What to Know Before Your Costa Rica Trip

Here are the essential things people are somewhat not familiar with arriving in Costa Rica. These are helpful comments to get you prepared for your trip. Also, don’t forget the packing list, which is vitally important to enjoy your trip more.

Costa Rica Accepts US Dollars

• Almost all souvenir shops and restaurants will take US Dollars.

Drive times are Never Accurate 

• Mountainous roads, traffic, and often road work can affect driving times.

Wildlife is Small but Loud

• Rainforest is so biodiverse because animals have adapted to not being seen. Your guide will be able to point things out, but it’s not all up in your face like the African Savana.

Sun is up by 5:30 am and down by 6 pm

• Like clockwork every day. Only 8 degrees above the equator.

Mostly Everything is Open Air

• Restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets are often open air. Insulation does not exist in Costa Rica.

You don’t tip in restaurants, but in your tourism guides, you do Tip.

• This can be confusing. Restaurants have 10% included, and most locals don’t leave any money on the table. Your tour guides do expect to be tipped. See our chart for tipping your guides.

Temperatures can drop in Costa Rica

• If you were worried about no insulation, don’t worry. The evenings and early mornings are very friendly in most parts of Costa Rica. At higher elevations, it can even get down into the ’30s. The difference in temperature happens not at the time of the year but at the time of the day.