Travel to Costa Rica

Costa Rica's Travel Documents Requirements
Citizens of the U.S. and Canada may enter Costa Rica with a valid passport. Please note that Costa Rican law requires your passport be valid for at least 90 days after the date you enter the country. This means that if your passport will expire within the next 90 days, you must renew it before your trip. Check with your airline or travel agent for more information.

Citizens of other countries should check with the applicable Costa Rican Consulate in your country about rules governing entrance into Costa Rica.

You are required to carry your passport with you at all times. If you are stopped by officials, a photocopy with your photo, passport number and entry stamp will usually suffice and is recommended.

Costa Rica Health Aid and Issues
You are unlikely to encounter any serious diseases in Costa Rica. Sanitary standards are high and the health system is excellent. No vaccinations are required to enter Costa Rica as epidemic diseases have been all but eradicated throughout the country. Infectious hepatitis and malaria, a serious problem throughout Central America, is reported only rarely in Costa Rica.

Several private hospitals in San Jose offer emergency medical services to foreigners at reasonable prices. Clinica Biblica (avenida 14, calles central & 1, tel. 223-6422) also has a 24-hour pharmacy. Costa Rica's Social Security system (the Caja) offers a medical insurance assistance program for foreigners needing emergency medical assistance. The coverage can be bought at travel agencies, language schools or through tour companies.

What to Bring
To make your stay at Pura Vida comfortable and convenient, we suggest you bring the following:
-Flashlight -Alarm clock -Sunscreen and hat -Bathing Suit -Day Pack -Walking or Hiking Boots -Warm sweater/sweatshirt -Rainwear, poncho is best (May-Nov) -Sandals with Straps
-Insect Repellant -Toiletries

For white-water rafting you need shorts and waterproof sandals or shoes that you do not mind getting wet and that will not come off in the water (those with Velcro or strap fastenings are fine).


Money
At Pura Vida we accept U.S. Dollars, Colones (the Costa Rican currency), traveler's checks, Visa and Mastercard. It is not necessary to exchange Dollars for Colones before you arrive in Costa Rica as almost all stores, restaurants, tour companies, etc. will accept Dollars. If you need to obtain Colones, we can exchange small amounts here at Pura Vida or you can go to any local bank.

Airline Flights
When booking flights to Costa Rica, you will want to come to Juan Santamaría International Airport in San Jose (SJO). Airlines with regularly scheduled flights into this airport are American, Continental, Delta, Taca, Copa, MartinAir, and Iberia.

Pura Vida Pickup & Drop Off
All programs at Pura Vida include airport pickup and drop off. After disembarking, you will go through Immigration (Imigración). After proceeding through Immigration, you will see someone holding a sign saying "Pura Vida Villas" and your last name. This person will give you a VIP sticker to put on your clothing. This sticker will facilitate your progress through the rest of the airport. Next you will go to the baggage claim area and get your luggage. From here proceed to Customs (Aduana) where your bags may be checked. Once through Customs, you will exit the airport building. Look for our driver who will be holding a sign saying "Pura Vida" and your last name. From the airport it is only about a 20-minute drive to Pura Vida.

You will need to provide your reservation agent at the R&R office 1-888-515-4580 with the following information no later than 10 days prior to your departure to guarantee a pickup:
airline, flight #, connecting city, and time of arrival.

If airport pickup and drop off are not included in your package, the cost is $25 round trip.

If making your own way to Pura Vida (by taxi, rental car, etc.) use the directions below:

Local Phone Number for Pura Vida Spa:
From the U.S.A dial 011-506-483-0033

Directions to Pura Vida in English:
As you exit the airport, you will have to make a right. Just after exiting the airport you will go under the Pan-American Highway and take the ramp to the right following the sign to Alajuela. This ramp will loop around and merge onto the main highway. Make your way immediately to the right lane and take the first off ramp to your right, again following the sign to Alajuela. Take this road about 2 kilometers past the Mall INternacional on your left. Go to the second traffice light and make a right. Continue straight through several traffic lights. You will pass a McDonald's on your right. Two blocks after the McDonald's, follow the flow or traffice which will be making a left turn (there is a Martinizing dry cleaning store on the corner). After this turn, continue straight about 6 blocks. At a traffice light, you will see a building on the right with Coca-Cola signs painted on it. Take a right at this corner. Just after the turn, you will see a large red structure on you left, which is a soccer stadium.

(If you just need directions from Alajuela, you'll start here "at el stadio", the soccer stadium). Start measuring! Exactly 7 kilometers from here, toward Carrizal, you will find a bar on the left called "Bar Nueva Penca" (formerly Apolo 15). Make a sharp left turn that is almost a U-turn and go 700 meters. Stay to the left on the paved road until you come to a huge stone wall on your left. Stop at the first cream colored gate where a guard is posted. The guard will check in with our reception desk and direct you on where to go.

Cost of a taxi from the airport is approximately $12 by cab, and $16 by minivan.

Dirección a Pura Vida en español:
De la puerta principal del estadio de la Liga, maneja 7 kms. hacia Carrizal de Alajuela hasta llegar al Bar Nueva Penca(anteriormente Bar Apolo 15) a mano izquierda o sur oeste, 700 mts. por una curva, mitad pavimentada y mitad lastre. Antes que se acabe el pavimento hay una "y" griega, tomar la de la izquierda hasta llegar a una pared grande de piedra con portón morado metálico a mano izquierda. Tocar el timbre en el segundo portón.

Airport Departure Tax
When departing Costa Rica, you will need $26 cash for the non-residency departure tax. You should pay the tax upon arrival at the airport before you check your bags.

Costa Rica -- An Amazing Country
A unique feature of Costa Rica is that it does not have an army. Costa Ricans decided there would be less chance for military coups without one, and thus it has become the global model of democracy. During the last 50 years, the money that would have gone into the military has been spent on education and health care. Today, Costa Rica has one of the highest literacy rates in the world and the highest standard of living in Central America.

A special gift Costa Rica gives to the world is a system of National Parks, Biological Reserves, Indian Reserves, Wildlife Refuges and Wildlife Corridors, more than 25% of the nation's land is dedicated to preservation. Costa Rica contains an astonishing diversity and abundance of tropical flora and fauna. Caribbean and Pacific beaches border a land filled with white-water rivers, waterfalls, tropical rain forests, active volcanoes, mountain cloud forests, and exotic wildlife.

Costa Rica Statistics

• Area - 50,895 square kilometers
  Here is a map of Costa Rica which shows Alajuela (Pura Vida's location)
  
• Population - 4.5 million
  
• Capital - San Jose
  
• Language - Spanish
  
• Location - C. America between Nicaragua & Panama (8°-11° N of equator)
  
• Currency - Colon, Bills: 10,000, 5,000, 1,000, 500, Follow this link to a currency converter
  
• Religion - More than 90 percent of Costa Ricans are Roman Catholic.