Safety in Costa Rica
Learn more about Costa Rica’s safety measures to enjoy a peaceful journey around this paradisiacal country
Costa Rican living standards are some of the best ones in America, it is the quieter and most stable country of its geographic area, and it is proud of having abolished its army in 1848. There is a police force depending on the Ministry of Security that is present in most Costa Rican cities and its outskirts while the traffic police depends on the Ministry of Public Works.
Moreover, you can find a touristic police in most of the country’s strategic points, like popular tourist areas with the main objective of helping visitors since their arrival in the country. As it is formed by highly qualified personnel with bilingual instruction, they can help you when needed. It should be pointed out that this police force works with tourism agencies, and the Costa Rican population is committed with tourists’ safety.
Costa Rican people are welcoming and friendly so they will advise you concerning where to go and what places to avoid. Therefore, if you take some common sense precautions, your journey will be peaceful:
- Do not show off expensive objects or large amounts of money.
- Take care of your belongings especially in public or crowded places and public transports or taxis.
- Keep your valuable items in your hotel’s safe deposit box as well as your original passport and documentation. If someone steals your belongings, first of all you must call the local police to lodge a complaint. After this, you can go to your country’s embassy or consulate, where you will get some help in cases like baggage, money or documentation loss.
- If you rent a car, do not let it parked on the street but in a supervised car park. Take into consideration that rented cars are easier to steal.
- Avoid walking by night through less crowded areas, especially in San José, the country’s capital city.
- If you need to take a taxi, make sure it complies with the law, it must have a taximeter and yellow triangles on its doors.
- If you want to exchange money, go to authorised agencies or banks. Do not exchange money on the street.
You must take into account that Costa Rica is located in an area of seismic and volcanic activity. Not only authorities but also locals are accustomed to this phenomena and they know the safety measures and evacuation protocols in case of emergency or imminent danger so it is very important to follow their security instructions.
It is advisable to search for information about current alerts in the Costa Rican National Emergency Commission’s web www.cne.go.cr or telephone (506) 2220 2020.
Learn more about Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica on http://www.ovsicori.una.ac.cr/.
Nowadays, there is a yellow alert in all areas near Turrialba Volcano, in Cartago province. The volcano is now active and there are some earthquakes which have lead to the closure of the natural park where the volcano is located.
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