If you have read other posts on my blog, by now I’m pretty sure you know how much fun traveling to Costa Rica can be. However, since it is so popular it can get a bit pricey. going on a family vacation on it where you get to really explore the highlights of the country might be expensive.
After a lot of traveling along this beautiful country, I learned some tricks that might help you save money as you explore Costa Rica. So keep scrolling down to find five budget tours
Cheap things to do in Costa Rica
1. Hanging Bridges
Visiting the hanging bridges is something people must do during a vacation in Costa Rica. They are huge bridges located over the rain forest; the most popular ones are in Arenal and in Monteverde. The trails are well-marked so you can go on your own without having to pay a guide, so the only expense might be having to pay for an entrance fee.
2. Manuel Antonio National Park
This is another of those places you must visit and again since it is so well maintained you don’t need a guide. Just pay the entrance fees of the park. You will spend less than half of the money. And you might only miss some of the information about wildlife, if you don’t mind this, go ahead.
3. Cahuita National Park
In this park, you not only don’t need a guide, but the donation is also free. You can leave a donation at the entrance, but there isn’t an obligated fee if you don’t enter from Puerto Vargas. This second entrance charges $5 per person, which is affordable, too.
4. Beaches
Costa Rica is surrounded by tons of beaches, black sanded, white sanded, with great waves for surfers or easy waves for swimming. The best part? It’s free. you can have a blast and spend a lot of time exploring the different beaches of the Caribbean and Pacific Coasts.
5. Renting Bikes in Puerto Viejo
A great way to explore the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica such as Puerto Viejo is to rent a bike. You only have to pay around $10 per bike for the whole day.
6. Central Parks
Each town, village or city has a Central Park where locals hang out and are normally surrounded by restaurants. It is a great way to spend an afternoon, having ice cream, reading a good book, and letting the children play if you are traveling with your family.
7. Museums
San Jose City offers a lot of museums and there are some that offer free entrance on certain days, one of them is the art museum, which is free on Mondays. Some other are always free for students or elders, so make sure to bring some kind of ID.
8. Markets
There are markets all over the country where you find colorful stalls filled with fruit, vegetables, cooked food, and artisan’s work. Some will even keep you busy for hours, plus you get extremely cheap food.
9. Cultural Celebrations
Costa Rica is mostly catholic. This means that almost all towns have a patron saint. This also means that they are constantly putting up huge public parties in honor of those saints as well as parades and other kinds of Costa Rica celebrations. You are free to join.
These are just a few of the fun things to do in Costa Rica that are either cheap or free that will allow you to thoroughly enjoy the country for less money. There is no need to spend a small fortune in this beautiful Country.
Do you know of any other fun things to do that will allow you to save money?
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Spot on with a great list of cost saving tips for Costa Rica, self-guided tours are definitely the easiest way to save a lot of money – more than 50% in many cases.
Also, I found that we got better deals on things when we were able to negotiate and speak in Spanish.
Yes, definitely! Also find that if you offer cash, you get good discounts too this can be in any country.