Costa Rica Visa Runs & the 180-Day Rule
You don’t have to wait 90 days between visits, whatever the forums say. How the 180-day rule and border runs…
Costa Rica Hot Springs: Every Option Compared
Nearly every hot spring here is a resort with a gate and a price list. An honest comparison of what…
Uber in Costa Rica: Where It Works and Where It Doesn’t
Uber is neither banned nor normal in Costa Rica. Here’s where the app actually works, what happens at the airports,…
Costa Rica Beach Safety: Rip Currents & Where to Swim
Rip currents kill more visitors than anything else in Costa Rica. How to read one from the sand, which beaches…
What Does Pura Vida Actually Mean in Costa Rica?
Pure life, sure — but Ticos use it as hello, thanks, no worries and never mind. Where the phrase came…
How to Get to Tortuguero: Boats, Flights and Turtle Season
No road goes there. You arrive by boat or small plane, and the route you pick changes the cost and…
Can Tourists Use SINPE Móvil in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica runs on payments by phone. Most tourists can’t use it — here’s who actually qualifies, and what to…
Costa Rica Farmers Markets: A Local’s Guide
The ferias are where Ticos buy produce, at prices no supermarket touches. Where to find the good ones, what’s worth…
Where to See Sloths in Costa Rica With Kids
Sloths are easier to find than you’d think, if you know where to stand and when to go. Six spots…
How Do Pharmacies Work in Costa Rica? Full Guide
A Costa Rican farmacia does far more than fill prescriptions — pharmacists diagnose, inject and advise. What’s sold over the…
How to Get a Costa Rican Driver’s License
Your home license stops being valid the day your tourist stay ends. Here’s how homologation works, what it costs, and…
Veranillo de San Juan: Costa Rica’s Little Summer
Rainy season breaks for a week or two around June 24, and most visitors have never heard of it. What…
Ziplining in Costa Rica: Best Canopy Tours & Top Operators
Costa Rica invented the canopy tour, and the options range from gentle to genuinely frightening. Operators, prices, the Superman line,…
How San José Became the Capital of Costa Rica
(Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP) How San José Became the Capital of Costa Rica (1823 Story) San José wasn’t…