Packing list for Costa Rica

This packing list for Costa Rica features items that we found useful (and essential) on our trip to Costa Rica with kids. I have also included items that we WISH we had packed! 

My Costa Rica packing list includes suitable clothing and shoes plus accessories and gadgets to help your family have the best trip to Costa Rica. 

What to wear in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s dress code is informal and relaxed in line with the country’s famous ‘pura vida’ mantra.

The ideal Costa Rica clothing is loose fitting cotton clothes that protect you from the sun and from biting insects.  But when packing for Costa Rica, you will also need to pack clothes appropriate for the activities you will be doing and that suit the country’s changing weather.

Waterproof coat

This is one of the ‘must’ pack clothes for Costa Rica especially if you are visiting in the rainy or ‘green’ season from May to November.

Costa Rica is not cold so you do not need a padded coat but you do need as much waterproof protection as you can get. Choose a coat that is waterproof (not showerproof) with taped seams and an adjustable hood and cuffs.

This Berghaus waterproof coat is ideal for Costa Rica as it has all the features I’ve mentioned plus under arm vents for its humid tropical weather.

Or check out this Gore-Tex Marmot waterproof coat (I love the Marmot brand) with Paclite technology and ‘pitzips’ to help you vary airflow and internal temperature. I like the longer length in this coat which gives you a little extra protection if you do not have waterproof trousers.

Both of these brands sell waterproof coats for men and for children I recommend Mountain Warehouse’s coats.

Long trousers

Long Trousers (or long pants) are essential leg protection if you plan to do any hiking in Costa Rica particularly in the rainforest and jungle. 

Buy specialist outdoors trousers or 100% cotton trousers. Jersey leggings or joggers will not keep you cool and will take a long time to dry.

Biting insects are a problem in Costa Rica so I recommend trousers with insect repelling features or that are treated with permethrin.

We wore insect repelling Nosilife trousers from Craghoppers during our trip to Costa Rica which were brilliant at deterring insect bites.

Our trousers are lightweight and comfortable to wear and hike in (even our fussy children liked wearing them) and are easy to wash and quick drying. They have built in moisture and odour control, open and zipped pockets and I love the fact they also offer UPF 50 sun protection.

You can also buy Nosilife zip off convertible trousers to make the most of limited packing space.

Check out the Nosilife range of clothing here and readers in the United States can buy Nosilife clothing here. 

Hat

Costa Rica is only 10 degrees north of the Equator so a protective sun hat is essential.

Choose a hat with a rim and neck shade rather than a visor or a baseball cap.

In Costa Rica I wore a breathable Nosilife bucket sun hat for comfort and shade and the kids wore Nosilife Desert hats.

These are fantastic insect repelling hats with UPF 40 sun protection and an inner wicking headband. The kids loved the trendy baseball cap look whereas I loved the rollaway sun protection neck flap. Win win! 

Sunglasses

Due to Costa Rica’s strong, constant sun it is important to pack good quality, high UV and UPF protection sunglasses to your Costa Rica packing list. 

Choose wrap around, hardwearing glasses. We love the Baby Banz range from Australia for its 100% UVA / UVB protection and funky designs which persuades our kids to keep their glasses on!

Sarong

I never leave home without a sarong and in Costa Rica I used my sarong as a towel, skirt, shawl, curtain and sun shade!

The best sarongs are opaque, 100% cotton as they are hard wearing and quick to wash and dry. We bought our family sarongs here and readers in the U.S can find similar sarongs here. 

Sarongs are a budget friendly gift for mums who travel.

Cotton quick drying clothes

In addition to insect repelling clothing, the best clothes for Costa Rica are quick drying, loose fitting, breathable 100% cotton clothes which you can buy from any outdoors shop or most high street chains.  

See our full Costa Rica packing list at the end of this post.

Shoes for Costa Rica

Waterproof and closed toe sandals

Waterproof sandals, such as my Teva Tirra sandals, are an essential item on any packing list for Costa Rica, especially for kids. They will support and protect your feet, have good grip, are breathable, comfortable and can get wet. 

We wore our sandals every day in Costa Rica for sightseeing or for protecting our feet from rocks whilst swimming in the sea or in the hot river in Arenal.

For kids I recommend closed toe waterproof sandals such as the brilliant Keen sandals our kids wear. U.S readers can find Keen sandals here. 

In our log cabin Airbnb in Monteverde our kids kept asking to play outside in their flip flops or bare feet but I insisted they wear their closed toe sandals. Their nagging stopped the day we found a scorpion on our doorstep!  

Hiking boots or walking shoes

Supportive, good gripping, waterproof boots are essential if you want to hike in the jungle, rainforest or cloud forests of Costa Rica.

The forest paths are uneven, rocky, often muddy and littered with tree roots and trip hazards. Sandals, flip flops or trainers/sneakers won’t cut it.

Plus, there are over 130 species of snake in Costa Rica including venomous forest dwellers so protective footwear is a must pack item.

We all love Keen’s lightweight, breathable waterproof boots. Check out their range for all the family here. 

Costa Rica packing list – essential items

Sunscreen

Pack a high factor waterproof sunscreen especially for your children. 

If you plan to go swimming, rafting or snorkelling, choose a reef safe sunscreen such as Sun Bum’s highly rated vegan and reef friendly sun cream available in factors 15, 50 and 70. 

Make sure you test any new cream on a small patch of skin first. 

Insect repellent

A strong and effective insect repellent is an unfortunate necessity in Costa Rica.

There are nasty insect transmitted diseases in Costa Rica including Chagas, Zika, dengue fever and chikungunya virus. And, although the risk is low, there is malaria in Limon Province.

We used Deet based repellents which is a strong and effective insect repellent but always read the instructions carefully and do a patch test before using.

Water bottle

Costa Rica is hot! Cafes and shops are few and far between in rural areas so you may not have easy access to cold drinks. If you go hiking in the rainforest and cloud forest at Monteverde, there are NO facilities on the trails. 

We always travel with a reusable, insulated water bottle that keep our drinks cold (and hot) for up to 12 hours. Proworks are our preferred brand and you can find their colourful range here.  

Buy a different colour bottle for each family member so you can quickly and easily distinguish each others drinks. They are a great gift idea for kids who travel. 

First Aid kit

Unfortunately, we have used our First Aid kit several times on our family travels, particularly on our family gap year.

We were glad of our comprehensive First Aid Kit in Costa Rica when our son fell and cut his head and we were a one hour drive from the nearest clinic.

Make sure your kit includes basics such as plasters, painkillers and anti septic wipes as well as more ‘serious items’ such as steri-strips, butterfly plasters, gauze and a bandage.

Add a First Aid kit to your Costa Rica packing and check out this comprehensive 215 piece kit which is surprisingly light and compact for the kit it carries. 

We treated our son with antiseptic wipes, a gauze and bandage and raced to the nearest clinic where he had seven stitches to the back of his head. We received excellent care in fantastic facilities from professional, caring staff.

But it remains one of my worst ever travel moments. 

Binoculars

Costa Rica is a living breathing nature notebook but to get the most out of your trip, you need to add a pair of binoculars to your Costa Rica packing list. We were glad we had ours in our bag when we spotted the rare Resplendent Quetzal in a distant tree in Monteverde.

Choose binoculars with high optics, low weight, easy grip and easy to adjust lens so that all the family can use them. Our son was stuck to our binoculars throughout Costa Rica! 

Check out these Occer binoculars with low light vision, 12 x magnification, a 25 mm lens and wide 7.5 degree angle. They are waterproof and weigh just 0.65 lbs so are ideal for young hands.

Flora and fauna identification book

This is one item I did not pack but wished I had (or at least downloaded)!

We saw so many new, wonderful, vibrant flowers, plants and birds but we did not know what they were.

If we return to Costa Rica, field guides to plants and animals of Costa Rica will be in our bags or on our kindle. 

Spanish phrasebook

Many Costa Ricans speak excellent English but their faces would light up at our poor attempts to speak Spanish. A few words or simple phrases can break down barriers so one of the best things to pack for Costa Rica is a Spanish phrasebook. 

Eco friendly products

Costa Rica is justifiably proud of its green credentials so pack sustainable, eco friendly products to support the country’s determined effort to be a clean, greener nation.

Pack solid shampoo and conditioner bars, plastic free deodorants and reef safe sunscreen and repellent. In the U.K we buy Grumm or Lush products.

And don’t forget a plastic free reusable grocery bag.

Bag raincover

This is another item I wish I had added to our packing list for Costa Rica. It rains a lot in Costa Rica (and it rains hard!) and it is never pleasant when your bag and its belongings are as wet as you are. 

So pack a lightweight backpack rain cover or buy a backpack with its own fold away rain cover already in it! 

Complete packing list for Costa Rica

• underwear
• nightwear
• swimwear
• rash top or UV swim top
• sun hat
• sunglasses
• t shirts and tops
• thin fleece
• waterproof coat
• long trousers
• shorts
• skirt or dress
• socks
• Teva sandals or close toe Keen sandals
• flip flops
• Keen hiking boots or walking shoes
• quick drying microfibre towel
• sarong
• toiletries
• camera
• plug adaptor
• mobile phone/iPad and chargers
• binoculars
• water bottle
• First Aid kit
• sunscreen
• insect repellent
• Spanish phrasebook
• Bird and plant identifier
• passport
• tickets
• insurance
• confirmation paperwork
• money
• credit cards
• money wallet/belt/hidden pocket infinity scarf