Planning for Costa Rica

Travel article written by Terrell James on Mar 20, 2006 - 05:58 PM

Provide helpful information, opinion, tips and advice that will help travelers prepare and plan when traveling to Costa Rica.

When traveling it is essential to plan ahead, so when you arrive at your destination, you lessen the chances of being at a loss of what to do. Knowledge gained from others travel can be invaluable, especially when planning to travel to somewhere you have never been before. The advice on this page is helpful to everyone planning a trip to Costa Rica.

Money

The money used in Costa Rica is called colons. You can change dollars into colons at the airports in San Jose and local banks. The exchange rates can be from the low 200s to 400s colons for each US dollar. (Now everywhere in Costa Rica you can buy or pay in US dollars, but I think things are cheaper if you pay in colons.) Other ways you might get colons is if you pay for something in US dollars, you will receive change in colons. During my stay at Costa Rica, I once paid a cab driver in US money, and I received change in the local currency. You should also make sure your dollars are not torn. Local banks and businesses do not accept torn US dollars. I tried to exchange a torn $50 bill, and the bank would not accept it!

-Bringing Money

On my trip I brought my money half in dollars and the other half in American Express cheques. When a traveler cheque is used there will be a commission fee.

When to visit/weather

Costa Rica has two seasons – the dry season and the green season (or rainy season). The dry season is from December to March. The dry season is the busiest time in Costa Rica. Prices are much higher and it is harder to find a place to stay. Now in the green season you will find much cheaper prices. The green season is from April to November. During the rainy season it generally rains for a few hours and then clears up.

Traveling within Costa Rica

Bus – You can catch one to most parts of the country. There are a few places where the bus comes only once a day though…

Cab – There are red cabs throughout the country. If the cab driver tells you the meter is broker, just get out. First it is illegal for a cab driver to drive with a broken meter in Costa Rica; secondly he might just be trying to rip you off.

Renting a Car – You can rent a car, but to me personally I would find driving in Costa Rica difficult, since I’m not from the country and it seems there are a lack of street signs. Also the prices for a car rental can be pretty expensive.

Local airlines – You can catch local flights to places throughout Costa Rica. They are regularly scheduled and reasonably inexpensive.

Cities and Towns

Cities in Costa Rica are San jose (The Capital) Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Jaco, Liberia, Manuel Antonio, park, Pochote, Puerto Limon, Puntarenas, Parismina, and Tamarindo.

An experienced traveler to Costa Rica, the author of this article, Terrell, is the webmaster and owner of the website Costa Rica Travel

Article source: http://www.articlescorner.com/article.php?article=160
More by Terrell James: http://www.articlescorner.com/user.php?user=61

=========================================

By Henry Cobb

Are you interested in taking a trip to Costa Rica? If you are, you are definitely, not alone. Costa Rica is known as being a popular vacation destination. Although Costa Rica is well-known for its beauty, it is also well-known for its unlimited number of fun and exciting activities. If you are interested in planning a Costa Rica travel adventure, you may want to take the time to familiarize yourself with some of these fun and exciting activities. Doing so, may help to make planning your next Costa Rica travel adventure easy.

As previously mentioned, Costa Rica is well-known for its beauty. That is why a large number of individuals make the decision to take a Costa Rica travel adventure. Since the beauty of Costa Rica is what draws many tourists in, many want to focus on that beauty and soak up as much of it as possible. If you are interested in doing the same, you may want to think about making reservations for a guided tour. These tours often come in the format of hiking. In Costa Rica, you can tour the Poas Volcano, tour the Manuel Antonio National Park, among other parks, and do much more to take in the beauty of Costa Rica.

If you are truly interested in having your Costa Rica travel adventure be adventurous, you may want to examine Costa Rica travel adventure packages. Costa Rica travel adventure packages not only include your overnight accommodations, but they also include fun and exciting Costa Rica adventure tours. These tours may even include rafting. Some Costa Rica tourists claim that you have never really experienced all that Costa Rica has to offer until you go rafting.

Another activity that you may enjoy while on a Costa Rica travel adventure is a cruise. Costa Rica cruises are the perfect way to spend your Costa Rica travel adventure. What is nice about Costa Rica tours is that they come in a number of different formats. For example, you can spend your whole trip on a Costa Rica cruise or you can only plan on taking a Costa Rica cruise for a portion of your trip, like two or three days. Costa Rica tours are breathtaking as many take you along the beauty beaches, as well as through the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica. You never know what beautiful wildlife species you will find on a Costa Rica cruise.

As outlined above, it is possible to book a Costa Rica adventure tour in the form of a vacation package. Adventure tours are not the only Costa Rica vacations that can be booked in the form of a vacation package. Although many recommend doing so, the decision is yours to make. What you should know; however, is that not all Costa Rica vacation packages have your whole trip planned out for you. Many also give you time to do with as you please.

Henry Cobb is a writer for Adventure Brat . com where you can find accurate information about a Costa Rica Travel Adventure and other related information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Henry_Cobb
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Choose-the-Perfect-Costa-Rica-Travel-Adventure&id=565712

============================================