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Accommodation: Hostel dorm beds are between $6 to 13 USD per day. Private rooms in
hostels are usually around $25 USD. Hotels begin around $40 USD per night and go up from
there.
Food: By eating at local restaurants you can expect to pay around $1-3 USD for meals. These
are a local favorite and will save you from paying tourist prices in other establishments.
Typical meals like the traditional casado are $5 USD. Most restaurant meals will cost $7 USD
or more. A very nice meal in a tourist area will cost around $12-20 USD. For cheap food, eat
from the street vendors where snacks and light meals can cost as little as .50 cents.
Transportation: Public transportation here is cheap. Short trips (3 hours) are about $3 USD
while longer trips are no more than $10 USD. There are a number of private coach operators
who go directly between major cities and tourist attractions. Those buses are about triple the
price of the local public bus.
Activities: Entrance in to most national parks is usually around $10 USD with discounts
available for students. Canopy tours and day trips are around $45 USD. A two tank dive can be
between $60 100 USD. Surfing is about $20 USD.
Click here for more information on budgeting in Costa Rica.
Money Saving Tips
Travel Off Season Late April through November is considered the rainy season here and as
a result, prices tend to be less expensive and beaches less crowded.
Eat at the sodas - Sodas are small family run restaurants which specialize in inexpensive
local meals, usually costing around $2 USD including a drink. These hole-in-the-wall
restaurants offer the best value in the country.
Go camping - Most of the resorts and hostels in many places will let you camp. If you dont
have your own tent, you can rent them. For usually just $5 USD per night, this is the best way
to keep your accommodation costs down.
Visit the Caribbean side- Costa Rica is pretty expensive. Theres few ways around that fact.
But visiting the cheaper Caribbean side will let you see the beautiful country without the high
prices of the popular Pacific destinations.
Eat at Musmanni Musmanni is a bakery found all over the country. The offer a great lunch
special. For 1,000 Colones, you can get a sandwich and a soda. Most of their pastries are only
300 Colones. I ate at this place whenever I found one because it helped keep my food costs
down.
Avoid the tourist buses While local buses are a lot slower than the tourist buses, they are
also about half the price. If you arent rushed for time, take the local buses. No trip is ever
more than $10 USD.
Top Things to See and Do
Tortuguero National Park This park on the Caribbean coast is regarded as one of
the most important breeding grounds for the endangered green turtle. It also helps to
protect manatees, sloths and various species of monkey. Visit at night to catch the
turtles laying their eggs on the beach. Its very out of the way and hard to get to.
There isnt much there but if you like jungles, birds, and quiet this is a must see.
San Jos Costa Ricas capital is located in the center of the country making it a
great hub. Overall though, the city only requires a few days. Its sort of gritty and
theres not a whole lot to do. Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art & Design to
check out the future of Costa Rican art or to the magnificent Teatro Nacional to take
in its dcor or to see the orchestra if your budget allows. The history museum
located in the town center is the highlight of a visit here.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens - Aside from the waterfalls, La Paz also includes an
aviary, hummingbird garden, butterfly garden, reptiles, big cats and more. The
gardens are the most popular tour from San J os have recently been restored.
Volcanoes The volcanoes are among the countrys top tourist attractions. Since
many are located in national parks you can combine a visit with kayaking, rafting or
hiking. Arenal is famous for the lava coming down its side but as of 2010 that has
stopped. Theres still beautiful trails nearby though. Irazu is known for its
astonishing green blue lake that sits in one of its craters, while there is a boiling acid
lake within a crater of the Poas Volcano.
Rainforest Canopies The highest 10% of a rainforest is where most activity takes
place. By going on a zip-line tour, you can have a hair-raising close view of these
vast forests. There are dozens of companies offering tours throughout the country,
though Monteverde is my favorite place to do it.
Coffee plantations - Costa Rican coffee is famous all over the world. By taking one
of the coffee plantation tours you can see every step of the refining process and get
the chance to buy discounted coffee in the gift shops. I hate the taste of coffee but
the kind I had in Monteverde tasted like chocolate. I bought bags home to drink
its that good.
Jaco J aco was once a sleepy resort town whose main attraction was its excellent
surfing, but growing tourism has transformed it into a haven of beach parties and
pumping nightclubs. Surf lessons and rentals are widely available on the beaches,
with sport fishing also being popular here. For a more sedate affair, head to the
nearby Carara Biological Reserve to spot scarlet macaws, armadillos and hundreds
of species of bird.
Puerto Viejo Located on the Caribbean coast, this city is popular with young
people and backpackers because of its great beaches, surf, and party atmosphere.
The town is very lively, and youll find something going on every night. For those
looking for a quieter place, there are many tranquil beach hotels around. It was one
of my favorite towns in the country because its Rasta influence made it very
different than the rest of Costa Rica.
Corcovado Corcovado National Park is on the remote Osa Peninsula in
southwestern Costa Rica. Its more popular than it used to be but still offers a very
rugged, quiet, and off the beaten path destination. Here youll find pristine jungles,
dolphins, and diving away from the much more developed northern western coast.
The peninsula is still not easy to get too (which helps keep tourists away) but your
efforts will be greatly rewarded. Its the highlight of the country for me.
Santa Theresa At the bottom of the Nicoya coast is the hippy backpacker town of
Santa Theresa. This town really nothing more than a beach with a road lined with
eateries, surf shops, and hostels. Not much goes on here as everyone is up early to
hit the waves. I liked that. It was a good place to just go, lay on the beach, hang out
with people, and relax. Its an easy place to fall into and spend weeks. Or like most
people, months.
Learn to Surf Whether in Puerto Viejo, Cahuita, Manuel Antonio, J aco, Santa
Theresa, or Tamarindo, Costa Rica has a lot of waves and lots of places to learn to
surf. In fact, most travelers come here to surf because the waves are world
renowned. If you never learned but always wanted to try and Australia, Hawaii, or
Bali seem too far, this is your best place to in the region to learn.
Explore Hacienda Bar National Wildlife Refuge - With 800 acres of land, seven
kilometers of walking trails, and three kilometers of fantastic beaches, this refuge is
another prime example of Costa Ricas natural beauty. The park is located on the
southern pacific coast. Birdwatching, canopy tours, and ecological tours are the
main attractions in the park.
Go sports fishing - Known for some of the best sport fishing in the world, Costa
Rica is the perfect place for fishers to catch a new personal record. The waters are
home to Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, Snapper, Wahoo, and many other species.
Consider doing either a one-day or multi-day fishing excursion.
Learn some Spanish - Costa Rica is one of the most popular Latin countries for
taking Spanish lessons. This is due to the countrys dialect, which is generally easy
to understand, and the high education level. You can expect good quality classes and
teachers. Programs vary in length and cost, but most offer the opportunity to do a
home-stay with a Costa Rican family, which is highly recommended.

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