Does anyone have any tips on the dangers of travel in Costa Rica? Thanks in advance!

Petty Theivery. Costa Rica is rife with petty theivery. They will razor purses and back backs, yank jewerly off your neck or ears, and many pick pockets. Do not ever leave luggage, cameras, jackets, anything of value in a car even for 2 minutes. Break and Entry are rife in Costa Rica. Use hotels that have safety deposit boxes and do not leave valuables in the room.<BR>There were cases of disappearing luggage in the Airport a couple of years back. <BR>

xxx, feel free to hyperbolize a bit more. Give specific examples or your post has no credibility. I suggest you never leave your house again so you can spare us from reading your ridiculous generalizations.<BR><BR>We were there for 10 days in June and always felt safe. On the contrary, the Ticos we met were always happy and friendly. <BR><BR>We saw teenage American girls walk about La Fortuna, Santa Elena and Quepos with no fear of theft or any kind of alledged dangers. <BR><BR>As with any destination, you need to be careful with your possessions but not at the sacrifice of enjoying your trip. Use common sense and you're probably going to be fine. If you're already concern about the "dangers", then you should probably consider going, with the rest of the cattle, to one of the mega resorts in Mexico.

I've been to Costa Rica 7 times since 1993. Once, my flip-flops we're taken off the beach while I was out swimming. I later observed a tourist wearing them later in the week. It was not even a Tico who ripped them off! And, no, I didn't say anthing to the American tourist directly, but spoke loud enough for her to hear what a creep she was to steel someone's shoes off the beach. <BR>I know there is petty theivery in Costa Rica, but it's not the picture the second poster portrays. Not even close.

Tales from Costa Rica:<BR>When we were there a few years back <BR>1. Two teachers left their luggage in their parked rental car for less than 10 minutes to check into their hotel. They came out and even the dirty laudry bags were gone.<BR><BR>2. One lady was at the train station and took her eyes off her luggage for a minute and it was gone.<BR><BR>3. Friends had their room broken into while they were sleeping and wallet, and electrical items stolen. It was a set up or inside job.<BR><BR>4. Friend of a friend lived there for 3 years and had his home cleaned out two times. Constant problem and reported in local press.<BR><BR>5. People were foolish enough to leave good camera equipment in the trunk of their rental car only to find the car ransaked and gone.<BR><BR>6. There is a report on this board on students being murdered in Costa Rica. Check search function.<BR><BR>7. Pick Pockets work in pairs around town. Check in with the consulate they are constantly replacing stolen passports. Quick Trick slice the purse or back pack with a razor and let the stuff spill out.<BR> and the stories go on.<BR><BR><BR>

Anon, let's all provide a daily or weekly crime report for each of our respective U.S cities and then maybe, you may realize how stupid you come across.

Jeez, 'anon', your quote "a few years back" is certainly correct. Train travel in Costa Rica has been dormant at least 10 years!<BR>Virtually every thing you state here happens in almost every city everyday, all over the world! <BR>As for the 'students' murdered, those two young girls met up with guys they had met at a bar and got into a car with them in the wee hours of the morning. Again, same thing happens all over the world. <BR>Costa Rica is still the safest country in all of Latin America and probably much, much safer than your own home town.

So have they cleaned up the poor barrios outside the city center and what about prostitution. It was very apparant in every downtown San Jose Bar.<BR>With the hookers come the pimps and the shake down take down scams with el stupido gringos who get to drunk and etc.

Jacky -<BR>I have been to Costa Rica three times since '98, and have had a wonderful experience each time, including as recently as last April. Disregard "chicken little's" slanted postings. The types of dangers in CR are the same as they are the US. Crime is a problem in San Jose like any city, and the previous posters list of specific incidents could apply to just about anywhere anymore - be it San Jose, CR or San Jose, CA. Be cautious and vigilant, and then have a good time. If you want to frequent the bars in the barrios like the mysterious "xxx", then it is no wonder you nothing but negative impressions of a place. Go and have a great time. CR is a beautiful country.

First off, it's a beautiful country and loads of fun to visit. Here's my mixed perspective on "risks"...it's a relatively safe place, but petty theivery is definitely a problem in CR, moreso than in other Central American countries. I spent 6 months romping through Central America and never experienced any crime except in CR. That said, I "felt" safer from any violent crime in CR. Here are a couple of petty theivery incidents for those will call me an alarmist.<BR>1) Bus trip to Volcan Arenal. Full bus, people standing. One tourist gets on with a bag of camera equipment. Several stops later, as several Ticos are pushing their way out of the bus (causing distraction), the camera bag is swiped. The guy noticed immediately after the doors were closed, but by the time he got the driver to reopen, the kids were gone.<BR>2) Standing on a street corner in San Jose with a friend. Two kids, simulaneously try to rip the watches off our wrists and ran--mine stayed on, my friend's was gone.<BR><BR>Neither of these incidents is tragic or particularly frightening, but be aware and watch your stuff (decked-out tourists provide a good livelihood for skilled petty thieves in CR).<BR><BR>However, don't let any of this keep you from having a great time in CR--it's a beautiful and fun country (well worth the visit).

I have been to CR 3 times (twice with family) and have never had a really negative experience there. I guess it is possible if you are hanging around the sleaziest parts of SJ (bars, Coca Cola bus station, etc.) to get ripped off but you honestly have to be completely unaware (drunk, stoned, whatever) for that to happen. There are plenty of places in CR (esp. SJ) to get into trouble- prostitution is legal and the girls only have to be 18- and the legal drinking age is 18. There are neighborhoods I wouldn't go during the day, much less at night, but you could certainly say the same no matter where you lived! Use the same caution you would in Hollywood or NYC and you'll be fine; 90% of CR has become like a giant Disneyland for eco-tourists and surfers.

The only dangers I've seen in 5 years of living in CR that might seem extraordinary to a foreigner are the highways. Roads can be in poor conidition and the roads have many slow moving, ill repaired vehicles. Ticos can also be aggressive drivers. However, if you drive slowly and carefully...it's not much worse than any US highway, just different.<BR><BR>Don't fret, CR is very, very SAFE. Just use common sense and realize that San Jose is like any other city with 1M people...if you put down your backpack at a public bus stop, someone is waiting to take it.<BR><BR>Pura Vida,<BR><BR>Casey

We went to Costa Rica last year for the first time. Our hotel maid went through all our stuff early in the trip. However, nothing was taken until the last day and then only non-obvious items like some cash and a pocket translator. She was obviously skilled at her work but has since been fired for ripping others off. I can't say how isolated an incident this is, but I travel all over and almost never have this type of problem in a hotel. In all other respects the trip was fine and we will return.

Reading this thread reminded me of my first visit to CR in '94. <BR><BR>I spent 2 trouble-free weeks touring all around in a rental car. On my return to London, I had a layover in New York City. My parents' car with all my things, was parked in a parking lot while we visited the Statue of Liberty and when we came back, EVERYTHING was taken from the trunk. <BR><BR>How ironic that I spent 2 weeks in a "developing" country without problem and then get totally ripped off in my own!

You know - we're here to help each other. I'm so tired of people ranting because they "don't like" someone else's opinion. I think that to ask about danger is a legitimate question. Personally, I find it helpful to read about what incidents have occurred, so that I can try as much as possible to avoid them.<BR><BR>Is it worse than NYC? No. Do I care? No. Wherever I am, I just want to know what to watch out for.<BR><BR>And as for you who insist that only idiots can be ripped off: I've read, across a variety of travel websites, of people who really thought they were quite vigilant, of *many* people who were ripped off on the public buses. Enough that I've decided not to take them, on my trip. <BR><BR>Does that make me paranoid? An idiot? No. I'm willing to pay a higher price for my piece of mind.<BR><BR>

Hi,<BR>A friend and I went to CR three years ago. We would definately go back despite having a few things stolen from our hotel room in Quepos. About a hundred dollars in cash was taken (Yes, I stupidly forgot to stick it in the safety dep. box before we went out) and of all things a bottle of Advil, bandaids and a ziploc baggie full of tampons. (Sorry, guys! This is a true story!) To this day, Karen and I laugh about the stuff taken from the bathroom and wonder why they didn't take more valuable things! I suppose the lady thief didn't like our clothes!<BR><BR>Debbie<BR><BR>PS We also met a couple from N. Carolina whose rental car was broken into on their drive to Monteverde. The thieves took all the luggage while they stopped to get sodas or something quick like that. I do remember that for whatever reason, the stuff was in the car, not in the trunk.<BR><BR>Be careful but don't let the fear of something happening keep you home. It's a beautiful place and we met some really nice Ticos and Ticas!

Speaking of doing dumb things in Costa Rica, my husband and I left a suitcase sitting on the curb when we left our hotel in Manuel Antonio. How stupid. Amazingly, it was turned into the hotel and shipped to us (our expense) with all of its contents intact.

A few years ago in San Jose, my husband and I were wearing small backpacks because we were shopping for lots of coffee and some incidentals like Coke for the hotel room. As we walked toward an intersection, we were surrounded by several young men who were roughhousing. We thought it was just high spirits; then we noticed that all our backpack zippers were open. Luckily, they weren't interested in coffee beans -- and were probalby hoping for something better like a camera. Since then, we've found that this is a common pickpocketing ploy there, but it's uncommon in my city.<BR>My point is this: I know where dangerous areas are in my city and what kinds of crimes are most common. When I'm in another country, I like to know the "crime customs" there, so I can be on alert. If I got robbed at home, I could get some more money, etc. But, thousands of miles away from home, I'm more vulnerable. <BR>So I don't think it's insulting to talk about how crime occurs in CR. It happens everywhere, but it's good to be prepared and on your toes everywhere, too.