You’re off the plane and in your hotel room wondering, How do I get to where I want to go? Take the bus! Buses in Costa Rica are efficient and reliable. You just have to know where to find them.
It all depends on where you’re going. In San Jose you’ll find bus terminals to anywhere in the country. In Barrio Mexico, you can find Pulmitan Liberia, the bus company that will take you to Liberia and anywhere on the way to Liberia. From Liberia you can take a bus to many of the surrounding beaches like Conchal, Playa Naranjo, Playa Hermosa and Playas del Coco.
If you want to go to Tamarindo, Samara, Nosara or historic towns like Read more
Costa Rica food is everything that is homey, delicious and comforting in this world. It may seem unfamiliar at first but I promise you’ll love it. The basis of any good Costa Rican meal is rice and beans. This may actually be the hardest to get used to. Costa Ricans eat a variation of rice and beans at every single meal, every day.
The staple breakfast is Gallo Pinto. Check out this original recipe here. Gallo Pinto is usually served with eggs, salchichon (sausage), cheese, sour cream, bread or tortillas. Some people, especially older ones, will even have left over steak with their morning gallo pinto. This breakfast is super heavy but totally worth it. People used to Read more
It’s going around and you’re sure to catch it. Soccer Fever. In Costa Rica this is pretty much a permanent condition; soccer is more of a passion than a sport. Participating in the Gold Cup and the Copa America, this fever has only intensified.
Costa Rica’s participation in the Gold Cup was in one word, dissapointing. With a new coach and a new team, there were high hopes for the “selecccion”(national team). A prideful 4-0 win against Cuba was followed by a satisfying tie with El salvador and then a crushing 4-1 loss against the all-time rival Mexico. After a demoralizing blow, the Costa Rican team dusted itself off as it prepared to move on to the quarterfinals and Read more
What is it that draws so many visitors to Costa Rica? Typically, a culinary experience hasn’t been on most people’s list, until now. Two Eco-lodges have tapped into an unexplored yet highly successful venture, Culinary tours. Although Costa Rican food is not classified as fine dinning, most who have tasted it have fallen in love with it. Now you can take those delicious typical dishes home with you and have them as often as you want.
Inn at Coyote Mountain is a four room eco-lodge located in San Ramon. The grounds of the lodge are beautifully adorned by the many fruit trees and organic fruit and vegetable plantations. You may decide to enjoy the orchid garden or a tour Read more
The Limón province includes many small rural towns like Guacimo, home to EARTH University dedicated to teaching agricultural sciences and proper use of natural resources in a tropical humid climate. Guacimo is a rural banana plantation area where tourists are a rare sighting. Guapiles is also filled with banana plantations. Since the main highway from San Jose to Limón goes through Guapiles there is some lodging available for those passing through to Limón or the surrounding natural reserves.
Other areas like the Talamanca region are famous due to the concentration of small native tribes that inhabit the area. The Bribri live in a secluded community where they work the fields, raise large families and speak the bribri language. Read more
Ticos are known by their neighbors for their greeting Pura Vida. This expression, meaning pure life, sums up Costa Rican culture. Ticos are laid-back, friendly and hospitable people who just want to enjoy life.
Costa Rica has a little over 4 million inhabitants, most of which are white and mestizo. Most people are Catholic but don’t attend church regularly. However, Catholic traditions do influence their life. Many holidays, celebrations and festivals are linked to religion and often in honor of a saint or the virgin Mary. These festivals also feature a different aspect of their culture, Folk music and dancing. Dancers in their typical clothing perform to the music of a large xylophone played by two or three people. Read more
The day is finally here! The Estadio Nacional (National Stadium) in Costa Rica is a historic landmark that has undergone an incredible makeover during the past 2 years. The new stadium, currently the most modern in Central America, was donated by China as a gesture of friendship between the two countries. The original stadium was first built in 1924 and demolished in July 2008 preserving only the original main entrance. The huge project was diligently carried out by the Anhui Foreign Economic Construction company and has been officially finished and handed over to Costa Rica.
The inauguration will be week-long event offering a wide variety of entertainment, featuring national and international talent.
Thousands of Costa Ricans have gathered for the highlight of the year, Fiestas Palmares 2011. Throughout the year there are several state fairs and festivals but none compare to Fiestas Palmares. The two-week long festival celebrates Costa Rican culture, tradition and customs through music, food and other activities.
Now half-way through, the festival has been a success and will probably continue to be so. In the coming days there are a variety of activities to please every taste. Every afternoon at 1:00pm starts Tarde de Arte y Cultura (an afternoon of art and culture), with the showing of an art exhibition and at 5:00pm a cultural activity. For example, January 18 will showcase a local Cimarrona while on the Read more
When a country exports coffee, sometimes all that’s left for the locals is the worst in the crop. That’s not the case in Costa Rica. If you live in Costa Rica you can still get the good stuff and good prices. What’s the best? What are the prices? That’s all up to you but here’s some of the local brands.
Most supermarkets carry the big Costa Rican name brands: Cafe 1820, Cafe Rey, Volio, Cafe Montaña, Yodito and Cafe Maravilloso. Most of these coffees cost around $3 per ½ kilo at the supermarket. Some supermarkets carry the whole bean coffee which can be a better deal. You can buy a 4-kilo bag of Cafe Montaña whole bean for $8. There’s Read more
Heredia is known as La ciudad de las Flores. Why? There’s two stories. One is that all of Heredia’s women are as beautiful as flowers. The other story is that due to its nearly perfect climate, flowers are always in full bloom. Personally, I believe both may be true.
The city of Heredia (usually referred to by locals as Heredia Centro), is the capital of the province by the same name. Heredia Centro is one of Costa Rica’s larger cities, similar to San Jose in size but more laid-back. The center of town is of course Parque Central, which is surrounded by old colonial buildings now used as government offices, as well as restaurants and shops. A short walk Read more
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