Most trip planners treat Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast as the rainy side and send travelers to the Pacific instead. On …
La Fortuna, Costa Rica: How to Plan Your Arenal Base
Many first-time visitors picture La Fortuna as a village at the foot of an erupting volcano. Arenal has not erupted …
Costa Rica Cafes: Find Local Coffee Shops Worth Visiting
Costa Rica grows some of the best coffee on earth, which travelers reasonably assume means any cafe will serve them …
Manuel Antonio National Park: Tickets, Trails and Timing
Costa Rica’s most visited national park is also the one most people get wrong. You cannot pay at the gate, …
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 really work — and the bill that could change them.
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 you get for the money, plus the one free river near Arenal.
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, and when you still need a car.
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 are safe to swim, and what to do if you’re pulled out.
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 from, and how to use it without sounding like a tourist.
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 the day. Every option compared, plus turtle season timing.
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 reach for instead.
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 buying, and how to shop without standing out.
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 that work with kids, and whether you need a guide.
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 counter, and the Spanish worth knowing.
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 how long the paperwork really takes.
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 the veranillo is, and how to plan around it.
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, and age and weight limits.
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 …
White Water Rafting in Costa Rica: A Complete Guide to Rivers, Difficulty & Seasons
White Water Rafting in Costa Rica: A Complete Guide to Rivers, Difficulty & Seasons There’s a particular kind of laughter …
Costa Rica Power Outlets, Voltage & SIM Cards: A Traveler’s Guide
Two questions hit every Costa Rica traveler within the first hour of landing: will my charger work in this wall? …
Costa Rica Travel Checklist
Costa Rica is one of the easier international destinations to plan for — visa-free for most travelers, no required vaccines, …
Santa Rosa National Park: History, Dry Forest, and Witch’s Rock in One Costa Rica Park
Most travelers to Guanacaste drive right past it on their way to the beach. That’s their mistake. Santa Rosa is …
48 Hours in Costa Rica: A 2-Day Itinerary That Actually Works
Most people come to Costa Rica for a week or two. But sometimes life only gives you 48 hours — …
Driving in Costa Rica: Rules, Fines, and What to Do in an Accident
Driving in Costa Rica is the best way to see the country — but the roads here work differently than …