Costa Rica is a wonderful country to visit. However there are many cultural differences and dangers you should be aware of so that you can fully prepare for your visit and avoid any unpleasantness.

General Considerations

• Tipping: Whether purchasing dinner or paying for a taxi, you do NOT need to tip! A standard gratuity is automatically added to all service industry prices. This is an area that Costa Ricans have learned to exploit as they will try to convince you that the tip is not included. Many restaurants and bars in tourist areas will present you with a bill that includes the familiar “Tip” line, in an attempt to trick you, but don’t fall for it. Asking whether the tip is included is also of no help as most will simply flat out lie, but they are required by law to include the tip in the listed price (or specifically say that it is not on the menu).

• Personal Space: Most North Americans are used to a rather large amount of personal space when they are in public. In Costa Rica this is very different. For example, when you’re on a crowded bus, you can expect that the person next to you will be pressed firmly up against you, the kid behind you may play with your hair and someone may lean over a few inches from your face to pull the stop cord. No one will even glance at you or say “excuse me”, but try to remember it’s just a cultural difference, not an encroachment of your space.

• Harmony over Honesty: There are many similarities between the Costa Rican culture and the Asian culture when it comes to etiquette: both stress maintaining harmony and saving face. To North Americans, who value honesty over harmony, the Costa Rican method for preserving accord and personal honor can sometimes look a lot like lying. Similarly most Ticos tend to find the North American version of honesty very rude. Because of this difference “what you see is NOT what you get” and the smiling face of a Tico acquaintance may hide many things, like the fact that you just offended her deeply. Thus, communicating uncomfortable truths for the good of a relationship is not in favor here, watch what you say!

• Morning Noise: Ticos tend to get up at the crack of dawn or before and they make no effort to conceal that they are awake. Be prepared for banging pots and pans, construction crews hammering away, leaf blowers and lawnmowers going full blast, buses honking at every door and televisions blasting.

Transportation

• Driving: Most foreign drivers licenses are accepted here and there are plenty of places to rent a car. However, be warned, driving in Costa Rica can be a harrowing and dangerous experience. There is a major shortage of traffic police here and it shows as most of the traffic laws are not regularly obeyed. Speeding is the most commonly observed infringement with Ticos whipping down city streets at twice the speed limit or more. Also, traffic lanes don’t mean much here. You may be on a one lane street that currently has three lanes of cars on it or a two lane road with one person just driving right down the center, with both containing countless death defying motorcycles squeezing in between vehicles. Also, car horns are used all the time here for everything, from telling the car in front it can merge to catching the attention of someone on the sidewalk, so don’t think that people are constantly telling you off when you hear the cacophony of horns.

• Public Busing: The bus system in Costa Rica is quite good and is a solid, inexpensive alternative to driving. Buses tend to be in good repair and are fairly comfortable but they are not air conditioned. Something of note concerning buses is that for most longer rides, when you buy a ticket you are assigned a seat. However, this seems to be generally ignored, as many times I have entered the bus only to find my seat taken and encountered resistance when I have pointed out that I was assigned that seat. Also, bus companies will sell you a ticket regardless of whether there are seats available or not, so be sure to arrive early so that you are not standing in the aisle for that four hour trip to the beach!

• Taxis: Taxis in Costa Rica can be your best and worst friends. They are usually fairly cheap by North American standards, but many will try to scam you at the first opportunity! Here are some tips:
  • Unless it is very late at night, insist on them using the Meter! If you don’t, they may drive you all the way to your destination and they demand a huge fee.
  • Know approximately how far away your destination is. It’s not uncommon for taxis to drive you around in circles to push up the price you pay.
  • ONLY use official taxis! They are easily recognizable with the yellow triangle sticker on the side. Pirate taxis are usually more expensive and more dangerous.
  • Always settle the fare while you are inside the car. If you get out, the driver is likely to speed away with your money without giving you your change.
  • For longer trips you can negotiate non-metered price, but you need to know about how much it would normally cost or you are likely to pay much more.

• Private Buses: These can definitely be a nice alternative if you are traveling a fair distance and don’t want to take a public bus. There are countless private services in Costa Rica, one of the most prominent being Interbus. You will pay more than a public bus, but less than a flight or taxi, and they have the advantage of offering hotel to hotel service.