Tipping in Costa Rica

The Costa Rica economy has seen very positive growth due to the tourism.  Tipping in almost always expected when dealing with tourist related activities. Minimum wage in Costa Rica is still only $2/hour and you have to remember tourism here has a high and low season meaning there is only work 7 months out of the year. Tipping might not be expected in restaurants as 10% is included and another 13% sales tax is included. If you are more than a 10% tipper at restaurants then feel free to leave another 10% of your bill.

Tipping drivers, guides, and house-keeeping staff is always expected in Costa Rica. Many tours operate on different standards as some drivers you might have for just one day or one guide for the duration of a zipline tour or a whitewater rafting adventure. In the case with CRR we operate privately from start to finish and although we contract out on occasions for different events you will always have the same driver and guide. You can see our chart below for the expected tipping associated with our tours and other day tours that you might be taking part in. Tipping should always be done on how satisfied you feel about your tour. If your service was horrible (for one you did not book with us) then you do not need to tip but if you were very satisfied with your service then the higher end of the tipping is always welcome:

Week Long Tour Tipping

Driver - $5 - $15/Day

Naturalist Guide - $10 - $20/Day

River Guide - $2 - $8

Zipline Guide - $2 - $8