Hello! I’m a single woman wanting to explore Costa Rica for some adventure. Any recommendations where to go? I don’t think I’d be comfortable renting a car so curious if there is goid public transportation to take me to different sites worth exploring. This is my first time traveling alone so looking for some good advice. Thank you!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
3379 posts
I would begin by getting a guidebook for Costa Rica from my library. That is where I always start when visiting a new place.
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
5367 posts
I would take a tour. Costa Rica is not as crime-free as it used to be.
Posted by
Hayden Lake, ID
56 posts
I did a solo trip to Costa Rica in 2009. That's a long time ago, but wonderful memories still remain.
Itinerary: Flew into San Jose airport. Stayed four nights at the beautiful Mawamba Lodge on the Carribbean coast. The lodge provided bus & boat service from the San Jose Airport (see website for transportation provided) https://mawamba.com/ . The lodge arranged various activities from their doorstep.
I then came back to San Jose and flew on a small plane to La Paloma Lodge on the OSA Peninsula. https://www.lapalomalodge.com/
Again the lodge provided the travel arrangements. Stayed here for 3 nights. Memories; night tour w/ the Bug Lady & a hike into the Corcovada rain forest (at the time Nat Geo declared it one of best preserved rain forests in the world). These activities again arranged by the lodge.
Also rafted on the Pacuare River with https://rioslodge.com/. This was a 2 day trip overnighting in their lodge.
Hopefully the website links work and their sites will provide all the information you need.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4751 posts
I did a solo trip in 2023. I didn't rent a car and used shared shuttles everywhere. These are well organized to support the tourist routes. They also pick you up and drop you off at many hotels. There are different companies for different regions but used Interbus for all my bookings. Occasionally the route was supported by a different company but they could still book my seats. Comfortable, safe mini vans. Public buses are not easy and I wouldn't recommend them. They change regionally and you may need to walk a mile to try and find the pick up spot to another area.
Despite the efficient shuttles, the towns can be spread apart and frequency may mean more overnights in smaller areas so as a first solo trip, don't plan a lot of moving.
If beach was on your mind, you can get shuttles directly from the Liberia airport to the resort towns on the Pacific.
From any main tourist city there are loads of day trips. There are store front travel agendpts, hostels often organize them, and on line. I found, however, that to book online the default minimum was 2 persons. To get around that, email the company and ask what days they can accommodate a solo traveler. Therefore it may be faster to do this in person at an agency.
I am a bird watcher so my focus may be different than others. I arrived from Canada to Liberia Airport so had some overnights in Liberia, from there to Monteverde to LA Fortuna and then to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui.