Is Puntarenas safe? Costa Rica travel risk
Is Puntarenas safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Puntarenas scores 51/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Costa Rica Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 2 Apr 2026); the UK has no advice against travel; Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. CDC travel health notice: Level 2, Chikungunya in Costa Rica (30 Jul 2026). No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Puntarenas scores 51/100 (Elevated). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Costa Rica (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Puntarenas: nearest emergency and transport facilities, local climate normals, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km, frequently asked questions.
Driven by: crime and scams (71/100) and natural hazards (71/100).
A score of 51 is higher than the scores of 69% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Costa Rica travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Location & Spatial Data
Situated in Puntarenas at 9.9667° N, 84.8333° W (elevation 1 m), Puntarenas lies 82.6 km E of San José. Time zone: America/Costa_Rica.
Puntarenas
9.9667° N, 84.8333° W
1 m
America/Costa_Rica
41,528
Transit Links & Medical Facilities
Proximate Regional Communities (Costa Rica)
Climate by Month
Hottest: March (32 °C avg high); Wettest: October (484 mm).
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 30° | 31° | 32° | 32° | 29° | 28° | 28° | 28° | 28° | 27° | 28° | 29° |
| Low °C | 23° | 23° | 24° | 24° | 24° | 24° | 24° | 24° | 24° | 23° | 23° | 23° |
| Rain mm | 11 | 10 | 23 | 70 | 333 | 450 | 366 | 402 | 479 | 484 | 197 | 30 |
Normals: Puntarenas (0 km away).
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Volcanoes | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Puntarenas happened in June (4 of 16 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
3 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M5.9 on 22 Oct 2025 (103 km away) — USGS details
CDC Traveler Health Notices for Costa Rica
- Level 1 - Hepatitis A in Costa Rica (Level 1, 18 Sep 2026)
- Level 2 - Chikungunya in Costa Rica (Level 2, 30 Jul 2026)
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Public Domain).
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Costa Rica travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Costa Rica entry requirements.
Surrounding Places with Full Dossiers
Questions travellers ask about Puntarenas
Is Puntarenas Costa Rica safe?
Puntarenas currently scores 51/100 on our composite travel risk index (elevated risk; lower is safer). It already includes the current US State Department advisory for Costa Rica (Level 2 of 4). Official advice can change quickly, so check it again shortly before you travel.
Sources: Travel Risk Calculator — Puntarenas · Methodology
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