Costa Rica
Surfing, rainforest, volcanoes, and wildlife in extraordinary density.
Costa Rica is the easy entry point to neotropical wildlife. Cloud forests, two coastlines, active volcanoes, sloths, monkeys, more bird species than the United States — all in a country smaller than West Virginia. Pura vida is real and the infrastructure works.
At a glance
- Best time
- January, February, March, April…
- Climate
- Warm
- Budget
- Budget – Mid-range
- Trip length
- 1–4 weeks
- Language
- Spanish
- Currency
- CRC (Colon) — USD widely accepted
Best time to visit
- January: peak
- February: peak
- March: peak
- April: peak
- May: fine
- June: fine
- July: fine
- August: fine
- September: avoid
- October: avoid
- November: fine
- December: peak
Peak Fine Avoid
Avoid: September, October. Shoulder: May, June, July, August, November.
Highlights
-
Manuel Antonio
National park where the rainforest meets the beach.
-
Arenal & La Fortuna
Volcano, hot springs, hanging bridges.
-
Monteverde
Cloud forest — different ecosystem entirely.
-
Nosara / Santa Teresa
Pacific surf coast with yoga and slow-living scene.
Practical info
- Visa
- Visa-free for most Western passports (90 days).
- Currency
- CRC (Colon) — USD widely accepted.
- Language
- Spanish. English in tourism.
- Safety
- Very safe by Central American standards. Watch belongings on beaches.
- Getting around
- Self-drive (4WD for some areas) or shuttles between hotspots.
- Tap water
- Tap water safe in most of the country.
- Plug type
- Type A Type B 120V
- Money
- USD or local; cards work in tourism.
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Last updated 2026-05-04