Catarata El Santuario, also called La Catedral, is a waterfall of roughly 25 meters that pours through a volcanic rock …
Playa Conchal, Costa Rica: How to Visit the Shell Beach
Playa Conchal is the beach people come to Guanacaste to see: a curved bay of crushed white shells, clear green …
La Leona Waterfall, Costa Rica: Hike, Prices and Tips
La Leona Waterfall is a guided river-canyon hike in Curubandé, about 20 minutes (18 kilometers) from Liberia in Guanacaste, near …
DIMEX Costa Rica: How to Get and Renew Your Residency Card
The DIMEX is the ID card Costa Rica issues to foreign residents. You get it after immigration approves your residency …
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: Travel Guide and Things to Do
Santa Teresa has grown from a remote surf village into one of Costa Rica’s best-known beach towns. It still sits …
Do You Need a Passport for Costa Rica? Rules and Tips
Yes, you need a passport for Costa Rica, and it has to be a passport book. A US passport card, …
Camino de Costa Rica: Hiking Coast to Coast in 16 Stages
El Camino de Costa Rica is a 280-kilometer (174-mile) hiking route across Costa Rica from the Caribbean coast to the …
Sámara, Costa Rica: Beach Guide, Things to Do and Tips
Sámara, Costa Rica, is a small, walkable beach town on the Pacific side of the Nicoya Peninsula, in southern Guanacaste, …
La Fortuna Waterfall: Hike, Swimming, Fees and Tips
La Fortuna Waterfall (Catarata Río Fortuna) is a 70-meter (230-foot) waterfall about 10 minutes by car from the town of …
Dominical, Costa Rica: A First-Timer’s Travel Guide
Dominical, Costa Rica, is a small surf town on the southern Pacific coast, about 3.5 hours’ drive from San José’s …
How to Call Costa Rica From the US (Cell and Landline)
Booking a hotel, confirming a tour or checking in with someone in Costa Rica? The dialing format is simple once …
Is Costa Rica Safe for Solo Female Travelers? Tips and Towns
Yes, Costa Rica is a good choice for solo female travel, and many women travel here alone without serious problems. …
Tamarindo, Costa Rica: First-Timer’s Guide and Best Time to Go
Tamarindo is a busy beach town on Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast, about an hour from Liberia’s airport. It’s one …
Costa Rica Airports: SJO vs. LIR and Which to Choose
Costa Rica has two main international airports: Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), near San José in the Central Valley, and …
White-Faced Monkeys in Costa Rica: Where to See Capuchins
White-faced monkeys, also called white-faced capuchins, are the monkeys visitors see most often in Costa Rica. They live in forests …
Visiting San José, Costa Rica: A First-Timer’s Guide
San José, Costa Rica, is worth one or two days on a first trip, not a whole vacation. Most international …
Guapinol Tree in Costa Rica: Uses, Growth and Conservation
The guapinol tree (Hymenaea courbaril) is a tall tropical hardwood found mainly in Costa Rica’s Pacific lowlands and the dry …
Bungee Jumping in Costa Rica: Where to Jump and What It Costs
Bungee jumping in Costa Rica today mostly means one place: Monteverde Extremo Park, where you jump from a cable car …
Off-the-Beaten-Path Costa Rica: 10 Adventures to Try
If you want to see off-the-beaten-path Costa Rica, skip the third zipline and try one of these instead: crawl through …
Venado Caves Costa Rica: What the Tour Is Like and How to Go
The Venado Caves (Cavernas de Venado) are a wild limestone cave system about 45 minutes from La Fortuna, near the …
Costa Rica Travel Insurance Requirements and Medical Coverage
Costa Rica doesn’t require travel insurance to enter. Most visitors should still buy a travel medical policy, because your home …
Costa Rica Chorreador: How to Brew Coffee the Tico Way
A chorreador is Costa Rica’s traditional coffee maker: a small wooden stand that holds a cloth filter, called a bolsita, …
Best Wildlife Viewing in Costa Rica: Where to Go and When
The best wildlife viewing in Costa Rica is in Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula, where tapirs, all four …
Costa Rica Holidays and Celebrations: A Month-by-Month Guide
A public holiday can close the bank you needed, fill every beach hotel or put you in the middle of …