Why a Long Vacation in Such a Small Country?

A stat that blew my mind is that the average traveler going to Costa Rica spends 11 days there, while the average European one stays around 18 days. Contrast that with the fact that Costa Rica takes up roughly 0.03% of the world's land surface. Such a tiny place, right?

Costa Rica tourism spending and length of stay

This is one of those things that makes perfect sense on a map and very little sense once you are actually here. So I understand why people look at a map and think, how long could it possibly take?

Small is a pro, not a con

The thing is, being small is one thing, being simple is another. Actually, being small is an advantage. Once you get there you understand that it means you can spend just a couple of hours going from a paradisiacal beach to a misty forest to a rocky volcano to a chill hot spring. Being small means you do not have to use all your time moving around, and you can actually focus on experiencing many different things.

It is not uncommon for people in the capital to have a weekend trip where they go to a beach and do some rafting afterwards. Next weekend, spend the night at a hotel resort, and the next one go hike in a rainforest. This is achievable thanks to the short distances.

You can spend a few days around a volcano, then head into a cloud forest where the climate, vegetation and wildlife feel completely different. A few days later you can be on a tropical beach. You can go rafting, surfing, hiking, wildlife watching, snorkeling, visiting a coffee farm, exploring a national park, or simply sitting in a hammock doing absolutely nothing. And that is before we even start talking about the differences between the Pacific and Caribbean sides of the country.

The trap that comes with it

So yes, thank God Costa Rica is small. Just a callout here. This has a tradeoff, and it is that things seem so close that visitors want to stack too many of them, making the trip exhausting at the end of the day. So just beware of that trap.

You do not need to do Costa Rica as a checklist. You can choose how to make a vacation from many options.

I think this is where planning gets a little strange. We have become very good at turning vacations into optimization exercises.

• How many destinations can I visit?
• How many activities can I fit in?
• What is the best route?
• What are the top 10 places?
• How many days do I need?
• How do I make sure I do not miss anything?

You are never going to see everything in Costa Rica. I am not even close after 35 years. A long vacation does not necessarily mean a vacation where you visit more places. It can mean a vacation where you have more time in the places you choose.

You could spend 14 days visiting six or seven different places. Or you could spend 14 days visiting three or four, and actually allow yourself to settle into them. Neither is inherently right or wrong. It depends on what you want.

So, how long should you stay?

I do not know. And I do not think anyone can really answer that without knowing you. If someone tells you that you need exactly 10 days, 14 days or 21 days to experience Costa Rica, I would be a little suspicious. How could they possibly know?

• Are you traveling with children?
• Do you love hiking?
• Do you want adventure every day?
• Do you want to spend half your vacation at the beach?
• Are you interested in wildlife?
• Do you enjoy driving?
• Do you hate changing hotels?
• Do you want to see several completely different ecosystems?
• Or do you want to find one beautiful place and stay there for a while?

These things matter much more than the size of the country. And perhaps that is the real advantage.

Enjoy your trip. Make it worthwhile.