When you travel to Costa Rica, safety should be your number 1 concern.
Question: Just how safe is Costa Rica anyway?
Answer: Safe enough.
It’s one of a few places in South America where you won’t experience a lot of safety issues. Costa Rica is quite a secure place that their government decided not to have any military (they do have the police to enforce the law though). But it doesn’t mean that you can just run roughshod all over the place. You still have to take some precautions. Below is a list of things you need to do (or consider) to have a safe and enjoyable holiday the next time you visit Costa Rica:
- Find the Costa Rica tourism office. They can assist you with your safety concerns. They are also a good resource for any information you might need about the country. Their employees are friendly and very knowledgeable.
- Don’t bring your credit cards and debit cards, but don’t load up on cash either. Bring an ATM card, so you can just withdraw money from their ATMs as needed. Costa Rica has been experiencing problems with identity thieves. These thieves are known to steal credit card information and sell these in the black market. Just so you know, most victims of these crimes are tourists.
- Only do your driving in the daytime if you’re renting a car to go around the country. The reason here is that most roads have poor lighting. And you’ll be hard pressed to find road signs on the streets. If you drive at night, there’s a good chance you might get lost and find yourself in the middle of nowhere in a foreign land (yikes!). Also, there’s no one to help you at night if ever your car breaks down. It’s better to do all the driving while the sun is up just to be on the safe side.
- Take a bus, or any public transportation, if you must travel at night. Buses are still the best and safest method to travel in Costa Rica. There are several bus companies and trips are frequent. The great thing about buses in Costa Rica is that they always leave and arrive on time.
- Leave your passport in your hotel room (preferably inside the safety deposit box). Make photocopies of your passport to bring with you when you go out. Passports are not generally being asked in Costa Rica anyway.
- Carry your wallet close to you and always be aware of it at all times. Though there are not a lot of thefts that happen in Costa Rica, it would be wrong to think that stealing doesn’t happen. If you can, don’t bring too much cash with you.
- Don’t carry too much luggage. Your mobility will be hampered if you’re lugging along a lot of bags. It can be tiring as well.
- When exchanging money with a bank, always check how much the exchange rate is for the day. You can ask the teller to show you the exchange rate from her computer screen. Costa Rica’s exchange rate constantly fluctuates so you might be at a disadvantage if just trust the teller’s word.
- Never leave your things unattended. Again, petty theft is a common crime in Costa Rica. So don’t bring your expensive gadgets if you don’t need them. An iPad is understandable; but your laptop definitely needs to stay home.
- Always bring an umbrella. Weather can get unpredictable at times. Sometimes, the worst thing to happen to tourists in Costa Rica is that they get rained on. You don’t want to catch pneumonia on your trip.
Those are the ten tips for travelers wishing to visit the wonderful country of Costa Rica. Any traveler or tourist should be aware of the things to do to ensure their safety when traveling. Vacations are much more fun if there no thoughts lingering at the back of your mind regarding safety and security. Costa Rica is a great travel destination and is definitely worth a visit.With this travel to Costa Rica safety tips we shared, we hope enjoy your stay in Costa Rica.