Practical Resources — Emergency, Medical & Transport

Emergency & Authorities

Service	Number	When to use it
All emergencies	911	Police, fire, ambulance, traffic accidents. The default. Free.
Fuerza Pública (national police)	117	Direct police line, bypasses general dispatch.
Bomberos (fire & rescue)	118	Fire and urgent rescue.
Cruz Roja (Red Cross ambulance)	128	Direct ambulance dispatch.
OIJ (criminal investigation)	800-8000-645	Reporting a crime that has already happened — theft, assault, fraud. This is where you file a denuncia, which insurers require. Not for emergencies in progress.
Tourist Police (Policía Turística)	2286-1473	Over 300 agents, more than half English-speaking, focused on visitor areas including San José, Tamarindo and Puerto Viejo. Also reachable via 911.
Poison control	2223-1028	National Poison Control Centre.
Traffic accidents — INS	800-800-8000	The national insurer; call for any accident involving a vehicle.
Coast Guard (Guardacostas)	2255-4242	Maritime incidents.
Policía de Tránsito (non-emergency)	2222-9330	Traffic police administrative enquiries.

Two things worth knowing. First, 911 and the OIJ do different jobs: 911 is for something happening now; the OIJ handles formal reports of crimes already committed. If your bag is stolen, you call 911 only if the thief is still there — otherwise you file a denuncia with the OIJ, and you need that written report for any insurance claim. Insist on a written report. Second, useful apps: APP-911 (the official emergency system app, integrates with Google Maps), OIJ CR Safe (finds your nearest OIJ office), and Waze, which is more reliable than standard GPS here and flags landslides and flooding in rainy season.

Medical Care & Hospitals

Costa Rica has two parallel systems: the public CCSS ("la Caja") and private hospitals. Both treat emergencies. Most visitors use private facilities for anything non-critical.

Facility	Contact	Notes
Hospital CIMA Escazú, San José	2208-1000	Affiliated with Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas). 24-hour emergency department with trauma room. The primary hospital used by embassy personnel. Autopista Próspero Fernández, San Rafael de Escazú.
Hospital Clínica Bíblica San José & Santa Ana	2522-1000 / 2257-5252	Founded 1929, non-profit private hospital. Strong surgical, paediatric and maternity reputation. Avenida 14, Calles Central y Primera, San José.
Hospital Metropolitano Multiple locations	via 911 or website	Private network with 24-hour emergency rooms and bilingual staff.
CCSS public hospitals	ccss.sa.cr	Public system. Emergency treatment available to visitors at low or no cost. Expect queues; life-threatening cases are prioritised. Use the site to find your nearest facility.
Private ambulance (Emergencias Médicas)	2290-4444	Private ambulance service, typically faster than public but chargeable.
Cruz Roja — national	2528-0000	National central office (use 128 for ambulance dispatch).

Insurance is the thing that catches people out. Private hospitals generally require proof of insurance or payment up front before treatment begins — carry your policy card or a digital copy at all times. US domestic health insurance is frequently not valid here. Most importantly: the US State Department notes that a medical evacuation flight can cost around US$50,000 and usually requires full payment in advance. Costa Rica's terrain means airlifts are genuinely necessary for remote injuries. Travel insurance that explicitly covers emergency medical evacuation is not an optional extra on this trip.

Pharmacies (Farmacias)

Pharmacies are far more useful in Costa Rica than in most countries — pharmacists diagnose minor complaints, and many medicines requiring a prescription elsewhere are available over the counter.

Chain / type	Notes
Farmacia Fischel	The largest national chain, found in most towns and shopping centres. Reliable stock and generally some English spoken in tourist areas.
Farmacia La Bomba	Widespread, typically cheaper than Fischel.
Farmacia Sucre	Large national chain, often attached to medical clinics.
Hospital pharmacies	CIMA and Clínica Bíblica both have on-site pharmacies, useful outside normal hours.
Local independents	Every town of any size has one. In small beach and mountain towns this may be your only option — and the pharmacist is often the de facto first line of medical advice.

Practical notes. Pharmacists in Costa Rica can advise on and dispense a wide range of medications directly, including many antibiotics — a genuine convenience, but treat it as a reason to be careful rather than casual, especially with antibiotics. Bring an adequate supply of any prescription medication you rely on, in its original labelled packaging, along with a copy of the prescription; specific brands are not always available. Opening hours outside San José can be short, and in small towns pharmacies may close entirely on Sundays.

Embassies & Consulates

Almost all are in San José. Contact your embassy for a lost or stolen passport, arrest, serious medical situation or death of a travelling companion. Register before you travel — the US runs STEP, Canada runs Registration of Canadians Abroad.

Country	Phone	Details
United States	2519-2000 After hours: 2220-3127	Calle 98, Vía 104, Pavas, San José. Mon–Fri 8:00–16:30. Email acssanjose@state.gov. From the US: 011-506-2519-2000.
Canada	2242-4400	San José. Consular services for Canadian citizens.
United Kingdom	2258-2025	Edificio Centro Colón, San José.
Australia	4033-7300	Consular representation in San José.
Germany	2290-9091	Torre Sabana, 8th floor, Sabana Norte, San José.
Switzerland	2221-4829	Edificio Centro Colón, 10th floor, San José.
Netherlands	2296-1490	Oficentro Sabana Sur, Edificio 3, San José.
Other nationalities	—	Most European and Latin American countries maintain an embassy or honorary consulate in San José. Search "[your country] embassy Costa Rica" on your own government's official foreign ministry site rather than a third-party directory.

Lost or stolen passport: file a police report first — an OIJ office gives you the detailed report you'll need — then contact your embassy. Replacement takes days, so expect to change travel plans. Keep a photo of your passport and entry stamp on your phone and in cloud storage, stored separately from the document itself. Embassy contact details change more often than most information on this page; confirm on your government's official site before relying on a number here.

Renting a Car

The single most common complaint from visitors to Costa Rica. Third-party liability insurance (SLI or TPL) is mandatory by Costa Rican law, and it is almost never included in the price quoted by international aggregator sites. Travellers routinely book what looks like a $12/day rental, arrive at the counter, and find the total has jumped by several hundred dollars — with a queue of equally surprised people ahead of them.

Your credit card coverage does not replace it. Credit-card rental insurance is a collision waiver; it does not satisfy the mandatory third-party liability requirement, and agencies will not release a car without one. Expect also a refundable deposit of around $1,000 held on your card — this is normal here, not a scam.

How to avoid it: book with a company that displays the mandatory insurance in the quoted total, or book direct with a Costa Rica–based agency that itemises everything before you pay. If a price looks dramatically lower than everyone else's, that is why.

Company	Type	Notes
Adobe Rent a Car	Costa Rican	Widely recommended by long-term residents; prices generally include required liability insurance with terms stated up front.
Vamos Rent-A-Car	Costa Rican	Transparent all-in pricing, offices at both SJO and Liberia airports.
Solid Car Rental	Costa Rican	Local operator with a reputation for clear pricing.
Alamo, Budget, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, National, Thrifty, Dollar, Europcar, Sixt	International	All operate in Costa Rica with airport desks. Check carefully whether the quoted rate includes mandatory SLI/TPL — frequently it does not.

Before you drive off: do a slow, filmed walk-around of the vehicle and photograph every existing scratch, the wheels, the windscreen and the fuel gauge. Budget roughly $10–20/day low season and $50–100/day December–April for the base rate, plus $15–60/day insurance. Fuel runs around ₡730–750 per litre (roughly $1.60–1.65). A 4×4 is genuinely necessary for many places covered on this site — Monteverde, Río Celeste in rainy season, much of the Osa and Nicoya. Roads have unmarked speed bumps, sudden potholes, poor signage and single-lane bridges. Never leave anything visible in a parked car.

Public Transport & Getting Around

Summary below — see our full transport guide for domestic airline routes, bus terminals, ferry schedules and shuttle operators.

Option	Cost	Notes
Public buses	Very cheap	Extensive network reaching most of the country. San José–La Fortuna runs around ₡2,850 (~US$5). The trade-off is time: frequent stops mean a four-hour shuttle route can take six hours, and buses get crowded with standing passengers. Excellent value if you're not in a hurry.
Tourist shuttles	~$54–67 per person	Door-to-door between major destinations, air-conditioned, far faster than the bus. The standard choice for travellers without a car. Operators include Interbus and Gray Line.
Official airport taxis	Metered / fixed	SJO: 2221-6865. Liberia (LIR): 2668-3009. Official taxis are orange at the airport, red with a yellow triangle elsewhere. Agree the fare or insist on the maría (meter) before setting off.
Uber	Usually cheapest in cities	Widely used in San José and larger tourist towns and generally reliable. Its legal status in Costa Rica has long been contested and enforcement varies — it operates, but it is not formally regulated the way taxis are.
Domestic flights	Varies	Sansa connects San José with most tourist regions. Worth it for the Osa, Tortuguero and Barra del Colorado, where road access is slow or nonexistent.
Ferries	Cheap	Puntarenas–Paquera is the main crossing for the southern Nicoya Peninsula (Montezuma, Santa Teresa). Water taxis also link Jacó and Montezuma.
Boat-only destinations	Package or charter	Tortuguero and Barra del Colorado have no road access — arrive by boat or small plane, usually as part of a lodge package.

Airports

Airport	Phone	Serves
SJO — Juan Santamaría, Alajuela	2437-2626	Main international gateway, near San José. Best for the Central Valley, Caribbean, Arenal and Central Pacific.
LIR — Daniel Oduber, Liberia	2668-1010	Second international airport. Much closer for Guanacaste beaches — a genuine time-saver if your trip is northern-Pacific-focused.
SYQ — Tobías Bolaños, Pavas	2232-2820	Domestic and charter flights.

A short pre-trip checklist. Save 911 and your embassy number in your phone. Photograph your passport, entry stamp, insurance policy and driving licence, and store copies in the cloud. Confirm your travel insurance covers emergency medical evacuation. Download Waze and APP-911 before you arrive. Bring prescription medication in labelled original packaging with a copy of the prescription. Book rental cars where the mandatory insurance is shown in the total. And take a screenshot of this page — mobile coverage is patchy in exactly the places where you're most likely to need it.