Trip Information
Costa Rica basically has two seasons…wet and dry!
The wet or rainy season lasts from May to November in most of the country with exceptions on the Caribbean coast. Costa Ricans call this wet time of the year.. ‘Winter’.
Dry season is from Nov to April and is considered Summer. Sunset doesn’t vary much all year round between 5 and 6pm with sunrise between 5 and 6am.
Our trip was in February in the dry season and as you can imagine the sunrise and sunsets are amazing!
Before you go
If you’re travelling on a British, Australian, New Zealand or US Passport you do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica. You may stay as a visitor for up to 180 days under a tourist visa waiver although the exact period is at the discretion of the immigration officer on arrival. You don’t need to apply for any visa the waiver is issued through the airport immigration checks.
If your travel to Costa Rica has you transiting or visiting via the United States a Visa is required. Yes, even if you are transiting. Only book via the ESTA US Customs and Border Protection site. Cost for an ESTA is £16/€19/$21 and can be processed for approval within 30mins or up to 72hrs. Don’t book via any other site as you will likely be charged more. An email confirmation will be issued which can be printed however showing an electronic copy at customs will suffice.
An ESTA is valid for two years from approval unless your passport expires within this time.
If you plan to work or stay for a longer period in Costa Rica you should check the requirements with the Costa Rican Embassy via CR Embassy.
If you overstay, the immigration authorities can fine you 100 US dollars for each month and refuse future applications to enter Costa Rica. As always make sure you have at least 6 months validity on your passport.
Departing Flight Information
For those familiar with our travels we generally always do a Meet and Greet at departure airports. They can cost the same as 
off-site parking depending on how far in advance you book and deals that are available. We prefer Meet and Greet as you don’t have the hassle of waiting for a transfer bus, they are reliable and so much easier pulling right up to the terminal or when you depart and your car is waiting there for you. This trips parking was via Compare The Airport Parking and for 14 days cost £130. We generally never use the same Meet and Greet company as prices vary so use a few different search sites such as Holiday Extras or Purple Parking. It’s worth registering an email with them as they do provide good discount codes for future use.
We use an Amex Gold Card for our travel bookings as any spend means points which provide discount on travel and accommodation as well as early access to concert tickets.
With Amex you can also receive a certain number of free Priority Pass lounge membership passes per year. Heathrow’s Amex lounges are definitely one of the best to relax in before a flight.
Flight Arrival Information
Our flights were with American Airlines from London, Heathrow via Miami into San Jose International Airport (SJO).
You can get direct flights (10-13hrs) from the UK to Costa Rica but we found ours with a British Airways code share via our preferred travel search engine Skyscanner and then through an online agent Traveljunction. There are also options to fly into Liberia which is in the Guanacaste region. For reference depending on where you want to visit in Costa Rica its a four hour drive time between San Jose’s airport and Liberia’s airport.
The flight had a brief transit in Miami but costs were significantly cheaper at the time of booking, £600 per person which is £300 cheaper than most flights to Costa Rica from the UK so it pays to shop around. This also included 23kg of check in luggage each which were extra costs on other flight options. We double checked this with Traveljunction as it seemed too good to be true but they confirmed this was correct. Have to say we don’t usually use agents but with the cost savings it was the best option and the customer service with Traveljunction for us was very good with swift and concise responses on any queries and updates.
Flight time to Miami from the UK is circa 10hrs. Do make sure you allow sufficient transit time in Miami (at least 3 hrs) as security is very slow and it’s also not the most modern of airports to transit through. Be mindful you will likely have to go back through security and bag checks before your gate so factor this in any transit time.
From Miami to San Jose the flight time is circa 3hrs.
Check our Visa section if transiting or visiting via the US and the ESTA visa application requirements.
Trip Information
Juan Santamaria International (SJO) is a small but modern airport and on arriving at around 8pm we had a quick and easy 30 minute exit through security and out of the terminal. As we were picking a rental car up from near the airport the following morning we stayed overnight nearby at La Riviera Hotel.
Note; if you are planning to self-drive in Costa Rica avoid it at nights unless you know the roads. Potholes, animals, limited to no street lighting and some relaxed views on road rules mean it’s best to drive only during the day. Read our section on getting around for more information on driving.
La Riviera Hotel is about 10mins drive from the airport and costs around £80/€96/$100 per night for a basic but clean double room with a lovely breakfast. Like most hotels near the airport in San Jose they offer a free shuttle service.
WhatsApp
is the common way to communicate in Costa Rica so as soon as the luggage was collected we messaged the hotel via the airports free wifi and the shuttle arrived 15mins later. If you don’t have a shuttle option there’s plenty of taxi offerings immediately outside the terminal. Be wary of people wanting to help with your bags or with a taxi or shuttle, if you take their help they will expect a tip. A polite ‘no gracias’ will send them on their way.
A taxi or Uber from SJO into central San Jose will cost circa £8/€9/$10.
We chose not to spend time touring San Jose, this is a personal choice as for us this trip was to experience Costa Rica’s natural wonders and beauty but we have researched things to see and do so check out our Excursions section for San Jose.
The currency is the Costa Rican Colon or CRC. The plural is Colones pronounced Kol-uh-neez and is named after Christopher Columbus who was the first European credited to have discovered Costa Rica in 1502.
Colones or CRC currency comes in coins and notes and the note denominations each represent a different animal:
1000CRC at the time of writing is equal to £1.56/€1.87/$1.97. The notes will state 1 MIL, 2 MIL etc with a MIL Spanish for a thousand.
Have small denominations of cash ready for when you arrive. Colones and US dollars are equally accepted generally everywhere but avoid having any US notes larger than $20.
15000CRC or circa £24/€29/$30 will buy you a hearty meal and drinks for two at a Soda which is a traditional Costa Rican restaurant or café and you’ll find them everywhere on your travels and the food is normally very good. The average cost of a coffee is on a par to the UK, Europe and the US as most of its coffee is exported.
Tipping in Costa Rica is common as wages are low with the average monthly wage between £400/€479/$505 to £800/€958/$1010 per month so tipping 5-10% is normal although check your bill in restaurants as its often already added.
Notes that are torn or have the slightest damage may not be accepted as they get refused by the banks.
If you pay in US dollars you will likely get Colones change and Costa Rican banks can issue cash in either CRC or US dollars as well as ATM’s but get receipts from them in case of any issues.
Practical Advice & Tips
The best way to explore a country like Costa Rica if you can is via car giving you the freedom to explore at your own pace and leisure.
We’ll spend a bit of time on this section as it’s a key part to our adventure and there are some details that will be useful if you’re planning a Costa Rican road trip.
Our journey took us on the Pacific side of the country via the routes below with approximate driving times listed as a guide but of course that all depends on the route you choose and number of stops along the way you make.
We’ll return soon to travel the less populated and less touristy, but just as equally beautiful, Caribbean side of the country when we have our next adventure holiday in Panama.
Details on each of our destinations, including the ferry from Paquera to Puntarenas, can be seen in the Excursions section but feel free to send us a message with any questions you may have.
Our mode of transport was a 4×4 rental with Dollar. Most hotels near the airport will provide a free shuttle and ours helpfully went to the car rental depot in nearby Belen, Heredia about 1 mile away from our hotel. Dollar do have a rental desk at the airport arrivals terminal if you need to pick up during the day but will only end up taking you via their free shuttle to their depot to collect the car.
Car rental options are vast but after extensive online searching via our usual search sites Rentalcars.com and Holiday Autos we booked with Dollar because of reputation and price and that we specifically wanted a 4×4 Nissan Frontier or Toyota Hilux type vehicle. Alamo is also a good option.
Car rental cost was £1100/€1316/$1400 for 13 days plus £160/€239/$252 for full insurance cover. We highly recommend Dollar CR as they are reasonably priced, professional and helpful.
You can get a standard car a lot cheaper but knowing the roads would occasionally be rough with lots of potholes with often steep climbs having a vehicle with higher ground clearance and power for the mountains meant you just didn’t have to worry at all.
You don’t need to have a 4×4 unless you plan to proper off road but we were constantly reassured the bigger 4×4 was the right option as we saw smaller car rentals having to be mindful of potholes and bumps in the road and struggling up hills when we just powered on through.
Costa Rica packs a lot of adventure into a relatively small area and getting around is definitely part of the adventure. The best way to travel is via car but a cheaper option is to go via shared or private shuttle through Interbus or Uber or if you’re on a tight budget most destinations can be made via public transport. More details with bus itineraries can be found here at Costa Rica’s official tourist site Welcome to Costa Rica.
Be wary of vehicle insurance agreements. The Costa Rican government does not allow you to claim directly with a third party insurer outside of the country. In the event of damage, regardless of liability, you will have to pay the full amount to settle and then claim from your insurance. We paid the extra for 13 days hire for full insurance with a £238/€285/$300 excess. That meant any damage no matter how major was immediately covered. Peace of mind was given further assurance after a gentleman dropping his car off as we were getting ours, who did have a minor accident, was relieved to have the full cover.
Petrol is around 700CRC or £1.08/€1.30/$1.37 per litre and Diesel 600CRC or £0.93/€1.11/$1.17 per litre. The prices are fixed by the government so it’s generally the same price everywhere regardless of fuel company or station. There are fuel attendants who will fuel the car for you, you don’t need to tip unless you want to. The gas stations usually have clean baños (toilets) which is good to know for a road trip as public toilets don’t really exist.
Download the Waze app for navigation. It’s the best driving app for Costa Rica but do check the route with Google Maps before setting off. Waze can take you properly off-road which you might not want even if you have selected the avoid unpaved roads setting. Off roading in Costa Rica is proper off road which we can vouch for, but that’s another story!
A little note; if you get pulled over by the police make sure you have your original Passport and Drivers Licence to show them. They may advise you of what you have done wrong (even though you might not have done anything) and ask if you want a ticket.. or not! Keep $20-40US aside for this scenario and choose the ‘no ticket’ option. We of course cannot endorse nor are saying that this kind of activity is acceptable nor is common practice in Costa Rica but, just something to keep in mind!
There are many articles on the dangers of driving in Costa Rica but quite simply if you are normally a competent and confident driver then its fine. Take it steady, accept you might slow the traffic down at times but it’s a perfectly safe country to drive in and the scenery is fantastic! Driving at night is not advised unless you know the roads. We did the odd trip at night from accommodation to a restaurant but again as long as you take it steady you’ll be fine. You’ll soon get used to the sight of three people on a motorbike with no helmet and flip flops and intersections where it’s a free for all, but that’s all part of the adventure!
Where to stay
The beauty of Costa Rica, its wilderness, wildlife and culture is the variety of accommodation options whether you are on a tight budget and just need the basics to jungle tree houses or five star all inclusive beach side resorts. We’ve provided accommodation details for the locations we stayed in with great options to help with your search depending on budget:
San Jose
£££££ Grano de Oro Hotel
££££ Radisson San Jose
£££ La Riviera Hotel
Unique and Exceptional: Luxury Casa
La Fortuna
£££££ The Springs Resort and Spa at Arenal
££££ Hotel Arenal Kioro Suites and Spa
Unique and Exceptional: Villa Calathea, A Volcano in its Garden!
Monteverde
£££££ Hotel Belmar
££££ Senda Monteverde Hotel Member of the Cayuga Collection
£££ Calathea Lodge
Unique and Exceptional: Magnolia Suite
Santa Tereasa
£££££ Laloon Luxury Suites
££££ Hotel Nantipa
££ Santa Teresa Surf Vista Villas
Unique and Exceptional: Sea Wing Oceanfront Paradise
Manuel Antonio
£££££ Tulemar Resort
Unique and Exceptional: Casa Anjali Luxury Ocean View
Little note; when you book accommodation check how payment will be taken. Some formal confirmations state they will only take cash on arrival in US dollars but when you get there they may have already taken payment by card or will only take card not cash. It varies but keep this in mind and if needed get formal confirmation. This is also the same with car rental, confirmation may state they only accept cash in US dollars upon pick up but in our case we had the choice to either pay by cash or card.
What to do
Costa Rica is famous for its beaches, natural beauty, biodiversity and adventure activities. There is so much to see and do it’s difficult to list them all so instead we’ve chosen a few key highlights from across this beautiful country with links for you to explore to help inspire and guide. You can also get more detail of some of our own adventures in the Excursions section.
Pura Vida! The English literal translation means pure life but in Costa Rica it means to live life to the fullest and be grateful for the simple things!
You’ll soon be experiencing Pura Vida in Costa Rica as it’s an absolutely stunning country covered in 50% rainforest and jungle with 800miles of amazing coastline and a population of only 5 million people. Its home to 18% of the worlds butterfly species including the beautiful Blue Morpho, is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire with over 200 volcanic formations traced back over 65 million years with five classified as active.
Whether you want adventure activities such as surfing, quad biking, paragliding, horse trekking, white water rafting or hiking through rainforests, spectacular waterfalls and hanging bridges or relaxing on golden sand beaches to watch the sunset – Costa Rica has it all. The food is fresh and flavoursome and you won’t be able to get enough of the Ceviche but wait til you try the coffee and chocolate!
We often get asked about the creepy crawlies in Costa Rica and the reality is it’s a tropical country with rainforests so yes there are going to be insects but keep your accommodation secure and be liberal with the mosquito repellent and you’ll be fine.
We highly recommend you do a Night Tour ideally in a small group, or if you can a private tour, with a guide who has the ability to locate camouflaged insects and animals and provide interesting educational information and they’ll also have scopes which help with seeing them close up and getting great photos.
Costa Rica is the perfect destination to experience and explore natures beauty at its finest in a country with a great culture and respect for the environment and sustainability and just the right amount of tourism infrastructure. You’ll certainly feel welcome and safe and if you’re Spanish is not that great don’t worry most Costa Ricans are proficient in English.
If you’re looking for your first Central American adventure you cannot go wrong with Costa Rica with it’s stunning beaches, lush rainforests and incredible wildlife. Pura Vida!
