Costa Rica Online Travel Resources

Our long-term journey through Costa Rica, by far, was the most adventurous time since we started slow traveling around the world.

It was a wild roller coaster of a trip: amazing views and beaches, close encounters with capybaras and toucans, firsthand experience with floods on the Caribbean coast, our first burglary (just to clarify, we were victims, not perpetrators), the most efficient emergency room I ever visited in my life.

Here is the list of online resources that helped us survive and occasionally even enjoy the Tico Land.

This is not a complete list of all available resources, just the ones we used. If you have any link that you think should be added to this list, please, leave a comment with a brief description. Thanks!

General Information

• Expatriates in Costa Rica Facebook Group – very active group. It was an invaluable resource while we lived in San Jose. It is a closed group, so you have to request to join.
• Living in Costa Rica – a practical guide to the way of life in Costa Rica
• AngloINFO Costa Rica – everything you need for life in Costa Rica
• Expats Know – a community started by some web developer/expat. Has some answers (mostly dated by now), but, by far, less active than FB group above
• National Holidays in Costa Rica
• Costa Rica Regions in brief (according to Frommer’s)
• The Nicoya Peninsula – overview, regions, nature reserves, getting around and travel safety tips
• Poas Volcano National Park

Emergency Preparedness and Safety Tips

Floods, volcano eruptions, landslides, road accidents, and burglaries do happen. Be smart and do not be caught by surprise.

• Police in Costa Rica: Practical Notes – including who to call in case of emergency
• Costa Rica 2019 Crime & Safety Report (by Overseas Security Advisory Council – Bureau of Diplomatic Security) – useful information to read before you go to Costa Rica
• The Costa Rican National Emergency Commission (Comisión Nacional de Emergencias or CNE)
• Safety Tips in Costa Rica
• Avoiding crime in Costa Rica – from World Nomads
• Safety Tips for Traveling in Costa Rica – from Mytanfeet

Medical / Health

• Who to contact in case of medical emergency in Costa Rica – including the list of hospitals and clinics
• Hospitals and Clinics in Costa Rica – from AngloINFO Costa Rica
• Medical Service Providers in Costa Rica – list complied by the Embassy of the Unites States
• List of Costa Rican Hospitals – provided by Costa Rican Department of Social Security (in Spanish)
• Hospital Clínica Bíblica – in San Jose
• Hospital CIMA – in San Jose
• Dr. Marco A. Muñoz Cavallini – dentist
• America Dental – cosmetic dental center specializing in dental implants, porcelain crowns, bridges, and general dental care
• Dr. Mario Garita – dentist
• Dr. Benjamín Hidalgo – dermatologist; (506) 2208 8319, bhidalgo @ gmail.com
• Dr. Daniel Alfaro – physician; CIMA Hospital
• Dr Mario Gonzelez Casafont – physician; CIMA Hospital
• Dr. Fabrizio Picado – orthopedic/back; CIMA Hospital in Escazu
• Dr. Oeding – orthopedic/back; Clinica Biblica

Government

• Costa Rica Government Website
• Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto
• Costa Rica Postal Service

Transportation

• San Jose Juan Santamaria Airport
• Driving Smart In Costa Rica
• Waze –  the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app. Extremely popular in Costa Rica to check the latest traffic conditions and submit new accidents
• Long Term Car Rental
• Tucan Limo Services – bilingual travel services

Food / Restaurants

• Fast Food, Take Away & Delivery
• Entregas de comida en San Jose (Uber Eats food delivery in San Jose)

Legal / Lawyers

• Retaining an Attorney in Costa Rica – information from the US Embassy
• List of Lawyers – from the US Embassy

Coworking

• Oficinas Virtuales en Costa Rica – also, check their Facebook page

Classifieds

• Costa Rica Classifieds

Charities

where to donate your old stuff before leaving in Costa Rica)

• El Puente – The Bridge

Cahuita and Puerto Viejo (Caribbean Coast)

• Cahuita Getting Around
• Cahuita Getting There
• Puerto Viejo Satellite – information source for Costa Rica’s South Caribbean coast from Cahuita to Manzanillo
• Puerto Viejo City Guide
• Average monthly temperatures in Limon

Tico Language

• Slang & Idioms
• Tico Expressions
• CPI Spanish Immersion School
• Spanish School

Media

• The Tico Times News (in English) – an English-language weekly newspaper based in Costa Rica known for its environmental and investigative reporting. Established in May 1956, it closed its print edition in 2012 and became an online-only publication
• The Costa Rica Star (in English) – an English-language news publication that has been online since late 2011. As of 2014, the focus of this website was to cater to the English-speaking expatriate population in Costa Rica, particularly those living in the Central Valley and in the province of Guanacaste
• La Nación (in Spanish) – a Costa Rican daily newspaper. It is published in San José, Costa Rica
• CRHoy.com (in Spanish) – Costa Rica Noticias 24/7

Our Costa Rican impressions

• Discovering the real Costa Rica
• San Jose off the beaten path
• Elusive Irazú and shy cows
• Arenal Hanging Bridges
• Playa Tortuga sans turtles
• Discovering Costa Rica. Part 1: San Jose and Arenal
• Discovering Costa Rica. Part 2: from Arenal to Pacific Coast
• Discovering Costa Rica. Part 3: Playa Panamá
• Witnessing the Magic (Street Art series)
• San Jose Street Art

If you liked this post you may also like:

• 9 things you must do before leaving for Costa Rica
• Travel Planning Resources for your next trip
• Budget Airlines And Regional Carriers – how to find the best plane ticket
• International Driving Permit: What Is It And How To Get It

Published: January 2016. Last update: July 2019

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