Is Upala safe? Costa Rica travel risk
Is Upala safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Upala scores 50/100 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.
Upala scores 50/100 (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 Upala: nearest emergency and transport facilities, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: crime and scams (71/100) and natural hazards (66/100).
A score of 50 is higher than the scores of 67% 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
Coordinates 10.8645° N, 84.9942° W place Upala within Alajuela at an elevation of 46 meters. Heading to San José: 144.0 km SE.
Alajuela
10.8645° N, 84.9942° W
46 m
America/Costa_Rica
16,139
Transit Links & Medical Facilities
Proximate Regional Communities (Costa Rica)
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 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Wildfires | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Upala happened in June (3 of 6 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
2 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.2 on 12 Oct 2024 (133 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.
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