Costa Rica Travel Guide 2027 for First-Timers

Planning a first trip to Costa Rica is mostly a string of decisions, and the order you make them in decides how good the trip is. This guide walks you through them: when to go, how long to stay, what to budget, which parks and tours to book ahead, and whether to rent a car, ride a shuttle, take a bus or fly. You get fixed day-by-day itineraries for 7, 10 and 14 days through Arenal, the Monteverde cloud forest and the Pacific coast, plus a Caribbean option. Chapters explain mandatory car insurance, night driving, colones and dollars, lodging, food and responsible wildlife watching. A safety chapter covers rip currents and car break-ins, and a timeline and packing list finish the job.

Imad Muratspahic is an independent author of practical how-to guides, technical handbooks, history and fiction. The books aim to be clear, honest and useful from the first page.