Five Things Worth Paying in Costa Rica

2014/12/12

Costa Rica – photo by Trish Hartmann on Flickr CC

Five things worth paying in Costa Rica

Sometimes, we travel tied to a small budget and we have to look for free activities or the most economic places to stay. Sometimes we cannot afford visiting some destinations nor doing some things we would have wanted to do.

But when visiting Costa Rica, there are some things that are worth paying for. In fact, they are things that you should not miss. So, if you are traveling with a tight budget, make sure you have at least a small saving to enjoy of these things!

1. A delicious “casado”

In Costa Rica you can find all kind of restaurants: Mexican food, Chinese food, famous fast food chains…you won’t ever have to worry about what to eat. But those really good restaurants that you will find throughout the country, sometimes are the same as those found elsewhere in the world.

When traveling to Costa Rica, it is always worth paying for a “casado”, which is the most popular lunch dish. Casados include rice, beans, meat (fish, beef or chicken) and salad. Also, they sometimes include plantain, an egg, cheese and some type of vegetable.

2. An exciting whitewater rafting tour

Costa Rica rafting tours are well known around the world. Some of the best rivers are located in this tiny country and some years ago, a Whitewater Rafting Championship was celebrated there. No matter how much time you have or what regions are you visiting, you cannot miss doing a whitewater rafting tour while you are in Costa Rica.

A Pacuare river rafting expedition for example, can be done as a one day tour from San José, in case you don’t have a lot of time or money.

Costa Rica’s National Theater – photo by Ritchie Diesterheft on Flickr CC

3. A San José City Tour

San José is not known for being the most beautiful city in the world, and for that reason, some people don’t bother to arrange a visit to the capital of Costa Rica when they travel there. But that is a mistake! San José has beautiful buildings, theaters, restaurants and places full of activities to visit. In fact, the mural painted in the ceiling of the Costa Rica’s National Theater was named one of ’10 great ceilings around the world’.

It is always a good idea to pay for a guided San José City tour, or at least pay for the entrance tickets to some of the museums and theaters located there.

4. A bag of coffee to go

While you stay in Costa Rica, you will drink one of the best coffees around the world for breakfast. The coffee of the country is exported and served in big coffee companies like Starbucks in first-world cities, so you will enjoy every cup of coffee you get.

But it is important then, that you save some money and pay for a bag of coffee to go. You, your family, your friends and even your coworkers will appreciate the gift once you go back.

5. A visit to one of the beaches

Beautiful white sand beaches are just 1 hour away from both international airports, so even when you are staying only few days at Costa Rica, I recommend you to pay for at least one day at one of the beaches of this country. You won’t regret it!

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