What does pura vida mean in Costa Rica?
Spend a few days in Costa Rica, and you'll hear two words everywhere: pura vida. Translated literally as "pure life," the phrase can be a greeting, a goodbye, a thank you, "cool," a response to "how are you?" or simply a way of saying everything is good.
At its core, it's a way of looking at life with gratitude and optimism, appreciating what you have and not getting too caught up in what you don't. It's present in everyday moments: surfers laughing off a wipeout, families enjoying a meal together, or strangers stopping to chat in the grocery store line.
To get to know pura vida is to get to know Costa Rica. Life here tends to put a little more emphasis on nature, community, time spent together and enjoying what's right in front of you.
How do Costa Ricans use pura vida?
If you want to try the phrase out, you almost can't go wrong:
If someone asks you how you're doing? Pura vida.
A stranger holds the door for you? Pura vida.
You're saying goodbye to your guide? Pura vida.
You're enjoying something? Pura vida.
Depending on the context, it can mean hello, goodbye, thank you, you're welcome, no problem, all good or cool. If it's positive, it's pura vida.
Where did the phrase pura vida come from?
Interestingly, the phrase didn't originate in Costa Rica. Its origins go back to the 1956 Mexican film ¡Pura Vida!, a film that starred Mexican comedian Antonio Espino, better known as Clavillazo, whose character used the expression and remained optimistic despite a run of bad luck. The phrase eventually caught on in Costa Rica and, over time, took on a life of its own.
Today, pura vida is so closely tied to Costa Rica that it has become shorthand for the country itself and the easygoing, optimistic outlook many Costa Ricans, or Ticos, are known for.
How to experience pura vida in Costa Rica
You don't have to understand every meaning of pura vida before you arrive. In many ways, the easiest way to understand it is to experience Costa Rica.
These five experiences offer a glimpse into what pura vida looks like in practice.
Learn to surf on Costa Rica's coast
Both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts are great for surf, but the Pacific coast is known worldwide, with beach towns like Nosara and Dominical that attract surfers from all over the globe.
Playa Guiones in Nosara is a great place to learn, with a long stretch of sandy beach, predictable, consistent surf and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Safari Surf School and Nosara Tico Surf School have both been teaching beginners at Guiones for decades, and lessons are timed around the tide, so learners get their best chance at standing up and staying up. You might not be graceful, but that's part of the fun—especially if you're with friends. Paddle out, fall down, try, try again. Pura vida.
Hike through Costa Rica's national parks & rainforests
With over a quarter of Costa Rica's land protected, hiking and wildlife spotting are some of the best reasons to visit.
Trails wind through volcanic landscapes, cloud forests, and lush lowland rainforest in places like Arenal, Monteverde, and Corcovado. Take your time and you'll start to notice the little things: a line of leafcutter ants marching across the path, the yelp-like trill of a toucan overhead, the unmistakable roar of a howler monkey, a flash of scarlet macaw wings, or—if you're lucky—a tapir ambling along the shore near Corcovado’s Sirena Ranger Station.
As with most things, if you rush through the jungle, chances are you'll miss the magic. Slow down, watch for minute movements, and you might lock eyes with something or someone unforgettable.
Eat a casado at a Costa Rican soda
Our favorite meals don't need fancy reservations in Costa Rica.
For a taste of the everyday, stop at a local soda—one of the small, casual restaurants you'll find in towns all over the country—and order a casado, a traditional plate that usually comes with rice, beans, plantains, salad, and either chicken, fish or beef. For a little refreshment, add a batido on the side. It's a fresh fruit drink, thrown in the blender with ice and water (or milk, if you prefer). Watermelon and passionfruit are always tasty choices. In La Fortuna, Soda Mima is a local favorite and a perfect lunch stop before an afternoon at the hot springs.
Relax in Costa Rica's volcanic hot springs
With the volcanic landscape, natural hot springs are abundant around Arenal, where you'll find everything from natural thermal rivers surrounded by forest to beautifully landscaped hot spring resorts with restaurants and showers and spa treatments. Tabacón is the lush, landscaped end of the range, Eco Termales is small, quiet, and limits daily guests, and the Río Chollín (El Choyín) is a free thermal river just outside town. Either way, leave your phone in your hotel room for a while, soak in the water, listen to the forest around you and just enjoy the steamy surroundings.
Experience a local Costa Rican celebration
Community is a big part of life in Costa Rica. Depending on where and when you visit, there are lots of opportunities to get involved: small-town fiestas, live music and dancing, or maybe one of the country's more unique cultural traditions. In the indigenous Boruca community, the annual Fiesta de los Diablitos features handmade masks, costumes, music and storytelling of centuries of Boruca history. The festival runs from December 30 to January 2 each year in the hills of southern Costa Rica, and it re-enacts the Boruca people's resistance against the Spanish, with the diablitos winning in the end. Join in and have some fun.
Take a piece of pura vida home with you
It's easy to get into the pura vida mentality on vacation, and even easier to lose it once you're home and back in the grind. But we—and the Ticos—hope you're able to carry it home into your everyday.
Come for the wildlife, the beaches, adventurous thrills or time to decompress. And maybe through osmosis, somewhere along the way, you'll take a breath, slow down, find yourself paying a little more attention and appreciating what's in front of you.
And then, if someone asks how your trip is going, you'll know what to say.
Pura vida.
