Higher

Costa Rica is a beautiful place on earth. Not only because of its breathtaking nature but as well because of its heartwarming people. The county is full of diverse animals, plants and beautiful hidden and unexplored areas. Surfers have some great waves to explore and to ride while watching astonishing sunsets on the pacific side.

San Jose
San Jose is the Capital of Costa Rica. Usually you will arrive at the airport and it is easy to travel with a cap – there are red ones which are the official ones – to your hotel / hostel destination.
I explored the city in two days and walked around the parks. The city itself is surrounded by volcanos and offers small places to observe the city and nature.

Transportation
For traveling to the coastline you have several options.
You can take a small airplane which will cost you around 100$ and you will be in around 30 min from San Jose International in e.g. Tambor, which is close to Montezuma.
There are shuttle busses for around 50$ which will pick you up and bring you to your destination. You will be in the shuttle with around 8 people.
The first time I went to Costa Rica I wanted to explore the Direct Bus service since I had time and wanted the “real” experience. Is as well a great option for around 15$.  It leaves from the San Carlos (Atlantic) Station in downtown San Jose twice a day (6 AM and 2 PM).
By car can be the other option. I would recommend you to rent a 4×4 since you have crazy roads where you might cross some rivers and literally feel like Jesus going through waters!

Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa is located at the pacific side on the first peninsula. It is one of the fancy surf beaches – a wonderful beach with astonishing waves for everybody! It is a beach break but you can also find some lefts in the south.
The waves are just smooth – and you have waves with breathtaking sunsets. The “town” Santa Teresa is basically one street with lots of bars, restaurants and hotels or hostels that is located parallel to the beach. On the beach you have as well a lot of bars that are open from morning till late evening. Lot’s of tourists are in Santa Teresa because of the amazing surf. It can be crowded but I enjoyed the place especially as a destination to meet some people. As a solo-traveller you will find a lot of others doing the same as you are doing.

Samara
This is a cute little town located at the beach in Nicoya. The surf is great for beginners and you have some sweet bars and restaurants around town. Activities like football at the beach or Yoga is also common there. Samara is a place where you find cars, motorbikes, ATWs but as well horses running around on the streets.

Montezuma
Montezuma is a small little town at the beach. It is colourful and has a lot of Yoga retreats. When going to town you will have lots of people selling jewellery in the street and enjoying themselves in the sun – pretty laid back. You have have some beaches where you can surf close by like Playa Grande and some others that I do not want to mention because I would like that locals (including myself) will not be bombarded by tourists taking the waves …

Weather in Costa Rica
The weather in Costa Rica is tropical. The summer months or the so called dry season is between November and April. During this time of the year you have almost no drop of rain and sunshine all over. The temperature will be around 30 degrees (day & night). The winter months or the rain season starts in May and lasts until October. With a note that September and October will be the months with heavy rain. The other months you have a mix between sunshine and some tropical rain in-between. In April / May the country turns green and all the flowers blossom which is beautiful as well. I heard that November is one of the nicest months to visit since you still have all the green nature present but the heavy rain already stopped.

Hostels & Hotels
Costa Rica is a bit more expensive than the other countries in Central America. The prices for hostels and hotels vary in terms of season. I have been there in April and could find dorm rooms for 15$/ night. Although does it depend on the area as well. The most active websites for hostels is Hostelworld. Here you find a great variation of places to search for. As well did I realise that people are using Booking more frequently than other platforms. As well do you have the opportunity to do some work & travel in Costa Rica. You can find a lot of opportunities on Workaway.

Food & Drinks
In Costa Rica you have the typical food with the main ingredients containing rice and beans. For breakfast you can order Gallo pinto. This dish contains rice & beans in a mix and on the side you have usually a Taco and you can add either eggs, avocado or some fine cheese. The typical main dish for lunch and dinner is Casado. This dish contains rice, beans, a salad and you can choose between meat, fish or vegetables. It is delicious 🙂
The typical Costa Rican Restaurants where you can find these dishes are in a so called “SODA”. The prices are around 4-6$ per meal. As well will you be able to choose from a vary of tropical fruit smoothies and juices that will cost you around 1-2$.
You can find lots of other dishes from different counties if you fancy.

Ticos & Ticas
Costa Ricans are called Tico (male) or Tica (female). I can say from my experience, that people in Costa Rica are welcoming and do as well speak very good english. Their slogan is “Pura Vida”, which can be translated to pure life. This is as well what they tell each other when they say hello or goodbye. It is a lifestyle that you will understand when you will visit & experience it for yourself.

PURA VIDA and enjoy all the good coconuts and fruits you can find!

Enjoy some tunes from my first Costa Rica trip: