Costa Rica 🇨🇷
Hi!
We are Sinéad and Hugh and recently travelled/ backpacked around the world for 180 days and this is our recommended route through Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is an amazing country with incredible levels of biodiversity meaning we saw new animal life around every corner! Coupled with the amazing beaches and sunsets, it is not to be missed! 🐒🦎🌅
We want this blog to be short and to the point, only highlighting the essential information we needed during our trip, especially those tips that helped us stick to our budget!
However, as we went along, we put a daily 60 second vlog up to give a better flavour of what we got up to – if you want to check it out!
Costa Rica was Day 26-33 on our Instagram and TikTok!
Helpful Facts about Costa Rica
Population: ~5m
GDP: ~ $86bn USD (85th)
Average Net Monthly Salary: ~ $950 USD (47th)
Main Spoken Language: Spanish
How to Say:
- Hello – Hola
- Please – Por favor
- Thank You – Gracias
Currency: Costa Rican Colón ($1 USD ~ 530 Colones) BUT ⬇️
Money Situation: USD are accepted and used almost everywhere!!
Card accepted in all touristy spots. Lots of ATMs and most dispense both Colones and USD. Most ATMs charge a fee of $3-$6 but we found that the Bank of Costa Rica (BCR) ATMs did not charge a fee!
Fun Facts: The tap water is drinkable for tourists here – a unique plus for Latin America!
Personal Observations: The most developed country in Central America and for that reason slightly more expensive but 100% worth it for the amazing wildlife and beaches!
Average Costs in Costa Rica for Backpackers
Average Costs in Costa Rica per day per person:
🛏️ Accommodation: €22 – we stayed in private en suite rooms and these rooms were split between 2
🥘 Food & Drink: €18 – we cooked in where possible as eating out was a bit on the expensive side
🚌 Transport: €6 – see itinerary below for our route
🤿 Activities: €6 – this can vary hugely but we spent a lot of time learning to surf which is a great cheap activity!
💶 Total: €52
Total Cost for 8 days per person: €394*
Budgeting:
Budgeting for any trip can be complex, especially if it is a long one with many destinations, countries and different costs of living!
We created and used a Travel Budget Tracker which we used for our full 180 day trip and helped us stay below budget!
You can download it here and will get a easy-to-follow Youtube tutorial on how its used!
Top tips we found to keep the costs down:
- Accommodation: Don’t just use Hostelworld but also look at Booking, Agoda and Revolut stays to find the best deals! Always, always, always study the reviews as well – but be aware that someone else’s ‘okay’ could be your ‘great’! (As was the case many times during our backpacking trip!)
- Food & Drink: Try to get breakfast included with your accommodation where possible and eat the local food!
- Transport: Booking in person in stations was cheaper for us 99% of the time but sometimes you still cant beat the convenience of busbud!
- Activities: These vary greatly from place to place so just make sure you have budgeted enough for your personal desires as these are one of the reasons that make travelling so special in our opinion!
Itinerary for Costa Rica
Day 1-3:
Manuel Antonio / Quepos
Fly into San Jose and go straight to the pacific coast to see Manuel Antonio National park – you will not be disappointed! It is one of the most famous protected sites in Costa Rica, it has unique wildlife, lush rainforest and pristine white sand beaches. The epitome of a paradise! Stay in the nearby town of Quepos! 🏝️🌺🦜
How to get from San Jose to Manuel Antonio:
Get a bus direct San Jose to Quepos from the Tracopa Bus Station. It is 3-4 hours and cost us 4400$ Colones each. Buses leave about 4 times a day and can be booked via an called ‘Passer’ but a bit more expensive so would advise going to the bus station!
From Quepos you can get to Manuel Antonio National Park via a local bus that departs every ~20 minutes. You can flag it down along the road and it costs 385$ Colones. Don’t worry, the drivers give change!
Day 4-6:
Dominical
From one paradise to another – this time a surfers! Dominical is the perfect chilled vibe to try to catch some waves! Or if you are like us, it’s beach is also the most beautiful backdrop to just have a stroll, take in the sunset and watch those who can, shred the gnar 🤙🏼🏄
How to get from Quepos to Dominical:
From the bus station in the centre of Quepos there are buses 4 times a day 6:00, 9:30, 2:30 & 5:30 to Uvita and 4 times a day 5:00, 8:00, 11:30 & 3:30 to San Isidro. Either of which you can get as they pass through Dominical. They will set you back about 1750 Colones for the hour long trip!
Day 7-8:
Uvita
Another must see protected site in Marino Bellena National Park! Here you can see more beautiful biodiversity along with the unique “whale’s tale” peninsula with waves crashing on both sides 🌊🐋
How to get from Dominical to Uvita:
There are buses 4 times a day as above from Quepos to Uvita but also more “local” buses. It is only a 20-30 minute ride and will be 700-1200 Colones pp depending on bus route (or driver!). Do note all bus timetables we could find differed slightly and 10:30 bus might arrive at 10:20 and not wait around!
Stay, Eat & Do in Costa Rica for Backpackers
Manuel Antonio
🛏️ Stay: Where to Stay in Manuel Antonio / Quepos
- We stayed in a wonderful Airbnb in Quepos that we would highly highly recommend! This was the private jungle room in a stunning small hostel situated right in the middle of forestry. This room is open to elements at night with just a wire mesh for one of the windows which was an amazing experience! Monkeys and sloths play in the tree tops above you all day which you can watch while lounging in the pool! Julie, the host, is wonderful and there are also a bunch of other rooms to choose from with real windows!
- We don’t want to recommend anywhere we haven’t been to ourselves so check out Booking, Agoda and Revolut Stays for all other levels of accommodation and the best deals as there is a huge amount of variety in Quepos & Manuel Antonio!
- Check out Hostelworld for hostels but be aware that you can often find the same place directly online or through Booking or Agoda for a better price!
🥙 Eat: Where to Eat in Manuel Antonio / Quepos
- Luna Llena Collectiv Art Cafe Boutique – Cafe just above Airbnb!
- Coffee Stop – Good brunch spot!
- Restaurant La Cocina – Looks basic but the food is great
- El Avion – on the road to Manuel Antonio, eat in an old Airplane!
🧗♀️ Do: What to do in Manuel Antonio / Quepos
- Head to the Manuel Antonio National Park. The wildlife is incredible and there are 2 beautiful beaches inside! Go early and for the day. You can eat in there and there are good shower facilities near beach. $18-20 for entrance. Can buy there or in advance via SINAC website (note it is a very bad website, patience is needed!). BIG NOTE: at peak seasons it can sell out (or be bought up all by your guides so no general availability). Booking a Tour Guide is good if you are into the wildlife and want a closer look as they have telescopes but is not 100% needed as you see loads yourself and other tours walking around will be pointing at the the sloths in trees etc. Tour Guides can be $60+ pp but be careful as some don’t include the actual entrance ticket or fee!
Dominical
🛏️ Stay: Where to Stay in Dominical
- Cool Vibes Beach Hostel is THE place to stay in Dominical and we would highly recommend it! True to its name, the vibes are chilled and it is right on the beach. It has decent private rooms, excellent kitchen facilities, a hot tub and cheap surfboard rental – what more do you need!?
🥙 Eat: Where to Eat in Dominical
- Cook in: the Supermarket at the top of the road slightly out of town is cheapest but beware of the fruit and veg as can be bad… Natural foods store on the street in town is much better but more expensive.
- Café Olas – good spot from some breakfast / lunch
- Moromo Forneria – top pizza!
- Del Mar Taco Shop – tacos and tasty
🤿 Do: What to Do in Dominical
Learn to surf! If beginners like us you can get lessons or just try it yourself. There are loads of places to rent boards but if staying in Cool Vibes they are only $10 for the day. Note that Dominical beach is more intermediate to advanced while Dominicalito is better for beginners – you can get taxi down with surf board from Dominical if you want, 5 min drive.
Nauyuca Waterfall – there are 2 ways to visit this place. One is from the Don Lucos side which is only $10 or you can go via Nauyuca Waterfall National Park which is $30. From Dominical you need to get an early bus in order to be able to catch a bus back (San Isidro to Quepos via Dominical).
Free Activity: Walk to Pont Azul waterfall near Dominicalito! We did this and it was lovely – just bring some water if its a hot day! Walk along Dominical beach to the end, then go onto the road for ~10 mins, then go down to Dominicalito beach by the sign for Coconut Cottages. Halfway down Dominicalito go out the main entrance of beach and the waterfall is just 5 minutes up the little road directly opposite!
Uvita
🛏️ Stay: Where to Stay in Uvita
- We didn’t actually spend a night in Uvita, just did a full day trip from Dominical so we don’t want to recommend anywhere we haven’t been to ourselves so check out Booking, Agoda and Revolut Stays for all other levels of accommodation and the best deals!
- Check out Hostelworld for hostels but be aware that you can often find the same place directly online or through Booking or Agoda for a better price!
🥙 Eat: Where to Eat in Uvita
- Aroma a Café – nice little spot with decent local food!
- Sibu Restaurant & Coffee Store – great menu options and tasty food
🧗♀️ Do: What to Do in Uvita
- Marino Ballena National Park! This is the famous whales tail beach where two ‘seas’ meet. Entrance is only $6 and hugely worth it. Note if coming from Dominical: make sure to stay on bus in Uvita until the Park (it stops at bus station 30 mins walk away first!). You can always try to thumb a ride back to bus station after if you need to like us…
- Uvita also offers Whale tours at varying times throughout the year. These are a little on the more expensive side at ~$75 a head.
Add our Costa Rica Google Map!
We pinned all of crucial locations as went along – including hostels, hotels, bus stops, restaurants, cafés and must-see sights!
Feel free to save our Google Map for Costa Rica if you wish!