Costa Rica
Airports
The main airport (Juan Santamaria) lies 15 km northwest of San Jose, near the town of Alajuela. It has restaurants, duty-free shops, bureaux de change, cash distributors and car hire agencies. If you want to take a taxi to San Jose you have to pay at the ticket office then join the queue.
The second-largest international airport, Daniel Oduber Quiros, lies 13 km west of Liberia, in the Guanacaste, and was inaugurated in 1998. Several American airlines fly into here and it's a good alternative for visitors heading for the North Pacific coast. There are fewer facilities and you have to take a taxi to reach the car hire agency offices.
Credit cards
They are accepted almost everywhere in the country, even for small amounts. Visa and MasterCard are the most easily accepted, followed by American Express and Diner's Club. They can be used to withdraw cash from distributors.
Customs allowances
Visitors aged 18 and over may import, duty-free, 3 litres alcoholic drinks, 400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 500 g tobacco, and a reasonable amount of perfume for their personal use.
Electricity
110 volts AC, 60 Hz. Plugs have two flat prongs, like those of the United States.
Essentials
Pack light cotton clothing, but don't forget thick trousers and a long-sleeved shirt for your forays into the forest (to keep out the insects). You will also need good shoes, a sunhat and a waterproof coat or jacket-a hiking cape always comes in useful in Costa Rica. A sweater is essential for visiting volcanoes, where the wind blows constantly. You will probably need a mosquito repellent, especially if you come in winter.
Holidays
Apart from the usual public holidays, there are numerous religious and regional festivals. Everything stops for Maundy Thursday and Easter Friday, and again between Christmas and New Year.
January 1, New Year's Day
April 11, Juan Santamaria Day (anniversary of the Battle of Rivas)
May 1, Labour Day
July 25, Annexation of Guanacaste Day
August 2, Feast of the Virgin of Los Angeles, patron saint of Costa Rica
August 15, Assumption and Mother's Day
September 15, Independence Day
October 12, Christopher Columbus Day (Limon only)
November 2, All Saints' Day
December 8, Immaculate Conception
December 25, Christmas Day
Moveable: Easter week (March to April)
Language
Spanish, partly English and Creole.
Photography
If you need film, video cassettes or batteries, buy sufficient supplies before leaving home, as you are not likely to find the same brands on the spot. You can have photos developed easily in San Jose and some beach resorts. Ask politely if you want to take a photo of someone, normally they will be pleased to oblige.
Telephone
The telephone network in Costa Rica is the most reliable in Central America, and uses German technology. There are public call boxes all over the country, even in the remotest hamlet. Some take coins, but most of them (blue) work with a phonecard, available in small shops and by street sellers. Once you get the dialling code, you have to dial 197 then the 13-figure code on the back of the card, followed by #. Your credit is announced, and then you can dial the number you want, preceded by 00 for the international line and the country code (44 for UK), and the complete number you again press #. Calls are reasonably priced, especially inland.
Most hotels and tourist haunts have Internet access, as do the main post offices and Tourist Offices.
European mobile phones do not function in Costa Rica because the local network is not GSM-compatible.
Tipping
Apart from the big hotels and resort establishments used to dealing with North American clients, tipping is not very common in Costa Rica. In restaurants, the service charge (10 to 15%) is included in the bill.
Transports
There are several daily flights between San Jose and several small regional airports. The national company Sansa is based at Juan Santamaria airport, and Travelair at Tobias Bolanos airport near Pavas, west of the capital.
Frequent and cheap bus service links all the towns and villages of the country. The Tourist Office distributes a very useful brochure listing the timetables and place of departure for the main destinations. Interbus, a private service intended for visitors, offers door to door liaisons over a wide area. The prices are higher but there are several types of pass, valid for a month. Other companies such as Tica Bus (www.ticabus.com) have regular links with other Central American countries. The prices are very reasonable if you consider the distances covered.
If you want to drive yourself, it is easy to hire a vehicle: all the big international companies have agencies in Costa Rica, and there are many local operators, too. The former ensure better terms and vehicles that break down less frequently… A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for most of the national parks.
Taxis can be found everywhere, even in rural localities. They are quite cheap and easily recognizable: they are all red, with red registration numbers. In San Jose, they normally have a meter. Elsewhere, you should agree on the price before you set off. Taxis may also be hired by the day or half-day to visit tourist sites.
