Costa Rica Safety

Glad you asked, the entire country is safe.

 

i went back in june and i can tell you that the country is not safe. it is bad and i was terrified.

we swam in the tarcoles river. locals are sketchy. see pic below.


this plane was shot down.


the food will kill you


i died

 

I found it to be safe there--everyone was wearing a condom at all times........

 

Seems safer than a lot of places right here in the good ole USA at the moment. Give it a try.

 

In all seriousness- jaco is probably the one place you don't want to take your family.. if your solo it's ok, but I would avoid it with the family...

If your staying in hermosa - I guess you'll be ok... but I would look more into the tamorando (sp?) area

Why not just book a flight to Belmar NJ?? Why better then CR...

Also- you should really start a 'hello' threade to introduce yourself... just saying, it's kinda A rite of passage around here

 

Last time I went to Costa Rica, I woke up in a bathtub full of ice. There was a note saying my kidney had been stolen...

The time before that, I was paddling to get a wave and someone on the beach was yelling and pointing at me. I thought it was because I was surfing so well, but only when I came back in did I find the hook hanging from my leash.

My buddy went to CR one time and couldn't find any Dunkins so had to drink locally grown coffee. He never went back. (this might a Masshole specific issue).

Another buddy went and he took a local surf boat out to an offshore island and the whole place was crawling with frickin' dinosaurs. Not safe at all.

 

The only attempted crime I saw there was some kook American pull over and steal some mangos from sombody's mango tree in their front yard. When he noticed the family sitting on their porch watching him, he put them back down and drove away.

And he felt terrible...

 

I went to Jaco back in 2010 and it is very safe during the day. At night I wouldn't call it unsafe but there is a bunch of guys out on the streets trying to sell drugs and many more Americans looking for hookers. Not a scene you want your kids seeing. But.... you could stay here https://www.clubdelmarcostarica.com/ It is on the south end of Jaco and away from all the crap. Go into Jaco during the day and hang by the hotel at night.

I found this town http://nicoyapeninsula.com/nicoya/ to be way worse than Jaco. Zombie land with cracked out people everywhere.

 

If you do stay in Jaco with your family, make sure you take them to the Beetle Bar for happy hour.

 

petty thievery is endemic, whatever you leave unwatched on the beach they'll take. Everything. If you have a rental car, they'll open it with a skeleton key and take everything from it. My most recent trips we hired a couple of Ticos as guides/drivers to take us around in a van for $50 day. No Costa Rican will rob you using threats or outright violence or mess with anyone physically. They surf aggressively with no etiquette at some spots, but chill and generously towards gringos at others. I stopped trying to jump in the mix few years back and now just rely on the guides. Last time I was there, a group of German surfers had issues in the water and then got into a brawl on with a group of Brazilians (of course).

 

lol...awesome

 

The bottom line is, if you can't beat up a costa rican you are pretty sad. They average around 5 feet tall. As Dave said, they will steal your stuff, but not mug you. Go to Jaco, bring the kids and wife, and leave them at the hotel at night when you go to the Beatle Bar.

If you don't know about the Beatle it is this chill little pub in town that has cheap beer and on display creatures from mostly Dominican Republican.

 

I was only in CR once, in 2009, but I had probably the best experience of my life. I was in Quepos with a college group, after lugging a bodyboard and fins through Colombia, Panama, and San Jose, CR, just for the opportunity to ride waves in the Pacific for the first time.

I went out with a friend at dawn; I had brought a bunch of photography equipment (nothing too special, probably $1,000 worth, though it was my most valuable possession at the time). After about two hours, my friend went back to where we were staying - about a half mile away - but I decided to stick around. The waves were probably 1-2' overhead and perfect...it was easily the best surf I'd ever ridden, so why wouldn't a dumb 20-year-old go against everything the State Department recommended doing in Latin America?

Shortly after my friend headed back, this group of six locals paddled out. I drifted over to them and started chatting with the two who spoke English, just talking about bodyboarding, the ocean, etc. After 15 minutes, I noticed one of the guys had paddled in and started walking toward my stuff. I knew he was going to steal it, so my main concern was just not getting assaulted or anything like that.

Well, the one guy I'm out with must've noticed that I was uneasy because he said, "Hey man, Jose just went out to grab your stuff and put it next to ours. Nobody will take it if it's with us."

I stayed out with them for another two hours, shot the breeze, rode waves and just had a great time. It was pretty special to share something in common with people that are otherwise 100% different from me.

 

+1

I haven't been there in years... idk if it changed... but doubtful if it did

 

Vista Guapa Surf Camp, check them out. Highly Recommend. It's about 3/4 a mile from Jaco...Just went back for the second time last month and took the gf this time...super safe and they'll hook you up with a local surf guide to chauffeur you around to all the surf spots. For the lady/kido's they can take them on all the touristy stuff (like monkey tours, croc tours, jungle tour etc)...prices include homecooked breakfast and dinner at a different local restaurant each night. Prices are also very reasonable.

View from our bungalow.

 

If you have good selfawareness and know how to lock things up, you won't have a single problem. Anything not screwed down or locked up will be stolen.

 

Malta malta malta

 

Yes, it is safe! It changed a lot in the last years! They built an open-air shopping center, Jaco Walk. Great place to eat or drink a locally brewed beer.

Beatles Bar is pretty much dead.

They built a big police station on the main road. And I noticed some new hotels and hostels. Selinas hostel is right on the beach and has a bar on the beach, really nice. Crocs Resort opened on the other side of the beach, they have casino.

Surf can get good in Jaco. And there are several other good surf spots close by. Here some more information on the surf: www.costaricawaves.com/playa-jaco/

Tamarindo is nice, but it turned into a party town. Loud music all night long. I have never had good waves in Tamarindo.

 

Jaco is an awesome place... if cocaine and hookers is your thing.