Arenal Volcano seen from Arenal Lake – central Costa Rica

My First Impressions of Costa Rica

I’ve been exploring Costa Rica for one full month thus far, with two months more to go. At this point I still have mixed feelings about the country. My first impressions were all pretty negative, but the place might be growing on me a bit.

at the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua

I arrived overland from Nicaragua in late January to the small northwestern city of Liberia.

Of course I had already heard plenty of times that Costa Rica is expensive, touristy and over-developed. What I hoped and expected for those high costs and development was a higher standard of living, good roads and bus service and a rich culture.

The roads certainly are in good condition. And the public bus system proved to be quite good. But as for Liberia town, I was sorely disappointed.

The whole town looks like it was built in the 1960s and 70s, with ugly boxy cement buildings and houses, all topped by corrugated metal roofing. It’s all low-end, generic modern-ish construction that could really be anywhere in the world. Even Liberia’s central park is primarily cement, crisscrossed by sidewalks, with cement benches and a bit of greenery.

There are almost no historic buildings, certainly none of the grand Spanish architectural legacy found in almost every other Central American country, which lend them some beauty, elegance and history. There aren’t even any historic churches. Even Liberia’s churches are built in a low-end contemporary boxy style with rather minimalist, modern interiors.

typical modern style church in Costa Rica

Quite appallingly, I saw corrugated metal sheeting everywhere! Nearly every home, shop, restaurant, bar and even the churches have corrugated metal roofs. I’ve even saw some warehouse type buildings constructed entirely of the stuff. I have one word for all that – ugly.

Since my arrival in Liberia one month ago I’ve visited and passed through several towns and small cities. Quite unfortunately, they’re all similar to Liberia – composed of unattractive cement and corrugated metal buildings and churches. I’ve yet to see any beautiful architecture at all.

While one could quite rightly argue that the historic Spanish-designed cities and churches found all over the region are not actually traditional native culture, I still have to wonder why everything here in Costa Rica looks like it was built so recently. What was here in these towns and cities before the current buildings? Where is that history?

I also haven’t otherwise seen any Costa Rican history, culture, customs, cuisine or anything else that would give me a sense of a distinct Costa Rican identity.

oxen at remote Popoyo Beach – Nicaragua

I haven’t seen any indigenous citizens here like in Guatemala or Mexico. I haven’t seen any working horses, cows or oxen in the towns or countryside like I found all over Nicaragua. I haven’t seen or heard any particular customs, daily habits, clothing styles, music, art or anything else that marks a Costa Rican culture.

I haven’t come across any specifically Costa Rican cuisine, despite eating many times at local eateries. It’s all just the same as the cuisine in neighboring countries – beans, rice, light salad and a meat or fish.

So as far as I’ve seen in one month of explorations, Costa Rica is all just a kind of generic, modern non-descript Latin American lifestyle. I’ve even mentioned this apparent lack of distinct culture to various Costa Ricans, all of whom just nodded their heads and agreed with me. Hmm.

I’m still hoping to find a Costa Rican identity. But in the meantime, all this lack of beautiful architecture & towns, history, art & culture leaves me feeling pretty nonplussed about the country.

Soda – a Costa Rican local restaurant

The second big issue for me with Costa Rica is the astoundingly high prices, including food, accommodation and other daily expenses. As for food, the cheapest meals to be found at local eateries, called Sodas, cost $4-5 US. That’s the cheapest. In some towns meals at Sodas cost even more. And then not every town or beach area even has any sodas. Regular restaurants and fast food chains cost even more.

Then there are the expensive groceries. Most fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats and even eggs cost as much or more than in the US! Eggs, for instance. Here in Costa Rica you will get only 4-5 eggs for $1 US. Heck, in the US I can buy a dozen eggs for $2-2.50.

Most fruits and vegetables also cost more here than in the States. One single apple generally costs $1-150 US! A small head of broccoli easily can cost $2.

Dairy products cost up to double the prices as in the US. It’s hard to find a small yogurt for less than $1 US. All cheeses cost double. At first I thought that was because they’re all imported. But then I found out that a huge community of Quakers living in Monteverde makes a huge selection of the cheeses sold here. They just charge double price for them!

communal kitchen in a Costa Rican hostel

In addition to the high food costs, budget accommodation is very steep as well. Dorm beds generally cost $12-17 US in most places. That’s approaching US and European prices for dorms! In fact, I paid those prices – and less – in super expensive New Zealand!

I continue wondering how in the world locals can afford even just to eat here, let alone pay for housing, clothing, toiletries and other daily needs. It’s nuts.

So Costa Rica certainly is not the easiest budget travel destination. It’s better for mid-range and luxury vacationers.

From my perspective, any developing country with prices matching or surpassing those of the US or Europe, is outrageous. And here in Costa Rica, where there’s no urban beauty, history, art or distinctive culture, nothing spectacular to warrant such high costs, I further wonder what’s the point of paying so much to live or travel here.

getting back together after my laptop was stolen in Costa Rica

On top of all that, there seems to be a lot more theft here than in other countries. Completely aside from the fact that my laptop was stolen after I was here only one week, I’ve had many other indications that theft is rather rampant in Costa Rica.

Several bus drivers have told me to watch my luggage carefully. That’s pretty rare in most countries I’ve explored. In addition, my LP guidebook seems to warn of theft from hotel rooms in just about every destination I’ve read about.

I’ve also met several other travelers who’ve had things stolen. With the crazy high cost of living here, even eating, I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that there are many petty thieves among the population. So I recommend visitors to be careful with their stuff in Costa Rica !

Those are the many downsides of Costa Rica. Luckily there are some positive aspects to report –

taking a nice clean uncrowded bus in Costa Rica

One thing in Costa Rica that is very inexpensive and excellent value and is the public bus system. The buses are modern, clean, spacious and comfortable. They run on time and generally pretty frequently. They rarely get crowded. And they only cost about $1 or less for a 30-minute journey, $2 US per one hour journey, $5 for 2-3 hour journey.

What I have also found impressive are the beautiful, au naturale beaches of the Pacific Coast. I’ve visited more than a dozen so far.

They are all long, wide stretches of pale gray sand, backed almost entirely by tress and dense vegetation. To my amazement, even the most ‘developed’ beaches here look like they are undeveloped, as the low-key development is tucked up under trees or back off the beach. I’ve written an entire article about Costa Rica’s beautiful Pacific coast beaches here.

northern end of Tamarindo Beach – costa rica

And now that I’ve arrived in central Costa Rica, I’ve also seen beautiful Lake Arenal, stunning Arenal Volcano and some wonderfully lush and wild tropical forests.

During my explorations of the country thus far, I’ve seen and heard the alarmingly loud howler monkeys, listened to many bird songs and seen a pack of coatis along a highway. Apparently sloths are abundant and fairly often seen in the central jungles, so perhaps I’ll get to see a sloth while here.

Thus far I’m not favorably impressed with the towns, general lifestyle, cuisine, lack of distinctive culture or the safety in Costa Rica. And I’m certainly not pleased with the high costs of accommodation, groceries and meals.

Trees backing Playa Samara

In the end, there are really only two things I’ve been favorably impressed with in Costa Rica thus far – the country’s beautiful natural places and its comfortable, inexpensive public bus system.

I’ll be here another two months, exploring the country and visiting dozens of luxury hotels for my job as hotel inspector. So let’s see what my impressions are further down the road.

I’ll be writing regularly about Costa Rica over the next two months. So stay tuned!

You might also find the following articles helpful

Costs of Budget Travel in Nicaragua

Costs of Budget Travel in El Salvador

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