Things to do in Costa Rica

"Azur, my next door neighbor is going to Costa Rica, do you have any advice?"

If I had a dollar for every time I get this question ;-) I guess you don't meet many costaricans in Vermont, or in the US for that matter. I actually have very few friends or acquaintances from Costa Rica in the US. The question is innocuous and in many cases along the lines of "nice weather today eh" so I don't take offense or anything - I guess if I met somebody from mars I would say "Oh! how funny we have a chocolate bar named after your planet; is it really red when you get there? .

Anyway, here it is:

BEST TIME TO GO

January through April - it rains from May through December.

BEST PLACES TO GO

Central Valley:

• Jade Museum
• Sarchi for arts and crafts
• The Butterly Farm (any of them)
• The Cafe Britt tour
• Gold Museum
• Central Market
• National Theater (San Jose)
• Poas, Turrialba or Irazu Volcano (Nearby Mountains) Go early to see crater
• Thermal Waters in Orosi, Cartago

Northern Pacific Coast -Guanacaste:

• Cabo Blanco Reserve: Monkeys, trails, primary forest, moderate hike
• Montezuma: Quaint hippy town with a great Waterfall, easy hike in
• Conchal Beach: Big secluded resort with a nice beach
• Santa Rosa National Park
• Palo Verde National Park
• Barra Honda National Park
• Volcano "Rincon de la Vieja" National Park - really nice and less traveled
• Monteverde - Cloud forest with amazing vistas

Central Pacific Coast:

• Manuel Antonio Park - beautiful, walk to last beach - enjoy hike to Punta Catedral
• AVOID Puntarenas and Jaco

South Pacific: Very far but an amazing trip - off the beaten path

• Corcovado National Park - the closest you'll get to the amazon
• Lapa Rios is a great hotel
• Dominical Beach - great spot but ask about noise level on party days - great massage place ask around. Lulo's waterfall is a great trip ….
• Sierpe - boat trip in the mangroves, great offshore fishing
• From Sierpe take boat to Drake bay and stay there for your entire vacation
• Hacienda Baru in Dominical - a great spot  

Caribbean:

• Avoid Limon, Cahuita and Puerto Viejo
• Do go to Manzanillo and Gandoca
• Tortuguero National Park - take boat trip up the canal - lush and green - or fly there
• Barra del Colorado - fly there or take a boat from Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui

General Tips:

• Make car reservations way in advance, ask for a 4 by 4 automatic. Triple check, then triple check again, then learn to drive a stick shift. Drive defensively.
• Bring small dollar bills - don't bother with traveler checks.
• Never leave your things unattended -don't leave anything in the car.
• Drink bottled water
• Don't eat anything from street vendors
• Internet cafe's area available everywhere
• Tips are included in all restaurants and cab fares (you can tip extra if very nice)
• Not a gourmet destination - food is ok but not great
• Travel early to avoid traffic
• Never travel to central valley on a Sunday night or a holiday (traffic nightmare)
• Try to fly into the Guanacaste Airport on the Pacific Coast - best option if traveling to Pacific
• Caribbean is ok but it rains and there is little variety for a short trip
• Great weekly English newspaper: Tico Times, a must buy and read.
• Bring a sweater or a denim jacket, bring Gore-Tex shell.
• Bring your own batteries and digital cards 
• When on trail watch out for snakes - really.
• Buy coffee in town not at the airport - Britt coffee, green label is the best.
  
  LINKS:
  
  http://www.ticotimes.net/
  http://www.photo.net/cr/ (MIT professor journal, good photos and anecdotes)
  http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1987/arias-bio.html (Nobel Laureate President)