Costa Rica is a welcoming country, with an amazing landscape, hospitable people, and has a very wide variety of flora and fauna some unique to the country. Let's start with the basics: VISA: Most visitors of western countries (including the U.S.A., Canada, and the European Union) don't need any visa prior to visiting Costa Rica. Usually a stay permit of 90 days is given to passengers arriving from those countries. That permit can be renovated for an additional period of 90 days at the Immigration offices in San Jose (the Capital). Another method to renovate that permit is by leaving the country for a period of at least 72 hours before coming back.

Weather:

Due to its proximity to the Equator and to both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, its climate is Tropic to Sub-Tropic. It is cool and relatively dry in the mountain ranges that traverse the country from south east to north west, and it is hot and humid in the low lying beach areas.

Typical temperatures are: 18 to 26 Celsius (65 to 79 Fahrenheit) in San Jose and the Central Valley, 24-30 Celsius (75 to 86 Fahrenheit) in the Beach areas both in the Pacific and the Caribbean side.

Health:

The country has proper hygienic standards, it has a reasonable public health system (hospitals, clinics, etc), and an excellent private health practice. In fact in the last years the health tourism, people that come from abroad to be treated in Costa Rica (dental care, plastic surgery), has risen considerably.

Tap water is potable, but it is advisable to drink bottles water in areas where the infrastructure is not up to standards.

In the rainy season there is a Dengue mosquito problem in some areas thus it's advisable to bring along mosquito repellents and netting.

Language and Religion:

Spanish is the official language of the country. A lot of locals dominate the English language, also there are a lot of foreigners living in Costa Rica. Creole English is spoken in the Caribbean side as it has a numerous population from Jamaican heritage.

Main religion is the Catholic (76%), followed by the Protestant which its major component is the Evangelical church (14%), and also different minorities such as a small Jewish community.

Quick Facts:

Population: 4.4 Million
Official Language: Spanish
Independence Day: 15 of September 1821 (from Spain)
Government: Democratic Republic
Capital: San Jose (population 1.000,000.00)
Currency: Colon
National Flower: Guaria Morada (Purple Orchid)
World Time: -6 hours GMT
Electricity: 110 Volt, 60 Hertz (same as in the U.S)