- Even paradise calls for a little planning…
At first glance, Costa Rica seems like one of those vacation destinations reserved for those who have no set budget to work within. Endless budget? Months to spare? Great, you’ll be able to experience just a sliver of what this country has to offer!
But look again, and you’ll see that it’s quite different. Costa Rica offers a great experience for any traveller, no matter what their budget is. All you have to do is prioritize the right things.
Now, we’re not saying that you can visit Costa Rica with a couple hundred dollars – you can expect to spend around $113 per day. But it’s not out of the question that a budget traveller can have an experience that matches anyone else’s. You just need to choose the right things to experience the full breadth of the company.
With this in mind, we’re going to take you through three activities we think are well worth it, as well as the areas you can economize.
A Day At On The Water
If we had to sum up Costa Rica in two words, we’d use: “beauty” and “adrenaline”. This is a gorgeous, green country that asks you to not only gaze upon it but experience it too. And there’s no better way to do this than a day at Lake Arenal. The Costa Rica water sports scene is buzzing, and it’s all happening under the gaze of Arenal Volcano, which looms over the infamous, 33-mile lake.
Here, you can spend a day on a rental boat and watch the world fly past you on the wake. Either that, or you can simply explore and relax in the sun, watch out for wildlife, or take in the majestic sites at a slow pace. Doing something like this costs money, but it’s exactly where your money should be spent, such is the freedom, exploration and fun that comes with it.
A Canyon Experience
While wakeboarding around Lake Arenal, you’ll be surrounded by the gorgeous rainforest and gazing up at the magnificent Arenal Volcano, but if you want the true Costa Rica experience, you’re going to have to do more than just look. One of the best ways to explore the country is with a La Fortuna canyoning and ziplining tour. This involves traversing over rocky, mountainous terrain, hiking around the craters of volcanoes, climbing waterfalls, and even doing a “monkey drop” into a few of them.
One of the reasons this is a great area to spend is because it gets you up close and personal with the country. Not only are you experiencing the terrain, you’ll be seeing countless species of Costa Rican wildlife, including monkeys, sloths, toucans, and maybe even a jaguar or two – yes, really! While on a tour, you even have the opportunity to zipline from mountain to mountain, traversing over the rainforest and seeing it from a bird’s eye view. Worth it? We think so.
A Stay At Tamarindo
Costa Rica is not only known for its beautiful scenery and wildlife. The cities here offer everything from delicious food to stunning architecture, and they’re a must if you want to experience Costa Rican culture. This is the last big expense you can trust, and while many choose to visit San Jose – one of the most densely populated cities in Costa Rica – we would suggest a town like Tamarindo.
While Tamarindo is not as big as San Jose, the town still has a fabulous nightlife, and there are a fair few beaches to wileaway a day. Doing something like this is a great way to really experience Costa Rican culture, and from there, you can keep your expenses down to a minimum, without the fear of having missed out!