The most developed country in Central America is also one of the most fascinating in the area. Here, backpackers and bike tourers will have to control their expenses closely if they want to stay within their travel budget, as prices are considerably higher than in the neighboring countries.
Costa Rica is a country of the colorful animals, pristine jungles and friendly locals. Those cycling around the country will find places to camp every night very easily: fire-fighters, warmshowers hots and locals alike will welcome you in any corner of the country.
The downside is that the chances of exploring the National Parks on your own are hard to find. Most of the parks have high entrance fees and a guide service is normally required. Even our long awaited visit to Corcovado couldn’t happen as, from February 2014, an expensive guide service is also required to explore the park.
Apart from that, we enjoyed Costa Rica a lot. The costs are PER PERSON and in USD (american dollars). Although not as cheap as Guatemala or Nicaragua, it is possible to travel on a budget in Costa Rica. It was the country where we spent the least. Only 6 USD per day! Keep reading to find out how we did it.
ON THE BIKE
Total: 20 Days
Cycling days: 13 Days
Rest days: 7 Days
Total pedalled: 698 Kms (433 mi)
Kms/day: 34.90 Kms (21.6 mi)
Kms/cycling days: 53.6 Kms (33.3 mi)
We decided to focus on the West-Pacific side of the country. The panamerican highway runs along the coast sometimes with more traffic than oters. The busiest sections are between Sparza and the border with Nicaragua. Further south, the traffic decreases along the coast making the cycling very pleasant. The roads around playa Junquillal and Osa Peninsula were our favorite detours. You can check the route we followed here.
COSTS
Total Spent: 120.25 USD
Average spent per day: 6.01 USD
LODGING
Total Spent: 36.00 USD
Average spent per day: 1.80 USD
FOOD
Total Spent: 76.75 USD
Average spent per day: 3.83 USD
OTHERS
Total Spent: 7.50 USD
Average spent per day: 0.37 USD
A set traditional meal at one of the “sodas” around the country will cost you 5-6 dollars and a bit more in tourist areas. Cooking your own meals won’t be cheap either as supermarkets in Costa Rica have similar prices (or even higher) to those in Europe or USA.
LODGING
Total : 20 Days
Days paid to sleep: 4 Days
Days not paid to sleep 16 Days
Showers: 17 (We are way too clean!)
Hostel-hotel : 3 Days
Host – Friends: 8 Days
Place : 6 Days
Camping: 3 Days
- Paid: 1 Day
- Unpaid: 2 Days
Hostels in Costa Rica are more expensive than in the other countries in Central America. The cheapest room we found was 20 USD for a double. With these prices we ended up sleeping in our tent most of the time. Ticos are really friendly and they never turned us down when we asked permission to camp for the night.
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Wow, you rock it! Thirteen days of cycling – that must have been so tiring. Indeed, cycling tour can be more budget-friendly and adventurous. Good luck to more of your travels. 🙂
Thanks Nichelle,
Yes, cycle touring is the way to go if you want to cut costs down. And you never know where you’ll sleep or eat making the trip a whole adventure!
muy util. que buenas referencias, gracias 🙂
Gracias chicos!
Hola Antonio:
Gracias por el post, me ha sido muy Ăştil. Yo irĂ© a CR en Abril y pienso pedalear desde Volcán Poás hasta Rivas, Nicaragua. Nunca he acampado durante mis viajes en bici, pero es una experiencia que deseo, asĂ que te querĂa preguntar tips de cĂłmo escogen sus lugares para camping, es decir, preguntan en alguna casa como decĂas en el post, o simplemente buscan un área verde linda alejada del tráfico. No sabrĂa tampoco si en CR lo permitan,
Gracias y un saludo desde MĂ©xico, yo vivo en Huasca, en el Parque Nacional El Chico, Hidalgo. Si algĂşn dĂa vienen, acá tiene una casa. 🙂
Buenas Nelson,
Lo mejor es siempre preguntar a los locales y pedir permiso. No te aconsejarĂa acampar en cualquier lugar sin preguntarle a nadie, ya que puedes estar en una propiedad privada sin saberlo y podrĂas tener problemas.
Nosotros siempre nos dejaron acampar cuando lo preguntamos.
Saludos y buen viaje!
Gracias! 🙂