Costa Rica Travel Guide: 5 Cities, Costs and Itineraries

Overview

Costa Rica punches far above its size on a map. It's roughly the size of Nova Scotia, but a drive that looks like an hour on paper can take three once you're on a gravel mountain road behind a truck. The country splits into distinct zones that don't share a season: the Pacific coast (Tamarindo, Manuel Antonio) runs a classic dry-season-versus-green-season pattern, while the Caribbean side (Puerto Viejo) sees rain spread more evenly year-round and follows its own calendar entirely. San Jose sits in the Central Valley at altitude, cooler than the coasts and mostly useful as a hub rather than a destination in itself. What people come for is wildlife, and Costa Rica delivers it seriously: sloths, toucans, howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, nesting sea turtles, and an active volcano you can watch glow at night from La Fortuna. It is also the most expensive country in Central America, and first-time visitors are routinely caught off guard by menu prices that read like a US city. Budget accordingly, book park entries ahead, and don't try to cram all five regions into one short trip.

Best time to visit

December through April is the dry season on the Pacific side and the easiest window for road trips and beach time, but it's also peak price and peak crowds. May through November is green season: cheaper, greener, with wildlife often more active, but afternoon downpours are a daily rhythm and some roads get rougher. The Caribbean coast runs on a different pattern and can be wet even when the Pacific is bone dry.

Dec-Apr

Dry season on the Pacific coast and Central Valley. Reliable sun, the highest prices, and the busiest parks; book park reservations and lodging well ahead.

May-Jul

Green season begins. Mornings are often still clear with rain arriving mid-afternoon; roads and rivers start to test 4x4 clearance in rural areas.

Aug-Sep

A short-lived Pacific dry spell locals call the veranillo can appear, but it's not guaranteed. Caribbean side stays wetter through this stretch.

Oct

The wettest month nationwide for most of the Pacific and Central Valley. Some Caribbean-side patterns actually improve slightly. Lowest prices, real logistical friction.

Nov

Transition month, rain tapering on the Pacific side as the dry season builds. Still green, still cheaper than December.

Visa

Canadian passport holders do not need a visa for tourist stays. Immigration sets the permitted stay on arrival, up to 180 days, and you need an entry stamp in your passport at the airport or land border. Your passport should be valid for the full length of your stay. Customs can ask for proof of onward or return travel and evidence of sufficient funds, so keep a printed or digital copy of your return flight. Overstaying risks a fine and a re-entry ban, and Global Affairs Canada notes Costa Rica requires yellow fever vaccination proof only if arriving from a country with risk of the disease. Confirm current entry requirements at travel.gc.ca before you fly, since rules on proof-of-onward-travel enforcement vary by which airline and border post you land at.

Money

Currency: CRC. Cards are widely accepted in hotels, mid-range and upscale restaurants, and larger stores across all five cities. Smaller sodas (local diners), market stalls, park entrance kiosks, and rural transport often want cash, and some businesses charge a card surcharge. USD is accepted almost everywhere alongside colones, sometimes at a mediocre built-in exchange rate, so paying in CRC when you can usually works out cheaper. Carry a mix of both and let the business quote you in colones when possible. Restaurants add a mandatory 10% service charge plus 13% VAT to the bill by law, both already itemized, so further tipping isn't obligatory though rounding up for good service is appreciated. Tour guides and drivers are commonly tipped a few dollars per person per day if the experience was good. Taxis aren't typically tipped, just round up.

Getting around

Domestic flights (Sansa and Skyway) connect San Jose to smaller regional airports near La Fortuna, Tamarindo, and Manuel Antonio, and are worth it if a drive would eat a full day. Renting a car buys flexibility but demands respect: distances that look short on a map routinely take two to three times as long on mountain or gravel roads, and a 4x4 matters for parts of the Nicoya Peninsula, Monteverde-adjacent routes, and rural roads in green season when rivers can rise. Shared shuttle vans (Interbus, Gray Line and similar) link the tourist towns directly and are the easiest option if you'd rather not drive. Public buses are cheap and cover the country but run on their own schedule logic; budget extra time. Uber operates in San Jose and some tourist areas but isn't universal, and licensed red taxis (marias) are the fallback.

Connectivity

eSIM is the simplest option: Airalo, Holafly and similar providers sell Costa Rica plans that activate on arrival. Physical SIMs from Kolbi (state-owned ICE), Movistar or Claro are available at the airport and in town, and coverage is solid in the main tourist towns and along paved highways. Coverage thins out fast on rural roads, in Corcovado, and on parts of the Caribbean coast south of Puerto Viejo. Wifi is reliable in hotels and cafes in all five cities covered here, less so at remote eco-lodges that lean on it as a selling point of disconnecting.

Where to go

Frequently asked questions