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Getting there
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Take a Singapore Airlines or United Airlines flight from Singapore to San Francisco, then catch a connecting flight to Houston. From there, head on to Costa Rica's capital San Jose or Liberia. If you would like to transfer from elsewhere in the United States, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta also offer connecting flights to San Jose and Liberia.
From San Jose, travellers can take a domestic flight to Liberia or a bus to destinations within Guanacaste.
Tips
• Located on a strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica has a vast coastline, mountains, forests and lowlands and its weather can vary greatly. Multiple seasons can be experienced in one day. You can wake up on a beautiful beach with 26 deg C weather, then drive to the mountains and fall asleep at a comfortable 16 deg C, with a light sweater on. Temperatures average between 21 and 27 deg C. It is coolest during the dry season from December to April, when there is more sunlight and less chance of rain. This is the best time to visit Costa Rica, but as it is the peak travel period, it can also be more expensive.
• An ideal length of stay in Costa Rica is a week to 10 days. This will give you enough time to spend a few days in each section of the country, enjoy the beaches, mountains and forests as well as the city. However, since the journey from Singapore is so long, a longer stay may be preferable. You can easily spend a week in Guanacaste alone.
• Costa Rica has a fair public transportation network, with buses that link different towns and communities. However, car rental is a good option as it saves time and is more practical for tourists, especially when there are more than three people travelling together. When you have three people, renting a car may be more cost effective than taking a bus or plane. Driving also means you can make pit stops if a location piques your interest. Costa Rican roads are safe and dotted with beautiful places that might not have made it into a guidebook. Remember to drive carefully.
• Costa Rica is one of the safest countries in the Americas. Having said that, busy tourist destinations are open to opportunists who will take advantage of the situation, so it is better to be careful and mindful. Keep your eyes on your belongings. Also, be careful when swimming in the ocean. The undertow has been known to pull swimmers quickly out to sea.