Costa Rica

You can visit Costa Rica anytine, all year-round as it is a tropical destination.

Best Travel Time

The mountain ranges spanning the country from the northwest to the southeast form a barrier that divides the country into two larger climatic zones, the Pacific and the Caribbean. That’s why weather conditions on the Pacific side are usually the opposite of the Caribbean and vice versa. Independent of the climatic zones, several days of consecutive rainfall are rare. You will usually experience sunny mornings and a refreshing tropical thunderstorm in the afternoon. There is a period of less rain from December to April on the Pacific side and August to October on the Caribbean side.

From July to November, is a perfect time if you want to experience three great nature wonders in Costa Rica: The observation of humpback whales on the Pacific coast, the sea turtle nesting season and the bird migration from North America on the Caribbean side. Costa Rica’s flora literally explodes and shows its most diverse side from May to November. In our opinion it is a pity to only lay around on the beach in Costa Rica, but if you are looking for a pure beach holiday, December to April is perfect for the Pacific side and August to October on the Caribbean side.

Safety

Costa Rica is a comparatively safe holiday destination. Costa Ricans are very open-minded, helpful and friendly people, making their guests feel at home right away. Nonetheless, it is important to be aware of possible safety risks. Considering some general precautionary measures, you can travel Costa Rica without problems:

Expensive jewelry should be left at home, and – just like anywhere in the world – openly displayed valuables can be a target of theft. Please use the hotel safe in your room or at the reception. Do not leave any valuables on display in your rented car and only park the car in guarded, official parking areas rather than leaving it next to the road. Avoid walking at night in the cities.

Armed robberies have sporadically occurred. Even though it is very rare, this risk cannot be completely excluded. Should you become the victim of such an assault, make no resistance and keep calm. Documents and material loss can be replaced.

Costa Rica is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire and is thus exposed to natural risks like earthquakes and volcano eruptions. The country itself and the touristic infrastructure are well-prepared for such events. Due to the climate change there is also an increasing number of floods. Should any of this occur, please pay attention to the information provided by ARA Tours or the local population. Do not hesitate if evacuation is requested. This also applies in case of a tsunami alert.

Direct Flights to Costa Rica

Fortunatelly, Costa Rica has a wide range of flights from many parts of the world. You can find direct flights from North, Central and South America. Recently, several European airlines have included direct connections to their flight plans, offering an even more comfortable journey to Costa Rica. Panama City and various U.S. hubs are the most used, but other countries could offer the best flight connection for your travel plans.

As follows please find information of direct flights available from Europe and South America:

Airport in San José:
Juan Santamaría International Airlport

	Country	City	Airline	Frequencies
1	Spain	Madrid	Iberia	1 daily flight
2	UK	London- Gatwick	British Airways	1 flight Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
3	France	Paris (CDG)	Air France	From October 2017 until March 30^th, available 3 flights Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays (high season). From 1 April 2018 flights will be permanent Wednesday and Sundays.
4	Germany	Frankfurt	Condor	1 flight Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays.
4	Germany	Frankfurt	Lufthansa	From March 2018, 2 flights Thursday and Saturday
5	Switzerland	Zurich	Edelweiss	2 flights Tuesday and Fridays. From September 30th, 2018 on Sundays too.
6	Holland	Amsterdam	KLM	From October 2017 until March 2018, 2 flights Tuesday and Friday

South America Flights:
Juan Santamaría International Airlport

	Country	City	Airline	Frequencies
1	Colombia	San Andrés Bogotá	Avianca Avianca	1 daily flight (T,W,S) 3 daily flight
2	Perú	Lima	Avianca	1 daily flight
3	Perú	Lima	Latam	3 weekly flights from January 2, 2018.

Sustainability in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country pioneering in sustainable tourism economy. The foundation for this was laid in the 1970s with the creation of the first national parks. Today, more than 30% of the country’s surface area is subject to nature conservancy protection.

Another equally important step was the sustainable organisation of the tourism industry. This was secured by introducing the Sustainability Certificate CST which is awarded by the Costa Rican Tourism Board.

Today, many hotels, destination area agencies, car rentals and tourist attractions are certified with the CST, and we would like to ask you to consider these providers during your trip to Costa Rica. You can specifically search and filter for CST certificated products on ARA Tours product platform www.latinconnect.com. Each company is checked again every two years, and the goal of all participants is to reach the highest category of 5 CST leaves. ARA Tours is proud to hold 5 CST leaves and therefore is highly sustainable.

Here learn more about sustainability:

Videos of each region

Let yourself be inspired by our short films about Costa Rica’s different regions! You will learn about the enormous variety of this country and decide more easily what priorities to set during your travel planning.