The verdict

I´m leaving Costa Rica in a couple of days and as such its about time for the verdict on this country. I think I'll do a little rating system for each stop as I go this year.

Value for money 5/10
Costa Rica isn't cheap for central america. Everything you buy has 13% tax added plus another 10% service fee. Government is trying to service a large historical debt. A beer in a pub costs roughly 800 colones. Thats $1.60 or R11.50

Natural wonders 7/10
The country is beautiful. Fantastic beaches, volcanoes and wildlife. They also have tons of nature reserves.

The people 5/10
Despite not speaking much Spanish I found the locals very friendly and generally eager to help. Though often in search of a tip! The travellers in this country are predominantly North Americans on holiday for a couple of weeks however and the presence of so many Americans must rule against!

Backpackability 5/10
Every town has lots of hostels and cheapish restaurants. That said, the roads are a disaster and the buses take forever. So you can travel everywhere easily enough but any sort of comfort will set you back mucho dinero.

Wow factor 4/10
I've had a blast here. But in truth I think a lot of that is to do with the people I've met and not so much the place. Though I really enjoyed the Osa Peninsula for its remote beauty.

Total 26/50
An average score... hmmm... I wonder if that was rigged as this was the first stop? Lets see what Honduras has to offer next week!