As a few of it’s possible you’ll already know, Max grew up in Costa Rica. His household moved right here when he was 2.5 years outdated, and so they lived right here full-time till he was 11. Through the years, they lived in a number of completely different spots and visited many elements of Costa Rica earlier than it turned the vacationer vacation spot that it’s in the present day.
As we speak, Costa Rica is a really completely different place than it was again within the 80’s and 90’s. It’s safer and simpler to get round, it has higher communication (cell telephones and web), and {an electrical} grid that reaches virtually everybody.
However it’s good to see that regardless of the event throughout the nation and the inflow of vacationers from everywhere in the world, Costa Rica has managed to keep up its numerous natural world, and wealthy tradition.
To offer you a bit of style of the nation now we have come to know and love, we needed to share some attention-grabbing Costa Rica info that you could be or could not find out about its biodiversity, customs, and traditions. You gained’t discover lots of these things within the guidebooks!
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Primary Info About Costa Rica
In case you are planning to go to Costa Rica for the primary time, then listed below are a number of of the fundamental however attention-grabbing info about Costa Rica you must know earlier than you arrive:
Tico’s/Tica’s
Costa Ricans check with themselves as “Ticos” (males) and “Ticas” (females). This derives from the behavior of including –tico to a phrase to indicate one thing is small, like they do in lots of different Spanish-speaking nations.
Now, that’s to not say Costa Rican persons are small, but it surely’s an affable time period that’s fairly much-become a part of the official language at this level. The nationwide soccer staff is even known as the “Ticos”!
Native Ticos at Playa Pelada at sundown, Nosara
Gringos/Gringas
That is the time period used all through most of Latin America for People and extra lately in reference to any white vacationer (Sure, even us Canadians, eh).
Local weather Zones
Costa Rica has twelve local weather zones various from sizzling and humid to chilly and frosty. The most effective time to go to Costa Rica is anytime; it simply is dependent upon what you wish to do in your vacation!
However in case you are in search of a few of these summer season vibes in your go to to Costa Rica, be sure to go to the Guanacaste area. The yearly common right here is 26-27°C (80 °F).
Or, try the Caribbean Coast, which has a distinct wet season than the Pacific Coast. On that facet, it’s typically sizzling, humid, and wet all yr aside from a brief window between September and October.
Lush tropic rainforest of Dominical
Chicken Life
Costa Rica is house to some 894 completely different species of birds, 52 of that are hummingbirds. So don’t be stunned for those who see a number of proper outdoors your room throughout your keep. Particularly the clay-coloured thrush, or yigüirro, which is the nationwide fowl of Costa Rica.
The Osa Peninsula within the South of Costa Rica is named top-of-the-line spots within the nation for fowl watching. In the event you actually wish to see the distinctive birds of Costa Rica, head to Corcovado Nationwide Park!
Orchids
The nationwide flower of Costa Rica is the guaria morada, or an orchid. Over 1400 various kinds of orchids name Costa Rica house, lots of that are so tiny they’re robust to see with the bare eye.
If you wish to study extra, try the Orchid Backyard, in Santa Elena, Monteverde. The workers there’s tremendous educated, and though we aren’t botanists, we actually loved our tour of the backyard.
One of many enjoyable info about Costa Rica we discovered from the tour is that the smallest identified orchid species on the earth may be discovered right here. Its scientific title is Platystele jungermannioides and it’s in regards to the measurement of a dime!
Orchid on the Monteverde Orchid Backyard in Costa Rica
Biodiversity
Being located in the course of North and South America, Costa Rica is extremely numerous in its plant and animal life. The forests are full of mammals and reptiles, whereas the ocean is teeming with marine life.
In actual fact, even being such a small nation, Costa Rica makes up 5% of the world’s biodiversity. Nationwide Parks like Corcovado and Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park are nice locations to see wildlife of their pure habitats.
Beloved animals like sloths have grown to grow to be nationwide symbols of Costa Rica. It gained’t be lengthy earlier than you notice why Costa Rica interprets to “wealthy coast.”
Monkey hanging out in Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park
Nationwide Parks
Costa Rica is house to almost 30 nationwide parks, and three of them are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Websites. Particularly, these are the Space de Conservación Guanacaste, La Amistad Reserve and Nationwide Park, and Cocos Island Nationwide Park.
The 30 nationwide parks are unfold all throughout the nation, every providing completely different websites to see, from the energetic volcanoes of Arenal in Alajuela to the completely different sea turtles of Tortuguero Nationwide Park on the facet of the Caribbean Sea.
These parks are vital habitats for a wide range of flora, fauna, and wildlife. In the event you go to Costa Rica, going to at the least one of many nation’s parks is an absolute should. There’s nothing like their wonderful landscapes, numerous wildlife, and wealthy biodiversity.
Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Enjoyable Info About Costa Rican Tradition
Costa Rica has a wealthy, vibrant tradition that blends its indigenous origins and Spanish colonialism with a splash of Afro-Caribbean thrown in for good measure. The tradition can differ relying on the world you’re visiting, however irrespective of the place you go to in Costa Rica, you’ll discover heat folks with a love for all times. One factor’s for certain: Costa Ricans get pleasure from life to the fullest!
Pura Vida
That is one in all our favorite info about Costa Rica. Pura Vida is a time period used recurrently by locals and now extra continuously by travellers hoping to slot in. The phrase “pura vida” actually interprets to “pure life” and is a lifestyle for all Costa Ricans. When somebody asks you the way you’re, it isn’t unusual to easily reply “Pura Vida” to say all the pieces is nice.
You undoubtedly really feel that heat, blissful vibe everywhere in the nation. Based on earlier surveys by the Completely satisfied Planet Index, Costa Rica is likely one of the happiest nations on the earth. Should be that pura vida!
Take a web page out of the Costa Ricans’ ebook and luxuriate in pura vida
Surnames
Costa Rican girls don’t take their husbands’ final names as is customary in Western tradition. The kids of the couple take each the daddy’s and mom’s surname in that order.
Fiestas
All year long, many Costa Rican cities play host to native fiestas. These occasions characteristic carnival video games, native meals stalls, dodgy rides, horse parades, and, after all, bull driving competitions.
Bulls are usually not harmed throughout these occasions, and the highlights of the competitions are sometimes the locals who bounce into the ring and tease the bulls to point out off their expertise for the group.
Recreation and store stalls arrange outdoors the bull ring on the Paraiso Fiesta.
Soccer Fields
Each city, irrespective of how huge or small, has its personal soccer area and a faculty. Soccer is a lifestyle in Costa Rica, so in case you are in search of a solution to work together with locals, don’t be shy and take part throughout pleasant weekly Sunday mejengas (slang for pickup recreation).
Enjoyable Info About Costa Rican Meals
The delicacies in Costa Rica is actually one thing to jot down house about! It’s packed stuffed with flavour, hearty, spicy, savoury and oh so satisfying, whether or not you select to eat within the native eateries or fancier Costa Rican eating places. Don’t overlook to save lots of these meals info as Costa Rica journey ideas, too!
Gallo Pinto
Costa Rica’s nationwide dish, Gallo Pinto, is a mix of beans and rice leftover from the evening earlier than, blended with some peppers, onions, cilantro, Lizano sauce, and different spices. It’s one of many few conventional Costa Rican meals that you need to attempt right here because it’s a giant a part of the Costa Rican weight-reduction plan. In Spanish, the literal translation for Gallo Pinto is “colored rooster.”
Gallo Pinto for breakfast.
Soda
A soda is a small, casual restaurant that serves conventional Costa Rican dishes like a “Casado” (meat, rice, beans, and salad) and Gallo Pinto for as little as $3-$4 a plate. That is the place the native Costa Ricans eat!
Roads in Costa Rica
Pulperia
A pulperia is a neighbourhood comfort retailer that sells important provides meals gadgets like canned items, eggs, milk, bread, and a few produce. Nearly each small city has a pulperia, however the costs at these retailers are sometimes marked up 10-20% for comfort.
Additional Attention-grabbing Info About Costa Rica
Listed below are some extra info about Costa Rica that you simply don’t usually discover in journey guides. The nation is a lot greater than a journey vacation spot; it’s also a fairly superior place to stay!
Isla Del Coco
Isla del Coco is probably the most distant a part of Costa Rica, almost 360 miles (600 km) into the Pacific Ocean, southwest of the mainland. It’s well-known for among the greatest diving in Costa Rica and for pristine wildlife (assume the Galapagos of Central America).
When this small Central American nation hit the massive display screen, tens of millions noticed this island in theatres throughout the opening moments of the Steven Spielberg movie Jurassic Park. At 8 miles by 3 miles (12 km by 5 km), Isla del Coco is the most important uninhabited island on the earth. (We are able to’t wait to expertise it sooner or later!)
Diving in Isla del Coco
Common Wage
The typical wage for normal labour in Costa Rica is about $2/hour or $16/day, the best in all of Central America.
Life Expectancy
A little bit-known well being reality about Costa Rica’s inhabitants is that the life expectancy right here is sort of 77 years, one of many highest on the earth. Costa Rica can be house to one of many 5 Blue Zones on the earth.
Blue Zones are often called areas of the world the place folks stay measurably longer lives. If you wish to expertise the Blue Zone for your self, head to the Nicoya Peninsula on the Northern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica to see how the Costa Rican folks stay.
Bogs
In most elements of Costa Rica, rest room pipes are outdated and solely 2” vast, and the bulk nonetheless use septic tanks. Because of this except you’re utilizing a bathroom in a 5-star institution, it’s possible that you can see a be aware on the wall asking you to place rest room paper within the bin as an alternative of the bathroom itself.
Sustainability
A few of our favorite Costa Rica info are about how environmentally conscious this Central American nation is. Because of its unbelievable biodiversity, it’s grow to be a hub for eco-tourism. Even with being probably the most visited nation in Central America, it nonetheless prioritizes conservation wherever potential.
Costa Rica generates over 99% of its electrical energy via renewable power and goals to attain zero internet emissions by 2050. There’s a nationwide charging grid for electrical vehicles and a slough of eco-lodges excellent for a accountable vacation.
Bizarre Info About Costa Rica
It’s true that Costa Rica is a singular nation. Listed below are some strange info about Costa Rica that simply add to its allure!
Military
Right here’s a bit of tidbit about Costa Rican historical past: Costa Rica is likely one of the few nations on the earth that has no standing military. The Costa Rican authorities abolished the military in 1948 after the civil conflict ended.
You’ll nonetheless see the Costa Rican flag proudly hung excessive because the nationwide anthem chimes, however there’s far much less nationalism right here than in different places.
Road Names
In contrast to the Western world, Costa Rica doesn’t use road names and doesn’t have a postal code system. Earlier than Google maps, navigation was difficult, and landmarks have been used as waypoints.
There may be some signage within the capital metropolis of San Jose, however in lots of elements of the nation, navigating remains to be tough.
So don’t be stunned when your resort tackle sounds one thing like this: “200m South of the tree that was hit by lightning final yr, then 50m East. It’s the home in entrance of the home with the pink gate.”
Road indicators in Costa Rica are virtually non-existent
Locks
Don’t be stunned if the lock in your resort room needs to be turned the alternative means from what you’re used to.
This is actually because Costa Ricans solely use one orientation of locks on doorways, so if the door wants a distinct orientation of the lock, they merely flip it, inflicting it to lock and unlock in reverse.
Discoteca Vs Nightclub
Costa Ricans love a very good get together. However bear in mind: when in Costa Rica, a discoteca is a nightclub, and a nightclub is definitely a strip membership. So be sure to ask for the fitting factor in your nights out!
In the event you’re in search of an thrilling nightlife scene, San José is on the coronary heart of it. Town affords lots of selection, and also you’re assured to discover a discoteca (or nightclub) that matches your vibe.
Discotheque on the Costa Rican Fiesta.