Having said that, it is a safe country assuming you take simple precautions. I will list some for you:
1. Leave all jewelry, fancy watch, iphone, camera around your neck, etc, at home. Wearing them puts a bulls-eye on your back. This is the #1 thing that makes tourists a target.
2. Don't flash cash in public, no need to have a wad of cash on you, carry only what you'll need for the day. And don't brag to other about how nice your car is or how *** your houes is. We Americans love to show off. LOL
3. Don't get drunk--- that leads to the most problems with safety, stupid drunk tourists getting robbed or worse
4. If you do happen to get robbed, don't resist.
5. Always watch your belongings in public (buses, restaurants, parks, bars, clubs, etc), don't take your eyes off them even for 15 seconds.
6. Don't bring anything you can't afford to lose...
7. Safety in numbers-- always better to be in a group of 2 or more than by yourself, not always possible but helps. Not saying it's a must, I know tons of people who travel solo and never have issues, just need to take basic precautions (above).
At night, San Jose and Jaco come to mind as places where a tourist should worry about safety. Take a taxi at night, even only a few blocks. LITERALLY! During the day, just be aware of your surroundings and you'll be fine. And don't make yourself a target by being drunk in public or flashing cash around.
Limon is very dangerous day and night. Many tourists getting robbed there, and some of the cruise lines stopped docking at Port of Limon anymore.
Enjoy and don't freak out about safety.
I have made several 10 day 2 week trips to Costa Rica in the last year. I never felt unsafe or threatened. It is just like visiting any country, pay attention to your surroundings and the people around you. Don't make an *** of yourself and you should be just fine. There are places in my home town where I am much more uncomfortable then I ever was in Costa Rica. I was in several small towns where I may have been the only gringo, and never felt unwelcome.
Have a great trip and take lots of pictures and talk to everyone!!
i lived in costa rica for 6 years, and i can assure you its not crimeless there... there is crime. but less than the usa. traffic is a big problem there
Costa Rica is the safest country in Central America. San Jose might be dangerous alone at night, but in the countryside you should be fine.
I am planning on going to Costa Rica for an animal conservation project this summer. However my mom is concerned about crime. I tried to tell her really the only place I would probably get hurt was at the airport because I will be away from people in the rainforest and on secluded beaches. And I won't be staying at hotels because I'll be staying at resource centers and things like that. Can anybody tell me what to say to her to convince her?
