touristic and popular. Alot of locals take that whole week off too and go on vacation with their families. I think Monteverde might be a tiny bit less crowded than Arenal and Manuel Antonio since most of the locals like to go to the beaches and national parks for vacation. Do know that rates for the week of Semana Santa increase quite a bit and places fill up really fast, so make sure you book your accommodation asap. Make sure you arrive early to the national parks, stock up on items at the supermarket and just be prepared because it is really crazy in Semana Santa. Adobe has unlimited miles.

      Reply