Location:

Guanacaste is located in the northwestern part of Costa Rica, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. To the north it borders Nicaragua. To the east is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province.
 

Capital City:

The capital city of Guanacaste is Liberia.

   Population:

Guanacaste has a population of 300.000. The population density is 30 per square mile. Guanacaste is the most sparsely populated of all the provinces of Costa Rica.

 
Climate and Weather: 

The temperature throughout the province of Guanacaste is characterized by being hot. Seasons are well defined as wet and dry, with the exception of the highland portion of the Pacific facing slopes of the upper Guanacaste mountain range and the northern half of the Tilarán mountain range. The cool and moist conditions along these ridges support a luxuriant cloud forests. The rest of the Guanacaste province territory is tropical dry forest. Due to the pronounced dry season that affects this type of habitat (six months out of every year), fire works very well as a land clearing tool, why most of the original forests have been removed for agricultural activities and cattle ranches. Being the dry forests an endangered habitat, the parks and reserves in Guanacaste protect much of the remaining examples of tropical dry forest in the entire region.
The dry season is caused by the effects of the northeast winds that blow in off the Caribbean from November through March. This humid air loses its moisture as it crosses the Caribbean lowlands and the mountain ranges. Since the Guanacaste mountain range is both, the lowest and narrowest in the country, there is little to block the passage of the arid air that comes gusting down the western slopes drying out everything in its path, as well as preventing any breezes from bringing in moist air from the Pacific Ocean during these months.
When the trade winds shift northward, air currents once again bring humidity and life-giving rains in from the Pacific Ocean. It is remarkable to observe how quickly the parched and brown countryside regains its verdant appearance after the first showers of each new rainy season. In Guanacaste, these afternoon showers usually return by mid-May and continue until about mid-November.


Languages:

Spanish is the official language of Guanacaste and English is widely spoken.

 
Guanacaste Airports: 

Main Guanacaste Airport: Daniel Oduber International Airport

Located: 13.5 Kilometers West of Liberia

Runway: 2750 meters L. 45 meters W.

Elevatiom: 82 meters

Temperature: 32 Celcius

Administration : Phone: +506-2668-1010
Fax: +506-2668-1010 AFS: MRLBYOYX

  Technical Data (in spanish)

Guanacaste Regional Airports (with daily domestic flights):

 The water is potable in most of the country. We recommend using bottled water, specially in areas around the coast.

Currency and Exchange Rate:  

The Costa Rican currency is the Colon. US dollars are widely accepted.
For the official Exchange Rate go to the Costa Rica Central Bank Web Site and check on the lower right side. On TIPO DE CAMBIO - Compra = Buy, Venta = Sell. 

Link to Costa Rica Central Bank 


Credit Cards:

 All major credit cards are widely accepted. You will find ATM Bank Machines  distributed throughout Guanacaste.

 
 Visa Requirements:

If you are planning to fly to Guanacaste Costa Rica, you most know that citizens of the United States and Canada only need a valid passport that will not expire for at least thirty days after arrival, and a roundtrip/outbound ticket.  Passports should be in good condition; Costa Rican immigration will deny entry if the passport is damaged in any way. Costa Rican authorities generally permit U.S. citizens to stay up to ninety days; to stay beyond the period granted, travelers must submit an application for an extension to the Office of Temporary Permits in the Costa Rican Department of Immigration.  Tourist visas are usually not extended except under special circumstances, and extension requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. United States and Canada citizens do not need a visas. Europeans need a valid passport and do not need a visa, except Greece citizens that must have a visa in their passports before they leave their country. Europeans can stay in Costa Rica for a maximum of 90 days.
Costa Rican immigration authorities permit tourists to carry photocopies of the passport data page and Costa Rican entry stamp on their persons, leaving the original passport in a hotel safe or other secure place.

Costa Rica departure tax is $28 and can be paid in US dollars, colones or with a credit cards. 

Dial 911 for immediate assistance.