I am asked about Costa Rica so often, that it only made sense for my first blog post to be about this beautiful country. Truthfully, Costa Rica was never on my bucket list because it is a more expensive country and because it didn't seem to have any specific allure to it. But after having spent 5 weeks exploring the country, I have only the highest regard and recommendations for it.


I consider Costa Rica to be one huge jungle gym with lots of extreme adventure and activities to do. While many of the activities can be done in many places across the country, there are a few areas that stand out as being the top for that specific activity.


Some activities like surfing, have seasons and areas where it is best to enjoy. Regardless, you can't go wrong by booking a flight and just heading over there. The lush foliage, the beautiful sunsets, the wildlife surrounding you, and the Pura Vida vibe of the Tico's will blow your mind.


The weather in Costa Rica can change drastically based on where you are. On one day of our trip, we started the morning in the beach town of Santa Teresa where it was over 90°. A few hours later we are arrived in Monteverde to a chill 60 degree weather. For the most part, it is a tropical country with beautiful weather and a rainy season and when it rains... it does it well.

Digital Nomad Work Life


Costa Rica is a digital Nomad’s Paradise with strong internet connectivity throughout most of the country. There are many Digital Nomads that have made Costa Rica their home whether for short-term periods or long-term living. There are many co-working spaces such as Selina Hostels all over Costa Rica. The average Airbnb or accommodation should have strong enough internet for you to work with. The only time I recall having connectivity issues was when we booked an Airbnb in a remote area of Monteverde where we expected to have slower internet. Even there, I simply hopped over to the Selina Co-Working space and worked from there.


Due to the 2-hour time difference from New York, I would start my day with sunrise and end my east-coast work day at 3pm. This left me with sufficient time to have a good time outdoors before nightfall. As you might know, time zone changes are one of my favorite travel hacks. I love to optimize my daytime as much as I can!

Getting Around


There are two international airports in Costa Rica with regular flights from the USA; one in Liberia and the other in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Your itinerary preferences will probably dictate which airport you fly into. Otherwise, you can just go with the cheaper option and build your own travel plans around that.


Many people prefer to rent a car when visiting Costa Rica since it makes it easier to get around. However, the car rental companies are notorious for providing you super low rate and then adding on expensive insurances when you go to pick up the car.


When I was in Costa Rica, opted not to rent a car and instead used shuttles to get around. It was rarely an inconvenience and in one case even saved us time since we were able to take a local boat to across to our next location instead of driving several hours to a ferry that could transport our car. In some areas, the roads are terrible and it is not advised for tourists to drive them. Depending on your route, it might be worthwhile to rent a car for specific parts of your trip.


Costa Rica has laws about which day you are allowed to drive based on your license plate. In general, this shouldn't apply to rental cars but be sure to double-check with your rental car company. [As of May 2021 - this may have changed.]


As I mentioned, Shuttles are a great way to get around and can be booked online or by contacting them. The prices are pretty static though you might be able to negotiate rates if you are a larger group.

Pura Vida


If you're hearing this term thrown around and you're unclear on what it means, I'm not here to clear up that confusion.


Pura Vida is a popular Tico slang which means just about everything from "hello, hey, goodbye, cheers, thank you etc. " It is an appropriate response to just about any question or any greeting that comes your way. People begin and end conversations with this greeting, store owners will thank you for patronizing their shop with Pura Vida, glasses are clicked to Pura Vida, and when asked how you're doing, Pura Vida is a perfectly acceptable response. Pura Vida!

Jewish/Kosher Life in Costa Rica


For such a highly rated country, the Jewish presences in Costa Rica is rather low key.


San Jose boasts the largest Jewish Community, with a few Kosher options and a butcher that can package food for you to pick up for your trip. The food and service is rather expensive. Additionally, since we weren't visiting San Jose, it would have been an expensive detour for us to purchase the food from there or have it sent with a driver.


There is a Chabad in Jaco which hosts paid Friday night and Shabbos day meals. Services are located at the Israeli Center Uzi's - and they also host paid meals. Additionally, Uzi's has an on-site hostel and restaurant under the Chabad Hashgacha supervision. I highly recommend their tahini smoothie. We were even able to purchase raw chicken from them to take with us on the rest of our trip.


Santa Teresa is another spot with Jewish activity. There is a small Israeli/Sephardic community that has its own Shul and Rabbi. When we were there over Shavuos, they had services and Shavuos meals open to the public. Recently a Chabad House has open but I have not been to it.


A new Chabad House has also opened in Tamarindo making Costa Rica travel a lot easier for Jewish travelers!

What To Do


The wide range of activities and accessibility to them will blow your mind. My main recommendation is that most of the activities can be done in any place. I would focus more on your itinerary and getting around, then where to enjoy a specific activity. Some of the other Costa Rica blog post provide more details around the activities and locations that I did them in.

Costa Rica is known for it’s highly attended festivals throughout the year. If that’s your jam, you should certainly do some research as to what events are taking place when.

CURRENCY/MONEY


The official currency of Costa Rica is Colones with an exchange rate of $1USD/510₡. You can use credit cards in most places. Unofficially, you can also pay in USD just expect to receive your change in Colones. Costa Rica is not a cheap country like most of Central America so do plan accordingly.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS


As of April 1, 2022 – Costa Rica has removed any Covid related restrictions or requirements. As always, verify this before you make any travel plans.

A return flight or proof of when you plan to exit the country are required to enter.