--- title: "Bicycle touring in Costa Rica | Cycle Planet" description: "Cycling Costa Rica: visa, border crossings, safety, transport, places to sleep and points of interest, from cyclists who were there." canonical_url: "https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica" meta: "og:description": "Cycling Costa Rica: visa, border crossings, safety, transport, places to sleep and points of interest, from cyclists who were there." "og:image": "https://cycleplanet.org/_og/d/c_Blauwdruk%2Ctitle_Bicycle%2Btouring%2Bin%2BCosta%2BRica%2Cdescription_~Q3ljbGluZyBDb3N0YSBSaWNhOiB2aXNhLCBib3JkZXIgY3Jvc3NpbmdzLCBzYWZldHksIHRyYW5zcG9ydCwgcGxhY2VzIHRvIHNsZWVwIGFuZCBwb2ludHMgb2YgaW50ZXJlc3QsIGZyb20gY3ljbGlzdHMgd2hvIHdlcmUgdGhlcmUu%2Cheadline_Central%2BAmerica%2CsiteName_Cycle%2BPlanet%2Clogo_CP%2Cp_Ii9jb3VudHJpZXMvY29zdGEtcmljYSI%2Cs_nXzLCey-k374VG5a.png" "og:image:height": "600" "og:image:type": image/png "og:image:width": "1200" "og:title": "Bicycle touring in Costa Rica" "twitter:image": "https://cycleplanet.org/_og/d/c_Blauwdruk%2Ctitle_Bicycle%2Btouring%2Bin%2BCosta%2BRica%2Cdescription_~Q3ljbGluZyBDb3N0YSBSaWNhOiB2aXNhLCBib3JkZXIgY3Jvc3NpbmdzLCBzYWZldHksIHRyYW5zcG9ydCwgcGxhY2VzIHRvIHNsZWVwIGFuZCBwb2ludHMgb2YgaW50ZXJlc3QsIGZyb20gY3ljbGlzdHMgd2hvIHdlcmUgdGhlcmUu%2Cheadline_Central%2BAmerica%2CsiteName_Cycle%2BPlanet%2Clogo_CP%2Cp_Ii9jb3VudHJpZXMvY29zdGEtcmljYSI%2Cs_nXzLCey-k374VG5a.png" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://cycleplanet.org/llms.txt) Central America # Costa Rica [**View on the map**](https://cycleplanet.org/map?at=9.748917,-83.753428,7) [** Download GPX (1) **](https://cycleplanet.org/api/gpx/CR) ## **About ** No information about this yet. Been here? Help the next cyclist. [Add information](https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica/edit/about) ## **People ** The population is originally Spanish. Making contact is easy. They love to party. The people are generally unobtrusive but not very friendly either. Cyclists are a common street scene. The standard bicycle for the Costa Rican (especially in rural areas) is a mountain bike. Traffic (especially in San Jose) is generally quite anti-social. We drove around San Jose in a rental car for 2 days and it was occasionally quite assertive. The official language is Spanish. Most of the Tico's are mestizos, people with mixed Indian white blood. The indigenous population often still speaks Indian languages, such as Bribri and Guaymi, but they are only a very small part of the population. On the Caribbean coast, the majority of the inhabitants are of black descent, mostly former slaves from Costa Rica and the countries in the area. In the capital and in the tourist hotels reasonable English is spoken, in the interior the knowledge of English is a lot less. It is therefore advisable to learn a few words of Spanish to facilitate contact with the local population. With English you can go pretty well in most places. Last updated 18 May 2021 by [Wereldfietser.nl / Vakantiefietser.be](https://cycleplanet.org/cyclists/01dRgHcnFiTSprDGCEB4Jxq7iDH3) [Edit](https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica/edit/people) ## **Visa ** Quite a lot of nationalities may enter Costa Rica without a visa. Visa policy of Costa Rica Costa Rica Visa not required Restricted visa Source: [**Wikipedia**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Costa_Rica). Last updated 19 Mar 2021 by [Cycle Planet](https://cycleplanet.org/cyclists/RYFRjpH3DfdWPpRfG9MIFBSPzH33) [Edit](https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica/edit/visa) ## **Border crossings **(1) Sorted by most likes 1. [![Border crossing](https://cycleplanet.org/markers/Border.png)**1. Capacho (Panama) – Paso Canoas (Costa Rica)**To PanamaThe border crossing Pasoa Canoa to / from Panama is very busy. When we arrived from Panama there was a pedestrian line of 300 m. That is about 3 hours (!) to…](https://cycleplanet.org/poi/766d04bb-7fed-4d83-bc00-b86b8c0254b4) ## **Sleeping ** ### **(Formal) camping** There are no campsites as we know them. You can camp for a few dollars at various guesthouses. ### **Ho(s)tels** Most places of any size have a hotel or guesthouse. From about 7 dollars for a bed in a guesthouse. Can be a bit more expensive in tourist areas (coast). At various guesthouses you can also camp for a few dollars. Place for the bike has never been a problem. Safe bicycle storage is not always possible, especially in San Jose, with the cheaper accommodation options (especially if they are on the first and / or second floor and only accessible via a narrow staircase). ### **Wild camping** Free camping is allowed in designated places, including in the national parks. Last updated 18 May 2021 by [Wereldfietser.nl / Vakantiefietser.be](https://cycleplanet.org/cyclists/01dRgHcnFiTSprDGCEB4Jxq7iDH3) [Edit](https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica/edit/sleeping) ## **Safety ** Overall, the security seems very good. There are certain neighborhoods in San Jose and Puerto Limon that are said to be less safe. ### **Traffic** There is a lot of traffic on major thoroughfares and around San José with buses and American trucks. With the arrival of the asphalt, the roads have become much busier. Cars, trucks and buses do take cyclists into account. Traffic in the Central Lowlands is generally very quiet and cyclists are taken into account. In the Caribbean this is a lot less; lorry drivers in particular are downright anti-social. Last updated 18 May 2021 by [Wereldfietser.nl / Vakantiefietser.be](https://cycleplanet.org/cyclists/01dRgHcnFiTSprDGCEB4Jxq7iDH3) [Edit](https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica/edit/safety) ## **Transport ** ### **Bus** In the regular buses, bicycles can be taken along cheaply in the luggage compartment at the bottom. Bicycles can travel on the long-distance buses but sometimes require persuasion and the need to cross handlebars due to limited cargo space and a rope to tie down the bicycles. Last updated 18 May 2021 by [Wereldfietser.nl / Vakantiefietser.be](https://cycleplanet.org/cyclists/01dRgHcnFiTSprDGCEB4Jxq7iDH3) [Edit](https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica/edit/transport) ## **Food and drink ** For every place where tap water is guaranteed to be drinkable, this is indicated at the beginning of the place. There is generally enough drinking water (bottles) and bread available in the villages. You will see many shops on the way. From simple fruit stalls to mega supermarkets. Furthermore, there are usually restaurants (Sodas) but it is sometimes unclear when they are open or not. The food is generally good. Soft drinks, beer and mineral water are available everywhere. Good bike food: A simple casado (rice, beans, vegetables, meat and fried banana). In San José you have the vegetarian restaurant chain Vishnu. **Cooking fuel** Gasoline is available everywhere (super 95). Screw mounted gas cans possible only in San Jose. " **Markets** Supermarkets Small supermarkets are of some size in every town. In larger places also real supers such as Walmart. Stalls on the street So-called Sodas can almost always be found, sometimes in the form of stalls on the street, but more often a very simple restaurant / snack bar. Open from (early) breakfast and usually close again around 6pm. **Restaurants** Often pizza or steaks with fries. Restaurants have European prices and rarely an interesting menu. **Drinkable water** We drank water from the tap everywhere, even if it was not explicitly stated that it is drinking water. Last updated 18 May 2021 by [Wereldfietser.nl / Vakantiefietser.be](https://cycleplanet.org/cyclists/01dRgHcnFiTSprDGCEB4Jxq7iDH3) [Edit](https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica/edit/foodDrink) ## **Other ** **Tips** Bart: "From San Jose to the Caribbean, transport is necessary because it is not possible to cycle through a nature park (Parque Nacional Braulio Carillo). Furthermore, cycling along the Pan American Highway is also not recommended." Bert: We cycled mostly on quiet b roads to the east to Siquirres. after that it is still 50 km. to Puerto Limon along a busy 2 lane road. Freight traffic does take cyclists into account. from Puerto the road is quiet again (towards Panama) **Best time to cycle** The best time to travel is from December to March, the dry season with temperatures around 25 - 30 degrees. But this is also Costa Rica's high season. The prices are higher and it is more difficult to make a reservation. The rainy season runs approximately from June to October. Then there can be a shower every day, usually in the afternoon. The rest of the day, however, is usually sunny and pleasant, so that it is also good travel in Costa Rica. During the day, the temperature generally also remains above 20 degrees, in the evening it can be a bit cooler. In the mountains it can cool down considerably in the evening. April also turned out to be a good month; the busy season is coming to an end and it is easy to find a place to sleep everywhere without a reservation. It often rained on the east coast, but only in the morning. The west side is still in the dry period. **Spare parts** There are many mountain bikes around, as well as racing bikes. There are plenty of workshops. 28 inch tires are available. Last updated 18 May 2021 by [Wereldfietser.nl / Vakantiefietser.be](https://cycleplanet.org/cyclists/01dRgHcnFiTSprDGCEB4Jxq7iDH3) [Edit](https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica/edit/other) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/#website","@type":"WebSite","description":"Cycle Planet is the bicycle touring platform: visas, border crossings, places to sleep and points of interest per country, and a community of cyclists who host each other.","name":"Cycle Planet","url":"https://cycleplanet.org/","publisher":{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/#identity"}},{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica#webpage","@type":"WebPage","description":"Cycling Costa Rica: visa, border crossings, safety, transport, places to sleep and points of interest, from cyclists who were there.","name":"Bicycle touring in Costa Rica","url":"https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica#/schema/breadcrumb-list/#breadcrumb"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/#website"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica"]}],"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/#logo"}},{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/#identity","@type":"Organization","email":"info@cycleplanet.org","name":"Cycle Planet","url":"https://cycleplanet.org/","logo":{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/#logo"},"sameAs":["https://www.instagram.com/cycle.planet","https://m.facebook.com/Cycle-Planet-100672311813208"]},{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica#/schema/tourist-destination/1","@type":"TouristDestination","name":"Costa Rica","touristType":"Bicycle tourers","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressCountry":"CR"},"geo":{"@type":"GeoCoordinates","latitude":9.748917,"longitude":-83.753428}},{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica#/schema/breadcrumb-list/#breadcrumb","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Home","item":"https://cycleplanet.org/","position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Countries","item":"https://cycleplanet.org/countries","position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","name":"Costa Rica","item":"https://cycleplanet.org/countries/costa-rica","position":3}]},{"@id":"https://cycleplanet.org/#logo","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Cycle Planet","contentUrl":"https://cycleplanet.org/logo.png","inLanguage":"en","url":"https://cycleplanet.org/logo.png"}]} ``` ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](https://cycleplanet.org/sitemap.md) for all pages.