About Costa Rica
Costa Rica is in Central America north of Panama and south of Nicaragua. It’s 4 million
people inhabit 19,730 sq. miles. (Roughly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined.)
1 ½ million people live in the metro area of its capital of San Jose. Spanish is the official
language, but English is widely spoken and taught in her schools.
With a literacy rate of 96% and an excellent health care system, it is easy to understand why
Costa Rica is considered the most stable, prosperous, and least corrupt of all the Central
American countries. Her constitution prohibits a military. Her current President, Oscar Arias
Sanchez, was elected in 2006. He had served as president before in 1986-1990. In 1987 he won
a Nobel Peace Prize for fostering peace talks that eventually ended the civil wars in El Salvador
and Nicaragua.
When Columbus explored the country in 1502, it was believed to have had 400,000 Indians.
The mountainous region down the center of the country, thick and lush foliage, and a lack of
gold kept the Spanish conquerors from focusing on its occupation. The Costa Rican people have
had a history of progressive and peaceful thinking.
The people of Costa Rica (Ticos) are hard working family oriented people. 76% are Roman
Catholic. In most every town, the Catholic Church is at the center across from the park..
Commerce generally emanates out in a circle from this nucleus. When entering a town, one
should just look for the steeple of the church to get one’s bearings. It is not uncommon to see
children playing in the downtown park while the parents take turns shopping and doing business.
There is no personal income tax for most Costa Ricans. Taxation largely occurs through a
13% sales tax. When looking at items in a store, the sales tax is already added into the marked
price. The monetary unit is the colon. There are roughly 485 colones to the dollar. The
simplest conversion method is to move the decimal 3 places to the left and double the number.
Thus, 1500 colones is almost 3 dollars. (1.5 x 2) When receiving a bill at a restaurant, the tax
and a 10% gratuity will usually be in the final amount. Thus, when deciding what to tip, realize
you have already tipped 10%. Leaving an extra 5-10% on the table will be greatly appreciated.
The buses are frequent and inexpensive. Taxis are plentiful and very affordable. Litigation is
rare, as personal responsibility is the norm.
The labor force is roughly 20% agricultural, 22% industrial, and 58% service. The chief
agricultural products are coffee, pineapple, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes, beef, and
timber. The abundance of beautiful hardwoods and excellent craftsman, allow for a plethora of
fine finished wood products.
The Ticos (native Costa Ricans)love music, dance, and soccer. The people generally have
great teeth and skin due to their excellent diet and constitution. The water is very clean and
abundant. The school children wear uniforms, with different colors denoting different age
groups. Common sense seems to rain supreme. Often times you will find a police station 200
yards away from a school. As well they should be, the people are very protective of and attentive
to their children.
In keeping with their theme of personal responsibility, private security is generally the norm.
The Ticos seem more interested in preventing crime than prosecuting it. The bank doors are
locked, but will be opened with a smile from a security guard. Change your money in the bank
and you will get the top exchange rate and good security while you put your money away.
The grocery store will most likely have a guard. The houses will have bars on the windows
and iron gates and fences in the front of the typically narrow but deep lots. This should not make
you feel unsafe. On the contrary, do as the Ticos and pay attention; and you will be safe. By
following simple basic security rules that are addressed more fully in the security section of this
website & our packet; you will be safer than most places in the U.S.. With the exception of the
radar guns on the highways, the police here are more public servant than revenue ranger. It is the
law that two people having an accident must wait for the police before moving their cars to the
side of the road. The policeman will determine who is at fault right then, rather than six months
later in a court room.
The weather in Costa Rica has at least a dozen micro climates. 70* F for the low and 90*F
for the high is nearly a year round thing. It can get cooler in high elevations and central valleys,
and warmer and humid at the coasts. The Green Season (rainy season) is May-November; and
the Peak Season (dry season) is December-April. However, the rainfall in most places follows a
fairly predictable schedule. The Green Season can be an excellent time to travel if you go to the
right micro climates. The hotel rates are lower, and when in the right location, you can eat lunch
and rest up while the rain falls between 2:00 & 5:00pm. Since the sun is pretty consistent year
round at 6am for sunrise and 6pm for sunset; you can adjust your schedule to get up early and
have 6-7 hours of adventure before breaking for lunch, the rain, and a nap. Then you can enjoy
an incredible sunset and your evening activities.. The incredible beauty of the green lush growth,
numerous spectacular waterfalls, and vibrant streams are more than enough compensation for
scheduling around fairly predictable Green Season rainfall.
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Lodging & Transportation