Money exchange
The Colón is the currency of Costa Rica. The common cash notes are 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10000 Colones. 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100 and 500 Colon coins are also in use. The conversion from US $ to Colones is presently 507 Colones for a dollar. In many places, the US dollar, credit cards, as well as traveler`s cheques in US dollars are also accepted. Cash transactions in the banks outside of San José are often connected with long waiting times. In particular, on Mondays and at the end of the month, one should avoid going to banks. At most automatic teller machines, cash is to be gotten als with credit cards and a secret number. Traveler's cheques are accepted for small purchases in many supermarkets for small fees. During cheque payment, you should be aware that he passport must be shown. For journeys to remote places (e.g. Tortuguero), sufficient cash should be carried since often no conversion possibility exists.