All you should know about Costa Rica tourism

Top activities in Costa Rica

• 1Hike and Canopy Tours
• 2Spot Wildlife
• 3Fishing
• 4Biking
• 5River Kayaking
• 6Climb Volcano
• 7Tropical Exploration
• 8Surfing
• 9White-Water Rafting
• 10Scuba Diving
• 11Golf

Safety Hints

Thanks to imformation from wikitravel.org

• Traffic in Costa Rica is dangerous, so be careful. Pedestrians in general do not have the right of way. Roads in rural areas may also tend to have many potholes. Driving at night is not recommended.
• Use common sense. Do not leave valuables in plain view in a car or leave your wallet on the beach when going into the water. Close the car windows and lock the car or other things that you might not do in your own country.
• In the cities, robbery at knife point is not altogether uncommon.
• Buses and bus stops - especially those destined for San Jose - are frequent locations for robbery. Any bus rider who falls asleep has a good chance of waking up and finding his baggage missing. Don't trust anyone on the buses to watch your things, especially near San Jose.
• Like any other tourist destination, watch out for pickpockets.
• Purse snatchings, armed robberies and car-jackings have been on the rise lately. Stay alert and protect your valuables at all times, especially in the San Jose area.
• "Smash and grabs" of car windows are very common all over the country so do not leave valuables in your vehicle.
• Another common robbery scheme includes slashing your tires, then when you stop to fix the flat, one or two "friendly" people stop to help and instead grab what valuables they can.
• If you are motioned to pull over by anyone, do not do so until you are at a well-lit and safe place.
• Make use of hostel or hotel lock boxes if they are really secure - this is great when you want to swim or kick back and really not worry.
• On a long trip, it's advised that you make back-up CDs (or DVDs) of your digital photos and send a copy back home. In the event that you are robbed, you will thank yourself!
• When encountering a new currency, learn the exchange rate from a reliable source (online ahead of time or a local bank, preferably) and create a little cheat sheet converting it to US dollars or the other Central American currency you are comfortable with. Travel with small denominations of US dollars (crisp 1s, 5s, 10s) as back-up... usually you'll be able to use them if you run out of local currency.
• Go to a bank to change money when possible and practical. If you find yourself needing to use the services of a person who is a money changer (Sunday morning at the border, for instance) make sure to have your own calculator. Do not trust money changers and their doctored calculators, change the least amount of money possible and take a hard look at the bills - there's lots of false ones out there. Always insist that your change be in small bills - you'll lose more at one time if a large bill is false, plus large bills are hard to change (even the equivalent of $20 USD in Costa Rica or $5 USD in Nicaragua can be difficult in some small towns, believe it or not!) Money changers do not use the official exchange rate - you are better off going to a state owned bank to exchange your currency at no fee.
• Do not exchange money at the San Jose airport. The exchange rate used there is not the official rate and you will get a lot fewer colones.
• Traveling alone is fine and generally safe in Costa Rica, but carefully consider what kind of risks (if any) you are willing to take. Always hike with other people and try to explore a new city with other people. On solo forays, if you feel uncomfortable seek out a group of other people (both women and men). A well lighted place with people you can trust is always a plus. A busy restaurant or hostel is a great source of local info as well as a great place to relax and recharge.