Costa Rica Overview

Currency: Costa Rican colón (CRC) equal to 100 centimos

Language: Spanish

Costa Rica – very unusual country. So many diverse natural complexes are concentrated here on a small area, which is not always found on the territory of many times large countries. In just a few hours, you can see the evergreen selva and volcanic wastelands, the savannah stretching for hundreds of kilometers and the rainforests of the mountain slopes, the long beaches of the coasts, banana and coffee plantations – all this justifies the name of the country (“Costa Rica” in Spanish – “Rich Coast”). Numerous national parks, caves (including underwater ones), various historical sites and architectural monuments, archaeological sites and ancient Indian settlements, as well as waterfalls, picturesque mountain and river valleys scattered throughout the country in abundance – these are the main attractions of the country.

Costa Rica– a real country-reserve, which not only carefully protects its natural complexes, but also constantly increases the territory of the nature protection zone. Surprisingly, in such a small area that this country occupies, there are more than 50 different reserves and more than a hundred private nature protection zones, the total area of which is almost 30% of the entire territory of the country! About 70% of all plants growing on Earth can be found in Costa Rica, 850 species of birds are represented here, all the diversity of the animal world can be found in the rainforest, and ocean beaches are literally teeming with birds and are the place for laying eggs of sea turtles. On the territory of the country there are 120 volcanoes (70 of them are active), the slopes of which are densely overgrown with tropical vegetation of the famous Costa Rican “transcendental forests”, which are the last islands of the rapidly disappearing mountain flora of Central America. Therefore, it is not surprising that more than 70% of tourists coming to the country spend most of their time in numerous reserves.

Volcano Poas (2705 m) is one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world. At an altitude of 2704 m. from one of its craters, a geyser beats, which is considered the largest in the world.
The largest collection of jade in the world is located in the Jade Museum (Marco Fidel Tristan Museo de Jad) in the capital of Costa Rica.
The international park (biosphere reserve) La Amistad is the largest reserve of flora and fauna in Central America.

Capital:
San Jose (about 400 thousand inhabitants).

Official holidays and weekends in Mexico:
January 1 – New Year.
March 19 – Day of St. Joseph, patron saint of San Jose.
April 4 – Pan American Day.
April 11 – Day of the national hero of the country Juan Santamaria, Anniversary of the Battle of Rivas.
end of April – Easter, Holy Thursday and Good Friday (the second day of Easter and the second day of Trinity are regular working days).
May 1 – Labor Day.
May 26 is the feast of the Body of the Lord.
June 29 – Day of St. Peter and Paul.
July 25 – Day of annexation of the province of Guanacaste.
August 2 – celebration of the Day of St. Virgin Mary de los Enheles, patroness of the country.
August 15 – Mother’s Day (Ascension of the Virgin).
September 15 – Independence Day.
October 12 is the Feast of Columbus (Dia de la Rasa).
December 8 – Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
December 24 and 25 – Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Please note – almost all activity in the country freezes during the entire Holy Week and between Christmas and New Year.

Communication and communication in Costa Rica:
The country’s telephone system is one of the most modern in Central America. Street pay phones work with plastic cards (sold in newsstands and shops, such devices are marked with the inscription “Chip”).
The international dialing code of the country is 506. The outgoing international code is 00. The country does not use area codes, all telephone numbers are seven-digit.
Mobile communication of the GSM 1800/3G standard is provided by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) operator, which covers almost the entire territory of the country with its network. Roaming is available to subscribers of major Russian operators.

Entry:
Russian citizens do not need a visa to visit Costa Rica.

Flight: from 14-15 hours + time for connection (depending on the schedule of the airline).

Customs rules:
Import and export of foreign and national currencies is not limited (declaration is required).
Persons over the age of 18 are allowed duty-free import of cigarettes – up to 400 pcs. or cigars – up to 50 pieces, or tobacco – up to 500 g, spirits – up to 3 liters, perfumes, clothes and shoes – within the limits of personal needs.
It is forbidden to import fruits, vegetables, plants, cuttings and seeds of plants, flowers, vegetable products, meat products, medicines that are not used by tourists (requires a prescription or medical card), psychotropic and narcotic substances, weapons and ammunition (requires permission from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country), and also pornographic publications. The export of archaeological valuables, antiques, rare animals and birds, their skins and stuffed animals is prohibited.

Tipping:
Tips are usually 5-10% of the bill (plus 15% sales tax), but are often already included in the bill. It is customary to tip in a restaurant, a porter, a maid ($0.5), a driver and a guide ($1-5 per person per day). Tips are not required in taxis. All hotels add a 10% service tax plus a 3% tourist tax to the bill.

Costa Rica Overview