Costa Rica Real Estate Jack

Getting There: Costa Rica

The easiest way to reach Costa Rica is by air via the US; direct flights head to the capital San Jose daily from a number of US cities including Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Numerous air, hotel and car packages are also available, as well as a variety of tours focusing on nature expeditions, wildlife, ecology or just relaxing on the beach. Alternatively, you can travel overland from the US through Mexico and Central America, though this amounts to a major expedition in its own right.

Many airlines and discount travel websites offer you the opportunity to book your tickets, hotels and holidays packages online, cutting out the costs of agents and middlemen; these are worth going for, as long as you don't mind the inflexibility of non-refundable, non-changeable deals. There are some bargains to be had on auction sites too, if you're prepared to bid keenly. Almost all airlines have their own websites, offering flight tickets that can sometimes be just as cheap, and are often more flexible.

Costa Rica: Tour Operators

The Costa Rican tourist boom of the last ten years has led to a proliferation of tour operators. Market research shows that about 50% percent of travellers to Costa Rica arrive with only their return flight and the first few nights of accommodation booked; they then set about planning tours and travel once they've arrived in the country.

Wandering around the city, you face a barrage of tour agencies and advertisements: if you want to shop around it could take some time to sort yourself out. There are scores of others - be especially wary of fly-by-night operators, of which there are plenty. You often see, for instance, posters advertising cheap "packages" to Tortuguero or to Monteverde, both for about $80-100 - less than half the price of a regular package. These cut-price tours are not packages at all, and never worth the price: in some cases you will be responsible for your own transport, accommodation will be the most basic, and no tours, orientation or guidance will be given - something you can easily arrange on your own, for the same price or less.

Kayaking in Costa Rica

More than twenty rivers in Costa Rica offer good kayaking opportunities, especially the Sarapiqui, Reventazon, Pacuare, General and Corobici. The small towns of Turrialba, in the Valle Central, and Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, in the Zona Norte, are good bases for customized kayaking tours, with a number of specialist operators or lodges that rent boats, equipment and guides.

Sea kayaking has become increasingly popular in recent years. This is an activity for experienced kayakers only, and should never be attempted without a guide. The number of rivers, rapids and streams pouring from the mountains into the oceans on both coasts can make current treacherous, and any kind of boating, especially kayaking, is potentially dangerous without proper supervision.

Costa Rica: Curency

The official currency of Costa Rica is the colon (plural colones), named after Colon (Columbus) himself. There are two types of coins in circulation: the old silver ones, which come in denomination of 5, 10 and 20, and newer gold coins, which come in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500. The silver and gold coins are completely interchangeable, with the exception of public payphones, which don't accept all gold coins. Notes are available in 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10,000. You'll often hear colones colloquially referred to as "pesos"; in addition, the 1000 is sometimes called the "rojo" (red). The colon floats freely against the American dollar, which in practice has meant that it devalues by some 10% per year; at the time of writing it was around 430 colones to the $1. Obtaining colones outside Costa Rica is virtually impossible: wait until you arrive and get some at the airport or border posts.