Costa Rican Treasure

hey everyone, I'm going to costa rica in 3 weeks for for a couple months. I'm aware of all the typical tourists sights such as volcanoes and forests etc.. I plan on doing those but I'd really like to find some amazing treasures such as really interesting, odd restaurants or bars or stores, things that either only locals know or that some tourists were lucky enough to stumble upon. Anything that is cheap and that i can't find in any travel guides? Thanks!

Hi, you're definitely right about all the typical stuff to do.
I am a big believer in traveling and seeking out the local stuff.

What I recommend in Costa Rica are a few things. I'm not really sure where you're going, so I'll give you some ideas. Some places will have these options others not so much, but if you ask around you'll find tons of treasures yourself.

Ok, here's my local finds.

Always eat in a local soda (restaurant/cafe). They are super easy to find, they are tiny, very local and serve the yummiest food. I wouldn't ask a hotel, ask a local for a good soda.

In some areas there are tilapia farms where you can catch your own and they fry it up for you. This is super local, you will not find this in any guide book. You can find this around Sarapiqui area, in the Central Valley area especially in the mountains of Heredia, and also in la Fortuna area.

In Rincon de la Vieja area, near Liberia, you can go to mud pools, very few tourists do this and it's great fun.

Oh, and don't overlook public, local transportation. They are so fun!

Hope this helps!
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[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]

Mud pools? That sounds interesting. Thank you so much!

I visited those mud pools! There's also a great little water pool there somewhere to swim in. It's a bit remote; believe we had a taxi from Liberia? Takes a few hours to walk all around, but was fun. This & this photo were taken there. More on my CR gallery.

Wikitravel has some titbits which might be worth noting: Wikitravel - Costa Rica