Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The excellent, water-resistant 1:350,000 Costa Rica Adventure Map published by Nation-
al Geographic also has an inset map of San José. Find it in San José, various book and
gift shops and online.
Another quality option is the 1:330,000 Costa Rica sheet produced by International
Travel Map, which is waterproof and includes a San José inset.
The Fundación Neotrópica ( 2253-2130; www.neotropica.org ) publishes a 1:500,000
map showing national parks and other protected areas; available in San José bookstores
and online.
The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) publishes a 1:700,000 Costa Rica map with
a 1:12,500 Central San José map on the reverse; free at ICT offices in San José.
Online, Maptak ( www.maptak.com ) has maps of Costa Rica's seven provinces and their
capitals.
Few national-park offices or ranger stations have maps for hikers. Topographical maps
are available for purchase from Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN;
2257-7798; Calle 9
btwn Avs 20 & 22; 7:30am-noon & 1-3pm Mon-Fri) .
The Mapa-Guía de la Naturaleza Costa Rica is an atlas no longer published by Incafo
that included 1:200,000 topographical sheets, as well as English and Spanish descrip-
tions of Costa Rica's natural areas. Out-of-print used copies can be purchased online.
Money
ATMs
Cajeros automáticos (ATMs) are ubiquitous in all but Costa Rica's smallest towns.
Most ATMs dispense US dollars or Costa Rican colones.
Cash & Currency
The Costa Rican currency is the colón (plural colones), named after Cristóbal Colón
(Christopher Columbus).
Bills come in 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 notes, while coins come in
denominations of five, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100 and 500.
Paying for things in US dollars is common, and at times is encouraged, since the cur-
rency is viewed as being more stable than colones.
Newer US dollars (ie big heads) are preferred throughout Costa Rica.
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