In this post, “costly mistakes to avoid traveling in Costa Rica” we’ll share with you some of the top things you need to prepare for your trip to Costa Rica for a stress free vacation. We’ve made some of these ourselves so we know first hand the consequences! So our goal with this post is to help you travel smart and travel safe.
Here are our mistakes to avoid traveling in Costa Rica. Post updated April 21, 2020.
**Please check our Costa Rica COVID-19 post for latest information.**
Booking your flight to San Jose, California instead of San Jose, Costa Rica
Please triple check before purchasing your flight ticket that you are flying into San Jose, Costa Rica and NOT San Jose, California! Sadly we have met many people who made this mistake and it ruined their entire vacation and lost them tons of money. You do NOT want to be getting super excited for your vacation to Costa Rica and preparing your luggage only to find out two weeks before you leave that you booked a flight to San Jose, California!
The San Jose International Airport code is SJO and there is an airport in San Jose, California whose airport code is SJC. Make sure to look for the SJO airport code and double check it is either San Jose International Airport or Juan Santamaria International Airport (the official name of the SJO airport).
There is also an airport in Puerto Rico whose airport code is SJU. Don’t purchase a flight to that airport either!
Assuming Costa Rica is cheap
Sorry to burst your bubble but Costa Rica isn’t a very cheap country to visit. We have had some people complain how expensive it is compared to Southeast Asia and I’m a little confused as to how they can make this comparison since both places are so different!
Just because Costa Rica is in Central America doesn’t mean it’s super cheap. Costa Rica’s prices are similar to North America for many things! However there is a range of prices so you can still travel on a budget. You can find tours that cost from $50-250 USD a person and hotels that cost from $10 USD a bed to $900 USD a suite a night!
Make sure to read our cost of traveling in Costa Rica post and a one week in Costa Rica budget estimate to get an idea. If you’re on a budget, find out how to save money on your Costa Rica vacation here.
Not adding extra time to driving times
If you’re renting a car in Costa Rica, make sure that when it comes to driving times, don’t always take what the GPS tells you for driving times as exact. We always tell people to add at least 30 minutes to 1 hour to the estimated Google Maps driving time because driving in Costa Rica is not that straightforward or easy!
For those who have never driven internationally or rural roads, you may end up driving very slowly, especially on the curvy and narrow routes (like Guanacaste to Arenal around Lake Arenal or Route 145 to Monteverde) so that will add a lot more time. Then you have those big and very slow trucks that cause congestion because most roads (even main roads and highways) have only one lane making it impossible to pass. So if you get stuck behind these trucks, that will prolong your driving time greatly.
Our driving tip: Use a GPS for driving in Costa Rica. The Waze app is particularly good and is the preferred GPS app for Costa Ricans. It’s especially useful in San Jose since Waze can take you on an alternative route to avoid the traffic jams. Google Maps works too for main destinations.
Not researching car rentals
To elaborate on the point above, if you do plan on renting a car in Costa Rica for your vacation, make sure you do your research because there are some very important things to know about car rentals in Costa Rica.
First, you will want to research beforehand to comparison shop and to learn about how Costa Rican car rental insurances and prices work. Every company has their own way of pricing and you don’t want to get caught in the “car rental scam” here. This is when the company only displays the rate for the car rental, omitting all insurances, fees and taxes to make it look super cheap. Then they add all those extra fees, taxes and insurances on when you go to pick up the car so it turns out to be way more expensive. This is a common practice from third party websites or brokers.
So before you book your car, ask the company about ALL the insurances, deposits, taxes, fees and everything you need to pay for so you know the exact total amount of your rental. And if you plan to use your credit card’s car rental insurance, be sure to prepare everything you need for that!
PS. we work with Adobe Rent a Car to give discounts and freebies to our readers, they’re an all-inclusive 100% Costa Rican car rental company so you know exactly what you’re paying. Get more information on this page here!
Not looking up bus schedules…
…especially if you’re on a tight schedule. The bus is cheap but it takes much longer so you’ll have to sacrifice either time or money. If you want to make the most of a short trip to Costa Rica, then taking the bus may not the best idea.
It is pertinent to look up the bus schedule to get a general idea of how your day will go. There aren’t direct buses for many routes, even to touristic destinations. You will normally need to change buses at least 2 times. 3-4 times is not uncommon for long routes like La Fortuna to Manuel Antonio. Additionally, buses have limited routes so you need to plan accordingly so you don’t miss the bus and have to wait hours (or even a day) until the next one.
We’ve met travelers who didn’t bother to look up the schedule, assuming there would be plenty of routes to a certain destination, only to find out there was just one bus a day and had to change their whole schedule.
Read our tips for taking public transportation and take note of the Instituto de Turismo’s bus itinerary in the post. Don’t forget to join the Costa Rica by Bus Facebook group and use bus apps like Moovit.
Our tip for taking the bus in Costa Rica: Arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time. Arrive at least 1 hour before if you are traveling on the weekends, holidays or December – April. Purchase your country wide bus ticket the day before (routes like San Jose – Tamarindo, Playas del Coco – San Jose, Puerto Viejo – San Jose).
Not booking hotels during peak season/Not booking car rentals during high season
This one is a very common mistake. Some tourists come thinking they can find a place when they get here. This may work in months like September or October but not during high season. Costa Rica’s high season is December through April and the busiest and most expensive times are Christmas, New Years and Easter week. July is also incredibly busy. Car rentals and hotel rooms book up very fast during those times, so make sure you start looking around at least 2-3 months before your trip.
Car Rentals
Although there are a handful of car rental companies, most of the fleets are small and it is never guaranteed that you will get a car if you don’t reserve one, especially in high season. We have met many travelers visited in February who discovered that the public transportation isn’t quite as efficient as they thought and decide to rent a car. Unfortunately, no cars are available (or only the luxury very $$$$ cars were) because well, it is high season and everything’s booked.
Hotels
If there is a hotel you really want to stay at, book it as soon as you can. Many small boutique hotels or luxury vacation rentals book out months, even years in advance for Christmas time! We also know people who started planning their trip at the end of January and found only 1 hotel with rooms available for their dates in March in Tamarindo. And it was not a cheap hotel.
We have personally made this mistake. We didn’t book a hotel in La Fortuna in July in advance and the only one within our budget that had availability was one in town that was not quite what we wanted. But it was our fault as we waited until the week before to look for a hotel 🙁
So if you are visiting during holidays or high season in Costa Rica, book your car rental and hotels months beforehand. Read our Costa Rica trip planning timeline for more information.
Trying to go to too many places
Costa Rica is a small country so when you look at it on a map, you think, “Wow I can go everywhere!” Unfortunately, things aren’t what they always appear to be and this is a huge mistake people make.
Though small in size, main destinations are far apart and usually require an entire day dedicated to travel. It’s super common to drive 3-5 hours to get from one place to the next (for example, Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna, Samara to Monteverde, San Jose to Manuel Antonio). It’s not fun cramming 10 places in a 2 week trip. You will burn yourself out and not really get to experience a destination if you only spend 1 day there, 1 day here.
Take a look at this 2 week Costa Rica itinerary we made for my brother and friends. We visited 4 destinations over a span of 14 days, allowing us to experience the rain forest, cloud forest, volcano and two different beach towns. Sure, I could have cut it down to only 2 days in each place and added more destinations, but we would have felt really rushed and wouldn’t have been able to get a well-rounded experience.
If you need ideas for the best places to visit, here is our list of the top destinations for first time visitors to Costa Rica.
Not telling your credit card company you’re traveling overseas
Definitely do not make this mistake traveling in Costa Rica or anywhere abroad! I went on a tour to Nicaragua and was delayed for an hour because one couple forgot to tell their credit card company they were traveling overseas and couldn’t withdraw cash from the ATM as their card got blocked. They ended up not being able to go to the tour for this reason.
If you get blocked out of credit card, that will be a big hassle until you can contact your company. Something to know is that Costa Rica accepts USD so you don’t need to exchange your money into local currency before hand, but do make the necessary arrangements to use your credit or debit card if you plan to.
Learn more about how to handle money in Costa Rica in this post.
Travel tip: Credit cards are readily accepted in Costa Rica but there are some areas where cash is king. These are Osa Peninsula, Tortuguero, Drake Bay, Samara, Montezuma and Santa Teresa. Some businesses in places like Coco, Tamarindo and Puerto Viejo may only accept cash. Make sure to ask the waiter before you sit down!
Leaving your valuables visible in your car
This is one of the first things we tell visitors when it comes to safety in Costa Rica. Unfortunately Costa Rica isn’t a country where you can leave your backpack or purse unattended in plain sight so you should never ever leave valuables visible in your car.
Yeison and I always take our belongings or most prized possessions with us. If we absolutely have to leave things in the car when we go to the market or eat at a restaurant, we park it where we can see it all the time.
We’ve met travelers who left all their backpacks and suitcases in plain sight on the backseat of the car, went to the beach and came back to find out their car had been burglarized. And it only takes a minute for thieves to get in and out so please take this seriously and do not make this mistake, especially if you plan to visit more remote places.
This is also why we recommend getting travel insurance, just in case your items do get stolen or damaged. You can read our post on Costa Rica travel insurance to find out more.
Taking out all your money of your wallet
Nothing attracts thieves more than when tourists are paying for something and they take out all the cash in their wallet to count their money. Take out only what you need.
By flashing 100 dollar bills or a wad of 50,000 colones, you’re letting everyone around you know that you got a lot of cash on you. And unfortunately, it could make you the next target.
Read about some common scams in Costa Rica and how to avoid them.
Only traveling to Costa Rica in the dry season
Costa Rica, as a tropical country, has wonderful weather which is why many people visit when it’s winter up north. Average temperatures don’t vary too much year round and during the dry season (December – April), the tropical summer is an awesome escape from winter. Due to the great weather during the dry season, it is the busiest time of year to visit Costa Rica.
However, it can be very crowded and it is expensive. Popular destinations like Manuel Antonio can feel a bit like Disneyland with huge crowds and long lines. Surfing in Tamarindo is like riding the subway in Tokyo with tons of people trying to stuff themselves onto one wave. Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula mountains turn yellow and are very dry, like a desert.
This is why it’s a mistake to ONLY travel to Costa Rica in the dry season. We know visitors want to escape the cold winter days at home but rainy season in Costa Rica is magical. Yes, it does mean you need to plan your trip more carefully and you may get rained on, but you will be rewarded with smaller crowds, cheaper prices and a very tropical, jungle experience.
You can read more about Costa Rica rainy season here.
Our personal favorite time in Costa Rica are the shoulder months like May, June and November. WAY fewer people and more lush. And we don’t mind the rain! (But if you don’t want any rain, then the best times are December – April and October for the Caribbean).
Only staying in the resort
We know that for some people, going on vacation means staying at a resort and many people who visit Costa Rica do just that, which isn’t a bad thing. We love to pamper ourselves too, going to nice restaurants and laying by the pool with a drink in hand. Who am I to tell you what you do with your money on vacation? And hey, you worked hard, saving up money for vacation and you just want an escape from the stress of daily life.
However, we highly recommend to spend some time outside the property to experience Costa Rica beyond the resort. Book a day trip or two, check out the local town, go to a typical restaurant, rent a car for a day and drive around. Of course get your pool time in and your money’s worth but venture outside at least a few times. There’s so much to see in Costa Rica that it would be a shame if all you saw was the pool and breakfast buffet everyday!
Also, you don’t have to stay at a resort your entire time in Costa Rica. You can spoil yourself with 1 or 2 nights and then spend the rest of your days exploring the country to have a well rounded vacation.
Not putting on sunscreen
It sounds like common sense but you won’t believe how many tourists get extremely burned here on their first day. Nothing is worse than getting a horrible sun burn your first day on vacation. The sun is very strong here so make sure you use ample sunscreen. I know most people want to get a tan, but trust me you will even with sunscreen on. It’s about protecting your skin and not getting 2nd degree burns on vacation!
Fun fact: locals like to call the gumbo-limbo tree in Costa Rica the “tourist tree” because the bark is bright red and peels, like the skin of sun burnt tourists. It’s not a good look, so make sure you use lots of sunscreen.
Costa Rica is only 8-12 degrees above the equator so even if you grew up in Southern California or Florida, it is pertinent to put on sunscreen. We recommend SPF 30 and higher and make sure to apply constantly.
If you plan to go swimming, surfing or in the ocean, please use reef safe sunscreen or wear a rash guard.
Not bringing appropriate gear and clothing for rainy season
We’re sadly guilty of this one. We put our brand new camera in a not-so-waterproof backpack and hiked to Cerro Chato in a thunderstorm. Surprise surprise, our camera didn’t survive. If we had used an actual waterproof backpack, we would have saved our camera and an extra $500 USD. Thank goodness it wasn’t a terribly expensive camera, can you imagine if it was your high end DSLR? Not good at all!
Visitors underestimate Costa Rica’s rainy season because it’s a tropical country so they assume it’s sunny all year long. Wrong. Read up about the weather in Costa Rica before you plan your trip so you pack accordingly. Need some tips? Check out our packing for rainy season post.
Visitors also assume that it’s really hot everywhere in the country which isn’t true either. Costa Rica is very mountainous and the areas in high elevation get cold, especially in rainy season. You will actually need long pants, a sweater and shirts for those places! These are places like Monteverde, San Isidro de General, Vara Blanca and Poas. I forgot my sweater in Monteverde once and had to buy an overpriced jacket so don’t make the same mistake as me.
Not Double Checking Your Destinations
In Costa Rica, you will find some places have the exact same name. This can be very confusing to visitors so you need to make sure to double check your destinations and itinerary.
For example, to my knowledge, there are 4 beaches called “Playa Hermosa” in Costa Rica. Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste, Playa Hermosa in Santa Teresa, Playa Hermosa in Uvita and Playa Hermosa by Jaco. The one in Guanacaste and by Jaco are two very popular tourist destinations and we know people who got them mixed up! There is even a crater inside Irazu Volcano called Playa Hermosa so you can see Costa Rica really enjoys using the same names for places!
There are also two Playa Negras to my knowledge. Playa Negra in Guanacaste and Playa Negra in Limon. And if you’re staying in San Isidro del General (Perez Zeledon), some people may refer to it as just San Isidro. But there are many San Isidro’s in Costa Rica – we used to live in San Isidro de Heredia and there is also San Isidro de Alajuela, San Isidro de Coronado, San Isidro de Nicoya and others. San Isidro is a common name for districts and cantons in Costa Rica. Don’t forget Puerto Viejo. There is a Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Limon province and a Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. And a Puerto Viejo beach in Guanacaste!
So as you can see, it is very important to double check your destinations in Costa Rica so you know where you are going! This is one of the most important mistakes to avoid traveling in Costa Rica, you don’t want to book everything for Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste to find out you meant Playa Hermosa near Jaco!
Travel Smart and Safe in Costa Rica
These are some of the best travel tips for Costa Rica you’ll need so avoid these mistakes when traveling in Costa Rica to have a fun, hassle free vacation. As you can see, many of these mistakes cost you time or money, so do your research and make the appropriate travel arrangements! Plan ahead, travel smart and stay safe.
Read more Costa Rica travel tips here!
15 things to know before you go to Costa rica
Tips for saving money in Costa Rica
Yvonne says
Hi,
I’m from Singapore, will be travelling to Costa Rica on 17 Dec.
Plan to stay at Hotel La Guaria Inn & Suites for 2 nights before heading to Guanacaste, las mercedes.
Are there fruits shop nearby the hotel?… Central market Alajuela will have?
Do you know if Transferwise debit card can be use to withdraw cash from ATMs?
How much cash in USD or colones should i bring.. let’s say if i stay for 2 months?
(I’m aware we should not bring too much cash)
Thank you very much! : )
Sammi says
You can check out the San Jose Central Market which is a very nice experience.
I’m not familiar with Transferwise, you will have to contact them to see what their policies are for international transactions.
You can read about handling money in this post: how to handle money in Costa Rica
Credit cards are widely accepted in most of CR, some touristic destinations don’t widely accept cash like Santa Teresa and Samara though but there are ATMs everywhere. You can just start with a couple hundreds dollars and then take out money as you need in the two months.
Shelly Colvin says
sammi are ATM’s everywhere in Costa Rica? We are staying in Tamarindo but wondering how much cash vs ATM access there is?
Sammi says
In Tamarindo there are several ATMs.
susana fernandez says
ATMS will charge you a very expensive fee… best is to change $ to colones in a costarican bank or open a bank account in a CR bank a use a costarican debit card .. or take a lot of cash at once so the fee is worth it.
Annie says
I am learning so much about Costa Rica from reading your wonderful posts! Your site is great! Thank you, and keep up the good work!
Mike Dycus says
I totally agree with Yeison and Samantha on things to avoid and planning your trip. My wife and I have been to Costa Rica 5 times, each in a different area. This allowed us to see and enjoy each without being rushed to see too much. We travel Feb./March and Nov./Dec. and never had weather issues. Sure it has rained when staying in the Monte Verde area but we planned for that and cameras were protected (as were we). I also only carry what we need each day including cash and card(s).
Mike says
Hi Mytanfeet!
We are going to La Fortuna late August. I don’t mind the rain, but thunderstorms and heavy rain might dampen our outings. In your experience, how heavy or how often does it rain around that time? I have searched for it online, but I would like to hear from somebody who lives there. Also, how far is La Fortuna from SJO? Better to rent a car or take public transportation to get there? Any advise is much appreciated.
Sammi says
Hello Mike, by end of August we will be entering the rainiest time of the year (Sept/Oct). Tropical weather is hard to predict and it is common to have off and on showers/rains, especially in La Fortuna. I will say that we have visited Fortuna in August several times and it rained quite a bit in the afternoons and evenings.
You can read about driving San Jose to Arenal in this post.
H W L says
Tourist tree is a “Naked Indian”.
Use WAZE app on your phone – not a GPS !
Anne-Claire says
I had a question about leaving items in cars, if you have a trunk is it fine to leave items in there because it is out of view? Or if it is obvious that you are tourists and its a rental car, would it still get broken into? We are traveling from place to place a lot so will typically have lots of our luggage with us, should we always take everything out of the car? Also, what about leaving items on the beach while going swimming or more specifically, snorkeling? Thank you for your advice!
Sammi says
Hello Anne-Claire, if you have a trunk, it is better to leave items in there because it’s out of view. Many times car theft occurs because people left their ipad or wallet in the dashboard or visible on the seats. I would recommend to always have one person in the car at a time in case you need to stop for bathroom breaks and if you go to a restaurant or something, make sure nothing is visible in the seats, and park the car somewhere you can see it at all time from the restaurant if possible.
As for leaving your items on the beach, we recommend to bring as little as possible, always cover up your items, never leave your cameras or phones in plain sight and don’t leave them somewhere on the beach that is empty, always go where there are other people.
Miki Ranly says
Hi! Do you have a list of the tour companies that you recommend, and that offer discounts for mentioning your site? We are traveling to Costa Rica with a group next month and we are interested in doing six to eight tours of all kinds while there. We are staying in La Fortuna and Punta Cocles near Playa Chiquita. Thanks so much for all of the great info you have! Mytanfeet.com rocks!
Sammi says
Hello Miki! We do! In La Fortuna, here is our post on Things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna and we have a partnership with Jacamar naturalist tours to give discounts which you can read more about here: Arenal and La Fortuna tours discount
We don’t have any discounts for Puerto Viejo but we work with Exploradores Outdoors, and you can also check Caribe Fun Tours (they have more tours) in Puerto Viejo.
Lorenzo says
Lol We also call the gumbo limbo tree the tourist tree in Belize!
Liza H says
We were very happy with the Adobe car rental from Alajuela, where the airport is. We came in late, had a shuttle there. You will have to post a $1000 deposit which is refunded at check out. We got a free simple cell phone which we used while there,Garmin GPS, and a cooler.
Cautions regards Garmin use. You have to plug in specific Spanish names to get the correct location. I found it frustrating to use but when on target was invaluable. It led us a wrong street in San Ramon..dead end. We were off by one street. We also had a good water resistent map from AAA…National Geographic. I recommend using that one. Poor signage, you have to know cities. Numbered roads are optional except big ones. You have to be very defensive driving and somewhat aggressive at the same time. Lots of motorcycles and pedestrians on the roads. Be careful. A 4WD option is good. Most drivers especially trucks avoided going off the pavement for any reason. The ground is very moist and muddy. Often steep drop offs on the non curbside for their drainage purposes. We drove from Alajuela clockwise to San Geronimo de San Pedro (Below Chirripu), to Uvita (nice quiet place), to Jaco, Monteverde, Avenal, San Ramon, back to Alajuela.
Argo says
Hello all I just love this blog. Between reading many books and reading your blog I’ve gotten a pretty good understanding of Costa Rica. So much I bought a condo in Tamarindo.
One thing I would recommend is if you travel by car carry a fair amount of water and some snacks as sometimes you can actually be stuck in traffic for hours, especially if there is a vehicle accident or road construction
on one of the small roads. It seems like it takes forever for ambulances and police to come and take care business. Nothing is worse than being thirsty, hungry and tired. A little snack goes a long way.
Sammi says
Great tip and soo true! There have been many times when we’ve been stuck in traffic and I was starving. They just changed this law but since the roads here have no shoulders it’s doesn’t really work but before, if you got into a car accident, nobody was allowed to move the cars, even if it was blocking the road until the doctors and police got there. Now, the law is that if both parties consent, you can move the cars but roads here have no shoulders so there’s nowhere else to go and it still backs up traffic. We got stuck behind an accident for 2 hours before!
liolita thanasi says
All of these tips are accurate. I would add “do not exchange your US dollars at the Liberia Airport, they will charge you an extra tax”. You will receive about 30% less than what you would have received by exchanging the money at a local bank or at the hotel. In fact it is not necessary to exchange US dollars to local currency at all, the US dollar is widely accepted everywhere. If you ask they will print you a copy of the receipt with both; local currency amount and USD amount.
I would also suggest you to buy souvenirs at the local stores instead of the Airport. Liberia Airport will double tax your purchase, every item sold there is extra expensive.
Sammi says
Good tips!!
Whitney says
I just want to thank you so much for your blog! My husband and I are taking my parents with us and we are staying at Jardin Del Edén in a few weeks. I am learning so much from your posts that is going to help us! Thank you, thank you! <3
Sammi says
Hi Whitney, I’m glad to hear the blog has been helpful for your trip. We hope you have a great time in Costa Rica!
kim says
Hi Sammi,
We’re going to Costa Rica and will be staying at Dreams Las Mareas mid-August. Do you know if there’s any local farmer market around there so we can check out. We love tropical fruits and want to see what they have there. thanks much.
Sammi says
Hi Kim, I haven’t been there but from what I know Dreams is a resort in the Bay so you aren’t really close to a town. I think La Cruz may be the closest one so you’ll need to taxi out.
Lilia says
We stayed at the Dreams in May 2018. Absolutely loved it! We booked some of our excursions from vendors on the beach, found it a lot cheaper than going through the resort. Have a great trip!
Ilona says
I probably should have read this article before going to Costa Rica and not now, when I am already halfway through my trip.
I totally agree with most of them (I just don’t have any experience with google maps here because I don’t use it). Looking up bus schedules saved us a lot of time already, especially when going to Tortuguero where the bus is synched with the boats and there are only three in a day.
Also, I couldn’t agree more with the sunscreen! The sun here is very strong and nothing is more annoying than ending up completely burnt.
Thanks for the advise!
Sammi says
Hi Ilona, you’re very welcome and we hope you enjoy the rest of your time in CR!
Kimberly Wells says
My daughter and I just returned after our very favorite vacation ever – to Costa Rica. Thanks to your information, we were very well prepared. I would only add:
It’s helpful to have small bills (in my case dollars were accepted) for tipping.
Also, since I drove from La Fortuna to Monteverde, your suggestion for four-wheel drive was essential. I can’t remember if you suggested also to rent automatic transmission as opposed to manual. For that drive, with stops at the top of steep hills, I was glad to have automatic.
Thanks again. Your advice was all spot-on!
Kimberly W.
Sammi says
Hi Kimberly, I’m glad you had a great time in Costa Rica! We do mention the small bills in our handling money post and yes, definitely recommended to have a high car for Monteverde! We only recommend manual to those who are well experienced manual drivers because those hills are no joke! Thank you for reading Mytanfeet!
Colleen Corbett says
Hi there!
I have a question. We are only in San Jose for 1 night when we first arrive and don’t land under 7pm but were hoping to check out a local bar. We heard El Pueblo was a stable for San Jose but you say don’t go out after 10 pm. Do you have any suggestions where we can experience the culture and get a beer but still be safe?
Sammi says
San Jose in general is not a very nice city unfortunately and it’s not recommended to go out after 10 pm if you’re not familiar with the area but if you’re staying in a hotel in downtown San Jose, you can find lots of bars around Central Avenue and downtown. Always take a taxi or Uber, don’t walk at night in San Jose if you’re not familiar.
Stacey says
Thanks for all your info on traveling Costa Rica. Just returned yesterday from our first trip to CR. Here are two more mistakes to avoid.
First we exchanged money at the airport when we landed, thinking we would need some immediately. We did not get a very good exchange rate-the rates were better at the hotel and banks. As we had a hard time grasping the eqivalency to US dollars this took us some time to get used to and most places we went took US dollars or credit cards. Would have been better for us to exchange a small amount at hotel and then more at bank as needed.
Second, on our last morning we stopped at a shop to pick up a couple of souvenirs. Might have stayed a full 15 minutes inside. We parked on the street in front of the store where others were parked-no yellow lines. When we came out we had a ticket! We didn’t know you had to have a pass to park on the street (wish Adobe would have informed about that. When we mentioned that upon returning car, they just said there are signs. So if you don’t read Spanish be aware!) The shop workers were nice enough to tell us how to handle it and we paid it at the rental return. Just want to inform others to go ahead and pay for the public parking lot and don’t park on the street-it’s cheaper! (I do think a lot attendant tried to warn us but as we don’t speak Spanish we thought he was just pressuring us. I think now he was telling us not to park there!)
Hope our mistakes help others avoid the same things.
Sammi says
Hi Stacey! Yes I always recommend people to exchange at banks – but since USD are so readily accepted here, it’s not necessary. For the parking, that is so unfortunate. Only in the cities really are there designated parking places on the street that require a ticket and it is usually a sign with a big E and cross or No estacionar. Always good to research a bit of Spanish (or any language of the country you’re visiting) especially if you’re driving, we always try to be good travelers to write down important phrases and words of the language. I actually wrote a big post about street signs here: https://mytanfeet.com/about-cr/driving-in-costa-rica-take-slow/ as it’s always good to read up on it before visiting as not to get caught off guard.
Norma says
We were in Liberia headed to our resort from the airport and got pulled over by a policeman – we were warned but never thought it would happen to me – I drove while my husband guided me with the GPS and I speak Spanish – so he obviously wanted MORDIDA – brought him down to $60 from $400 – they can spot the rental cars and the tourists – I was later told by a waiter at hotel that if I would’ve videoed him and he saw me videoing him he probably would’ve let me go with a warning … oh well, I’ll know next time Be careful and follow all the speed signs!!!
Sammi says
The government is cracking down on police officers who are accepting bribes so you can actually report that officer to the government for accepting a bribe and he’ll get in biiggg trouble. It used to be a huge problem but seems like it still is. This is actually a reason why Waze is so popular here because you can mark police officers since tickets are SO expensive here!
Heather says
I lived in CR in ‘93-94 and remember my father saying that the tickets were ridiculously low and no one obeyed the rules so the gov’t increased the fines but too much. It was then that the bribes got out of control. We had to deal with it in every Central American country and it was the worst in Mexico but it’s nice to hear that they are trying to crack down on it.
Annie says
Hi!
We’ll be in Costa Rica in early April. We’ll spend the first night in Alajuela and leave the next morning for La Fortuna. We stop on the way to Poas Volcano, but we’ll have our luggage in the jeep. My question is: is the parking of Poas Volcano safe? I am worried when I read the articles about stealing in the rental car … What can we do in this case?
Thank you very much and congratulations for all your articles. They are very useful!
Annie
Sammi says
The parking in Poas Volcano is more secure because it’s a very touristic park so there are always a lot of tour buses and shuttles. I recommend taking all your valuables with you and if I remember correctly, there is a parking guard but still make sure to try not to leave anything visible.
Stephen says
What’s the deal with using a drone in Costa Rica? Is it legal, should I bother bringing it?
Sammi says
You technically need a permit and have to get a license, but there really isn’t a way to enforce it. You can use it, just don’t fly it near airports or in town, and you technically can’t take it into national parks.
Sammi says
Hi, Uber only operates in San Jose. You can read our Uber guide here: Uber Costa Rica
Tim says
Is uber operating in Costa Rica? If yes, uber or taxi?
Phuong Mai says
Thank you for sending me this reminder before I leave to my trip this Sat Sammi.
Thank you, love your blog.
Sammi says
Hi Phuong, thanks for reading our blog and hope you have a great time in Costa Rica!
Gloria says
Do not leave your shoes unattended on the beach, even if you see no one is there but you. The thieves will come out of the mangroves and steal your shoes.
Sammi says
I feel like this is coming from personal experience… if so that is really unfortunate! But yes, never leave belongings unattended at the beach!
Sammi says
Hi! This post will be really helpful to plan the rest of your trip: Best places in Costa Rica for first timers
I highly highly recommend making your plans asap because many hotels in beaches and touristic towns are booked full for Christmas and New YEars since this is our peak season and Costa Ricans go on vacation during this time too.
As for renting a car, this post will help a lot as well: Costa Rica car rental tips and this one: getting around Costa Rica which compares all the types of transportation.
Hill girl says
Amazing! You already saved me. We are Going for the holidays.
December 16-22 we are good. We will be in Manuel Antonio at Tulemar.
But December 22 -31 we are still putting together plans. Yikes!
At some point we thought Arenal volcano area and Monteverdi cloud forest might be fun.
And we hope we might have time to visit another beach before flying out of San Jose December 31.
Do you have suggestions? We would really love recommendations for the last 10 days of our trip. We don’t understand the roads or getting around like you probably do.
Renting cars vs bus vs car services.
Oh! And we are traveling with 3 little girls. The kids are ages 9, 7, & 4. We love rural areas normally for example in Hawaii we go to Kauai instead of the more popular islands. Any help is so appreciated.
Bea and Bertus says
Thanks for the usefull information. We are going to go to Samara in March..
Greetings ftom Berlin, Germany
Sammi says
Hi guys! Thank you for reading! I hope you have a great time in Costa Rica!
Sammi says
Hi Tracey, you can read all about COsta Rica’s weather here: Costa Rica weather and how much is the cost of traveling here: Cost of traveling in Costa Rica.
Tracey says
Going last week in April to may 6. WHAT type of weather is it going to be. Also is it expensive.
KC says
Your articles are always informative and interesting. Thanks for all the effort and useful information.
Sammi says
Thank you for reading! 🙂
David A says
Google bought Waze in 2013 and now utilizes their data on traffic. It is not as extensive with alternatives and reporting as Waze but the maps are better. Each app has different strengths although I’m not a pro in Waze. If you are in GAM (San Jose metropolitan Area) during rush hour or experiencing heavy traffic anywhere for sure use Waze, if not I think the maps are better in Google. The times have been accurate for me but may depend on the route you are taking. I think it also determines if you are driving relatively fast or slow as you drive or maybe from past history. A good idea is to have both and try to know the road conditions although you can get a good idea how good the road is by the suggestions and time estimates.
Sammi says
True, Google does use Waze data but from our experience, WAZE is always better for us in CR. It’s taken us to routes and roads not even Yeison has been to especially in San Jose and has helped us dodge accidents and traffic. Driving times are always dependent on the conditions of the day and if you get stuck behind a truck which can take forever if you can’t pass. I used Google Maps from Coco to Jaco and it led me to a horrifying steep unpaved road which supposedly was a short cut which it definitely was not! You are luckier, times have never been accurate for me with Google Maps but with WAZE yes!
mike says
these are great tips for any traveler in central America.
Sammi says
Thanks and they are definitely great tips for any C. America country!