Costa Rica for Dummies (ISBN - 047048215X)

412 Pages·2021·11.46 MB·English

3rd Edition

Costa Rica

Whether you want relaxation or
adventure, a sunny beach or a tropical
rain forest, Costa Rica has it all. Explore
urban San José or incredible national
parks with unspoiled wilderness. Go
golfing, snorkeling, volcano viewing,
river rafting, sea kayaking, mountain
biking, or horseback riding. With this
friendly guide, you’re on your way!

Explore Costa Rica
the fun and easy way®

Travel

travel smart @ www.dummies.com

With tips and recommendations
from the experts at

Open the book
and find:

Eliot Greenspan

$21.99 US / $25.99 CN / £14.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-48215-5

spine=.816”

Costa Rica
3rd Edition

• Down-to-earth
trip-planning advice

• What you shouldn’t miss —
and what you can skip

• The best hotels and restaurants
for every budget

• Lots of detailed maps

To call Costa Rica from another country: Dial the international access code (U.S. and Canada 011,
Australia 0011, New Zealand 0170, U.K. 00 ), followed by the country code (506), then the local number.
For example, a call from the U.S. to San José would be 011+506+0000+0000.

To make a call within Costa Rica: Dial the 8-digit number.

To make a direct international call from Costa Rica: Dial the international access code (00), followed by
the country code (U.S. or Canada 1, U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64), the area code,
and the local number.

To charge international calls: You can reach an AT&T operator at 0800/011-4114; MCI, 0800/012-2222;
Sprint, 0800/013-0123; Canada Bell, 0800/015-1161; and British Telecom, 0800/044-1044.

Directory Assistance: For domestic assistance, dial 113; for international assistance, dial 124.

International Operator: Dial 116 (pay phones may sometimes require a coin deposit.)

110˚ F

100˚ F

50˚ F

60˚ F

70˚ F

80˚ F

90˚ F

40˚ F

32˚ F

20˚ F

10˚ F

0˚ F

-10˚ F

-20˚ F

To convert F to C:

subtract 32 and multiply

by 5/9 (.555)

To convert C to F:

multiply by 1.8

and add 32

40˚ C

30˚ C

20˚ C

10˚ C

-18˚ C

0˚ C

-10˚ C

-30˚ C

32˚ F = 0˚ C

To convert.........................
inches to centimeters....................
centimeters to inches......................
feet to meters..................................
meters to feet................................
yards to meters................................
meters to yards..............................
miles to kilometers........................
kilometers to miles.........................

multiply by

2.54
.39
.30
3.28
.91
1.09
1.61
.62

1 mile = 1.6 km
1 km = .62 mile
1 ft = .30 m
1 m = 3.3 ft

To convert..........................
Ounces to grams.........................
Grams to ounces............................
Pounds to kilograms.......................
Kilograms to pounds.....................

multiply by

28.35
.035
.45
2.20

1 gram = .04 ounce
1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

1 ounce = 28 grams
1 pound = .4555 kilogram

To convert.........................
U.S. gallons to liters........................
Liters to U.S. gallons.......................
U.S. gallons to imperial gallons......
Imperial gallons to U.S. gallons....
Imperial gallons to liters...............
Liters to imperial gallons................

multiply by

3.8
.26
.83
1.20
4.55
.22

1 liter = .26 U.S. gallon

1 U.S. gallon = 3.8 liters

Nicoya

Tambor

Malpaís

Upala

Monteverde

CO

RDIL

LERA

DE GU

ANAC

AST

E

Liberia

San José

La Fortuna

Puerto Viejo
de Sarapiquí

Limón

Cahuita
Puerto
Viejo

Puntarenas

Quepos

N I C A R A G U A

(CORD

ILLERA DE TALAMA

NCA)

(CORD

ILLERA DE TALAMA

NCA)

TALAMANCA

RANGE

OSA PENINSU

LA

N

ICOYA PENIN

SULA

In

te

ra

me

ric

an

H

wy

.

Golfito

Puerto

Jimenez

Puerto
Jimenez

Palmar
Sur

Drake
Bay

Caño Island
Biological
Reserve

Gandoca-

Manzanillo

Wildlife

Refuge

Gandoca-
Manzanillo
Wildlife
Refuge

P A N A M A

Tamarindo

1

1

18
21

4

6

35

35

4

160

135

140

4

141

34

1

160

34

209

4

4

32

2

34

2

Golfo de
Papagayo

Coronado
Bay

P A C I F I C
O C E A N

C a r i b b e a n

S e a

Golfo
de
Nicoya

Golfo
Dulce

R

í

o

Sa

n

J

u

a

n

R

í

o

Sa

n

J

u

a

n

R

í

o

Sa

n

J

u

a

n

R

í

o

T

e

l

i

r

e

Poás
Volcano

Irazú
Volcano

Arenal
Volcano

Cerro de
la Muerte

Cerro
Chirripó

Airport

Mountain

LOS BAULAS
MARINE NATIONAL PARK

MARINO BALLENA
NATIONAL PARK

Ostional
Wildlife Refuge

Tortuguero Canal

Cabo Blanco
Absolute
Nature Reserve

50 km
0

0
50 mi

Costa Rica’s
National Parks
& Bioreserves

Arenal National Park 5
Cahuita National Park 15
Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge 7
Carara Biological Reserve 9
Chirripó National Park 14
Corcovado National Park 16
Guanacaste National Park 2
Guayabo National Mounument 11
Irazú Volcano National Park 12
Manuel Antonio National Park 13
Monteverde Biological Cloud
Forest Reserve 6
Palo Verde National Park 4
Poás Volcano National Park 8
Rincón de la Vieja National Park 3
Santa Rosa National Park 1
Tortuguero National Park 10

16

13

14

11

10

12

8

9

6

5

4

1

2

3

7

15

SANTA ROSA
NATIONAL PARK

Montezuma
Jacó

ISBN 978-0-470-48215-5

spine=.816”

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by Eliot Greenspan

Costa Rica

FOR
DUMmIES

‰

3RD EDITION

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Costa Rica For Dummies®, 3rd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit-
ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written
permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the
Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax [phone].
Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax [phone], or online at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the
Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade
dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in the
United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Frommer’s is a trade-
mark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the prop-
erty of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor
mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF
THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH-
OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY
BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATE-
GIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD
WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL,
ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED,
THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE
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THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A
POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE
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SITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK
WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT TRAVEL INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME AND THIS
IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OF PRICES. WE THEREFORE SUGGEST THAT READERS WRITE OR CALL AHEAD
FOR CONFIRMATION WHEN MAKING TRAVEL PLANS. THE AUTHOR AND THE PUBLISHER CANNOT
BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPERIENCES OF READERS WHILE TRAVELING.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care
Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

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ISBN: 978-0-470-48215-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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About the Author

Eliot Greenspan is a poet, journalist, musician, and travel writer
who took his backpack, mandolin, and typewriter the length of
Mesoamerica before settling in Costa Rica in 1992. Since then, he
has worked steadily as a travel writer, freelance journalist, and
translator, and continued his travels in the region. He is also the
author of Frommer’s Costa Rica, Frommer’s Belize, Frommer’s
Guatemala, Frommer’s Ecuador, and The Tico Times Restaurant
Guide to Costa Rica, as well as the chapter on Venezuela in
Frommer’s South America.

Dedication

As with previous editions, I’d like to again dedicate this book to
Allen Ginsberg, Fielding Dawson, and Jane Faigao — three dear
friends and teachers whom I treasure and miss.

Author’s Acknowledgments

Here’s to all the industry insiders, longtime locals, and everyday
tourists, whose thoughts and impressions add immeasurably to
my own wanderings, adventures, test runs, and site inspections.
I’d also like to thank Mayling Charpentier for her help on the road
and phones, as well as Myka Carroll and Jennifer Reilly for their
editorial diligence.

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Editorial

Editors: Myka Carroll, Development
Editor; Lindsay Conner and
Suzanna R. Thompson,
Production Editors
Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kuball
Cartographer: Anton Crane
Editorial Assistant:
Jessica Langan-Peck
Senior Photo Editor: Richard Fox
Cover Photos:
Front: © Roy Toft / National
Geographic / Getty Images
Back: © Ken Welsh / AGE
Fotostock, Inc. / PhotoLibrary
Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator:
Patrick Redmond
Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers
Proofreaders: Melissa Cossell,
Leeann Harney
Indexer: Slivoskey Indexing Services

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director,
Consumer Dummies
Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/
General User

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies
online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

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Contents at a Glance

Introduction .......................................................1
Part I: Introducing Costa Rica .............................7
Chapter 1: Discovering the Best of Costa Rica ..............................9
Chapter 2: Digging Deeper into Costa Rica ..................................18
Chapter 3: Deciding Where and When to Go ...............................26
Chapter 4: Following an Itinerary: Five Great Options ...............35
Part II: Planning Your Trip to Costa Rica ...........45
Chapter 5: Managing Your Money .................................................47
Chapter 6: Getting to Costa Rica ...................................................58
Chapter 7: Getting Around Costa Rica..........................................64
Chapter 8: Booking Your Accommodations ................................67
Chapter 9: Catering to Special Travel Needs or Interests ..........73
Chapter 10: Taking Care of the Remaining Details ......................79
Part III: San José and the Central Valley ...........89
Chapter 11: Settling into San José .................................................91
Chapter 12: Exploring San José ...................................................120
Part IV: Guanacaste and Environs ...................145
Chapter 13: Going for Gold in Guanacaste .................................147
Chapter 14: Exploring Guanacaste ..............................................169
Part V: Manuel Antonio and Environs ..............181
Chapter 15: Enjoying Magnificent Manuel Antonio ...................183
Chapter 16: Living the Lush Life on the
Central Pacific Coast ..............................................................205
Part VI: Monteverde and Environs ...................233
Chapter 17: Visiting the Cloud Forests of Monteverde ............235
Chapter 18: La Fortuna and the Arenal Area .............................255
Part VII: Touring the Rest of Costa Rica ..........279
Chapter 19: Seeking Solitude in Southern Nicoya .....................281
Chapter 20: Exploring Southern Costa Rica ...............................299
Chapter 21: Chilling on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast .............324
Part VIII: The Part of Tens ..............................353
Chapter 22: Ten Myths about Costa Rica ...................................355
Chapter 23: Ten Costa Rican Moments ......................................358
Appendix: Quick Concierge .............................361
Index .............................................................369

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