As a coastal region in the tropical climate zone, Costa Rica owns rich natural landscapes, such as tropical rainforest, hot spring, beach, waterfall, volcano, a wide variety of wildlife, etc. For first time travelers, if you plan a one week Costa Rica tour, you may consider to visit the Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve or Manuel Antonio National Park; if you have 8 to 10 days, you may explore the Arenal Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Manuel Antonio National Park and Tortuguero National Park; if you have more than 10 days, you can add Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Guanacaste Reserve or other attractions to cover most of the highlights in Costa Rica.

With comfortable climate, Costa Rica is suitable to travel all year round. While there are still dry season and rainy season. The dry season usually begins from December to April; the rainy season begins from May to November. In this case, usually December to April are travel high season and May to November are low season. While many clients travel between May and November as the tour price will be lower and there are fewer tourists at scenic spots. The busiest travel times in Costa Rica are Christmas, New Year and the week before Easter which is called Semana Santa or Holy Week. If you plan a Costa Rica trip for these weeks, you are suggested to finalize the itinerary as early as possible to hold the availability.

Whether you need a visa or not for Costa Rica tours depends on your nationalities. Usually passport holders of United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, South Africa, and most European countries are visa free. Nationals from most countries in Africa, Middle East and Asia are required for a visa. It is better to double check visa requirement with your local Costa Rica Embassy before travelling.

The main international airport in Costa Rica is Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose (SJO) and Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia (LIR), usually most of the travelers will fly in and out from SJO. As Costa Rica is not a big country, the distances between cities are not far, driving is the most convenient way. For Costa Rica tours, the most common form of transportation is the combination of vehicle and boat, like jeep-boat-jeep.

The Colon is the official currency of Costa Rica, while US dollars are also widely accepted by most businesses. It is easy to exchange money at local banks or most of the upscale hotels if you are their guests. We recommend you exchange money at local banks during your Costa Rica tours as the exchange rate is better. You can also use your Master or Visa card to get foreign currency at ATM, while it is better to compare the exchange rate.

When it comes to souvenirs or gifts, coffee is a must. Costa Rica's coffee is one of the best in the world. In addition, there are handmade wood products, ceramic crafts, hot sauces, jewelry, etc. There is a handicraft center of Sarchi village which is a very popular tourist spot, you will find many interesting and peculiar souvenirs or gifts there during your Costa Rica holiday packages.