Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a wild country where lush jungles meet the crystal clear water of the beach. This country has a lot to offer: with the Pacific and Atlantic Coast on either side and a center full of national parks, volcanoes and sloths. Throughout my journey in Central America many backpackers warned me that Costa Rica is very expensive and to go through it quickly.

Volunteering

I decided to volunteer while there in hopes of saving money. I did a workaway at a Jungle lodge called Calala in Cabuya. My hosts were stressed out by coronavirus based guest cancellations and a newborn baby. This caused them to frequently lash out on their volunteers. They had no desire to have a cultural exchange and only wanted free labor. As it became clear that they would lie in order to abuse a system to their benefit, I decided to leave.

As the world was freaking out about the coronavirus in Italy, I was able to find a last minute work away (due to another volunteer cancelling) in Puerto Viejo, a beach town on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. I had ten days to explore the west coast before my next gig began. In that time the coronavirus exploded and before I could start the new gig, the hostel that had accepted me was forced to close. All restaurants, beaches and national parks were closing and as only Costa Rican nationals were allowed to enter the country, I had a few days to leave the country or risked getting stranded. 

Pandemic while Abroad

My trip had 3.5 more months but as Panama and Colombia closed their borders, I was coming to terms with Costa Rica being my last stop. I considered getting an apartment and bunkering down. After all, Costa Rica isn’t the worst place to endure the apocalypse. But with beaches closing, I realized I’d just be wasting time, not actually traveling and enjoying the culture of a new country. I might as well bunker down at home and save money for future travels. So with a heavy heart I decided to leave Costa Rica and return to the United States. 

My time in Costa Rica was full of confusion, spontaneity and ever changing plans. While still in Nicaragua I had been on the verge of convincing my father to visit me in Costa Rica. He ultimately decided not to because he anticipated the coronavirus might be something big. A Canadian friend also wanted to visit me. He had his plane tickets and lodging booked, just to find out his work was banning international travel. I was bummed by both of those changes of events. Little did I know that I’d soon be home, long before their anticipated days of visiting. 

My time in Costa Rica was unexpectedly cut short and I therefore only had a chance to explore the Nicoya Peninsula.

Click on the links below for in-depth recommendations.

Cabuya

Santa Teresa

Montezuma

 

How Expensive is Costa Rica?

Everybody kept saying that Costa Rica is so much more expensive than other places in Central America. This vague statement worried me deeply. How much more expensive? What I observed I’ll highlight in the graph below. I’ll use Guatemala and Nicaragua as my notes of comparison as Guatemala is known for being affordable and Nicaragua shares a border with Costa Rica. 

This information is based on my experience in 2019/2020.