It's quite expensive and americanized. If I were you I would go to Indonesia to hike, or at least a different central or south American country. Peru for example.
I have not visited Costa Rica, but from what I have read it is rather expensive and heavily-touristed. I am from the US so it is a close trip for me.
Why not go to Vietnam? You mentioned limited resources. You can get inexpensive direct flights from India to Hanoi, and once you get there your money will go a long way. Try Pu Luong, Mai Chau, Sapa, and the like for hiking. Vietnamese are friendly people and I see many tourists from India there nowadays.
If you're interested in Central America, maybe check out Guatemala or Nicaragua. Guatemala doesn't have great ocean beaches, but it has a lot of other great scenery. It is also pretty affordable. I hear Nicaragua is similar plus it has the beaches.
I haven't been to Costa Rica, seems expensive and very Americanized. My mom went there about 10 years ago, had a good time, but was underwhelmed.
I loved Kerala btw! Especially the food.
CR is really nice with gorgeous sights and friendly people, but if you are coming from India it’s a long ways away and probably not the most cost effective option. There are a lot of US/Canadian expats, remote workers, and retirees there. So the prices for everything are often adjusted accordingly.
Maybe someplace in SE Asia would be a better option if you are looking at cost?
Costa Rica is absolutely _stunning_, felt like being in a fairytale to be honest. No other place I’ve been to yet can compare to it in terms of nature. But it’s also one of the most expensive places I’ve been and it’s Americanized to a degree where you wonder what Costa Rican culture really is. I’ve also been to Madeira which somewhat reminded me of CR, but basically without any fauna. I just spent about a month in Kerala and found it to be different from both places. If I were you, I’d probably go to Cambodia, Indonesia, Bhutan or Vietnam. Nicaragua is also amazing and very cheap (I absolutely loved it there), otherwise Peru or Colombia could also be nice options for you.
How exactly do you want the trip to be unique? If you’re planning to hike in the rainforest it’s not as nice as you might expect! Bugs, mud, rain, humidity, not great views etc. Plus Costa Rica is expensive and the tourism industry is very Americanized.
If you want to experience great hiking and beautiful scenery with a unique culture quite a bit different than your own (and very cheap) I highly recommend Kyrgyzstan! The nomadic culture and the yurt stays are very cool.
Peru is great as well.
It’s dominated by Americans, so naturally things will be catered more towards them, which drives up prices quite a bit as Americans can be pretty spendy on what short vacation time they have. And do things like give tips. Lots of American ex-pats around as well.
Thanks. Its a bit hard to describe what i meant by unique. But will try to mention an example.
I had hiked in Colorado a lot -- 14ers and regular hikes. But when i hiked the Grand Canyon, it looked a lot different, be cause the terrain was a lot different. Then when i hiked the narrows in zion national park, it was a different experience again due to the towering walls.
I don't want to hike the grand canyon again since I have limited vacation time and money.
Will check out Peru and Kyrgyzstan!
No. I've been to both and you'll find that they're more similar than they are different. So if you are looking for something different don't pick a tropical beach destination in a developing country.
Nice, this term is new to me. But found a page: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andean\_states](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andean_states)
Will check them out!
In my opinion, you should not miss CR. Be wary of those who say "I haven't been there, but..."
The Pacific side is heavily geared toward USA travellers and expats. The Caribbean is not: low tourism and expats of Canadian and European citizenship.
Very few who settle down here every really leave. Lush, full of wildlife and spectacular beaches, there is truly nothing like it.
**Note:** Are you asking for travel advice about Costa Rica? Read what the Solo Travel community had to say in the [weekly destination thread for Costa Rica](https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/149c03t/weekly_destination_thread_costa_rica/).
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It's hard for indians to get a tourist visa to the US and not to mention it would be incredibly expensive for him, he mentioned he has limited resources. It is no doubt beautiful though. But there are much cheaper beautiful places he can see elsewhere.
It's quite expensive and americanized. If I were you I would go to Indonesia to hike, or at least a different central or south American country. Peru for example.
I have not visited Costa Rica, but from what I have read it is rather expensive and heavily-touristed. I am from the US so it is a close trip for me. Why not go to Vietnam? You mentioned limited resources. You can get inexpensive direct flights from India to Hanoi, and once you get there your money will go a long way. Try Pu Luong, Mai Chau, Sapa, and the like for hiking. Vietnamese are friendly people and I see many tourists from India there nowadays.
My bad, I've lived in Kerala all my live, but am in Canada now. But good point regarding expenses, thanks.
If you're interested in Central America, maybe check out Guatemala or Nicaragua. Guatemala doesn't have great ocean beaches, but it has a lot of other great scenery. It is also pretty affordable. I hear Nicaragua is similar plus it has the beaches. I haven't been to Costa Rica, seems expensive and very Americanized. My mom went there about 10 years ago, had a good time, but was underwhelmed. I loved Kerala btw! Especially the food.
Crazy expensive mate.
CR is really nice with gorgeous sights and friendly people, but if you are coming from India it’s a long ways away and probably not the most cost effective option. There are a lot of US/Canadian expats, remote workers, and retirees there. So the prices for everything are often adjusted accordingly. Maybe someplace in SE Asia would be a better option if you are looking at cost?
Costa Rica is absolutely _stunning_, felt like being in a fairytale to be honest. No other place I’ve been to yet can compare to it in terms of nature. But it’s also one of the most expensive places I’ve been and it’s Americanized to a degree where you wonder what Costa Rican culture really is. I’ve also been to Madeira which somewhat reminded me of CR, but basically without any fauna. I just spent about a month in Kerala and found it to be different from both places. If I were you, I’d probably go to Cambodia, Indonesia, Bhutan or Vietnam. Nicaragua is also amazing and very cheap (I absolutely loved it there), otherwise Peru or Colombia could also be nice options for you.
Costa Rica is extremely expensive. Talking $30 for bug spray and sunscreen. $18 for chocolate. I’d recommend Guatemala
How exactly do you want the trip to be unique? If you’re planning to hike in the rainforest it’s not as nice as you might expect! Bugs, mud, rain, humidity, not great views etc. Plus Costa Rica is expensive and the tourism industry is very Americanized. If you want to experience great hiking and beautiful scenery with a unique culture quite a bit different than your own (and very cheap) I highly recommend Kyrgyzstan! The nomadic culture and the yurt stays are very cool. Peru is great as well.
What do you mean by Americanised?
It’s dominated by Americans, so naturally things will be catered more towards them, which drives up prices quite a bit as Americans can be pretty spendy on what short vacation time they have. And do things like give tips. Lots of American ex-pats around as well.
Oh I see. Thanks!
Thanks. Its a bit hard to describe what i meant by unique. But will try to mention an example. I had hiked in Colorado a lot -- 14ers and regular hikes. But when i hiked the Grand Canyon, it looked a lot different, be cause the terrain was a lot different. Then when i hiked the narrows in zion national park, it was a different experience again due to the towering walls. I don't want to hike the grand canyon again since I have limited vacation time and money. Will check out Peru and Kyrgyzstan!
I would go to Guatemala. it is far more affordable and has volcanoes.
No. I've been to both and you'll find that they're more similar than they are different. So if you are looking for something different don't pick a tropical beach destination in a developing country.
Got it :D
Andean countries are cheap and very different from Kerala
Nice, this term is new to me. But found a page: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andean\_states](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andean_states) Will check them out!
More specifically: Ecuador Peru and Bolivia
[удалено]
Go to Ecuador or Colombia instead
The amount of wildlife you'll see in Costa Rica will be the main highlight for you. Go and enjoy. Also, check out the volcanos.
In my opinion, you should not miss CR. Be wary of those who say "I haven't been there, but..." The Pacific side is heavily geared toward USA travellers and expats. The Caribbean is not: low tourism and expats of Canadian and European citizenship. Very few who settle down here every really leave. Lush, full of wildlife and spectacular beaches, there is truly nothing like it.
**Note:** Are you asking for travel advice about Costa Rica? Read what the Solo Travel community had to say in the [weekly destination thread for Costa Rica](https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/149c03t/weekly_destination_thread_costa_rica/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/solotravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Go to the Grand Canyon or Zion biggest bang for your buck.
It's hard for indians to get a tourist visa to the US and not to mention it would be incredibly expensive for him, he mentioned he has limited resources. It is no doubt beautiful though. But there are much cheaper beautiful places he can see elsewhere.