Why Costa Rica? Awesome Reason No. 2 — The People and Their Culture

Costa Rican culture can be enjoyed in several different ways.

While visiting San Jose, you can dive into free museum nights, art and music festivals, a captivating number of pre-Columbian artifact collections, as well as live music and theater productions on plazas and parks.

Culture doesn’t stop in the capital. If you’re on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, be on the lookout for spicy food cooked in coconut milk, calypso and reggae music, and the vivid colors that adorn both the people and their houses.

On the northwest coast, the culture of the sabanero (cowboys) is prevalent, with horses, cattle, long stone fences, Costa Rican-style bullfights and rodeos very common.

Along the southern coast on the Pacific side, you’ll encounter indigenous traditions, some of them dating from pre-Hispanic days.

When you consider that Costa Rica has no military whatsoever, one of the world’s highest literacy rates and always ranks among the most joyful nations in the Happy Planet Index, isn’t it time to discover and experience Costa Rican culture?