Costa Rica Travel Advice

British Airways offers frequent direct flights from London to San Jose during the peak season from October until March. There are also indirect flights via Europe with airlines including Iberia, KLM, Air France and Lufthansa, as well as flights via Canada and the United States.

The direct flight between London and San Jose is about 10-11 hours, with indirect flights slightly longer depending on where you are flying via and the stopover time.

Costa Rica -6 hours GMT.

British citizens do not need a visa to visit Costa Rica for stays of up to 90 days.

Greet locals with a friendly ‘buenos dias’ or ‘buenas tardes’ and understand that eye contact is valued in conversation. ‘Pura vida’ is the most common saying throughout Costa Rica, translating to the ‘simple life’ or ‘everything is good’ and recognises a relaxed, optimistic and grateful lifestyle.

Embrace the slower pace of life and expect service in restaurants and bars to be slower than the UK and Europe.

If self-driving, don’t underestimate travel times as when driving in more rural and remote areas roads can be windy and/or unpaved. Also avoid driving at night.

Do not touch or feed wildlife and do not remove natural souvenirs such as taking rocks, shells or plants from their natural habitats.

It is polite to ask permission of any local people before taking any photographs.

Costa Rica has its own currency, the Costa Rica Colón, which is divided in 100 centimos. The US dollar is also very widely accepted in Costa Rica and can be used in most hotels, restaurants and shops as well as for tips. There are ATMs in larger towns and cities and credit cards are also widely accepted, but in remote rainforest lodges it is best to have US dollars cash or local currency.

Tipping is common in Costa Rica as with the rest of Latin America but is at your discretion. The amount of tip should depend on the service received. A 10% service charge is always included in restaurant bills. As a guideline, a tip of around US$5 to US$10 per person per day for a guide is about the right amount, and about S$5 per person per day for a driver. Tips to guides and drivers are normally given in US dollars cash.  Please note that American travellers to Costa Rica do often tip much higher than this amount, but you should not feel pressured to overtip.

Costa Rica is known for its abundance of fresh tropical fruits and vegetables as well as excellent seafood. Many dishes were brough to Costa Rica by Spanish settlers but adapted to local ingredients, although the Caribbean coast does have more of an Afro-Caribbean influence. Gallo Pinto, the local version of the ubiquitous Latin American staple of rice and beans is one of the most common dishes, often served for breakfast, but can also be found for lunch and dinner.  Grilled meat and fish with rice or salad is served in most restaurants, with ceviche, raw marinated fish, common on the Pacific Coast and rondón, a meat and vegetable stew common on the Caribbean coast.

Copo, shaved ice flavoured with fruit syrup is a great way to cool down, and there is an abundance of fresh fruit juices as well as excellent local coffees. The national alcoholic drink is guaro, made from sugar cane, although American-style beers are more common, with some excellent craft beers produced in San Jose.

Local handicrafts such as the woodwork and handmade jewellery can be found in the Mercade Central in San Jose as well as the markets of Tamarindo and Sarchi. Costa Rica is known for its excellent local coffee and chocolate which can often be purchased directly from plantations as well as in Britt stores.

Costa Rica is generally regarded as a safe country, although petty theft such as pickpocketing and purse-snatching is not uncommon, especially in San Jose and you should remain vigilant. For current information on Costa Rica the best resource is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) which is a comprehensive resource and updated regularly. We would also recommend visiting the Safer Tourism Foundation website (www.safertourism.org.uk) before you travel and will be happy to address any questions or concerns you may have.

Lonely Planet and Rough Guides have excellent guide books for Costa Rica. The ‘Birds of Costa Rica’ by Richard Garrigues is an excellent guide to the birdlife of the country, although many lodges have their own field guides.

Costa Rica is considered to have the best healthcare system in Latin America with a comprehensive public health system supported by reputable private clinics. Your doctor is the best person to advise you on staying healthy whilst abroad but current recommended vaccinations are Hepatitis A and Tetanus. Yellow Fever is not present in Costa Rica, but a Yellow Fever certificate is required if travelling from countries with a risk of Yellow Fever. This includes all destinations with Latin America with the exception of Panama and Argentina. There is a low risk of malaria on the Caribbean Coast and very low risk elsewhere in the country - antimalarials are not usually recommend except in exceptional circumstances. For current information on health advice you may wish to visit the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website Travel Health Pro on https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/. The Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad (MASTA) website (www.masta.org) is also a useful resource.

Costa Rica offers a wide range of accommodation, from city hotels to rainforest lodges to boutique beach resorts and private villas, all with a wide range of standards. While there are some large beach resorts, most accommodation tends to be small and focuses on providing excellent service. Outside of San Jose, visitors to Costa Rica rarely stay in large towns or cities and most often stay in more remote locations to soak up the wildlife and scenery. Due to the remote location and small size of the hotels and lodges, accommodation needs to be booked well in advance.