Participant Portal

We recommend booking a flight that arrives and departs from the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO).

The better deals are often found in advance so we encourage you to book as soon as possible.

Please plan your arrival time to be before 2pm local time on January 17 and your departure for after 4pm local time on January 25.

Tour Start

Our tour will begin at 2pm local time on January 17 at Hotel Brillasol in Alajuela (town next to the SJO airport).

Taxis are readily available at the SJO airport. The taxi drivers will accept USD cash, as well as Costa Rica cash (colones) and major credit cards. The fee should be around $15 and the ride to Hotel Brillasol from the airport takes about 15 minutes.

Please plan to arrive at Hotel Brillasol by 2pm or earlier that day, in order to be present for orientation starting promptly at 3pm. We will spend the first night of the tour at Hotel Brillasol and have dinner at the hotel.

Tour End

Our tour will will end back at Hotel Brillasol where the journey began. We will arrive by 2:30pm.

Optional drop off at the airport or other hotels in Alajuela by request.

Dinner and lodging are not included on January 25.

Kindly book your own lodging at Brillasol or another hotel of your choosing if you'd like to extend your time in Costa Rica.

Hotel Brillasol
400 metros sur de hogares crea, Provincia de Alajuela, Alajuela, Costa Rica
+50624425129
http://www.hotelbrillasolairport.com/

If you’d like to extend your time in Costa Rica before or after our tour, we recommend staying at Hotel Brillasol.

In case Hotel Brillasol is full, these two hotels are both less than a 10 minute drive away: Hotel Robledal and Trapp Family Country Inn.

Also, check the room share board to see if others have space to share!

Meals are available at Hotel Brillasol for non-guests for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

U.S. citizens do not need a Visa for Costa Rica. But, they need to hold a passport valid for at least one day from the day of entering Costa Rica. A return ticket back home or to another country is required upon entry. The length of visa-free stay is up to The length of visa-free stay is up to 180 days.

For other nationalities, please check with your embassy.

Consult with your health care provider regarding which vaccines will be appropriate for you.

Costa Rica does not require any vaccinations to enter the country, with the following exception:

All travelers coming from the following countries must possess a yellow fever vaccination certificate before entry into Costa Rica will be allowed: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and the Republic of Guyana.

Additionally, the CDC and WHO recommend the following vaccinations for Costa Rica:

hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, yellow fever, rabies, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia and influenza.

Health insurance coverage is required on all of our trips.  You can work with your current insurance provider to get extended coverage, however, it may be more affordable to work with a company that specializes in travel health insurance. For example, Ecovillage Tour staff use World Nomads. Click the “Get a Quote” button to fill out a simple form and easily purchase the insurance online. Be sure to check if your insurance covers trip interruptions, baggage loss, etc.

While in Costa Rica, you shouldn't need much cash on hand as it'll just be for souvenirs and incidentals. We suggest $40 USD or about $20,000 CRC. 

Many stores in Costa Rica accept credit cards and even USD cash. You can withdraw from ATMs in Costa Rica, however, you will likely get the best rate by exchanging with your local currency exchange center at home.  

There is a Currency Exchange place at the SOJ airport in the baggage claim area. However, again, you will likely get the best rate by exchanging with your bank at home. There is also an ATM in the airport however it’s often not working.

Claro (name of the phone company) seems to have the best coverage for rural areas in Costa Rica.

At the SOJ Airport, there is a Claro stand left of baggage claim 5 where you can purchase a SIM card. It is open from 6 AM to 9 PM and sometimes to 11 PM on weekends. They’ll help you insert the SIM card and set up your phone to use it.

Note: There will be WIFI in the vans and at most of our destinations. You may choose to make calls with WIFI instead of getting a SIM.

You can make a payment or check your payment status by logging into WeTravel here:

https://www.wetravel.com/users/sign_in

Please login using the same email address you used to book your reservation. If you need help logging in, simple contact us. We’re happy to help.