Language: Spanish is the native language of Costa Rica. English is spoken at many public places and businesses. It's not a bad idea to carry a pocket Spanish dictionary with you.

Time Zone: Costa Rica is located in the Central Standard Time Zone which is 6 hours behind GMT.

Currency: The official currency of Costa Rica is the colon (also referred to as "pesos") US dollars are also widely accepted and welcomed. Credit cards are accepted by many (not all) businesses, but usually incur a surcharge.

Banking: Banking is available to exchange currency and withdrawl funds by credit card.