Costa Rica is simply a wonderful place; breathtaking landscapes, stunning, exotic beaches, thrilling rainforests, stimming volcanoes, friendly locals, and delicious food. Costa Rica is like heaven on earth if you like when adventure and exotic combines with astonishing beauty.
And many people seem to have the same perspective about Costa Rica since every year the number of tourists is matching the number of the citizens of Costa Rica.
I believe that when you travel to a new place or even if you have been there before, is wisest to do your research well about that place ahead in order to enjoy your stay there at maximum.
Therefore, in today’s post, we’ll present the most insightful travel tips for Costa Rica from 5 adventurous travelers.
Learn some Spanish
While the country is pretty well accustomed to English since there are tourists all year long, knowing a little Spanish will come with benefits. As Spanish is their official language, they will really appreciate your effort to salute them in Spanish and even more to try and speak with them in Spanish, even if you are pretty bad at it.
Doing so will get you warm smiles and welcomes wherever you go and it might as well come in handy when you bargain.
There are many ways to learn the basics in Spanish – there are lots of good apps, books designed for travelers, and online videos that will teach you all you need to know. Not to mention that today there are apps that will translate everything you speak in any language you need.
Prepare Your Wallet
While Costa Rica is a wonderful place to spend your holidays, this country is not counted amongst cheap destinations. In fact, the prices in Costa Rica, especially in the touristic areas, can get pretty high.
Therefore, you might want to do some savings ahead if you want to enjoy the experience at this place at the fullest. To save some money you can always travel in the low season and pay in their currency, not in dollars.
The low season might be in fact what you’re looking for if you don’t like crowds and don’t mind a bit of rain. The best part about Costa Rica is that there is never too hot or too cold.
Plan in Advance
Planning in advance is actually crucial when you travel to Costa Rica. Why? Because most people come to Costa Rica during the dry season which is from December to April. During that time there are a lot of holidays so not only that tourists would like to plan their holidays in a worm beautiful place, but the locals will come home too.
Therefore, the plane tickets will be sold out with weeks ahead. As well, the sooner you plan your trip to Costa Rica the cheaper the plane and accommodation will be. So, planning in advance is the wisest thing to do, even if you’re traveling out of season.
Skip the Tours
Some would advise you to go with guided tours to get to know the area better, but I believe that you miss a lot of wonderful experiences and places doing so. Here are two reasons why you should skip the tours:
- Is cheaper. Guided tours in Costa Rica can be pretty expensive – $130. Of course, the tour will be amazing and long and the launch and dinner will be included in the price. But you can rent a car for as much as $22 and find good places to eat for $10 per meal which means that you’ll save more than $50 considering that you have to pay the gas and the entries.
- You can visit more. Most guided tours will take you to the main tourist attractions, which you can find online and visit by yourself without having to follow a crowd – which means that you’ll have a greater time. As well, you can design the trip on your own and see amazing places that aren’t included in tours.
Bring Your Own Alcohol
If you’re planning to have some fun during your stay in Costa Rica, you’d better bring your alcohol with you because there it will almost rip you off, according to Best Essay Tips. The good part is that you can bring with you up to 5 bottles of alcohol per person in Costa Rica, which I reckon will be enough or more than enough for some.
Anyway, if you don’t want to carry bottles of alcohol with you, you’d better buy them from mini markets rather than supermarkets – they are cheaper. But if you want to feel like a pirate from the Caribbean, you should know – the rum is actually cheap.
Do Your Own Cooking
If you don’t mind cooking while you’re on vacation, you can save a lot of money on food. Of course, you should try the cuisine from Costa Rica but you can also save some money.
You can find many accommodations that have kitchens in Costa Rica that allow the guests to use. Even better, you might have your own kitchen depending on the hotel you book. After all, nothing compares with a home-cooked meal even if you’re miles away from your home.
Conclusion
As we already established, Costa Rica is a wonderful place to relax and to take your mind off of all the stress and problems you have at home and simply enjoy the beauty of this wonderful place.
To enjoy this exotic experience properly, all you have to do is to follow the above-mentioned tips. But if you’re adventurer I’d suggest you to conduct a little research to make sure you’re prepared for this trip and just go with the exotic flow and explore that place on your own.
Michael Gorman is high skilled freelance writer and proofreader from UK. Being interested in traveling and meeting new cultures, he writes various blog posts and discovers hidden gems around the world. Feel free to contact him via Facebook or check his Twitter.
