There are 2 important things to keep in mind when planning how you will get around the country.

1. Plan your transportation in advance. Most tourist destinations are 2-3 hours from either international airport (LIR or SJO), so if nothing else, at least plan how you will get from the airport to your first destination. This will avoid you making the mistake of overpaying for a taxi at the airport (taxi drivers will swarm you at the airport exit and if you don`t have a plan, you will be taken for a sucker).
2. Don`t be too cheap- you will waste time and sacrifice comfort. There are many ways to travel Costa Rica on a budget, but in my opinion, skimping on transportation should not be one of them. Spending a little bit more for a private van transfer, for example, can save you a ton of time and make getting from point A to B a lot more enjoyable!

If you decide to rent a car, here`s some things you should know:

• Rent a 4 wheel drive SUV. You will need it, trust me.

• Always double check what your TOTAL price will be to rent the car (including the mandatory insurance). Everyone loves to complain about the rental car companies in Costa Rica. They advertise super low rates like $10 per day but what people don`t realize is that this does not include mandatory insurance required by Costa Rican law.

• The best navigation app for Costa Rica is WAZE.

• Don´t drive at night if you can avoid it. The roads are narrow and curvy, many are not very well lit, and its just kinda dangerous if you don´t know where you`re going.

The national currency in Costa Rica is Colones, however both Colones and USD are accepted throughout the country!  If you are traveling with USD, you do not need to exchange your money.  If you want to exchange money just for the fun of it, either go to a bank or just pay a bill in USD and you will get Colones back in change.  Do NOT exchange money at the airport- they have the worst exchange rate!

I always hear people say “Next time I visit Costa Rica I`m going to pack totally differently!”

Many people make these very common mistakes: overpacking, packing the wrong clothes and bringing totally unnecessary things.

To avoid making this same mistake, check out another article I wrote called “What to Pack for Costa Rica.”

Every time I see a tourist trying to feed a monkey a banana, I want to slap them. Especially the ones that are trying to get a selfie at the same time. OMG.

When you feed a monkey a banana or anything else, you are not helping them. You are actually harming them! Monkeys can actually die from the bacteria on our hands that is transmitted when handing them a banana.

Seems obvious, but somehow people still manage to completely fry themselves on their first beach day.  Costa Rica is close to the equator so the sun is super strong here.  My best tips for sunblock are:

• Use sunblock LOTION, not the spray on kind
• Use at least SPF 50 or higher
• Reapply more often than you think you need to (like every 1-2 hours or anytime you get out of the water)
• Sunblock is very expensive in Costa Rica, so definitely bring this from home!

You have not fully experienced Costa Rica until you eat at a soda!

Sodas are mom and pop type restaurants that are the true Costa Rican dining experience.  Many people will skip right over them because they are usually “hole in the wall” not very aesthetically pleasing kind of places, but this is a huge mistake because they are so delicious!

You can order a typical Costa Rican dish (called a casado) for about $5-7 which includes rice, beans, your choice of meat, salad and plantains.  My favorite is a vegan casado (everything but the meat!).

San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica, and home to one of the international airports (SJO). Although there are some things to do in San Jose (like museums or a city bus tour), it is just not as beautiful as the rest of the country. To be straight up blunt about it, it`s like the armpit of the country.

Like I mentioned before, most tourist destinations are 2-3 hours from the airport, so if you arrive late or depart early, it`s a good idea to stay at a hotel by the airport.

If you need a hotel close to the airport in San Jose, we recommend Adventure Inn.

Just like I recommended not visit too many locations in a short amount of time, do not overdo it on the tours!

On my first trip to Costa Rica with my mom, we were so excited and wanted to do every single tour imaginable!  Then we ended up cancelling half of them because we completely overexerted ourselves.

It`s a great idea to plan in advance any tours you definitely want to do, but make sure to leave some days free to just go with the flow and relax.  It is just not realistic to go zip lining in the morning, on a catamaran in the afternoon and then a jungle night tour.  One tour a day is plenty!

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