Costa Rica Do's and Dont's!!

Taking a Trip to Costa Rica in January, curious about well do's and dont's

Well... lets see, Don't get arrested and don't forget your magnums and roofies. That should just about cover it...

god I love the internet...

Where are you going, in particular? And what in particular do you have in mind? Who are you going with? What are you intending for transportation. There is some great stuff to do and see, and some stuff certainly to be avoided, but most of the answers depend up on the above... So what kind of experience are you wanting to have?

For the most part, it really is just like Switzerland.

Bring something to help you sleep if you're visiting the Osa Peninsula, like a sleeping pill, or a hammer; we stayed in the trees in an open hut exposed to the elements, which was pretty cool for a minute, but those howler monkeys like to yell sweet nothings in your ears all damn night, and the tree frogs, poison-dart frogs, flying insects, and too many species of spiders to name join you. Bring deet+ your full body mosquito net to sleep in. Don't be shocked when you can't even get through the crust of your bread because there's layers of tiny flies encasing it as you try to eat; shooing doesn't help, just close your eyes, bite, chew and enjoy.

And don't be afraid of the farmers swinging their machetes in the more remote hiking areas. It's all good.

AHH, AHH, AHH, AHH, EEE EEE, EEE, EEE, OOH OOH, OOH, or something to that effect.
(repeat 20 times per minute)while they are sleeping.

EDIT: We landed in San Jose-CR making our way from the north to the south, and hit the road (No guides; on our own) by bus, taxi, on foot, boat, and by small aircraft, and were able to cover a lot of ground. Lots to see, and do there. Great food, and friendly people. We mostly hiked, kayaked, swam, hung out on the beautiful beaches, and searched for wildlife, which there is a lot of. You'll have fun!

• Oh yeah, don't sit, or lay under the coconut trees; those things drop like bombs, and could kill you! No joke!

Don't visit Tamarindo

Do visit Playa Del Coco

Don't get too close to the Howlers. They do throw their feces.

Don't go into San Juan if you can. Had to on my way there to catch my bus. But on the way back I was able to talk the bus driver into dropping my off near the aeropuerto and then took a quick cab to Alajeula.

Walked around the suburb, got great street food, drank cervecas and its then a 5-minute drive to the airport for that early morning flight back to the States.

Ryko wrote:Don't get too close to the Howlers. They do throw their feces.

Really? And I accused my partner...

Have fun.

and remember...Pura Vida=I just stole your wallet.

Do: Rental car, Manuel Antonio (though crowded), Osa Peninsula, Montezuma, Manzanillo, Playa Ventanas, Dive

Don't: Organized tours or tour guides, Tortuguero (sweet but takes a lot of time out of a short trip), any Pacific beaches within three hours of San Jose

Have a blast!

Rincon de la Vieja is cool, beautiful hike, too:

The beach in Tortuguera:


Keep your eyes peeled:

DO:

Go to Corcovado NP on the Osa Peninsula. One of the most biologcially rich parts of the planet, and one of the most amazing experiences of my life. LOTS of wildlife.

DON'T: eat anything from roadside snack shacks without soap or running water (gee, where do those food workers wash their hands after they crap?)

BackCountry wrote:Don't visit Tamarindo Do visit Playa Del Coco

What's up with Tamarindo? I got a week in CR this summer and was thinking about this place. I know it's got a rep for being a haven for kooks but it also has a rep for having decent waves and easy access. My only goal is get some decent waves in warm water. I don't super mysto-secret spots or stand up barrels (although if the latter present themselves I won't mind...)

Ian G. wrote: What's up with Tamarindo?

If you're not interested in experiencing all the great things that Costa Rica has to offer, then Tamarindo may suit your needs. It's very touristic and lacks a lot of the appeal found in the rest of Costa Rica. With all the tourists comes the thieves and those looking to take advantage.

I spent a week in Playa del Coco surfing Witches Rock & Ollies Point (short boat ride) and had the time of my life! Then went to Tamarindo and just didn't appreciate all the tourist. However, I did appreciate the bountiful european chicks there... Wait, maybe you should go to Tamarindo!

Check out Playa de Asuzucar

If you're not a strong surfer and you would like to try it out in a place where a beginner can do more than just ride the foam on a longboard, Tamarindo is fine. That said, the high gringo level is actually sort of creepy. Also, outside of the waves, the beach there sucks compared to Manuel Antonio or the Caribbean side.

Manuel Antonio offers the best non-surf beach/jungle. Cahuita and Puerto Viejo are nice, but really far away from everything. Inland, I would recommend Monteverde, Cataratas La Paz, and Irazu; Arenal is unreliable and Poas is not that impressive. Avoid San Juan.

Do: Take buses, live out of your backpack, speak in Spanish (or try if you can't), bring your board, visit Playa Negra, Witch's Rock (I've ridden double-overhead here the last two times I've been in the country), eat at sodas, talk to locals, camp out in public lands, visit monteverde.

don't: spend more time in San Jose than you have to (same for Tamarindo and Playa Flamingo), stay in resort hotels, wave your credit card around, speak in English to locals and expect them to understand you, get in fights with the locals while in the lineup.

I'll go against the flow and say Tamarindo is pretty cool. I was there for a month and I loved it. Yep, lots of tourists, but within 10 minutes you can get away from almost all of them. Had no issues with thieves or anybody else, but there is a party crowd there that gets lively and is easily avoided if that's not your gig. We took our infant son and were bombarded with stories of Nicaraguan baby snatchers before we left. Take every story with a grain of salt, most are simply not true. Now having spent some time there I don't understand why everybody gets in such a tizzy about Tamarindo, in fact we almost didn't go because of its reputation. It seems a little like getting worked up about Moab, just because it's popular doesn't mean it's not cool. That said, I'm sure 20 or so years ago it was a much different place and I'm sure I'd lament the loss had I been there before.

If you can keep your cool about not having discovered something nobody else knows about you'll enjoy your trip, no matter where you wind up, much more. Keep this in mind for all the popular tourist spots: Arenal, Monte Verde, Manuel Antonio, Jaco, Dominical, etc., which are all worth a visit.

Even though you can get away with very little Spanish, your experience will be a lot less rich, and locals will be much less helpful, if you don't at least learn and try a little. The Pimsleur Spanish courses are really good, very useful, convenient, easy to learn, and probably available at your local library (or bittorrent). I did Rosetta Stone too, which is also really good, but helps more with vocabulary than conversation.

If you're interested in surfing the H2O Surf Travel Guide is really handy and was able to have a lot of places completely to myself. Even if you don't surf, the restaurant suggestions led us to some interesting places.

My wife and I went there for our honeymoon and it was without a doubt the best non-climbing trip we have ever taken. DO NOT take any of the day guided tours, particularly any that try to cover X amount of sites in 8 hours. They spend most of their time stopped at crappy souvenir shops.

DO visit the National Parks. Manuel Antonio was good for seeing sloths. But the best was without a doubt Corcovado down in the SW corner. Here is just a short list of what we saw there: Macaws, Tucans, Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, White-faced Monkeys, Boa Constrictors, Coati, Tapirs, Poison-Dart Frogs, Jesus Lizards, Halloween Crabs, Hawksbill Turtle laying eggs, and more birds, lizards, spiders, frogs, and smaller snakes than I could possibly remember. Take a good camera with a really good flash and mono/tri-pod.

Thought of one more thing this morning: if you are going to rent a car, which you should even if you're short on scratch, you can find much cheaper deals than through the formal companies. Check San Jose Craigslist, check local newspaper websites before you go, and communicate by e.mail. We rented a nice Corolla from a family for $17 per day with unlimited mileage. Similar at one of the companies would have been over $50.

The buses are sweet and a cool way of meeting and talking to people and kind of imbibing la vida cotidiana, but they are sloooow, and you'll blow a big bite of your trip on 'em.

I am somewhat amazed that nobody has mentioned going to the observatory at Arenal for a night... or staying there for a night if you have the wherewithal. If you are going with a wife/GF, I can't imagine anything more romantic than sitting out on the balcony at night watching the lava blocks roll down the cone and drinking a bottle of wine together. Worked for us, anyway...

If you go to Corcovado, on the OSA (you can fly into Puerto Jiminez cheaply) then stay at the lodge, and make sure to get a guide, but on your agenda not theirs. ALso make sure they will take you out at night, whcih is its own experience.

No matter what you do, be sure that the spare tire is LOCKED to the car and that you have no hubcaps and furthermore have it WRITTEN that you have no hubcaps. Theft from rental cars is big business down there. The owners of the "pay to watch your car" lots are in on it. It helps generate revenue in 2 ways.