Do i need to exchange my dollars for colones before I go to Costa Rica, or do buses around Liberia take dollar

Wait til you get to the airport at Liberia. There's a very efficient money exchange process there. Most large banks will do it too. I remember driving in a rental car from Liberia to Flamingo once and I had the old map out finding the shortest route. Believe me, in Costa Rica, the shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line. Just because someone drew a line on the map doesn't make it a good road. We would up on a road affectionately called "the Monkey road". probably named for the monkey's who built it. It's not paved, crosses several rivers of unknown depth and if you have a problem with the vehicle, it's time to get out your prayer book and pocketbook. There were no lights at all and I navigated by the stars to complete the trip. A taxi is too costly and a bus might be your best bet.

No, you can do this in the airport. And most importanly, they WILL accept American dollars in both the San Jose and Liberia airports. If you find yourself in a taxi, just tell them you need to exchange your dollars for colones and they will help you do this. Make sure you're in a red public taxi, however, as many pirates or "piratas" are not licensed and can often be there to try to scam you. Have fun on your trip.

I never bother with exchanging money in Costa Rica. You can use dollars pretty much everywhere... I have never had a problem using dollars.... even way out in small towns... you will usually be given change in colones, which tends to be enough to use when you just have to use them.

everyone takes dollars...516colones/dollar