Traveling in Costa Rica: Crime and Safety
Crime
Yes, like many countries around the world, we have lots of “petty” theft — things stolen from parked cars, things stolen by pickpockets in markets. That’s the bad news. The good news, however, is we have very little violent crime in Costa Rica (except related to drug trafficking, but even this is still less frequent, and less violent, than in Detroit, Dallas, or San Francisco, to provide some perspective). When you hear about crime in Costa Rica in the press, stop for a minute to remember that the rarity of the act is exactly what makes it newsworthy to the public. Another piece of good news: Costa Rica really doesn’t suffer from the vandalism — no profane graffiti, no smashed-out windows of abandoned buildings, no spray-painted monuments.
Safety
How safe are you in your car, hotel, bar, or restaurant? Using the same standards for selecting where you’d drive, eat, drink, or sleep in Costa Rica as you do at home will assure the same level of safety, if not better. With our expertise, there’s a lower chance of making errors about hotel selection, etc. because you aren’t familiar with the “territory” (some really beautiful hotels online are, in fact, in the middle of higher crime or red light districts). Since we live here, we really know which areas to avoid. Serendipity Adventures chooses hotels and activities in areas with low population density, which tends to avoid the areas where you are more likely to encounter crime.