Visit Costa Rica

ELECTRICAL SERVICE: Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE).

Ninety seven percent of the national territory has electrical service. The voltage in residential areas is 110v.

OFFICE HOURS

Government sector: From 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. National Banks: From 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Some banks offer their services after regular hours until 7:00 p.m. and others that are located in some shopping centers are open on Saturdays.

PRIVATE SECTOR

From 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Commerce in general, opens Saturdays and Sundays up to mid-day.

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

• • January 1st: New Years Day
  • April 11th: Juan Santamaria Day, National Hero.
  • Holy Thursday and Good Friday: Religious activities.
  • May 1st: International Labor Day.
  • August 15th: Mothers Day.
  • September 15th: Independence Day.
  • December 25th: Christmas Day.

OTHER HOLIDAYS

• • July 25th: Annexation of Guanacaste Day.
  • August 2nd: Virgin of the Angels Day.
  • October 12th: Christopher Columbus Day.

A) WATER PASSAGES

The most important water passages in the country which serve the purpose for everyday transportation as well as a route for tourists are:

• The Tortuguero Canals and Barra del Colorado, on the Northern Caribbean
• The Sarapiqui River, on the Northern zone
• The Matina River, on the central Caribbean
• Part of the San Juan River, on the border with Nicaragua
• The Cold River, the Caño Negro Lagoons, and Los Chiles on the Northern zone
• The Sierpe River, on the Southern zone
• The Tempisque River, on the Gulf of Nicoya

Other rivers of great importance are:

• On the Caribbean: Pacuare, Reventazon, Caribbean Chrripo, Estrella, and Sixaola
• On the Pacific: Bebedero, Grande de Tarcoles, Coto, Chirripo, and Parrita

B) AIRPORTS

The main airport is the Juan Santamaria International Airport, located in Alajuela. This airport is only twenty minutes away from San José.

Other important airports are:

• The Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport, located in Liberia, Guanacaste.
• The Tobias Bolaños Airport located in Pavas, San José, for local as well as international flights.

There are also landing fields for local flights situated in different parts of the country such as: Limon, Tortuguero, La Fortuna, Tamarindo, Samara, Tambor, Quepos, Palmar North, Golfito, and San Vito.

C) HIGHWAYS AND ROADS

The whole country is adequately connected by internal infrastructure. The main artery is the Interamerican Highway, which connects the two borders from Peñas Blancas all the way to Paso Canoas. The Cerro de la Muerte (Death Mountain) region has the road with the highest elevation in the country with an altitude higher than 3,200 meters above sea level.