bogart

hi! I'm considering a trip to surf camp in Mal Pais...have never been to Costa Rica and a little nervous about traveling alone in general. Any tips, advice, recommendations for this lonely girl.

thanks!

dncee11

You should do fine, I have seen and heard of other single travellers in CR. It is one of the safest destinations in this hemisphere. I guess for a woman I would advise modest clothes while in San Jose or any city and on public transportation; once you get to the beach, it's pretty wide open! If you speak any Spanish, you won't be lonely for long....
Good luck and have fun!

Suzie2

Be warned that the Costa Rican men like to make noises at girls. They are pretty harmless for the most part and if you just go on about your business they should leave you alone.
You could check with the camp to see if they can arrange for your transportation to Mal Pais. You could take the local bus to Puntarenas and from there take the ferry across the gulf and a taxi from there to Mal Pais. MP is not the easiest place to get to but I hear it is great surfing. That whole area including Montezuma is very popular with the younger surfer crowd. Monteverdeinfo.com has the local bus schedule for most places and will tell you which terminal to go to. Be very careful if you end up having to go to the Coca Cola terminal, there have been problems with thieves there. You will need to get there early enough to buy a ticket before getting on the bus.
If you get to CR too late to take a bus and catch a ferry I would suggest you spend the night at a place called Vida Tropical B&B. They are just 5 mins from the airport and will pick you up. The guys are great and extremely helpful and will help you get on your way the next day with good info on bus and ferry times.

bogart

Thank you so much for your replies! The camp provides shuttle service so no worries there...

Suzie2

Good deal on the shuttle. You should have no problem if you behave yourself. You won't be lonely for long. Everyone down there is very friendly, just don't travel alone at night to the bars.

koa

I recently travelled solo to costa rica. If you have a shuttle and going to the surf camp you will be fine. I rented a car and drove around the country looking for surf. Overall, i felt safe, but avoid certain areas especially Sanjose at night. That place is sketchy. I also felt uncomfortable in puntarenas.