COSTA RICA

• Flights: Book international flights into San José’s Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) or Liberia’s Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) and schedule arrivals during daylight hours to simplify onward ground transfers and reduce exposure to opportunistic crime. MODERATE risk of theft or scams if arriving late at night with unsecured transport plans.
• Airport Transfers: Pre‑arrange licensed taxi, hotel shuttle, or reputable private transfer services from SJO and LIR, confirming vehicle details and fare in advance, and avoid accepting unsolicited rides at terminal exits. HIGH risk of overcharging, unlicensed drivers, or robbery when using unvetted transport.
• Car Hire: Reserve 4x4 or high‑clearance vehicles with established rental firms based at airports or in central San José, ensure full insurance coverage including collision and third‑party liability, and avoid driving at night on rural or coastal roads. HIGH risk of accidents, roadside theft, or disputes over damage charges if hiring informally or driving after dark.
• Accommodation: Choose hotels, ecolodges, or serviced apartments in secure neighbourhoods (Escazú, Santa Ana, central tourist zones in Manuel Antonio and Arenal) that provide 24/7 reception, safes, and controlled access, and confirm evacuation procedures for earthquakes, floods, and fires. MODERATE risk of room theft or unsafe building conditions in low‑end or poorly managed properties.
• Attractions & Tours: Book canopy tours, volcano hikes (Poás, Arenal, Rincón de la Vieja), national park visits, and marine excursions through operators with clear safety protocols, licensed guides, and proper equipment, and verify that activities comply with current park or volcano restriction notices. HIGH risk of injury, stranded situations, or cancelled tours without refunds if using unregistered guides.
• Emergency Evacuation Routes: Identify your nearest hospital or clinic, main paved road, and airport from each base (for example, Liberia for northern Pacific, San José for central valley), and maintain a printed list of evacuation routes and contacts including your embassy and travel insurer. MODERATE risk of delayed medical care or difficulty exiting affected areas during floods, landslides, or volcanic ash events.
• Shelter‑in‑Place Options: Confirm that your accommodation provides structurally sound rooms away from riverbanks and unstable slopes, and agree shelter‑in‑place plans with staff for severe storms, protests in San José, or short‑notice curfews affecting nightlife districts. MODERATE risk of injury or exposure if needing to shelter suddenly in poorly assessed buildings.
• Emergency Kits: Assemble a personal kit with water purification tablets, high‑DEET insect repellent, long‑sleeved clothing, basic first‑aid, a torch, power bank, and a paper copy of key documents and contacts, and keep it ready in your daypack. MODERATE risk of minor incidents escalating into serious health or security issues without basic supplies.
• Document Security: Store passports and originals in hotel safes, carry notarised or certified copies when moving around cities or beaches, and keep digital backups of key documents in encrypted cloud storage. HIGH risk of identity theft, travel disruption, or costly emergency replacement if documents are lost or stolen.
• Monitoring Official Alerts: Follow Costa Rica’s national emergency commission and tsunami monitoring system channels, check foreign ministry travel advisories from your home country, and monitor U.S. Embassy and CDC notices for updated guidance on health issues such as chikungunya in Guanacaste. MODERATE risk of being caught off‑guard by local health alerts, volcanic restrictions, or protests without continuous monitoring.

• Respect for Nature and Wildlife: Refrain from touching or feeding wildlife in national parks and reserves, including monkeys, sloths, and marine species, and obey all park regulations and ranger instructions. MODERATE risk of fines, removal from parks, and strong social backlash for harming or disturbing wildlife.
• Drug Possession and Use: Avoid carrying or consuming illegal narcotics, including cocaine and cannabis outside any strictly regulated medical framework, as Costa Rica enforces drug laws and police actively target trafficking corridors. HIGH risk of arrest, detention, and deportation for possession or involvement in drug activities.
• Public Behaviour and Aggression: Do not engage in loud, aggressive arguments, public drunkenness, or threatening behaviour in bars, streets, or transport hubs, especially in San José and beach towns. MODERATE risk of police intervention, fines, or expulsion from venues due to disorderly conduct.
• Political Demonstrations: Avoid joining or filming protests, roadblocks, or union marches in the Greater San José Area, particularly when tensions rise over economic or social issues. MODERATE risk of arrest, questioning, or being caught in crowd‑control measures if associated with demonstrations.
• Respect for Police and Authorities: Do not ignore legitimate instructions from police, tourist police, or park rangers, and avoid arguing aggressively over fines or traffic stops. HIGH risk of arrest, vehicle impoundment, or escalated legal trouble for refusing lawful orders.
• Alcohol Regulations and Drink Driving: Refrain from driving after drinking alcohol and respect local blood‑alcohol limits, as police conduct roadside checks and accidents involving tourists receive close scrutiny. HIGH risk of imprisonment, heavy fines, and invalidated insurance following drink‑driving incidents.
• Photography and Sensitive Sites: Avoid photographing government buildings, police facilities, border posts, or military‑related infrastructure, and always seek permission before taking close‑up photos of individuals, particularly in rural or indigenous communities. MODERATE risk of police questioning, confiscation of equipment, or hostile reactions from locals.
• Public Displays of Affection: Keep romantic physical contact discreet in small towns and traditional communities, where conservative social norms still hold, even though many tourist areas feel relaxed. LOW risk of social backlash and verbal confrontation for explicit public displays of affection.

Primary Carriers

• Top Pick: Choose Kolbi or Claro for strong national coverage across the Central Valley, main highways, and most tourist regions including Arenal and Manuel Antonio.
• Budget Pick: Select Liberty (formerly Movistar) for competitive data packages that still cover major urban centres and coastal hotspots such as Jacó and Tamarindo.
• Coverage Note: Expect weaker mobile data service in remote rainforest areas, highland national parks, and sections of the Osa Peninsula and border regions.

eSIM Readiness

• Status: Many travellers activate eSIM packages before arrival that include Costa Rica as part of regional Latin American plans.
• Action: Confirm with your provider that your eSIM profile supports roaming in Costa Rica and test connectivity upon landing in SJO or LIR.
• Registration: Present your passport when you buy a physical SIM at authorised outlets and register under your full legal name as required by local regulations.

Essential Apps

• Transport: Use Uber and Didi in the Greater San José Area and rely on local shuttle booking apps or operator platforms for intercity routes to Arenal, Monteverde, and Guanacaste.
• Communication: Locals widely use WhatsApp for messaging, voice calls, and sharing locations, so adopt it to coordinate with hotels, guides, and drivers.
• Payment: Pay with cards using apps that support contactless transactions and monitor your accounts with your bank’s mobile app to track card authorisations and potential fraud.

Offline Map Guidance

• Action: Download offline map sections for San José, Arenal, Monteverde, Guanacaste, and the Caribbean coast before travel to maintain navigation during signal loss.
• Navigation Tip: Save key points such as hotels, park entrances, fuel stations, and hospitals as favourites to allow quick routing when you lose live data.

Digital Restrictions & VPNs

• Banned Apps: Check current app store access but expect mainstream social media and messaging platforms to function normally without specific bans.
• VPN Status: Use reputable VPN services for secure browsing and banking, as Costa Rica does not normally restrict personal VPN use.
• Recommendation: Activate your VPN on public networks, choose servers with low latency in the region, and avoid using free VPNs that may log or sell your data.

Wi-Fi & Workspaces

• Availability: Rely on free Wi‑Fi at airports, major hotel chains, cafés, and co‑working spaces in San José, Escazú, Santa Ana, and main tourist towns.
• Security: Enable two‑factor authentication, avoid accessing sensitive banking portals on café or hotel Wi‑Fi, and use encrypted messaging and cloud storage to protect work data.

• Beach Bar Overcharging: In popular Pacific beach towns such as Jacó, Tamarindo, and Playa Coco, some bars quote vague prices or add undisclosed service and music fees to tourist bills. MODERATE risk of significant overcharging and card misuse if you do not request itemised receipts.
• Taxi Fare Manipulation: Unlicensed taxis around San José and tourist hubs may refuse to use metres and quote inflated fixed fares, especially late at night or from bus terminals. HIGH risk of financial loss and exposure to opportunistic crime when using unregulated taxis.
• Rental Car Damage Claims: Certain smaller car hire firms dispute pre‑existing scrapes or windscreen chips at vehicle return and demand high repair fees. MODERATE risk of unexpected charges and credit‑card disputes if you do not document the vehicle thoroughly at pick‑up.
• Fake Tour Operators: In busy areas near national parks and volcanoes, informal touts offer cut‑price canopy, rafting, or wildlife tours without proper licensing or insurance. HIGH risk of paying for substandard or non‑existent services and facing safety hazards during activities.
• Currency ‘Drop and Swap’: At markets and some bars, staff may claim you handed a lower‑denomination colón note or confuse colones and dollars to justify asking for more cash. MODERATE risk of small but repeated losses if you do not verify notes and change carefully.
• Online Rental Listing Scams: Fraudsters use classified sites and social media to advertise non‑existent villas in Guanacaste or the Caribbean coast, demanding deposits via bank transfer or crypto. HIGH risk of losing large prepayments and having no accommodation upon arrival.
• Card Skimming at ATMs: ATMs in busy commercial districts of San José and tourist towns occasionally attract skimming devices or shoulder‑surfing gangs targeting foreign cards. MODERATE risk of card cloning and subsequent unauthorised transactions if you use isolated or tampered machines.
• Nightlife Drink Spiking: In certain nightlife strips in San José and Jacó, criminals may spike drinks to facilitate theft or sexual assault, particularly when travellers leave drinks unattended. HIGH risk of serious physical harm and loss of valuables if you accept open drinks from strangers or lose sight of your glass.

• Urban Violent Crime: San José and parts of the Greater Metropolitan Area experience robberies, muggings, and car break‑ins, especially around bus terminals and nightlife streets. HIGH risk of personal injury and loss of valuables if you do not manage exposure in higher‑risk districts.
• Petty Theft in Tourist Zones: Pickpocketing and bag snatches occur in busy markets, on public buses, and in popular national parks such as Manuel Antonio and Arenal. MODERATE risk of losing cash, phones, and travel documents if you carry unsecured bags or display valuables.
• Chikungunya Outbreak in Guanacaste: An active chikungunya outbreak around Playa Langosta and Santa Cruz in Guanacaste increases mosquito‑borne illness risk, particularly for older adults, pregnant travellers, and those with chronic conditions. MODERATE risk of severe fever and debilitating joint pain if you do not follow mosquito‑bite precautions.
• Volcanic Activity and Gas Emissions: Active volcanoes such as Turrialba, Rincón de la Vieja, Poás, and Irazú can produce ash emissions, sudden closures, and hazardous gases that affect nearby trails and communities. MODERATE risk of respiratory irritation, trip disruption, and stranded situations if you ignore official park alerts.
• Flooding and Landslides: Heavy rainfall, particularly during the wet season on the Caribbean side and mountainous areas, triggers flash floods and landslides that block roads and isolate communities. HIGH risk of travel delays, road accidents, and temporary isolation in remote lodges if you travel during severe weather.
• Road Safety and Driving Conditions: Narrow, winding roads, limited lighting, and aggressive overtaking contribute to accidents, especially at night and on mountain routes to Monteverde and the southern zone. HIGH risk of serious injury if you drive without local experience or use poorly maintained vehicles.
• Seismic Risk: Costa Rica lies in an active seismic zone where earthquakes can damage buildings and infrastructure and trigger secondary hazards such as landslides. MODERATE risk of structural damage and temporary service disruption during significant seismic events.
• Language Barriers: Outside main tourist centres, English proficiency decreases and complex discussions with police, medical staff, or mechanics often rely on Spanish. LOW risk of misunderstandings and delays in resolving incidents if you cannot communicate effectively.
• Infrastructure Strain in Peak Season: During high tourism months, popular areas such as Arenal, Guanacaste, and Manuel Antonio face congested roads, overstretched emergency services, and capacity pressures on clinics and rescue operations. MODERATE risk of slower emergency response and extended waiting times during crises.

• Learn Basic Spanish Phrases: Do learn key Spanish words for directions, emergencies, and politeness to improve communication with drivers, hotel staff, and police in non‑touristic areas. LOW risk of miscommunication impacting incident resolution if you arrive with no local language awareness.
• Carry Identification: Do keep a copy of your passport, entry stamp, and travel insurance card on your person while storing originals securely at your accommodation. MODERATE risk of delays and complications during police checks or hospital admissions without proper identification.
• Use Recommended Transport Patterns: Do rely on official airport taxis, reputable ride‑hailing apps in the Central Valley, and pre‑booked shuttles for longer tourist routes rather than informal rides. HIGH risk of encountering unsafe drivers or scams if you depend on unvetted transport.
• Purchase Comprehensive Travel Insurance: Do arrange insurance that covers medical treatment, evacuation, adventure sports, and theft of belongings before departure. HIGH risk of substantial out‑of‑pocket medical and evacuation costs if you travel uninsured.
• Download Disaster and Alert Information: Do familiarise yourself with local emergency numbers (911) and check volcano, tsunami, and weather alerts through official Costa Rican agencies and your embassy’s updates. MODERATE risk of being caught in avoidable hazards if you ignore formal alert systems.
• Practice Mosquito‑Bite Prevention: Do apply high‑DEET repellent, wear long sleeves and trousers at dawn and dusk, and choose screened or air‑conditioned rooms, especially in Guanacaste and other coastal areas. MODERATE risk of contracting chikungunya or other mosquito‑borne diseases if you neglect protective measures.
• Secure Valuables in Transit: Do carry valuables in money belts or anti‑theft bags and keep electronics discreet, particularly on buses and in crowded streets. MODERATE risk of theft and loss of important items if you leave valuables exposed.
• Register with Consular Services: Do register your trip with your embassy or consular notification service where available, especially for extended stays or remote travel. LOW risk of delayed assistance or difficulty contacting you during emergencies without registration.

• Ignore Local Crime Patterns: Do not treat Costa Rica as risk‑free and leave bags, phones, or cameras unattended on beaches, buses, or café tables. HIGH risk of opportunistic theft and loss of valuables if you disregard common crime patterns.
• Drive at Night on Rural Roads: Do not plan long drives after dark on coastal or mountain routes, where lighting, signage, and animal crossings remain limited. HIGH risk of accidents and breakdowns in areas with slower emergency response.
• Join Protests or Roadblocks: Do not involve yourself in demonstrations, labour marches, or roadblocks on major routes near San José or regional towns. MODERATE risk of arrest, immigration issues, or being trapped in confrontations with security forces.
• Swim in Unsafeguarded Rip Currents: Do not enter rough surf at remote beaches without lifeguards or local guidance, as Pacific currents can prove strong and unpredictable. HIGH risk of drowning or near‑drowning events if you misjudge sea conditions.
• Handle Wildlife or Plants: Do not touch snakes, frogs, insects, or unknown plants in forests or around lodges, even if they appear harmless. MODERATE risk of bites, stings, or allergic reactions requiring urgent medical attention.
• Disregard Park and Volcano Closures: Do not enter closed trails or restricted crater areas at volcano parks, even when informal guides offer access. HIGH risk of exposure to toxic gases, landslides, or legal penalties for violating restrictions.
• Flash Cash and Expensive Jewellery: Do not display large amounts of cash, luxury watches, or high‑end cameras in bus stations, markets, or nightlife zones. MODERATE risk of targeted theft and potential assault if you appear visibly wealthy.
• Accept Unsealed Drinks from Strangers: Do not take opened bottles or mixed drinks from unknown individuals in bars and clubs. HIGH risk of drink spiking leading to assault or robbery.

• Political Stability and Non‑Military Tradition: Costa Rica maintains a long‑standing democratic tradition without a standing army, which shapes a generally calm security environment and a strong focus on tourism and environmental protection. LOW risk of sudden nationwide political instability impacting travel plans.
• Healthcare Access and Costs: The country offers relatively good medical facilities in San José and larger regional centres, but travellers usually pay out‑of‑pocket at private clinics and must claim later from insurers. MODERATE risk of high immediate costs and financial stress if you lack adequate insurance.
• Tourism‑Centred Economy: Heavy reliance on tourism in regions such as Guanacaste, Arenal, and Manuel Antonio means services cater well to foreigners but can drive prices upward and encourage some exploitative practices. MODERATE risk of budget pressure and increased exposure to tourist‑focused scams.
• Seasonal Weather and Travel Planning: Distinct dry and wet seasons strongly influence road conditions, accessibility to remote lodges, and availability of outdoor activities. MODERATE risk of disrupted itineraries and cancellations if you do not align travel plans with seasonal patterns.
• Environmental Protection Norms: Strict conservation policies around national parks, marine reserves, and protected forests shape how visitors may interact with nature, including limits on development and access. LOW risk of fines and forced route changes if you fail to respect conservation rules.
• Digital and Financial Infrastructure: Card payments function widely in cities and tourist hubs while cash remains useful in rural communities, and internet coverage supports remote work in many central and coastal locations. LOW risk of major connectivity or payment disruption, though occasional outages and cash needs persist.
• Entry, Overstay, and Exit Rules: Most nationalities receive visa‑free entry for limited periods (often up to 90–180 days), yet authorities treat overstays seriously and may deny re‑entry or impose fines. MODERATE risk of immigration complications and forced departure if you ignore permitted stay durations.
• Disaster Preparedness Culture: The presence of active volcanoes, seismic risk, and periodic flooding has led to established emergency protocols and public awareness campaigns, particularly in the Central Valley. LOW risk of being left without guidance during major natural events if you follow official instructions.
• Healthcare Costs: Medical facilities expect you to pay out of pocket for non-urgent care. Consult your insurance provider before seeking treatment to understand coverage, co-pays, and reimbursement procedures. For emergencies, seek treatment first and contact your insurer immediately. HIGH risk of severe medical debt or delayed treatment.
• Travel Insurance Requirement: Purchase comprehensive travel insurance that includes emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, and trip cancellation. Verify your policy covers all planned activities and destinations. EXTREME risk of financial loss during a crisis.