If you'd like a Muslim-friendly holiday in San Jose - Costa Rica, look no further! HalalTrip takes a look at what makes this top destination in Costa Rica so appealing and what it has to offer Muslim travelers. Read on for more information.
The capital of Costa Rica, San Jose is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and valleys. The city is home to several museums, cultural attractions and is basically the hub of the country. The city enjoys a spring like weather and is perfect to visit at any time of the day.
Of course you will need to be on the lookout for Halal food and prayer facilities. There is one mosque in San Jose - the Masjid Omar at Montelimar Guadalupe - that can be visited by Muslim travelers for prayers. There is also a Dawah centre at Dasamprados Casa, located not too far away. Finding Halal food in the city however can be difficult. It is best to ask the mosque (masjid) about the availability of Halal restaurants and food in the city to find out where you should head to. Otherwise you can opt for some vegetarian and seafood options - which are plenty available.
Image Credit: Andrey Sulitskiy on flickr
San Jose has some of the best museums of Central America. The most prominent museums in the city are the Gold Museum and the Jade Museum. Both these museums feature a collection of decorative relics. If you are interested in art, then the Costa Rican Art Museum is worth a visit; the museum also features an open-air sculpture garden. The Zoologico Simon Bolivar though not prominently visible, it has some wonderful animals.
The downtown area of the city is bustling with activity and has a number of historic architecture. You can walk around the area to see the historic buildings. There are several coffee farms around the city that can be explored. The La Paz Waterfall Gardens is about an hour from San Jose. It is a beautiful area to explore; there are several trails and five waterfalls in the area. When in San Jose, you can also visit the Poas and Irazu volcanoes.
The best things to buy in San Jose include local crafts and souvenirs. The Mercado Central and the open-air market at the Plaza de la Democracia are the best markets to shop for local items in San Jose. The El Pueblo Shopping Mall also has some good souvenir shops.
The best way to get around San Jose is travelling by taxis. They are conveniently available and are quite affordable. The bus service in the city is also quite reliable and comfortable.
Shaarky
I will say the fish is amazing and the local dishes are very tasty, mostly with rice.. Civeche and PINTO...
Shaarky
I have visited Costa Rica a number of times, the first thing I searched for was a Mosque, I found this mosque in San Jose, met some wonderful people in the mosque, mostly.travellers and local reverts. Finding Halal food was the most difficult thing, the imam in the mosque had actually advised the reverts that Chicken was OK to eat providing the chicken was purchased from a specific supplier (hmmm I thought this was strange) but its not my.place to make any comment. I am.married to a Costa rican revert hence the information I recieved. Also met a few local Arabs business's and they also advised the same. I was not prepared to do this unless I had 100% certainty being halal.