WHAT TO BRING: CPI

Flamingo has an average daily temperature of 85 - 90 F. The daytime and evening climate is typically warm and humid. Flamingo does experience a rainy season from June to October with rainy afternoons. It is important to dress for warm weather - shorts and short sleeved shirts are commonly used at this beach environment. Don't forget your swim suit!

Other useful items include:

Small flashlight, pocket alarm clock, walking shoes, bathing suit, binoculars, camera (and film), insect repellent, sunscreen, sun glasses, towel and pocket knife. While most toiletries can be purchased in the pharmacies here in Costa Rica, imported items are heavily taxed and will therefore be much more expensive. Any prescription drugs you may need should be brought with you.

For classes you should bring a notebook and a Spanish/English dictionary. C.P.I. will give you both a homework book, a vocabulary book, and various handouts on different grammar points. You might want to bring along your favorite grammar book (501 Spanish Verbs is a popular reference book.)

Travelers checks in the form of US dollars are widely accepted and safe to travel with.

Visa credit cards are accepted in many places but Master Card, Discover, and American Express are rarely accepted. Large banks will give cash advances on Visa cards. There are cash machines in Heredia and around big cities but they are not very reliable and are nonexistent in places like Monteverde.

CPI provides bank service once a week to change dollars and travelers checks into colones. We would, however, recommend that you purchase colones at the U.S. airport you depart from or bring cash so you can change dollars into colones at the San José airport with a money changer.

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

Spanish Abroad, Inc. highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.