Costa Rica - Part One (What to expect)
Costa Rica is a beautiful country rich with exotic landscapes, plants and wildlife. It's a photographer's dream location. It's also an extremely friendly place for North Americans and Europeans to travel.
Many Costa Ricans (Ticos as they are called) speak at least a little English in addition to Spanish. In the tourist areas you'll more English speaking Ticos as well as many things written in English and Spanish. You could get by with only knowing how to say Hola, si, por favor, gracias and understanding that "gringo" is not an insult. The more Spanish that you can speak the better off you are. I would not hesitate however, to travel to Costa Rica if I didn't speak Spanish.
Aside from the language the roads and driving conditions may be the hardest things for North Americans to get accustomed to. The cars are small and so are the streets. To me the driving resembled organized chaos. Everyone seemed to be following some form of rules or laws but I could not figure them out. Unless you are the extremely adventurous type I would avoid driving in San Jose, the Capital. Cities in general are very congested and difficult to navigate. There are no street sings and no addresses like most tourists are accustomed to at home. This makes navigation even with a map a challenge. Most Ticos don't use maps, they just stop and ask someone for directions. Now this is the one area were the ability to speak Spanish is priceless. The country is full of taxi's and mini-buses so it's not necessary to drive unless you want to. Many people take regional flights from San Jose to other parts of the country. This is a good idea if your trip is short or you are traveling to a remote area.
San Jose may be my least favorite place in Costa Rica. I'm not a fan of large cities anyway. The city is worth seeing but it is very crowded. Theft is big problem so you don't want to bring anything valuable if you walk around or leave anything in the car. I was advised not to bring my camera into the city. I wish that I had brought my point and shoot along and I would recommend bring one instead of a SLR. I think something like the Canon G10 would be ideal since it is capable of taking quality photos and is small enough to be concealed.
Outside of San Jose a SLR is a must. There are so many things of all shapes and sizes to photograph that you'll want a wide assortment of lenses. With a crop body SLR focal lengths from 17-300mm are highly recommended. I used 17-250mm on my first trip and I wished I had more telephoto reach. A superwide angle lens and a macro lens are also great to bring along. With a full frame camera focal lengths of 20-400mm should be considered. If you want to photograph birds and wildlife long telephotos may be required. Remember that crop bodies increase effective focal length. For instance many Canon bodies increase effective focal length by a factor of 1.6. Other brands have a similar effect. This means that you would multiply your lens focal length by 1.6 to determining it's 35mm equivalent. A 250mm lens on a 1.6 crop body is really a 400mm focal length. It's a great bonus on the telephoto end but it's a negative on the wide angle range.
Aside from your camera and lenses don't forget to bring plenty of memory cards. It doesn't cost anything to take digital photos so shoot everything and then shoot it again and again. On a one week trip try taking 2,000 or more pictures. Don't forget to experiment. It's a great way to lean more about your camera and develop your skills.
The weather is generally warm. You won't need much in the way of warm clothes unless you plan to visit some of the mountain and Volcanoes. Rain is always a possibility so be prepared. The coasts tend to be hot but the mountains and valleys are mild. Don't forget get your swim suit the beaches and spas are well worth a visit.
Many Costa Ricans (Ticos as they are called) speak at least a little English in addition to Spanish. In the tourist areas you'll more English speaking Ticos as well as many things written in English and Spanish. You could get by with only knowing how to say Hola, si, por favor, gracias and understanding that "gringo" is not an insult. The more Spanish that you can speak the better off you are. I would not hesitate however, to travel to Costa Rica if I didn't speak Spanish.
Aside from the language the roads and driving conditions may be the hardest things for North Americans to get accustomed to. The cars are small and so are the streets. To me the driving resembled organized chaos. Everyone seemed to be following some form of rules or laws but I could not figure them out. Unless you are the extremely adventurous type I would avoid driving in San Jose, the Capital. Cities in general are very congested and difficult to navigate. There are no street sings and no addresses like most tourists are accustomed to at home. This makes navigation even with a map a challenge. Most Ticos don't use maps, they just stop and ask someone for directions. Now this is the one area were the ability to speak Spanish is priceless. The country is full of taxi's and mini-buses so it's not necessary to drive unless you want to. Many people take regional flights from San Jose to other parts of the country. This is a good idea if your trip is short or you are traveling to a remote area.
San Jose may be my least favorite place in Costa Rica. I'm not a fan of large cities anyway. The city is worth seeing but it is very crowded. Theft is big problem so you don't want to bring anything valuable if you walk around or leave anything in the car. I was advised not to bring my camera into the city. I wish that I had brought my point and shoot along and I would recommend bring one instead of a SLR. I think something like the Canon G10 would be ideal since it is capable of taking quality photos and is small enough to be concealed.
Outside of San Jose a SLR is a must. There are so many things of all shapes and sizes to photograph that you'll want a wide assortment of lenses. With a crop body SLR focal lengths from 17-300mm are highly recommended. I used 17-250mm on my first trip and I wished I had more telephoto reach. A superwide angle lens and a macro lens are also great to bring along. With a full frame camera focal lengths of 20-400mm should be considered. If you want to photograph birds and wildlife long telephotos may be required. Remember that crop bodies increase effective focal length. For instance many Canon bodies increase effective focal length by a factor of 1.6. Other brands have a similar effect. This means that you would multiply your lens focal length by 1.6 to determining it's 35mm equivalent. A 250mm lens on a 1.6 crop body is really a 400mm focal length. It's a great bonus on the telephoto end but it's a negative on the wide angle range.
Aside from your camera and lenses don't forget to bring plenty of memory cards. It doesn't cost anything to take digital photos so shoot everything and then shoot it again and again. On a one week trip try taking 2,000 or more pictures. Don't forget to experiment. It's a great way to lean more about your camera and develop your skills.
The weather is generally warm. You won't need much in the way of warm clothes unless you plan to visit some of the mountain and Volcanoes. Rain is always a possibility so be prepared. The coasts tend to be hot but the mountains and valleys are mild. Don't forget get your swim suit the beaches and spas are well worth a visit.
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