Is Costa Rica safe? Just like anywhere in the world, larger cities can be dangerous places. In several tourist resorts crime has increased over the last years. However we spend most of our time in small towns and in the countryside. Some common sence tactics will improve your safety still more; avoid carrying large sums of money and avoid wearing expensive jewellery. A humble appearance and attitude will go along way for safety and will also make for richer, more down to earth interactions with the locals. When to go? Costa Rica has an interesting microclimate. Even in the try season (middle of Nov. - April) you might get some rain in certain areas. In the rainy season it usually rains in the afternoon by that time we should have arrived our final day destination. The webside of toucan guides, www.costa-rica-guide.com has very helpful and interesting informations about the weather, Nationalparks etc. Will the food and water make me sick? Cooking, peeling and/or washing food in pure water is the best way to get rid of germs. By always eating at popular, clean restaurants we ensure that the food is freshly prepared and served hot, thus safe. Inexpensive purified water (agua purificada) is available everywhere in sizes from 0.5 to 1.5 litres as well as gallon jugs and 5 gallon containers. This water is safe. In restaurants and hotels you often get purified water for free. (see also: costa-rica-guide.com, travelers health tips) What vaccinations should I get? Please see your family doctor or a travel doctor if you have any concerns. Viral Hepatitis A & Typhoid Fever Vaccination is recommended when travelling outside the areas usually visited by tourists, travelling extensively in the interior of the country (trekkers, hikers) and for persons on working assignments in remote areas. Viral Hepatitis A is spread through contaminated food or water. Typhoid fever is spread through contaminated water or milk and food handlers who are carriers. You may want to consider these two vaccinations as we will be off the beaten track for much of our tours. Please see a travel doctor for more information. Rabies Rabies is a possible threat in Costa Rica, as in most countries. We do not feel that vaccination is necessary for our bike tours. A pre-exposure rabies vaccination series is advised for persons planning an extended stay or on working assignment (naturalists, agricultural advisors, archaeologists, geologists, spelunkers, etc.). Although this provides adequate initial protection, a person bitten by a potentially rabid animal would still require additional inoculations. Children should be cautioned not to pet dogs, cats or other mammals. Cholera A cholera vaccination is not necessary nor recommended for travellers to Costa Rica. However care should be taken to ensure that food and water are not contaminated. On June 14, 1991 the World Health Organisation announced that a cholera vaccination certificate is no longer required by any country or territory. Although at present cholera is active in parts of Costa Rica, the risk for western travellers is low and vaccination is advised only for medical and rescue personnel working in endemic areas. The best protection is to avoid potentially contaminated water and food. Persons living and working under inadequate sanitary conditions and those with impaired defence mechanisms (deficient production of gastric acid due to surgery for duodenal or gastric ulcer), persons on antacid therapy, and users of cannabis (smoking marijuana reduces acid secretion of the stomach) are more susceptible to cholera infection and meticulous food and water hygiene are essential when travelling in endemic areas. What a about Malaria? Malaria does exist in the provinces of Alajuela, Limón, Guanacaste and Heredia. Please check with your travel doctor for more information. The use of protective clothing (light coloured, long sleeves, pants) and insect repellent during the hours of dusk and dawn is good protection. It is also a good idea to avoid perfume and aftershave. Hotels in risk areas provide mosquito bed ñetting and window screens. We believe that an anti-malarial treatment approach is preferable to any anti-malarial prohylactic regimen which may have undesirable side-effects. How can I cycle under the Costarican sun? You can avoid heat problems by drinking plenty of fluids. We cannot over empfasise the importance of drinking lots- You should carry 2 or 3 large water bottles on your bike or 1 or 2 large water bottles and 1 camelbag. It is also important to replenish your elecrolytes by ingesting salt (sodium and potassium) and sugar containing food and drink (such as Gatorade or our very own "Basil-ade"mix) in low concentrations. Always wear something on your head to protect against the sun. Sunscreen is a must - bring at least 15 to 30 SPF sun- screen with you. How hot will it be? In the mountains the temperature is quite comfortable, ranging from 10 degrees (celcius) on the coldest nights to high 20's celcius midday in the sun. At lower altitudes, the temperatures ranges from about 15 degrees celcius overnight to high 30's in the afternoon sun. We cycle early to avoid the peak heat of the day and drink special fluids to keep well hydrated. Am I physically able to do this ride? Everyone is capable of more than they think, which is partly why this can be such a rewarding experience. Check the difficulty rating of the tour that you are interested in, and if in doubt ask us. Will I be too slow? No. Everyone rides at their own pace. We are touring, NOT racing. If there are more then 4 people in the group, there will be 1 guide in the front and 1 in the back. How do I get to Costa Rica? There are 2 international airports: 1. Juan Santamaria San José (SJO), Alajuela, 17km from San José 2. Daniel Oduber Quirós (LIR), 12km from Liberia For cheap flights check: Cheaptickets.com, expedia.com, lowestfare.com, priceline.com or direct with the airlines: continental.com, aa.com, delta.com How do I get from the airport Juan Santamaria San José to the hotel? You just take a taxi (US$3) to our hotel in Alajuela (5 min.) How do I get from the airport in Liberia to the starting point of my bike tour (Alajuela)? In case you can get a good deal flying into Liberia. 1. Taxi airport to Liberia City, 30min., US$10 2. store your bike box in our hotel in Liberia 3. take a public or privat bus to Alajuela, 4 - 5 hrs Schedule public bus: 04.00, 05.00, 12.00, 16.00 direct, US$5 In Alajuela you can only get off the bus at the airport, from where you take a taxi or cycle to the hotel. Privat bus companies charge approx. US$38 one way. Check: graylinecostarica.com, interbusonline.com How do I get my bike there? Your bicycle must be packed carefully in a bike box; available at almost any bike shop. We recommend having a reputable bike shop give it a tune up before the trip. Some shops may even pack your bike for you for a small fee. You will need to remove the pedals, turn the handlebars sideways and remove the front wheel to make it fit. Your box will be stored to use for your return flight home. Some airlines may charge you extra to transport your bike, some may requiere a box, some may not. It is always best to call your airline beforehand to know what to expect. For some great tips on air travel with bicycles check Travel with Bicycles (Airlines). Costarican Inland flights check: www.natureair.com www.sansa.com You can't be sure that your bike gets on the same flight as you. Also check the extra charge. What sort of bike should I have? It's recommended to use a Mountain Bike preferable with a front suspension. You must have a rack, or the ability to attach a rack to your bike so that you can carry your panniers. Because 20 % of our cycling is on unpaved roads (5 % rough dirt road) it's recommended to use fatter tires: 1.75 to 2.00 inches (38 – 44c). Does the company provide or rent bikes? We do not provide nor rent bikes. We believe that you should be comfortable on and with your bike, and having your own is a sure way to achieve this. This also helps us to keep our prices down. You need to bring your own bike, panniers and all other gear. We do carry extra bike tools, however you should still bring along some basic tools and parts such as allen keys and inner-tubes. How shall I bring my money? The best way to bring money is on your credit card and/or bank card. You can withdraw Costarican colones and US$ from your account at most ATM/ABM machines in Costa Rica. You should also carry some cash and traveller's cheques for emergencies or if your card is lost or damaged. Costa Rican banks usually have a long queue. In most places you can even pay with US$. Cash should be kept to a minimum. At times when we will be several days away from a bank, we will advise you to withdraw the necessary colones beforehand. What identification and documents do I need to bring? A valid passport is essential for avoiding problems while travelling in CR. Citizins of Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, EU countries, Switzerland do NOT requiere visas to enter CR as tourists. (other nationalities please check at the embassy) However you must obtain a "tourist card". This card is usually provided on the airplane and validated in the airport upon arrival in Costa Rica (max. 90 days). An airport departure tax of US$ 26 is required. You are able to pay this tax upon your arrival into CR or the day of your departure. Should I bring rainwear? Yes. Even during the dry season (middle of nov. - end of april) a light rainjacket is a good idea, also useful in the mountains as it can get quite chilly. During the rainy season we recommend a highly waterproofed rainjacket/pants. What should I pack? Check out "what to bring" information on the info-pack page. This should give you the general idea. Please don't hesitate to write or call if you have any questions. Where can I get a good map of Costa Rica? You don't need a map, we have all the necessary maps for the tour. If however you just love maps, then check: mapCR.com * reise-know-how.de (in german) *A special THANKS to Ray Krueger from Toucan Guides, who I surprisingly met on the road on my first explorer trip to CR. He gave me a really valuable map, which saved me, to get lost too often. Can I get coffee in the morning? Sometimes, but not always. Costa Rica is a mayor coffee producer and personaly I am really happy that they also know how to prepar a good cup of coffee. Anyway to get coffee early in the morning is not always possible. If you must have coffee in the morning, then we suggest that you buy a small jar of instant coffee to have with you, so you can prepar your coffee in the morning with cold milk, or perhaps bring along some sort of a substitute such as chocolate covered coffee beans. Do we have breakfast before riding? We prefer to start riding at 07.00 hrs in the morning, At this time most restaurants are still closed. So, we recommend that you bring a cup or plate to prepar your oatmeal in the morning or just have some cereal bars. After aprox. 25km we will stop along the road for our well deserved breakfast. What about doing laundry? We suggest washing as you go. When you take a shower after our day's ride you can wash the clothes that you were wearing either in the shower or in the sink. If you have a clothes-line with you, hang up your clothes and they should be dry by morning. Sometimes there will be a clothes-line outside, perhaps on the roof of the hotel where the sun will dry everything quite fast. Alternatively you may choose to take some time on rest days to look for a laudromat. All larger towns and cities have full service laudromats. Do the hotels we stay in have hot water? Some do, some don't. While in the mountains, where the cold water is really cold, there will always also be hot water available. While in the lowlands where it can be very hot, some hotels will have hot water and some won't. Infact you'll probably prefer a cold shower after a hot day of cycling. What about air conditioning? In the hot lowlands, our hotels will always have at the very least a fan (with the rare exception of when we stay in cabañas). Occasionally, our rooms will have air conditioning instead and sometimes you will have a choice of AC or fan. We highly recommend avoiding the AC when possible because this will help you to aclimatize to the heat faster and so be more comfortable while cycling under the hot sun. Where do I get more usefull information about Costa Rica? www.costa-rica-guide.com www.costa.rica.typepad.com Will I enjoy this tour? SI!!!