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Costa Rica is the world's eco-tourism heaven. The country is blessed by nature with many ecosystems and species on display, much of it protected by a system of national parks. Enjoy jungle tropical forests, cloud forests, inland and offshore fishing, surfing, scuba diving, white water rafting, horseback riding, and much more. This is a very peaceful, stable country with the most extensive tourism infrastructure in Central America. |
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| GEOGRAPHY |
Costa Rica is located towards the southern end of the isthmus, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Size: Because of its diversity, Costa Rica seems larger than it is; from north to south or east to west, the country runs only 200 miles. The shortest distance between oceans is only 75 miles. Only El Salvador and Belize are smaller.
Physical Description: Costa Rica drapes itself upon a jagged mountainous spine that runs from northwest to southeast. The northern two-thirds of the country contains several ranges of volcanoes. There are sandy beaches fringed by palms, grassy savannas, warm inland valleys, temperate plateaus, smoking volcanoes, frosty peaks, forested slopes, and steamy jungles strewn across the landscape. |
| MONEY EXCHANGE |
Cash and Currency:
Costa Rica's unit of currency is the colon (KO-LOHN), named after Christopher Columbus (Colon in Spanish). The Colon has been in constant state of devaluation.
The Colon is divided into 100 centimos. There are currently two types of coins in circulation. The older and larger nickel alloy coins, come in denominations of 10, 25 and 50 centimos and 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 colones. The new gold-hued 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 colon coins. They are smaller and heavier than the older coins. There are paper notes in denominations of 50, 100, 500, 1.000, 2.000, 5.000 and 10.000 colones.
Exchanging Money:
You can change money at all state-owned banks. However, the service at these banks is slow and tedious. A simple transaction can often take more than an hour, causing unnecessary confusion and anxiety. Fortunately, private banks that provide faster service have been opening in some of the larger provincial towns and cities. Hotels often exchange money and cash traveler's checks as well. Exchanging money in the streets is extremely risky. Traveler's Checks, ATM and Credit Cards, are mostly found at bank offices and major shopping centers in and around San Jose. They are popping up at many major tourist destinations around the country.
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| PEOPLE |
Costa Rica is a pluralistic society unlike many others in the region. The reason stems from historical circumstance. Costa Rica had very few native Indians when the Spanish arrived. Costa Rica also did not have the riches like gold and silver that other countries possessed. There were therefore lesser activities that lent themselves to the exploitation of the few Indians that were there. In addition, the Spanish crown representatives in the region, because it had no riches, largely ignored Costa Rica. The Spanish therefore, without the influence of the crown and without an unlimited reserve of Indians to exploit, had to use more cooperative methods to run their enterprises. This created more equality in Costa Rica when compared to many of its Latin neighbors. With the abolition of the Army in 1948 and the creation of a comprehensive social security and educational program and a 5% unemployment rate, Costa Ricans enjoy today a comparatively high quality of life. You will not see here the level of poverty that you will notice in other areas of Latin America.
3,400,000 people. Only Panama and Belize have fewer inhabitants. In all provinces except Limon, 98% are whites and mestizos; in Limon 33% are black and 3% are Indians.
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| SHOPPING |
Most of what you see in hotels and souvenir stores will be non-traditional handcrafts largely intended for the tourist market. Only a handful of indigenous crafts-pottery, hand-woven textiles and musical instruments made on a small scale, can be found in stores and museums. Leatherwork and coffee are popular.
Costa Rica is not known for its handcrafts, though it does have the colorfully painted Costa Rican oxcart, reproductions of which are manufactured in various scaled-down sizes. If you want a larger oxcart, it can be easily disassembled and shipped to your home. Beautiful furniture is also made here.
A few other items worth keeping an eye for include reproduction of pre-Columbian gold jewelry and carved-stone figurines. The former are available either in solid gold, silver, or gold plated. The latter, though interesting, are extremely heavy.
On the streets of San Jose you'll see a lot of hammocks for sale.
Finally, one new item you will see at gift shops around the country is Cuban Cigars.
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| TAX |
Departure Tax and Other Fees:
Upon leaving Costa Rica you are required to pay an exit fee of $26.00 U.S. dollars in cash.
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| HOLIDAYS & FESTIVITIES |
| Jan |
1 |
New Year's Day |
| Mar |
19 |
St. Joseph's day, Thursday and Friday of Holy Week |
| Apr |
11 |
Juan Santamaria's Day |
| May |
1 |
Labour Day |
| Jun |
29 |
Saints Peter and Paul's Day |
| Aug |
2 |
Virgin of Los Angeles Day |
| 15 |
Mother's Day |
| Sep |
15 |
Independence Day |
| Oct |
12 |
Discovery of America |
| Dec |
8 |
Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary |
| 25 |
Christmas |
| 31 |
New Year's Eve |
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| COUNTRY ORIENTATION |
No tourist visa required for U.S. citizens. Enter the country with only a valid passport for a period up to 90 days.
What's There to See and Do:
Jungle tropical forest and cloud forest treks and tours, inland and offshore fishing, surfing , windsurfing in Arenal, scuba diving at Ocotal and Caño Island, white water rafting, museums in San Jose, river trips, horseback riding, etc. Costa Rica is the world's ecotourism mecca with many habitats and thousands of species of tropical flora and fauna.
At-A-Glance:
Costa Rica is the quintessential ecotourism destination. The country is blessed by nature with many ecosystems and species on display, much of it protected by a system of national parks that rival any natural destination in the tropics. This is a very peaceful, stable country with the most extensive tourism infrastructure in Central America.
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| WEATHER |
Costa Rica is a tropical country located between 8 and 11 degrees north of the equator.
There are two well defined seasons: the rainy season or winter (invierno) from May to November, and the dry season or summer (verano) runs from December to April. Rainfall averages for the country may reach the highest point during the months of September and October -- approximately 650 mm per month.
San José is located 1150 meters above sea level, and has a moderate temperature throughout the year. It may go as low as 59ºF at nighttime, and up to 78ºF during the day, giving rise to the image of San José as a city with an eternal spring climate. The Intermontane Central Valley where San José lies has an average temperature of 68ºF, and may actually be considered as dry compared to the humidity of the Caribbean Slope. When it rains, temperatures will drop slightly, mostly because of humidity and winds.
The Caribbean coastline has an average temperature of 70ºF at night, and 86ºF during the day. The rainy season has a rainfall average of 224 inches (5,600 mm) per year, along the coast, on the eastern face of the mountains and in the Caribbean lowlands. In most of Costa Rica the peak periods of rainfall occur during May to June and September to October, whereas in the Atlantic these are the driest months. Though it is considered to be the wettest region of the country, rains usually occur at late evening and nighttime. Due to humidity and trade winds, temperatures will remain low, and even drop noticeably during rainy nights.
The northern part of the Pacific coast, as well as Guanacaste, is totally dry for six months of the year. Rainfall averages only 59 inches (1,500 mm) a year in the northwest and central part of the country.
The South Pacific region is wetter than its counterpart to the north. General rainfall will reach up to 197 inches (5,000 mm) a year. High mountainous areas, such as the region surrounding Costa Rica's highest peak Cerro Chirripó, have cold, windy and cloudy conditions all year round. Chirripó remains below 50ºF during the day, and may experience temperatures as low as 32ºF at night. Frost and even snow have been reported. During early morning hours, Costa Rica's highlands usually reach below-freezing temperatures.
As a general rule, temperatures decline with elevation at a rate of approximately 3.5F per thousand feet in Costa Rica. Thus, average December temperatures vary from 79ºF at Orotina on the coast, to 66ºF in San José at 3.500 feet, to a chilly 43ºF in Villa Mills at 10,000 feet.
First-time visitors to Costa Rica often neglect to bring a warm jacket with them after reading about the climates of the coastal regions and the Central Valley. A medium-weight fleece jacket is ideal.
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