Things to Do in Costa Rica

About Costa Rica

The first thing that hits you in Costa Rica isn't the heat — it's the sound. Howler monkeys start their daily conference call at 5 AM from the almond trees lining Manuel Antonio's beaches. Their roars bounce off the Pacific so loudly you'll swear there's a jaguar outside your window. By 6 AM, you're drinking coffee that tastes like someone distilled the rainforest itself — earthy, bright, with hints of chocolate from the volcanic soil around San Ramón. Costa Rica doesn't do half-measures. The bus from San José to Puerto Viejo costs ₡4,200 ($7.30) and takes six hours through cloud forests. The temperature drops 20 degrees in thirty minutes. You'll pass Cartago's crumbling colonial churches, then along the Caribbean coast where Rastafarians sell coconut bread out of converted school buses. The zip-line at Monteverde will set you back ₡31,000 ($54) and absolutely terrify you. You'll soar over 500-year-old strangler figs. But the breakfast casado at Soda La Amistad in La Fortuna — gallo pinto, fried plantains, and coffee strong enough to wake the dead — runs ₡2,800 ($4.90) and might be the best meal of your trip. Yes, everything costs twice what you'd pay in Guatemala. Yes, the rainy season means you'll get soaked walking from your hotel to the restaurant. But Costa Rica has figured something out that most countries spot't: they've made conservation profitable. They've turned their entire country into a living laboratory where scarlet macaws fly between almond trees in downtown San José. Somehow they've convinced their citizens that protecting sloths makes more economic sense than cutting down forests.

Travel Tips

Transportation: ₡3,850 ($6.70) gets you from San José to Manuel Antonio in 3.5 hours—sharp. The direct bus leaves at 6 AM, 12 PM, and 6 PM with one bathroom stop. Download busCR before you land; Spanish interface, real-time schedules. Taxi meters between SJO airport and San José city center? Don't trust them. They'll quote ₡25,000 ($43) when the real rate is ₡15,000 ($26). Here's the move: walk 100 meters past the taxi stands to the orange airport buses—₡535 ($0.90) to downtown, just as fast.

Money: BAC Credomatic ATMs won't hit you with international fees and spit out colones at the best rate—use them. Costa Rica runs on US dollars and colones interchangeably, but restaurants price everything in dollars and hand back colones at lousy rates. Your dinner at a soda (local diner) will be ₡2,500-4,000 ($4.35-7). The same plate at a tourist restaurant jumps to $15-20. Hotels quote in USD, so you're shielded from currency swings. Pro tip: pay cash at sodas and markets. Cards trigger the 13% sales tax automatically.

Cultural Respect: "Pura vida" isn't a marketing line—Ticos live it. Say it back with a smile. Always. Pointing at sloths or monkeys? Don't. Disrespectful. Enter a soda, wait for seating. No menus—they'll tell you what's cooking. Beach vendors at Tamarindo or Manuel Antonio aren't aggressive, yet a firm "no, gracias" beats ignoring them every time. Sunday lunch is sacred. Most family restaurants lock up by 3 PM. Plan for it.

Food Safety: Costa Rica has the safest street food in Central America. Don't touch ceviche from beach vendors unless you watch them make it fresh. The water's safe everywhere except the Caribbean coast—bottled water only in Puerto Viejo and Cahuita. Eat at sodas attached to people's houses; that casado with fresh fish in El Castillo costs ₡3,500 ($6) and comes with vegetables from their garden. The afternoon rains mean fried foods sit longer—order empanadas and patacones in the morning. In San José, Mercado Central has been serving the same pork tamales since 1880. When locals queue, join them.

When to Visit

Costa Rica runs on clockwork weather—December through April is bone-dry on the Pacific side. Guanacaste hits 29°C (84°F) with zero rain, but hotel prices leap 60-80% and Manuel Antonio's beaches feel like Times Square on New Year's. May flips the switch—afternoon rains crash in, temperatures drop to 25°C (77°F), and hotel rates fall 40-50%. June through August is the sweet spot: morning sun, afternoon showers, 30% fewer tourists, luxury suddenly within reach. September and October hammer the Caribbean with 300mm (12 inches) of rain, yet the Pacific side enjoys its clearest skies. November is the insider month—25°C (77°F) days, rains easing off, and that resort in Santa Teresa costs half the March price. Whale watchers should aim for Uvita in August-September for humpbacks; turtle nesting at Tortuguero peaks July-October. Christmas through New Year? Book nine months ahead and pay triple. The real deal is mid-May through June—26°C (79°F), afternoon rains gone by sunset, and you'll have the Howler Monkey Hostel in La Fortuna's rooftop pool to yourself for ₡12,000 ($21) instead of ₡35,000 ($61).