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Open the Explore tab to see the full list of curated places. You can filter by category (beaches, waterfalls, volcanoes, towns, etc.) or search by name. Tap any place to see its description, photos, location on the map, and nearby hostels.

Open any curated place and scroll to the Nearby Hostels section. The App shows budget accommodations discovered within a few kilometers of that place. Tap any hostel to see its details and open it in Maps.

1. Open any place or hostel
2. Tap the heart icon to add it to your Favorites
3. Go to the Profile tab to see all your saved spots
4. From Profile → My Trip Plan, arrange your favorites into a custom itinerary

Everything is stored locally on your iPhone — no account or internet connection required to view your saved items.

Once you have opened the App with an internet connection, the list of places and hostels is cached automatically. To also cache photos for offline viewing:

1. Go to Profile → Download photos for offline use
2. Wait for the download to complete (size varies by number of places)

After that, the App works fully without a network connection. Great for remote areas with no signal.

To free up space, go to Profile → Clear photo cache. The App will re-download photos on next launch when you're online.

1. Go to Profile → Nearby alerts and toggle it on
2. Grant "Always" location permission when prompted (required for background alerts)
3. Grant notification permission when prompted

Once enabled, the App will notify you when you are within approximately 5 km of a curated place — even with the App closed. Each place can alert you a maximum of 2 times, with at least 24 hours between alerts.

To disable alerts: Profile → Nearby alerts → toggle off. Or go to iOS Settings → Costa Rica Backpackers → Location and change to "While Using the App" or "Never."

Open any place or hostel and tap Open in Apple Maps or Open in Google Maps. The app passes the coordinates to your chosen maps app and opens it directly with the destination pre-filled.

Go to Profile → Language and choose between English, Español, or Português (Brasil). The change applies immediately. If you prefer, the App also follows your iOS system language automatically on first launch.

Yes. After the first sync, the list of curated places and hostels is stored on your device. You can browse, search, view favorites, and read descriptions without an internet connection. Photos require a separate download step (Profile → Download photos for offline use). Maps directions require your chosen maps app to have offline maps loaded.

No. Costa Rica Backpackers works completely without registration. No email, no password, no sign-in. Open the App and start exploring.

Never. Your location is used only on your device — to show your distance from nearby places and to trigger local geofence alerts. It is never transmitted to our servers, to analytics providers, or to any third party. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Go to Profile → Nearby alerts and toggle it off. Alternatively, open iOS Settings → Costa Rica Backpackers → Location and change the permission to "While Using the App" or "Never." The App will stop registering geofences immediately.

No. Costa Rica Backpackers is free — no In-App Purchases, no subscription, no ads, no paywall, forever.

Places change — hostels close, roads flood, trails get rerouted. If you spot something wrong, please email christian@irack.mx with the name of the place and what seems incorrect. We will verify and update it. For critical travel decisions (road conditions, volcanic activity, weather), always check official local sources before departing.

Any iPhone running iOS 17 or later. The App is iPhone-only; iPad is not supported at this time.

Email christian@irack.mx and include:

• iPhone model and iOS version
• App version (Profile → About)
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• A screenshot or screen recording, if the issue is visible

Yes — we review every suggestion. Email christian@irack.mx with the name, location, and why you think it should be in the App. Hidden gems especially welcome.

No. Your favorites, trip plan, alert history, and language preference are stored exclusively on your iPhone. The only data the App sends to the internet is an anonymous language parameter (?lang=en) when fetching the list of places. No personal information is transmitted. See our Privacy Policy.