Practical Information

Visa

Costa Rica

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica; however, proof of onward travel may be required – we suggest you take a physical copy of your flight details in case officials ask to see them.

Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/costa-rica
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/costa-rica
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/costa-rica/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Costa-Rica.html

If you are travelling via the USA and are eligible to transit under the Visa Waiver Program, you are required to register in advance for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). There is a US$21 charge, which is only payable online. Please see our website www.exodus.co.uk/usvisa for further information.

Please note, not all nationalities have the same eligibility for travel to or transit via the USA, and you may not be covered by the visa waiver program. Regulations stipulate that any person who has travelled to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since March 2011, or have dual nationalities of these countries, may no longer qualify. In addition, if you have travelled to Cuba since 12 January 2021 you will not be eligible for the visa waiver program and should instead apply for a visa.

If you are in doubt of your eligibility, please check the visa requirements with your local US embassy.

Vaccinations and Health

Costa Rica

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, rabies and typhoid. The risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Many travellers will also require a yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, Tanzania and Zambia.

Dengue and zika, both viral diseases spread by mosquitoes, are known risks in Costa Rica. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Please check all requirements and travel vaccination recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

Local Time

Costa Rica's time zone: America/Costa_Rica (UTC -06:00)

Electricity

Costa Rica's electricity: Plug types A (two flat pins, US standard) and B (three pins, US standard) – 120V, 60Hz

Money

Costa Rica's currency: Costa Rican colon (CRC); however, US dollars are widely accepted

ATM Availability

ATMs are widely available in Costa Rica, particularly in the main tourist areas. A flat fee of up to USD3 and a small commission usually applies with debit card withdrawals. MasterCard and Visa are quite widely accepted in the bigger hotels, restaurants and tourist shops, though not, of course, in rural areas. Always check the handling fee when paying by credit card as it can be high. It is certainly much more convenient to carry as much of your money in cash as possible, so long as you are security conscious. We recommend that you bring some small denomination notes (USD1 and USD5 notes) since getting change is often a problem when paying for small items.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

US dollars are widely accepted as payment in Costa Rica, however change will likely be given in local currency and the exchange rate will fluctuate. We suggest taking some US dollars with you but then using ATM’s to withdraw the rest of your money in local currency whilst you’re there.

You should allow extra to cover the cost of meals not included in the price of the holiday. Snack lunches are approximately USD15-18 and evening meals USD25-32 per meal (excluding drinks). Average costs for drinks are USD1-2 for mineral water or soft drinks, USD3-4 for a bottle of beer and USD4-5 for a glass of wine.

Tipping

Our local staff are paid well and fairly for their work with Exodus. However, it is usual for groups to tip guides and drivers and it would be reasonable for each group member to contribute approx. USD3-5 per day for each staff member for this purpose, although you may wish to tip more if travelling in a small group. Porters at the airport and hotels are normally tipped about USD1 per piece. Occasionally the tour leader will organise a tipping kitty to facilitate these and other tips (such as waiting staff in restaurants) which will be collected in advance at the start of the trip.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re–usable bottles.
• We use eco-friendly lodges throughout this trip which implement a range of sustainable practices.
• The Rio Celeste Hideaway and Tamarindo Diria have chemical-free gardens, and a greenhouse where they cultivate vegetables used in their kitchen. They also have a treatment process for wastewater.
• We rewild 100 square metres per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• The Rio Celeste Hideaway has approximately 12 hectares of primary and secondary forest in the grounds, each year staff plant native trees through the ACCT (Association Community Carbon Trees for the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide) program, mitigating their carbon footprint.
• Tamarindo Diria have solar panels for the generation of energy.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: we do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: please bring a re–usable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

 

 

Important Information

Optional activities and excursions

If you would like to join an optional activity or excursion outside those listed in the itinerary, your leader may be able to assist with selecting a provider. However, Exodus has not assessed the safety standards of activities or excursions that are not listed in the Trip Notes. All optional activities or excursions are undertaken at your own risk.

This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.