General Costa Rica Information

photo by jpctalbot

Please sign up for my RSS feed and find me on twitter @marinavillatoro

For such a small country, it's surprising how many airlines and airports Costa Rica has, wikipedia full list.

International Airports:

• Juan Santamaría International Airport (San Jose)
• Tobías Bolaños International Airport (San Jose)
• Daniel Oduber International Airport (Liberia)
• Limón International Airport (Limon)

Domestic Airports:

• Drake Bay Airport (Osa Peninsula)
• Puerto Jimenez Airport (Osa Peninsula)
• Perez Zeledon Airport (San Isidro de El General)
• Tamarindo Airport (Guanacaste)

There are over 50 small, domestic airports throughout Costa Rica in total.

Major International Airlines:

• Taca or Lacsa Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Continental Airlines
• American Airlines
• United Airlines
• Iberia Airlines

Domestic Airlines:

• Nature Air - Word's First Carbon Neutral Airline
• Sansa Regional

These are the most common used airlines internationally and domestically. However, there are over 30 more airlines that you can work with to fly either directly or indirectly to Costa Rica.

Here's a great article about the specifics of flying into the International Airports by Costa Rica Learn.

Please sign up for my RSS feed and find me on twitter @marinavillatoro

Costa Rica is a country with 4 million inhabitants. In comparison to its neighbors it's a village, and the village mentality flows over to the mindset of its people. Since moving here I haven't really felt too much of a culture shock. Yeah sure the language could be a barrier at times, and I'm adjusting to their holiday schedules and other little things here and there, but after living here for six years I have not, nor will I ever get, used to their system of directions.

I'm embarrassed to say this, but I will not venture out to a new location, ie: doctor's office, mall, unless my husband (who was born with a compass inside his head) has either taken me there first or written me directions my five year old son could follow.

Trust me, I'm not the only one, you will often find cars driving super slow because everyone is lost! Even the cab drivers are constantly asking for directions.

This is the system, I'll sum it up for you by giving the directions to my old house. See if you can solve the mystery:

I live 150 meters south and 100 meters west of Mas X Menos (a supermarket chain), in San Pablo de Heredia, in the Old Green Valley Hotel. (This was also my postal address!) Now I'll break it down for you. If you are coming from Heredia this can kind of makes sense, but if you're coming from the other direction, which is San Jose, you have no idea where to go. Plus, where is Max x Menos? If you don't live here, how would you ever know where it is? 100 meters is an approximation of one block here. However, some blocks in Costa Rica can be up to 300 meters. But my question is: Which way is west, east, north and south? I normally don't carry a compass with me, especially in a city so I have no idea. Another unsolvable mystery to me is that the condo complex WAS a hotel over 15 years ago, but now, there is absolutely no sign anywhere that it was once a hotel. So even if you got there, you wouldn't know it. Two years ago they painted the complex from green to brown, so it has lost some of its value as a landmark for directions. It seems to me that Ticos are born with a gene of knowing which buildings they were what decades ago and like an heirloom this knowledge is passed down from generation to generation.

I pray every night that I don't need an ambulance. How would they find me?

Please sign up for my RSS feed and find me on twitter @marinavillatoro

If you're reading this that means you're the type of traveler that wants to have the freedom of detouring and stopping at incredible vista points without the hassles of overcrowded buses? And, if you want to experience both a local method of travel with public transportation to some locations and then midway through your trip rent a car, all this is doable in Costa Rica. Almost all of the popular destinations like Arenal, San Jose, and beaches have car rental shops. Make sure that the car rental you do decide to go with allows you to have a different drop off point.

Here are a few rules and insider tips

Requirements for renting a car:
* Have a valid international driver's license.
* You must be at least 21 years old.
* When you pay the rental fee with a credit card your CC company most likely insures you if anything happens to you and your rental. Inquire to make sure.

Insider Information:

* The speed limit is from 60 to 90 km (35 to 55 mph). There are plenty of transit police all over the roads, so keep an eye out or you can end up paying $150 speeding ticket. Costa Rica is not like other Latin American countries, bribes don't heal all wounds, but make new ones!

For a very detailed explanation of car insurances and process go to Costa Rica Learn.

List of Car Rentals

* Avis
* Easy Car Costa Rica
* Budget
* Pay Less Car Rental
* National
* Dollar Rent A Car
* Mapache Rent A Car

Not everything is always perfect. Although our trip to Cahuita was definitely up there in the high ranks, my son chose the most inopportune time to get sick.

On the way over to Cahuita in the car he started coughing a bit. I figured it would go away in time for him to enjoy the beach. It didn't. On the contrary, it only got worse and worse until he was burning up and waking up in the middle of the night crying from a soar throat.

Not wanting to wait until we got back, I decided to find a private clinic. I've lived in Costa Rica for almost six years, and have been told on numerous occasions about the horrors that go on in public city hospitals. So, I have never gone that route before and have only been to private doctors and private hospitals, which, by the way, are fantastic.

So, after running around looking for a private solution, I had to accept the fact that they were all closed and resigned to take my son to the public clinic.

The clinic was about 15 minutes from Cahuita and was squeaky clean. They requested my paperwork, but since I'm not a resident and had no formal documentation, I was treated like a tourist. And luckily that meant we were able to see the next available doctor.

Our experience couldn't have been better. The doctor was fluent in English, amazing with kids, and he was extremely professional. We were so impressed that my father literally wanted to kiss him. He gave us a prescription to take to the clinic's pharmacy.

When we asked how much we needed to pay, he answered, "The pleasure is all ours."

Great medical service and medication for free? Being citizens of the United States, you can understand our surprise and absolute gratefulness for their generosity. After this lovely experience, I have completely rethought my theory about their public health system.

Bottom line, if you do get sick know that you are in good hands!

With the largest number of government certified eco-tourism businesses, its no wonder Costa Rica is Latin America's leader in sustainable tourism. The ICT (Costa Rica Tourism Institute) has developed a Sustainability Certification Program (CST), which encourages tour operators and hotels to adhere to strict environmental and social regulations and to earn the highest level of sustainability certification awarded by the government.

"The program of Certification for Sustainable Tourism of the Costa Rican Tourist Board is an excellent tool to assist in the sustainable development of the country."

~ Alvaro Ugalde, Founder of the Costa Rican National Parks System

The system is focused on encouraging businesses to operate and use natural resources in a sustainable fashion, and to encourage the healthy development of the surrounding communities. Not only does it measure turnover rates and employment numbers of the local people, but it looks at how much responsibility is taken by the company as they manage natural, cultural and social resources. The program is intended to balance these basic elements on a local and a national level.

Both tourism and non-tourism related organizations are encouraged to take a pro-active stance and to abstain from destroying natural, social and cultural resources. These are the main factors contributing to Costa Rica's rich biodiversity and healthy society, and without them, the country would lose its unique and inviting qualities.

The rating system follows these important parameters:

1. Physical-Biological Parameters: Evaluates the interaction between the company and the surrounding habitat including the presence of gardens and natural areas, and protection of the native flora and fauna
2. Hotel Facilities: Evaluates the management policies and the operation systems within the company, its water and energy use, waste management and employee training.
3. Customers: Evaluates the interaction of the company with its clients in terms of how much it allows and invites them to be active contributors to the company's policies of sustainability.
4. Socio-Economic Environment: Evaluates the interaction of the company with local communities and the population in general.

Plus, all establishments are encouraged to adopt eco-friendly programs for long term improvement:

1. Recycling programs
2. Proper disposal and treatment of waste
3. Implement water and energy saving systems
4. Conserve forests and surrounding green spaces
5. Contribute to reforestation
6. To work with neighboring communities to improve their way of life CST-Ranking-System

The rating system is on a scale of 0 to 5. If a business scores a 1, that means that they have taken the first step towards sustainability and will be re-evaluated later for progress. A level 5 signifies that the establishment is working at the highest level of sustainability.

How does all of this affect you, the consumer?

The price difference is usually negligible between hotels and other businesses that are certified and ones that are not. We encourage you to take a stance and choose a sustainable hotel or tour operator for your next visit to Costa Rica, this way more and more businesses will be encouraged to join in and start working for a more eco-friendly future. Contact us to learn more.

Change is a slow process but with the CST program in place, many Costa Rican companies are working hard to make a significant difference by preserving the natural environment and improving the local communities.

Note: The National Accreditation Commission is comprised of the Costa Rica Tourism Institute, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, the National Institute of Biodiversity, the University of Costa Rica, the Central American Institute of Business Administration, the National Tourism Chamber, the Earth Council and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.