Costa Rica is the one destination in our South section where the beach is not the main reason for the trip. A country the size of Nova Scotia, two oceans three hours apart by road, a quarter of the territory protected. You go to see living things, and the beach comes as a bonus.

The essentials in four lines

Where to go: Guanacaste for beach and all-inclusive resorts, the central Pacific to combine beach and rainforest, the central valley for volcanoes, the Caribbean coast for a different culture.
Best time to go: December to April for the dry season. May and November are shoulder months that often pay off.
Entry: Canadian passport valid for the length of the stay, no visa up to one hundred and eighty days, proof of onward travel possibly required.
Worth knowing: this is not a country where you spend seven days on a lounger and see nothing.

Where to go

Guanacaste, in the northwest

This is all-inclusive country, with direct flights into Liberia airport. Playa Tambor, Playa El Jobo and the northern bays offer the calmest sea in the country. Guanacaste is also the driest region: in the middle of the rainy season it rains less here than anywhere else.

The central Pacific: Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Samara

The best compromise in the country. Jaco is the most accessible beach from San Jose, with surf and evening life. Samara owes its calm water to a reef closing off the bay, which makes it one of the safest swimming beaches. Manuel Antonio puts a national park and its monkeys fifteen minutes from the sand.

The central valley and the volcanoes

San Jose sits at a thousand metres and works as a starting point, not a destination. Arenal volcano and its hot springs, the Monteverde cloud forest and the coffee farms are three to four hours away by road.

The Caribbean coast

Puerto Viejo and Cahuita, in the east, have an Afro-Caribbean culture, a different cuisine and darker sand. The region gets more rain and is best visited in September and October, when the rest of the country is soaked.

When to go

The dry season runs December to April. That is high season, the most expensive, and the most reliable for a first trip.

The green season runs May to November. The name is well chosen: it does not rain all day, it rains late in the afternoon, and the country is spectacularly green. Prices drop sharply, wildlife is more active, and mornings stay clear.

Hurricane season runs mid-May to late November on the Pacific side, early June to late November on the Atlantic side. Costa Rica is rarely hit directly, but systems passing offshore bring heavy rain.

What you need in hand

A Canadian passport valid for the whole stay. No visa is required for a tourist stay under one hundred and eighty days, and the immigration officer sets the length granted on arrival.

Customs may require proof of onward travel and sufficient funds. Keep your return ticket accessible on your phone: the request is common in Costa Rica, more than elsewhere in the region.

For the current official advice, see the country page on travel.gc.ca.

On the ground

Getting around

This is the real Costa Rica question. Distances are short on the map and long on the road: mountains, switchbacks, trucks. Allow double the time an app suggests. For a resort stay in Guanacaste, transfers are enough. For everything else, a rental car with four-wheel drive changes the trip.

Money

The currency is the colon. US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, but change comes back in colones. Credit cards are widely taken, except in small villages.

Wildlife

Sloths, howler monkeys, toucans, iguanas. You will see them without trying, and far more with a guide, because a Costa Rican guide spots in three seconds what you would hunt for twenty minutes. It is the best-value expense of the trip.

Safety in the water

Rip currents are the leading cause of drowning in the country. Many beaches have no lifeguard. Swim where others swim and ask at your hotel.

Who Costa Rica suits

Families with school-age children, because there is something to see every day. Travellers who get bored in a resort. Anyone who wants to walk, watch wildlife, and soak in a hot spring at the foot of a volcano.

Less so anyone looking only for a cheap all-inclusive on turquoise water: the Dominican Republic and Mexico do that better and for less. Costa Rica costs more than its neighbours, and what you buy there is a different thing.

To plan this trip, see also El Jobo, Islita, Jaco beach, judging value for money and the All-inclusive vacations section.