Costa Rica: country facts, travel advice and health

The navigation app locals prefer, with live traffic updates.Offline maps and GPS navigation built on OpenStreetMap.Ride-hailing that drops riders right at a bus terminal's door.Finds homestays and guesthouses missing from the big booking sites.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 4 of 5: Cards are widely accepted for most payments.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Costa Rica

Costa Rican Colón · ₡ · CRC

Change money at a state bank, ideally Banco Nacional, for better rates.

Avoid the airport exchange desk: its rates are very poor.

Carry undamaged US banknotes; even a small tear can get a bill refused.

If a price is in "dollars", check whether the seller means 500 colones, not a real US dollar.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Costa Rican Colón in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Tue, 1 Dec 2026 · Army Abolition Day Día de la Abolición del Ejército

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Navidad

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Año Nuevo

Thu, 25 Mar 2027 · Maundy Thursday Jueves Santo

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday Viernes Santo

Sun, 11 Apr 2027 · Juan Santamaría Day Día de Juan Santamaría

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day Día Internacional del Trabajo

Sun, 25 Jul 2027 · Annexation of the Party of Nicoya to Costa Rica Anexión del Partido de Nicoya a Costa Rica

Mon, 2 Aug 2027 · Feast of Our Lady of the Angels Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles

Sun, 15 Aug 2027 · Mother's Day Día de la Madre

Wed, 15 Sept 2027 · Independence Day Día de la Independencia

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Costa Rica say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise increased caution

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 1 Apr 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 19 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Slashed tyre and helpful strangers

With a flat tyre, guard the car and bags; refuse help from strangers who suddenly appear.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Staged collisions

If hit on purpose, drive on to a police station or garage and explain to traffic police.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Roadside pleas for help

In a hire car, don't stop for strangers waving from the roadside.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Pirate taxis

Use red official taxis (orange at the airport) or radio cabs; check ID and use the meter.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Hepatitis A shot advised for unvaccinated travellers aged one and over; malaria in some regions.

Vaccinations

Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over.

Malaria

In some regions

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Manuel Antonio National Park

Coastal park with clear-water beaches and plenty of animals.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

The army was abolished for good in 1948 after a 44-day civil war, and Costa Rica has had none since.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Noble patria, tu hermosa bandera. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

4 World Heritage sites in Costa Rica, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $102.9 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $19,970Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	medical instruments, integrated circuits, orthopedic appliances, bananas, tropical fruits (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	5.2 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	36 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	80.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Roman Catholic 47.5%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 19.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other Protestant 1.2%, other 3.1%, none 27% (2021 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2021 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	51,100 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlandsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major active volcanoesSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+506Source: libphonenumber · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).