Vincent, who founded the agency in 2014, has lived in Costa Rica for more than forty years. With our team, we do more than design itineraries: we share a knowledge of the country built on roads traveled, trusted addresses and encounters. You can read our story.
This is the advice we give our travelers when we talk before their departure — the same we would give a close friend asking us how to really enjoy Costa Rica. It comes from experience, from the ground and from a genuine attention to what makes the difference between a trip that goes well and a trip you remember for a long time.
Costa Rica has no bad season. It has different seasons, each with its own atmosphere, colors and experiences, which only a good reading of the country lets you anticipate.
The dry season, from December to April, is the favorite time for beach stays on the Pacific coast, forest hikes and national park visits. The sun is generous, the roads are easy and visibility is excellent for nature photography. It is also the high tourist season, with more visitors at the most popular sites.
The green season, from May to November, offers a more intimate and lush Costa Rica. The forests burst into green after the first rains, rivers swell, wildlife wakes up and jungle trails reveal their quietest secrets. There are fewer visitors, prices are often lower and encounters with local people feel more natural. Showers, usually short and in the late afternoon, do not prevent beautiful days.
The transition months — May and November — combine the best of both seasons: still-lush vegetation, often clear morning skies, moderate prices and a relaxed atmosphere.
Our advice: read our guide to the best time to visit Costa Rica before setting your dates. The differences between the Caribbean coast, the Pacific, the volcanoes and the heights of the Talamanca range are so marked that the same month can offer very different experiences depending on the regions you plan to cross.
The temptation to see everything in a short time is understandable. Costa Rica is so rich that you want to miss nothing. But experience has taught us that the travelers who leave most fulfilled are those who agreed to slow down.
An overloaded program leaves little room for unplanned moments — and they are often the ones that become the most precious. The monkey that crosses the road in front of your car and stops for a second to look at you. The sunset over Lake Arenal you would have missed if you had left an hour earlier. The conversation with your lodge manager who tells you about a trail the guidebooks do not mention.
Our tours — whether self-drive, with a private driver-guide or in a small group — are designed to balance travel time, structured activities and free time. We do not like days that start at seven in the morning and end at eight in the evening with a list of activities that leaves you exhausted.
We like trips that breathe.
In Costa Rica, you may go from a cool cloud forest to a hot tropical beach in a single day. Your luggage should be both light and versatile. The essentials: light, breathable clothes for hot days, long light-colored clothes to protect yourself from mosquitoes at dusk, a light waterproof jacket that fits in a pocket, a sweater or fleece for nights at altitude, good walking shoes for forest trails, and sandals for the beach.
Do not forget: a headlamp for night walks and occasional power cuts in remote areas, a reusable water bottle to limit plastic waste, a biodegradable sunscreen that respects marine and freshwater ecosystems, an effective insect repellent and, of course, your camera — Costa Rica deserves to be photographed with care. Also think of a small dry bag to protect your electronics on boat trips, river descents or forest walks in tropical rain.
Costa Rica has made environmental conservation one of the cornerstones of its national identity. More than a quarter of its territory is protected. This choice only makes sense if those who come to discover this heritage commit, in turn, to preserving it.
It starts with simple gestures: staying on marked trails in national parks, never feeding wildlife, watching animals from a respectful distance without trying to approach or touch them, and picking up your litter even where there are no bins.
It also means making choices: choosing certified sustainable lodging, supporting local community initiatives, and preferring activities run by operators committed to protecting ecosystems. At Vacances au Costa Rica, we choose our partners — lodges, guides, activity providers — carefully, according to their environmental and human values.
Our tours also make room for chosen encounters, such as the Indigenous community of Yorkín or Finca Sura, an organic farm (pineapple, vanilla, tilapia).
The Internet is full of information about Costa Rica. Much of it is accurate. Some is outdated. Some is simply misleading. Between advice from someone who lives in Costa Rica and an article written from far away, there is the same difference as between a map and the ground. Our team knows personally the lodging we recommend, the guides we work with, the roads that are passable in the rainy season and those that are not, the restaurants worth a stop and the activities that are truly worthwhile in each region.
During your stay, you are never on your own. Our team answers you 7 days a week, Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Costa Rica time), and at any hour in an emergency on +506 8327-9335. You will also find many answers in our FAQ.
Costa Rica is not just a natural setting. It is a lived-in country, with a culture, a cuisine, a history and a way of life that enrich the trip as much as the landscapes. Take time to share a coffee with a grower in the Central Valley who will explain how the coffee cherry becomes the drink you enjoy in the morning. Join a Costa Rican cooking class to understand the flavors of gallo pinto, casado or Pacific ceviche. Learn a few words of Spanish — even clumsy ones open doors that translation apps cannot.
Above all, let yourself be carried by Pura Vida. This expression, which Costa Ricans use to say hello, to say thank you, to answer “how are you?” and to end a conversation, is much more than a polite phrase. It is a whole philosophy, based on simple joy, everyday gratitude, refusing to be overwhelmed by complications, and the conviction that life, when you take the time to look at it, is generous.
On the Osa Peninsula, the Bahía Drake area has no ATM. Tortuguero, on the northern Caribbean coast, now has one, but it is the only one in the village: better not to rely on it.
If your tour goes through these areas, withdraw US dollars before you arrive. Small bills of USD 10 or 20 are recommended for everyday purchases.
Before you leave, make sure your passport is valid, that you have a return ticket and that your routine vaccinations (tetanus, diphtheria, polio, hepatitis A) are up to date.
If your itinerary includes a connection in the United States and you are not a US citizen, you need an ESTA (or a US visa). If you connect through Canada and are not Canadian, an eTA may be required. See our Costa Rica entry requirements guide and our travel tips for a full summary.
The best trip to Costa Rica is often the one that strays slightly from the plan. The road closed by a landslide that forces a detour through a village no guidebook mentions. The mid-afternoon downpour that makes you shelter in a finca and share the owner’s coffee. The evening without electricity that takes you outside, under a sky with more stars than you have ever seen. These moments cannot be organized. They are welcomed. And they call for an inner openness that only a well-prepared, well-paced and well-supported trip can really give you.
That openness is what we try to offer you in every tour we design.
For any question, a personalized quote or simply to tell us about your plans, contact our team at info@vacancesaucostarica.com or through the form on our Contact page. To receive a proposal, simply fill in our quote request.
Pura Vida. The Vacances au Costa Rica team
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One of the places we trust: Suizo Loco Lodge, in Cahuita, on the Caribbean coast.
