Why Fly in Costa Rica

The road conditions in Costa Rica are legendary, and rightfully so. Despite constant efforts to fix the roads, the hot sun, hard rain and constant pounding from cars and cargo trucks have made even paved roads here into a mine field of pot holes and other obstacles.

Other challenges are the lack of signage on the roads and the aggressive style of driving in Central America; case in point - searching for an unmarked town in the middle of the rain as trucks pass each other blindly on the road is not most people’s idea of a vacation.

Road conditions get especially difficult during the rainy season, when heavy rains and runoff or slides can destroy a stretch of pavement in a flash.
Costa Rica is a small country; however a 100 mile trip will take 4 hours or more.
Don’t just believe us. All of the best guidebooks contain useful information on getting around Costa Rica and the benefits of flying are touted by Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Lonely Planet and even Trip Advisor and other useful sites can be helpful.

Fly and Drive Deals & Promotions

Flying into a destination and picking up your car at the airport saves you a lot of time and money in gas, insurance and a drop off fees. We can help you arrange car reservations for pick up and drop off at all or our airports. For more information on our fly and drive packages please visit Nature Air Vacations

With Nature Air we are proud to say that every flight we operate is a sky tour above the country.

One of the best ways to see the country and not lose precious vacation time is from the sky; our aircrafts feature panoramic windows that are the size of large windows like you would find in your home.

Our flights returning from the beaches and volcanoes are consistently 25% higher in load factor (number of people on the flight) than those going out. Why? Because most people simply are not willing to drive back and instead opt to have the rental car companies pick up the cars while they fly back or to their next destination.

Nearly all the destinations we fly to have several rental car companies with offices.

Tips for Travel in Costa Rica & Central America

Cash & Currency

The unit of currency in Costa Rica is the colon. In February of 2008 there were approximately 550 colones to the American dollar; however this rate is constantly changing.

Exchanging money is best done in banks located throughout the country. However the best way to pull out cash is via an ATM which are located in all the destination spots except in the Osa Region, be aware that sometimes weekends and holidays, banks will be closed and sometimes ATM´s will run out of cash.

Credit Cards

Credit cards are widely accepted especially Visa and Mastercard. Small local restaurants and villages do not accept credit cards. Be careful of being levied an additional house charge for using a credit card, this is typical in smaller establishments that pass on the merchant charge to the client.

Climate

Costa Rica is a tropical country and has two distinct seasons, a dry and wet season. Temperatures vary primarily by elevation and not by season, with the beaches hot all year and in the mountain regions it can be cold at night any time of the year.

Generally, the rainy season runs from May to mid November and the dry season from December thru April. Despite being called the rainy season, this season is highlighted by beautiful sunny mornings with warm tropical rains that start in the mid afternoon.

Internet Access

There are plenty of internet cafes for those that do not travel with their own PDA or laptop and most hotels and hostels also offer free use of internet for their guests. Wi-fi connections are becoming increasingly common in most areas throughout the country and it is not uncommon to be surfing the web while watching your friends surf the waves only 300 feet away.

Accommodations

All levels and styles of hotels exist in Costa Rica, try to stay at hotels that have achieved a rating from the national Certified Sustainable Tourism program, although plenty of good hotels with strong sustainability programs still exist that do not belong to the CST. We can help you arrange your lodging; please speak to one of our agents.

Getting Around

Costa Rica is a small country, at 51100 sq. km (19730 sq. mi.) roughly the size of the state of West Virginia or Vermont. Despite its small size, travelling short distances can take an extremely long time due to road conditions or lack of direct routes.

Take note that Costa Rica does not have street addresses or building numbers. This makes for a very humorous and often times frustrating way of finding your destinations by looking for “landmarks” that be trees, other buildings and other locally designated points of reference. The hitch is that many of these “landmarks” no longer exist, so if you don’t know where the original landmark is, then give yourself some extra time to find what you are looking for.

Family Travel (Traveling with children)

Costa Rica is an extremely safe country for children with a high level of health standards and international standard hospitals and clinics. Most of the health problems you might associate with the tropics, such as malaria and cholera are rare or nonexistent in Costa Rica. Children medicines are widely available but may not be the same brand you use at home so pack what you think you might need.

Packing for Adventure

Let’s be honest, how much do you really need for a vacation adventure in the tropics? People typically bring too much luggage when they travel and Costa Rica is simply a place where you don’t need much for a 10 day vacation. Enjoy the freedom of travelling light and saving some luggage space to bring your loved ones home some gifts. Below is a list of useful items to consider packing:

Hiking boots or trail running shoes
Waterproof sport sandals for walking in rivers or hopping in and out of boats
A waterproof poncho for the wind and rain
Swimsuit
Flashlight with spare batteries
Large portable water bottle
Camera and camera bag
Zip-lock bags (they always come in handy)
A journal (to write it all down)

Shopping

Shopping is not the major reason to visit Costa Rica, nevertheless a lot of high quality wooden and leather handicrafts are available. San Jose has the best shopping opportunities in terms of number of specialty shops and variety. Bargaining is possible in outdoor markets, where you can expect to pay about 80% of the first price the vendor gives. Souvenir stores usually will give a discount if you pay cash.

Some key destinations exist in Costa Rica that specialize in handicrafts of various types. The mountain town of Sarchi located about 2 hours outside of San Jose is best known for their beautifully painted Costa Rican oxcarts, made in various sizes and make excellent gifts. Fine wooden furniture is also made in this region. The small town of Guaitl in central Guanacaste is famous for its preservation of pre-Colombian pottery techniques practiced by the Chorotega tribe, using local clays, natural dyes, and wood burning ovens.