Basic Tips on a Costa Rica vacation
All foreign nationals are required to present their passport which should be valid for at least six more months when entering Costa Rica. Accompanying children are also required separate passports. Citizens of the United States, the European Union, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Japan or South Africa are not required to secure a visa to enter Costa Rica and are allowed a maximum stay of 90 days. Those who wish to stay for more than 3 months on their Costa Rica vacation should leave the country for at least 3 days before being allowed to re-enter. The Costa Rica immigration requires that visitors present a valid bus or plane departure ticket upon each entry into the country.
The same 100V-60 cycles system used in the United States is used in Costa Rica. If you are carrying European appliances, you will need a flat pin 100V adapters. Charging for laptops and cell phones are allowed and available. There may be some problems regarding the strength of cell phone reception in remote areas although the main cities and towns have cell phone signals.
The Costa Rican Condo in downtown San Jose offers Wi-Fi in all areas of the condo, including the balcony. The property manager will give you the access code upon request the moment you arrive. Overseas call and telephony can be done through Skype or Majic Jack. They will also provide visitors a cell phone for rent upon request.
The Hotel Costa Rica can be found right in the heart of San Jose and visitors can walk to the Costa Rican zoo, the Gold Museum, the pre-Columbian Jade Museum and the National Museum. There are numerous nightlife activities in downtown San Jose like the top casinos, the best restaurants, bars and cafes as well as most of the business establishments like banks and shopping centers.
The official currency of Costa Rica is the colon or colones although US dollars are accepted by numerous establishments, although the change will be in colones. Tourists are advised to change some money into colones if they are visiting various destinations in their Costa Rica vacation.
The Banco de Costa Rica and the Banco Nacional are the largest Costa Rican state banks where there are branches even in small towns and where foreigners can change their foreign currencies. There are also private banks like Banex, BAC, Cuscatlan and Scotia where foreign money can be changed into colones. Tourists must always bring their original passport when changing money as photocopies will not be accepted.
Most Costa Ricans speak English as well as Spanish, so visitors do not have to worry if they cannot understand Spanish at all. Even in the countryside or rural areas, the residents are friendly and outgoing and will try to talk to tourists and help those in need. There have been incentives offered to Ticos who learn to speak English by the Costa Rican education ministry. Understanding and speaking a few Spanish words and phrases, however will be very useful in interacting with the local population and experiencing the local culture.
