| Costa Rica travel tips posted by real travelers and Costa Rica locals. Map |
 | Costa Rica Warnings or Dangers | Tips 21 - 30 of 214 |  |
Our first night the strangest thing happened around 2:00 a.m., the bed started swaying and rocking. It felt as if the bed had turned into a hammock tied to two trees rather than having four legs on the floor. Having been sound asleep it took me fifteen to twenty seconds to register the fact that we were experiencing an earthquake. A first for me. The epicenter was down in Panama and it registered 6.1 on the Richter scale. I don't believe there was any damage in San Jose where we were spending the night. Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Costa Rica?
Read reviews about Costa Rica Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
Pass through immigration, collect baggage, clear customs, walk out the doors of the arrival hall and you reach utter chaos. It seems as if every taxi driver and his brother are attempting to hustle your business. It resembles the madness of a commodities exchange.
We somehow ended up with an affable yet unofficial taxi driver. The guy said he'd take us to our hotel for $12--we thought he had one of the nice new shiny taxis waiting at curbside. Wrong. He led us to a corner, told us to wait a minute and came round with a clunker. Should have backed out at that point--he didn't have our fare yet. But somehow we ended up putting our bags in the rusted out trunk and taking our seats in back.
The entire half hour ride to the hotel I had visions of being shanghaied, led to a dark alleyway, robbed at gun or knifepoint and left stranded, pennieless or worse. Of course, this being Costa Rica, it all worked out and the unofficial taximan dropped us at our hotel and didn't ask for a cent more than the agreed-upon fare. Since it was the eve of Christmas Eve, I even gave him a few bucks tip.
Although it all turned out ok, my advise is to play it safe and queue at the cabstand for an official taxi. You never know who is out there, even in a relatively safe country like Costa Rica. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
To be frank, small planes scare the willies out of me. And the weather conditions flying over the mountains that encircle San Jose did nothing to soothe my frazzled nerves. At one point a wind gust turned our plane almost completely upside down. Our guide, Arturo, told us that sometimes when he disembarks from the cabin of a single prop that he feels like a shaken margarita. Leave a Comment
|
Because of its location to the equator, CR weather is pretty predictable. Temperatures are pretty much the same year round. The main difference in temperature depends more on your altitude than anything. The central valley and hills surrounding it are quite comfortable to cool year round. The higher you go the cooler it will get. Frequently I have needed a sweater in San Jose.
The coastal areas are always much warmer. Slightly cooler, by just a few degrees, during the green season. Unfortunately, this does not necessarily translate into it feeling cooler as that is when it will also be more humid.
The caribbean slope on down to the shore are much rainier with well over a hundred inches each year. The northern Guanacaste area is considered the dry area and you will see that the trees are a bit shorter and things are a lot less lush. Still a great place just not as green.
The southern Osa area tends to lean towards the caribbean type weather during the green season and the green season ends later than in other areas.
Don't let the words "green season" scare you away. More people than not who live there will tell you they prefer the green season because it is so much prettier.
The seasons are reversed to ours. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
These are the famous Crocs below the Tarcoles River bridge. Located near Carara Reserve and Jaco .
Do be careful if you are driving by and want to stop and take a look. This is a notorious high theft area. Many personal belongings are removed from cars while the owners are checking out the crocs. Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Costa Rica?
Read reviews about Costa Rica Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
The beaches along the Costa Rican coasts can be dangerous. Along many places there is a strong current. There are no signs along the beaches to warn you for this. Make inquiries where to swim and don't go into the sea where there are no other people swimming. Leave a Comment
|
Costa Rica truly is the land of Pura Vida (Pure Life) but like any place in the world it has its own little warts.
First off, Costa Rica is more of a developing country than a third world country (there is still a bit of the third world mentality down there but not like most other countries in latin america). I am sure people who actually live there can tell some stories about the frustrations of dealing with the government and the laws down there.
A hard working country where most people work hard to earn what they have. Proctor and Gamble is a big presence down there as well as Intel and have created a lot of good jobs for the Costa Ricans (unfortunately that means fewer in the U.S.).
Petty theft is on the rise. Except for more rural areas, most houses have bars around them. Some have cement walls with broken glass imbeded in the top or razor wire. A sad but true reality of life down there. Violent crime is much less common.
When renting a car..never never leave personal items in it. When riding on a bus. Hold on to your luggage when possible or try to put it in the storage under the bus first so that other peoples luggage is on top. If a grab and run comes along, less chance of yours being taken. Sit on the side of the bus where the luggage is loaded so when stops are made you can keep an eye on things.
Now for the good things........ Leave a Comment
|
| | |
Make sure you watch out where you are going, and when. They have only 8,000 police for 4.3 million people, the worst in the globe ratio wise. Everything is on good faith, However, the poverty economy and lower end lifestyle leaves people to rob and plunder. Per capita income is $13,000. It is said that if you leave your house over one day, it may be vacated of most items. Not to put a scare into you, but you should be aware of your surroundings. These are gentle people, but poverty can created desperate people and crime.
|
Just one month before our trip, there was a 6.1 earthquake about mid country north of San Jose. It killed 40 people. The supposed after effect was down in Limon, coral reefs upheaveled a bit, and all trash service stopped. But then it seemed like maybe some of this damage was form 2004, or even maybe before that. The railroad, even though not too functional, had torn up tracks; now closed for good. Then the floods of torrential rains came right behind whenever that quake was, and wiped out some agricultural land. Next is a possible volcano eruption of Izura near Turrialba and close to SAn Jose about 20 miles.
|
Caution! Caution! Hi theft area. Costa Rica will steal your heart!!!!!!! I fell in love with it in the early 90's and have had to go back almost yearly since then to get my fix.
Costa Rica will steal your heart and break it at the same time. Petty theft is on the rise unfortunately. It does break my heart to have to report this. Using common sense like not flashing money or wearing expensive jewelry will help you fly under the radar. Use the hotel safes and never, never go off and leave personal items in rental cars. Thieves hang out watching and puncture your tire and then follow you. When your tire goes flat they are right there. Chances are nothing will ever happen to you but theft is on the rise. I have been traveling down there for 12 years and have never had a problem.
The theft problems are no worse than you would find anywhere else but it can be a bit more frightening in a country where you may not speak the language. Not to mention the fun trying to get a new passport if yours is stolen. Having a copy would help that situation. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
|
|
on January 7, 2004
on July 13, 2004
on May 29, 2005
on February 27, 2009
