General Travel information Costa Rica

Travel papers and customs authorities
your passport should be valid for 6 months from the moment you enter Costa Rica. Furthermore, you must be in possession of a return ticket. On the tourist visa that you receive you can stay up to 90 days; you will receive this visa automatically when you enter Costa Rica.

If a longer stay is necessary, you need to leave the country for 72 hours.

Pay attention, if you make a stop in the USA in America you must conform to the requirements of America. Because this modifies regularly please inquire at your travel agent.  

Arrival and airport transfer
when you arrive to the airport Juan Santamaría in Alajuela (approx, 30 minutes from San José.)  It is possible to use our airport transfer or one of several other ways to enter San Jose.

By car from the airport:
Follow the signs to San Jose town centre.
On arrival at Paseo Colon, continue straight on to Second Avenue (Avenida Segunda).
You will see the National Theatre on your left. 300m after the Theatre turn left.
From there follow the road straight to the park Espana, there you will see the park just in front of you. Make a right turn and then immediately left alongside the park.
Then make another right turn and 100m later, turn left.
You will see the hotel but don’t get confused because you will only see the back of it.
You need to make a little u-turn where you will find yourself at the gate of the hotel.   

By taxi:
When leaving the airport you can ask for the airport taxi's (orange ones), you can buy special tickets (more or less $15 for 2 persons to San José centre).
The address description of our hotel is

Hotel Rincon the San Jose: bario Otoya, Avenida 9 y Calle 15,100 meter east and 125 south of the entrance of the emergencias the Hospital Calderon Guardia.

By bus:
Approx. 100 meters from the entrance of the airport, you will find the bus stop, which brings you to San José. You have to pay in colones for approx. half a dollar. 

Departure:
When you leave Costa Rica, you have to take into account that there is an airport departure tax of approx. $26; this can be paid in colones, dollars or by card.
Of course, you must take into account at departure the safety regulations, concerning liquid products etc these cannot be taken along in hand luggage.

Customs authorities:
Please ask at the Customs Service desk for information about what items you are allowed to carry. 

Travelling in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is considered a very safe country and Costa Ricans overall are honest and friendly people. Costa Rica is not a country in which special security measures must be taken.
The country breathes a relaxed environment, and the pleasant population let you feel yourself rapidly at ease. All though we have to warn you for the pickpockets in our capital and petty theft, you have to take into account that any crime that does exist tends to be opportunistic, rather than involving out-and-out assault. The main things travelers have to worry about in the city are street mugging and pick pocketing.

You will be an easy target as a tourist, for mostly small crimes. You must be aware at all times that you carry more with you any random day of your holiday then most of the Costa Rican earn in a week.
In addition, you may need to be a little on guard because; you are on holiday, so you are an easy target for offenders. However when paying attention to your belongings and not carrying too many valuables with you like cash, passports and visible jewelry, nothing can happen.

Important tips:
 - watch your luggage at all times
 - carry photograph equipment always on the front of your body
 - use the safety deposit boxes at your hotel

Health:
Concerning the vaccinations that are possible, always inform your specialist or doctor before travelling. Concerning the health care in Costa Rica, we can assure you that here, it is at a high level. There are plenty of pharmacies around should you require medicine. Costa Rica’s health system is reputed to be among the world ´s best. Hospitals and clinics in Costa Rica use sterilized equipment, both in private-hospitals as in the public free hospitals in the country. You are well taken care of and since you are a tourist generally you will be helped fast.

Electricity
110 volts, with American plugs with flat prongs. Of course, adaptors are available in every electrical store. Unfortunately the electricity can sometimes fail, so now and then a flash light is needed.

Time difference
Costa Rica has a time difference -7 hours GMT

Transport
Costa Rica has a public bus transportation that is abundant, frequent and cheap, functional public transport system, namely the bus. From San José buses leave to all corners of the country. For the best timetable, use the Hop On The bus map or look on www.costaricavirtualguide.com/eng_index.html fore more information. Tickets should be bought a day in advance at the bus terminal. However, the bus isn't the only means of transportation that tourists can use while they visit Costa Rica.
You can also use the Interbus or Greyline, which drives between the larger tourist destinations and will pick you up at your accommodation. You can comfortably travel with a relative shorter travel time. In addition, it is possible book flights between many large tourist places. Taxis, like buses, offer excellent service and they are much cheaper than in other countries. All taxis in the cities have a meter, which you must make sure is turned on when you enter the cab. Taxis charge more if they leave the city, so you must make sure to ask about an approximate amount before starting your ride. They are recognized from their red colour and the yellow triangle on the front doors. The tariffs are relatively low, start tariff approx. 365 colones for the first kilometer. You can stop one by simply putting up your hand.

Furthermore, you also can arrange your own transport by renting a car, mostly small 4 wheel drives are used. These are higher and more resistant against the driving circumstances and terrain in Costa Rica.

Communication telephone:
Mobile telephone, this must be dual band telephone, ask your telecom provider if their service is also available in Costa Rica. Public telephones, internationally calls are possible you can also use a telephone pre-pay card, For $10, you can phone for a quarter of an hour to Europe.

These so-called Collibri cards can be bought everywhere. On the back, you scrape away the black bare to access the code. Then you dial 199 and follow the instructions (also in English)

Internet:
In all larger places, there are internet cafés, where you can use the internet between $1 and $2 per hour.

Mail:
The post office is called, in Spanish, Correos. A stamp costs 165 colons (more or less $0.35). Your mail to Europe will take approximately a week. Mail can be posted at the post office or at your hotel reception.

Money & expenses:
The Costa Rican currency is the colon. Almost everywhere, the dollar is also accepted. Please use bills as small as possible, use only $1, $5, $10, $20.
You can withdraw money from an ATM at almost all banks, certainly in the larger cities.

$1 = more or less 500 colons Colón: Euro €1 = more or less 676 colons

Credit card:
All major credit cards are accepted in the larger hotels and shops.

Traveller’s cheques:
Since the use of an ATM is possible almost everywhere. And the use of a credit card has been extended; it makes in fact little sense to use many traveller’s cheques. Changing them at banks is very time consuming. They are still accepted in hotels etc.

The cost of food & beverages, an indication for a typical day, per person could be $30-$35

There are many restaurants in Costa Rica certainly in tourist places.
They calculate 10% tips in their menu prices 13% VAT.  It can happen that the VAT and tips are not noted on the menu. However, if in doubt ask before you order.
Tips, in restaurants these are generally included for an excellent service. An extra tip is appreciated of course. It is customary to leave a tip for the hotel cleaners, bellboys, drivers and guides (they work in the tourism sector). It is however not a costume to give a tip to taxi chauffeurs or to leave something extra money in shops, hypermarkets or public buses. Bargaining in Costa Rica is not usual except in souvenir shops or street markets.

Insects:
Because Costa Rica is a tropical country, there are many insects, reptiles and other animals. Some visitors find this annoying. You must take into account that it can occur you will find an insect ore small animal in your room. In addition, when the rooms are used cleaned. Insects can be a pest, such as mosquito’s spiders or mites. You can use a repellant or take a clamboe along with you. You can obtain a Costa Rican product called Green Screen. After your stay in Costa Rica, you will probably find that it heals better than expected.

Climate:
Costa Rica has a tropical climate. The maximum temperatures are very different by region. From the Pacific coast to the central Valley the temperature can vary from 20 degrees Celsius up to 35In the capital San José, it varies between 22 and 30 degrees Celsius. The temperature on the Caribbean coast fluctuates around 30 degrees Celsius. The humidity percentage also fluctuates by region and season and can run to 95 % within the canopy. In the rain season, the amount of annual rain varies between 1500 mm and 7000 mm.