Things to Do in Costa Rica
Sloths in the morning, surf at sunset, coffee that tastes like rainforest
Top Things to Do in Costa Rica
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Plan Your Trip
Essential guides for timing and budgeting
Climate Guide
Best times to visit based on weather and events
View guide →Day Trips
The best excursions and nearby destinations worth the journey
Explore day trips →Where to Stay
Best neighbourhoods, hotel picks, and booking tips
Find hotels →Travel Insurance
What's required, what coverage matters, and how to get a quote
Read guide →What to Pack
Climate-specific gear, essentials, and what to leave at home
See packing list →When Should You Visit Costa Rica?
Tap a month for weather, crowds, and highlights
View full year-round climate guide →Explore Costa Rica
Your Guide to Costa Rica
About Costa Rica
Costa Rica greets you with the scent of damp soil and coffee blossoms drifting from Central Valley fincas before you clear immigration. Your shared shuttle climbs switchbacks toward San José. Scarlet macaws bank between ceiba trees. Temperature drops ten degrees as cloud forest replaces city smog. This country abolished its army to fund national parks.
Manuel Antonio's squirrel monkeys share the canopy with tourists paying $12 for beachfront ceviche. Monteverde's hummingbirds hover inches from your $25 zip-line harness. The Caribbean side pulses to reggaeton in Puerto Viejo's open-air bars where rice and beans costs 2,500 colones ($5). The Pacific coast at Tamarindo blasts surf rock and charges 5,000 colones ($10) for Imperial beer.
Roads turn to washboard after one storm. Dry season dust coats your throat for days. But watching leatherbacks lay eggs under starlight at Playa Grande feels priceless. Catching dawn mist rising off Arenal's perfect cone stuns. The $45 park fees and occasional flat tire become reasonable admission to a country that's been getting the planet right for decades.
Most Costa Rica trips treat San Jose as a transit point, but the capital answers a specific set of questions before the volcanoes and coasts take over - which day-trips actually leave from here, why the Central Market is the honest first stop, how to read the city in the day you'll likely give it - and the San Jose answer engine at TTDI covers exactly that, separate from the country framing here.
Travel Tips
Transportation: Rental 4WDs cost 35,000-50,000 colones ($70-100) daily. Skip the airport counters. Book through Adobe or Vamos online for insurance that's valid. Public buses work. The San José to Manuel Antonio route runs 3,500 colones ($7) and drops you at the park gate. The 4-hour journey becomes 6 when every farmer flags it down. Download the BusCR app for real schedules. Posted times are decorative. Taxis from Juan Santamarían Airport quote 30,000 colones ($60) to the city center. Walk to the departure level. Drop-off taxis take you for half that.
Money: Colones rule outside tourist zones. Carry small bills since 10,000 colón notes ($20) get rejected at sodas. ATMs charge 2,500-4,000 colones ($5-8) per withdrawal. Scotiabank and BAC San José have the lowest fees. Cards work at hotels and tour operators. The roadside fruit stand selling pipa fría for 500 colones ($1) is cash-only. Split your stash. Colones for gas stations and rural sodas. Dollars for surf camps and zip-line operators who price everything in USD anyway.
Cultural Respect: Ticos don't do direct confrontation. Pura vida isn't just a greeting. It's conflict avoidance wrapped in good vibes. When your shuttle runs two hours late, breathe rather than complain. Rural areas still operate on Catholic time. 2 PM might mean 3:30. Always greet shopkeepers with buenos días/tardes before asking prices. It's the difference between gringo tax and local rates. Remove sunglasses when speaking to older residents. Eye contact matters more than you'd think.
Food Safety: Street food is generally safer than tourist restaurants. Those roadside ceviche stands turn over fish fast enough that nothing sits. The rule: if locals queue, you're golden. Tap water is drinkable in San José and most tourist towns. 600 colón ($1.20) bottles make sense in rural areas. Fruit stands machete-open pipas right in front of you. This beats anything pre-cut. Skip lettuce at roadside sodas unless you see it washed in boiled water. Parasites love wet greens more than tourists do.
When to Visit
December through April brings dry season reality. Pacific coast beaches hit 32°C (90°F) with zero rainfall. Hotel prices spike 60% around Christmas and Easter. Manuel Antonio hits 35°C (95°F) in March with 4,000 colones ($8) national park fees. Monteverde stays cooler at 24°C (75°F) but crowds swarm the cloud forest trails.
May starts green season. Afternoon rains begin but prices drop 40%. Tourists thin dramatically. June through August offers the sweet spot. Mornings stay clear for Arenal volcano views. Afternoon showers cool things to 28°C (82°F). You'll have Cahuita's reefs to yourself except for locals paying 1,000 colones ($2) entry.
September-October brings serious rain on the Pacific side. The Caribbean coast, Puerto Viejo to Tortuguero, enjoys its driest months. Good for turtle nesting tours at 25,000 colones ($50). November marks transition. Pacific beaches reopen. Prices haven't surged yet. You'll catch both whale migrations off Uvita while paying shoulder-season rates.
Budget travelers should target May or September. Flights drop 25-35%. Hostels offer free nights to fill beds.
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