Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

Packing for Costa Rica

If your Costa Rica vacation is just around the corner, you’ve likely shifted your focus from what you’re going to do in Costa Rica to what you’re going to need for the experiences. Alas, the journey of packing for Costa Rica begins. Bring on the contemplation about what to pack for Costa Rica, the over-analyzing of choices, and the packing and re-packing efforts. Or, if you’re the intelligent, defiant, short-on-time type, simply familiarize yourself with our carefully curated list below of recommended items to take to Costa Rica, and save yourself a boatload of work, time, and stress. 😉

Note: To prioritize your privacy, we choose not to display ads, sponsored content, or affiliate marketing anywhere on our blog. Although other blogs may provide packing lists that contain affiliate links, fortunately, you won’t find those below. Instead, our packing list reflects our genuine recommendations for what to pack for Costa Rica, void of the outside influence of financial gain that ad and affiliate program kickbacks provide. 👍🏽

What to pack for Costa Rica: Essential items

Our list of must-have items if you’re wondering what to pack for Costa Rica.

Luggage

This may go without saying in today’s travel age, but before you decide on a piece of luggage to take to Costa Rica, review your airline’s baggage size policies. Ensure your piece doesn’t exceed the maximum size that qualifies as non-cargo, non-oversize baggage, to avoid paying exorbitant baggage fees.

• One large piece of luggage that can carry all of your Costa Rica trip items.
  Unless you intend to spend more than two weeks in Costa Rica, you should be able to get by with using only one piece of luggage, plus a carry-on item such as a purse. If possible, choose a large backpack instead of a suitcase. The greatest investments in travel gear that we ever made were our 75-liter backpacking packs (pictured above) that have steel frames, supportive hip belts, and adjustable straps. We can each carry, comfortably, about 50 pounds of weight with these packs, which are much easier to travel with than bulky, boxy suitcases. Especially when you need to travel over gravel or stone walkways, or up or down sets of stairs (to reach hotel rooms, for example), a large backpack is much easier to tow around Costa Rica than a suitcase.
• A day pack or a small backpack.
  Use a day pack or a small backpack to carry small items around Costa Rica, like your wallet, phone, hotel or car keys, money, flip flops, snacks, and reusable water bottle, plus a small towel and set of dry clothes if you’re headed to a beach or a water activity. Small backpacks can also be used to hide valuable items that you wish to you carry with you during the day, such as cameras and/or souvenir purchases.

Clothing / Apparel

For all of the clothing items listed below, quick-dry or dry-fit (i.e., fast-drying) apparel is ideal. In addition, clothes that condense well by folding or rolling help save luggage space. They’re also great for stowing in small backpacks or day packs that you may choose to carry on guided or self-guided tours.

• Pack tank tops, t-shirts, shorts, and/or sundresses. For quantity information, see below.
  We chuckle when we see other blogs recommend quantities of apparel to bring to Costa Rica; how could they possibly know how many items of clothing you want or need? The reality is, some of us live in the same piece of clothing for a few days and others perform as many daily costume changes as Taylor Swift on tour. So, here’s the information we think you’ll find far more helpful:
  • Costa Rica is hot. Unless you’re destined for cool high-altitude destinations only, the chances are good that you’ll feel the heat during your trip, and you’ll sweat through your clothes at a faster rate than you do at home. So, for however many days you plan to be in Costa Rica, think about the quantity of apparel you’d go through at home over the same period, and pack no less than that for Costa Rica.
  • Factor one outfit for every activity you intend to experience in Costa Rica, regardless of whether those activities are experienced on the same day. The general “one outfit a day” rule doesn’t apply to Costa Rica. If you plan to go rafting on one day, horseback riding the next morning, and zip-lining that afternoon, for example, pack at least three outfits for the two days. You’ll likely dirty or sweat through the outfit you wear while horseback riding in the morning, and you’ll appreciate having a fresh outfit to wear a few hours later while zip-lining. No one enjoys wearing stinky, soiled clothing for longer than necessary.
  • Factor additional outfits for evening activities on however many evenings you intend to spend outside of your hotel room. If you wish to spend a night (or every night) out on the town, dining at a restaurant or checking out a bar, you won’t want to wear the clothes you sweat through during the day for that experience, so you’ll need a fresh set of clothes to wear in the evening. Of course, on low-key evenings spent lounging around your hotel room, pajamas will suffice.
  • Obviously, if you intend to access laundromats (or use your hotel’s laundry service, assuming they offer it) during your trip, you don’t need to pack as many clothes for Costa Rica as suggested above. But here’s the thing: people always say they’re going to use laundromats when they get to Costa Rica, but they rarely do once they arrive because they don’t have time for them. Most travelers want clean clothes the instant they want or need them, and they prefer not to wait for a laundry service to provide them, so at the risk of packing a fuller suitcase, bring extra clothes with you to Costa Rica so they’re always on hand, and skip the task of acquiring and waiting for laundry service altogether.
• Pack at least one pair of lightweight pants, even if you don’t think you’ll ever wear them.
  Some tours and activities in Costa Rica require, if not strongly recommend, that participants wear pants, not shorts. Policies vary by tour operator, but I’ve seen the suggestions get enforced by hanging bridge parks, zip-line tour operators, canyoning tour operators, horseback riding tour operators, and night tour operators. You didn’t travel all the way to Costa Rica to not be able to experience it, so pack a pair of pants in the event that your chosen activities require you to use them.
• Pack at least one long-sleeve shirt, sweater, or sweatshirt, plus a pair of warm pants and socks, for any chilly days/evenings, regardless of where in Costa Rica you travel.
  Although Costa Rica is hot, it can get cool and windy at times, so it’s best to have some warm clothing on hand in case you feel cold.
• Pack additional long-sleeve shirts, sweaters, or sweatshirts, plus pants and socks, if you’re headed to destinations or attractions that sit at high elevations where the temperature is more consistently cool, and in some cases, can be downright cold. These destinations include but are not limited to:
  • San Jose and other destinations/attractions around the Central Valley, including on the Central Highlands
  • the Poas Volcano, the Irazu Volcano, and other destinations/attractions around the volcanoes
  • Monteverde and its surrounding area
  • San Gerardo de Dota and other destinations/attractions around Cerro de la Muerte
  • San Gerardo de Rivas, Cerro Chirripo, and other destinations/attractions around Cerro Chirripo
• Pack two bathing suits, plus any beach-related attire that you wish to use, such as a cover-up, if you plan to swim, sunbathe, and/or participate in water activities.
  The primary purpose of bringing two bathing suits to Costa Rica is to have a back-up suit on hand in case you lose or tear your favorite suit. Yes, bathing suits are available for purchase in Costa Rica, but that’s not to say that a suit that you like, that’s in your size, and that has a price you’re willing to pay will be available at the moment you need it. In addition, having two bathing suits in Costa Rica awards you the luxury of cycling suits throughout your trip, so when one is uncomfortably wet, ideally the other will be pleasingly dry.
• Pack a water-resistant jacket or poncho, even if your trip to Costa Rica coincides with the dry/high/summer season.
  You can bring an umbrella to Costa Rica, if you wish to have one to use at your hotel, when getting into/out of vehicles, or while walking around town centers during rainy periods, but don’t just rely on an umbrella to protect you from the rain in Costa Rica. A waterproof jacket or poncho is needed, especially when rain hits in the middle of a guided or self-guided tour. Umbrellas can’t be used while participating in most adventure activities, such as zip-lining and canyoning tours, and they shouldn’t be used when touring natural areas, such as national parks or reserves, because they can damage the local flora. So, using a waterproof jacket or poncho in these (and other) cases is your best bet. Keep in mind that although it rains less during Costa Rica’s dry/high/summer season, rain can present itself at any time in Costa Rica, so you should have a waterproof jacket or poncho on hand regardless of the time of year you visit.
• Pack comfortable underwear, bras, socks, and pajamas.
  Ladies, depending on the activities you intend to experience in Costa Rica, you may want to invest in a good sports bra. Oh, and our advice above about packing more clothes for Costa Rica than you’d normally wear at home because you’ll dirty and sweat through them at a faster rate here, it also applies to underwear. For every outfit you pack for Costa Rica, pack a pair of clean underwear, and then throw in a few extra pairs for good measure.
• Pack a hat and a pair of sunglasses.
  A hat helps protect the top of your head and your face, including your eyes, from the sun. Sunglasses can also protect your eyes from the sun, but even if you don’t intend to spend a lot of time in sunny areas, if you intend to rent a car and drive yourself around Costa Rica, you’ll appreciate that sunglasses reduce glare, increasing visibility and your ability to be a safe driver.

Footwear

The type and number of pairs of footwear that you should bring to Costa Rica depends entirely on what you plan to do while here. (The more active you are, the more pairs of shoes you’ll need, and the more important it is to use a particular type of shoe.) Understanding that footwear can be bulky and heavy, and that limiting the amount you bring with you is wise, take the following recommendations into consideration:

• Pack one pair of high-quality, fully closed hiking or running shoes that are already broken in and have decent treads on the soles.
  If you plan to be active in Costa Rica, and especially if you intend to hike in Costa Rica, pay close attention to our footwear advice when deciding what to pack. It doesn’t matter if the shoes are brand-name, what matters the most is the following:
  • Ensure the shoes don’t have any slits or holes in them (like Keen-brand footwear often has), other than the opening where your foot goes, of course. Some tours and activities in Costa Rica require, if not strongly recommend, that participants use fully closed shoes. Policies vary by tour operator, but we’ve seen the suggestions get enforced by hanging bridge parks, zip-line tour operators, adventure parks, and night tour operators. Some policies also indicate that sandals, even the securable strap-on type, cannot be used during adventure tours, so it’s best to stick to fully closed hiking or running shoes.
  • Give yourself time, before you travel to Costa Rica, to break in the shoes. Doing so ensures that you’ll be comfortable when you wear the shoes in Costa Rica and that you won’t have to deal with annoying and painful heel and toe blisters.
  • Check to make sure the treads on the shoes aren’t worn. At any time of year, but especially during the wet/green/low/rain season, nature trails and other paths can be strewn with rocks, tree branches, slippery leaves, and mud. Good treads lower the risk of slips and falls, which can quickly put an end to a lovely vacation.
• Pack a second pair of high-quality, fully closed hiking or running shoes (that are already broken in and have decent treads on the soles) if you plan to be active every day of your trip.
  If you intend to participate in guided or self-guided tours every day, bring a second pair of hiking or running shoes to Costa Rica so you can cycle shoes throughout your trip. This way, if a particular pair of shoes gets wet during an activity, or gets dirty and needs to be washed, it can be drying at your hotel while you use your back-up pair of shoes. The second set of reliable hiking or running shoes can also serve as a back-up pair in the event that you lose or break your primary pair of shoes.
• Pack a pair of water shoes, under one of two conditions.
  There are several activities during which your feet might get wet (white-water rafting tours, canyoning tours, and some hiking tours immediately come to mind), but even in these cases, the use of water shoes isn’t typically required. Most tour operators will accept your use of hiking shoes or running shoes, which you’ve already packed. Here’s when you might want to have a pair of water shoes, though:
  • If you want to keep your hiking shoes/running shoes dry at all times, you can carry a set of water shoes with you and change into them whenever water presents itself.
  • If you enjoy wearing shoes while swimming (in the ocean, in rivers, at waterfalls, in hot springs, or at hotel pools, for example) and you don’t want to use your hiking shoes/running shoes for that. Especially if you’re traveling with children and you want to best protect their feet while swimming, go ahead and pack a pair of water shoes for them. Their small shoes shouldn’t take up much room in your luggage anyway!
• Pack a pair of comfortable walking shoes that aren’t hiking shoes, running shoes, or flip flops.
  Hiking shoes and running shoes, while important to use at certain times during your trip, aren’t the most comfortable footwear recommendation for light travel. And flip flops, while generally comfortable, can quickly grow uncomfortable after several hours of use. A pair of lightweight running shoes, slip-on shoes (i.e., ballet flats), boat shoes, or strap-on sandals is recommended for participation in non-adventure activities in Costa Rica, like the exploration of town centers, museums, and souvenir shops.
• Pack a pair of flip flops if you’re destined for a beach.
  Flip flops are good for using at beaches (they’ll save your feet from the heat of the hot sand) and they’re suitable for slow, brief strolls around beach towns.

Accessories and toiletries

• Pack waterproof sunscreen, ideally a reef-friendly variety if you intend to wear it while swimming or participating in water activities.
  Regular (non-reef-friendly) sunscreen can be purchased at grocery stores in Costa Rica, but you’ll pay more for it there than at home, so it’s best to pack some for your trip. Reef-friendly sunscreen, which is hard to come by in Costa Rica and should definitely be purchased before you travel, is sunscreen that uses the mineral UV-blocking zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as its active ingredients. (It should also identify as being “micro-sized” or “non-nano”.) Here’s a list of harmful chemicals to look out for and avoid when selecting a reef-friendly sunscreen, courtesy of Save The Reef: oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, homosalate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, PABA, parabens, triclosan, microplastics (exfoliating beads), and any nanoparticles or “nano-sized” zinc or titanium.
• Pack insect repellent.
  Like sunscreen, insect repellent can be purchased at grocery stores in Costa Rica, but at inflated costs. Eco-friendly insect repellents exist but are rare finds in Costa Rica, so bring a bottle from home if you wish to use it. Some people swear by certain essential oils and their ability to repel bugs naturally. If this natural option appeals to you, purchase an essential-oil-based repellent at home and pack it for your trip.
• Pack daily hygiene products, including deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.
  Most accommodations in Costa Rica, standard quality and above, provide overnight guests with soap, shampoo, and conditioner, so it isn’t necessary to pack these items. But if there are particular products that you prefer to use, or you tend to use more product than the amount that hotels typically provide, bring your own toiletries to Costa Rica. Be sure to pack toiletry bottles in bags or other waterproof carriers so if they happen to leak or crack during travel they won’t make a mess of your luggage and its contents.
• Pack these other toiletries, if applicable, including make-up, a hair brush, hair ties/bobby pins, shaving supplies, contraceptives, and feminine hygiene products.
  In case of an emergency, feminine hygiene products can be purchased in Costa Rica at grocery stores and pharmacies. Contraceptives can be purchased in Costa Rica at pharmacies.
• Pack antibacterial gel, a would treatment cream or ointment like Polysporin, a selection of bandages in varying sizes, and a bottle of aloe vera.
  Skip the full-blown first-aid kit; most hotels and tour operators have basic medical supplies on hand to deal with minor issues. (In the event that they don’t or you’re on your own when injury strikes, most towns have at least one pharmacy and medical clinic where medical supplies can be obtained.) The medical supplies you’ll most often need, which you’ll appreciate having access to the moment you need them, are antibacterial gel (to clean wounds and serve as way to wash your hands, if soap and water aren’t available), a wound treatment cream or ointment and bandages (to care for wounds and protect against infection; bandages can also be used as tape or patches, in the event that you tear your shoes, clothes, or pack), and aloe vera (to remedy sunburn).
• Pack prescription medication or devices, if applicable.
  If you need to bring prescription medication or devices to Costa Rica, travel with a doctor’s note and an up-to-date prescription list. These supplementary items should make it easier for you to pass through airport security and immigration/customs. If possible, leave pills in their original bottles or packs. (You can sort them into pill organizers/boxes after you officially enter Costa Rica.)
• Pack eyeglasses, contact lenses, and contact lens solution, if applicable.
  If you use eyeglasses regularly and you intend on being active in Costa Rica, bring an eyeglasses strap so your glasses will be secure while you participate in adventure tours, such as white-water rafting tours or zip-line tours.
• Pack a small roll of toilet paper or a small package of tissues.
  Unfortunately, not all public bathrooms in Costa Rica provide free toilet paper; some places charge for its use, and others don’t bother to check whether any paper is available. This is especially true at bus stations and at destinations in remote areas of the country. Traveling with your own supply of toilet paper or tissues is a smart, proactive, cost-saving idea.
• Pack a set of water-resistant reusable bags.
  They can be used to store a variety of items, including toiletries, important documents, and snacks.

Electronics, safety/security devices, and other handy devices

• Pack a set of lightweight headphones.
  Even if you never use headphones in Costa Rica, you’ll want a set for your flights to and from Costa Rica if you intend on using your airline’s in-flight entertainment system. Keep them on you (in your pocket, for example) while you fly; they won’t do you any good on the plane if they’re in your checked luggage or buried in your carry-on.
• Pack a metal pin, like the one pictured in the photo gallery below, or an earring that provides a similar pin.
  You can use the thin part of the metal pin to pop open your cell phone’s SIM card port if you intend to buy a Costa Rican SIM card soon after you land in Costa Rica. There’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to be able to use your phone in Costa Rica but not having a way to open the port.
• Pack a camera, its charging cable/device, and two camera batteries.
  Having an extra camera battery means that you’ll always be able to use your camera, even when one battery is dead. Simply use the back-up battery while the original is charging.
• Pack an external hard drive or extra memory cards if you don’t plan to transfer your vacation photos to cloud storage or a different back-up source, such as a laptop, while you travel.
  To not chance losing your precious vacation photos, be sure to transfer your trip photos and videos (or copies of your trip photos and videos) onto an external hard drive, extra memory cards, a laptop, or an online cloud storage account, such as DropBox, iCloud or SkyDrive, daily throughout your trip.
• Pack a laptop, tablet, or smartphone that’s equipped with Wi-Fi, plus the device’s charging cable.
  Most accommodations provide overnight guests with free Wi-Fi, which you can use on your own Wi-Fi-equipped device. Tapping into free Wi-Fi is a great way to stay connected to loved ones at home, to access travel or tourism information online, or to make last-minute reservations or reservation changes/cancelations. Don’t miss the electronic device tips we provide in our related blog post: Technology, Devices, And The Internet In Costa Rica.
• Pack a high-beam flashlight or headlamp.
  Several of Costa Rica’s poisonous species are most active after dark. To best protect yourself from an unfortunate encounter with one, bring a high-beam (i.e., high-quality) flashlight or headlamp and take it wherever you travel after the sun goes down, whether that’s a forest trail traversed on a guided night tour or the path you take back to your hotel room after dinner. Keep in mind that it gets dark around 6:00pm in Costa Rica, so you’ll want to have a flashlight or headlamp on you after that time.
• Pack a few small nightlights with the breakable plastic covers removed (as shown in the photo gallery below.)
  We use little nightlights in every hotel room we stay in. They’re good to have for safety reasons but also they come in handy on nights when the power goes out, which aren’t all that uncommon of an occurrence in Costa Rica. Alternatively, you can travel with a battery-operated lantern (you could also rely on your flashlight for light in the event of a power outage), but we prefer to travel with a handful of nightlights, which are smaller and lighter to carry.
• Pack a portable security alarm.
  This is an unconventional packing item but one we always use: a doorstop alarm. This ingenious contraption, designed like a wedge doorstop that’s meant to be placed on the floor inside a hotel room, is essentially a portable alarm system. Its metal top is an alarm trigger; when pressed by an opening door, a loud alarm sounds. Regardless of where we travel, we bring two of these devices with us, one to tuck under the door of our hotel room at night and the other to keep on a bedside table so it’s within arm’s reach. Although Costa Rica is generally safe (our recommendation to bring an alarm isn’t to suggest otherwise), it’s merely common sense to travel cautiously. Although many hotels provide doors with deadbolt locks and chain or swing locks, others do not. Having an alarm can be particularly reassuring when you encounter the latter. (Note: Remember to pack batteries for the alarm, and ensure the batteries aren’t in the alarm when you fly to and from Costa Rica, to avoid the alarm going off mid-flight.)
• Pack a reusable bottle and a set of reusable utensils.
  Costa Rica has ambitious sustainability goals, and one step toward achieving those goals is its ban on the use of single-use items at protected land areas, including several national parks, biological reserves, and wildlife refuges, as well as restaurants. Packing a reusable bottle and reusable utensils ensures you’ll always have access to hydration (potable water is widely available in Costa Rica) and a way to eat snacks and/or leftovers.
• Pack our Costa Rica guidebook, Moon Costa Rica, published by Moon Travel Guides.
  Hey, you can’t blame us for trying. 😉 Seriously, though, if you want to invest in the quality of your trip, consider purchasing a copy of the book. It’s the absolute best travel companion we’ve ever created. ❤️

Identification and paperwork

• Pack your original passport, plus a few color copies of the pages in your passport that show your photo, your signature, and any entrance/exit stamps.
  In addition to bringing your original passport to Costa Rica, bring hard copies of your passport; you’ll appreciate having them in the event that your original passport gets lost, stolen, or damaged. In addition, some tour operators, including those that run tours to attractions near the borders that Costa Rica shares with Nicaragua and Panama, will ask you to bring your passport with you during the tour. If you’d prefer not to take your original passport on the tour, a copy of it will usually suffice. (If in doubt, ask the tour operator whether they will accept a copy of your passport.) Don’t miss the “Identification and Possession Safety” tips that we provide in our related blog post: Is Costa Rica Safe? Yes, If You Do This.
• Pack your driver’s license, if you plan to rent a car in Costa Rica, and ensure it will remain valid for the duration of your trip.
  You’ll need to present your driver’s license when you rent a car in Costa Rica and if you happen to get stopped by Costa Rica’s traffic police while driving in Costa Rica. Side note: If you intend to decline part insurance through the car rental agency in favor of using car rental insurance that’s provided by your credit card company, you may need to also pack paperwork from the credit card company that confirms the type and amount of car rental insurance that they provide. For more information about this, see our related blog post Costa Rica Car Rental Insurance.
• Pack your student identification document, if you’re currently a student, and ensure it will remain valid for the duration of your trip.
  Some tour operators offer lower tour rates to students, but in order to access those lower rates, you need to be able to show valid student ID, so be sure to bring that document from home. You can browse student discounts for Costa Rica day tours on our sister site, Pura Vida! eh? Inc., here.
• Pack the credit card(s) you wish to use to pay for items in Costa Rica.
  Most establishments in Costa Rica accept VISA, Mastercard, and AMEX, so it’s best to rely on those card types over others during your trip. Some credit card companies place international spending bans on their clients’ accounts, so it’s a good idea to call yours before you leave home to ask them to lift any bans for the duration of your trip. It’s also wise to ask whether they will charge fees for purchases made in foreign countries or purchases made in currencies other than your home currency, such as Costa Rican colones, so you know in advance what spending fees might be headed your way. Don’t miss the other “Money and Spending Safety” tips we provide in our related blog post Is Costa Rica Safe? Yes, If You Do This.
• Pack cash.
  For information about bringing and spending cash in Costa Rica, don’t miss our related blog post Spending Money In Costa Rica: What To Know About USD, Colones, Credit Cards, And More, as well as the “Money and Spending Safety” tips we provide in our related blog post Is Costa Rica Safe? Yes, If You Do This.
• Pack a piece of paper containing the emergency contact information for an individual who is not traveling to Costa Rica with you.
  In the event of an emergency, this information will expedite the process of notifying your loved ones. Keep the paper with your passport.
• Pack copies of all applicable trip confirmations, such as hotel confirmations, tour confirmations, and/or rental car confirmations, as well as a confirmation of your trip insurance policy number, assuming you have travel insurance coverage.
  Don’t miss the “Identification and Possession Safety” tips we provide in our related blog post Is Costa Rica Safe? Yes, If You Do This.
• Pack driving directions to each place you’re headed in Costa Rica.
  Although most travelers rely on Wi-Fi to provide GPS services and/or online maps, if you travel someplace where a reliable Wi-Fi signal isn’t present, hard copies of driving directions can be real lifesavers. Don’t miss our downloadable/printable Driving Directions for Costa Rica.

What to pack for Costa Rica: Extra, non-essential items

Here’s our list of non-essential items worth considering when you’re deciding what to pack for Costa Rica.

Miscellaneous

• Consider packing a thin money belt.
  You can use it to carry money and other important items discretely on your body throughout your trip.
• Consider packing an identification/paperwork carrier.
  One will help you keep important information organized, especially during the chaotic process of passing through airports. If possible, get a carrier with a zipper, like the one pictured below, so there’s little chance that something of value, such as your passport or boarding pass, will fall out.
• Consider packing over-the-counter medications, such acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofin (Advil), dimenhydrinate (Gravol), loperamide (Imodium), or diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and vitamins.
  Most of this medication, albeit with Spanish brand names, can be purchased from grocery stores or pharmacies in Costa Rica. (Note that if you or your travel companions are prone to motion sickness, by car or boat, you’ll want to have an anti-nausea medication, such as Gravol, on hand whenever you set out to explore Costa Rica’s rugged topography.) Bring vitamins from home, if you take them, to avoid wasting time trying to hunt down specific types or dosages in Costa Rica.
• Consider packing a list of any allergies you have to medications, foods, or things in the environment.
  In the event that you experience a serious allergic reaction in Costa Rica, having this list could save your life. Use Google Translate to translate your list into Spanish, so you can inform non-English-speaking locals, such as restaurant staff and tour guides, of your limitations.
• Consider packing a clock, watch, or electronic device that has an alarm.
  It will come in handy if early morning tours or transportation services are plugged into your itinerary. Not all hotels offer wake-up calls.
• Consider packing a towel.
  Most hotels won’t allow guests to take in-room towels to beaches, and not all tour operators supply towels with their tours. (You’ll want to have a towel if any tours you participate in require getting wet.) To save room in your luggage, consider bringing a microfiber towel to Costa Rica. Weirdly, car-wash towels, which can usually be purchased at hardware stores, work great! They’re absorbent, quick-drying, and small enough to slip into a day pack.
• Consider packing an icy cool towel.
  This kind of towel is designed to keep you cool when it’s hot. (It’s typically worn around your neck.) It also wicks moisture away from your body, which is helpful during sweaty hikes in humid areas.
• Consider packing a medium-sized water-resistant reusable bag.
  Using one (or more) of these bags is a great way to keep wet and/or dirty clothes, bathing suits, and towels away from clean and dry items in your luggage. They can also keep your possessions, including your camera, dry when you’re out exploring Costa Rica and it starts to rain.
• Consider packing a small waterproof case or bag.
  There may be some occasions when you need to keep small items, such as car or hotel room keys, credit cards, cash, or your cell phone, on your person because you don’t want to leave them out of arm’s reach. For example, if you’re swimming at a beach, a waterfall, or hot springs and you’re concerned that someone might swipe your stuff while you’ve left it unattended. Consider packing a shatterproof, waterproof case (we use a small one from Pelican), ideally a case with a strap that you can secure to your wrist, so you can take important items in the water with you. A small waterproof bag will also do.
• Consider packing a female urination device, together with an empty bottle and a small pack of tissues.
  I bet I caught your attention with this one! Ladies, sometimes nature calls at the most inopportune times, often in the middle of an arduous hike. To prepare for that, consider purchasing a female urination device (I have the Whiz) that allows you to capture urine so it can be disposed of properly when possible. Seriously, the thing’s a lifesaver.
• Consider packing binoculars.
  Binoculars are an obvious item to pack if you’re an avid birder. But even if you aren’t into bird-watching, they’re handy to have while you travel. Use them to examine other kinds of wildlife and far-flung sites of interest, or as a zoom lens for your camera. (See our recommendation for the Best Item (Other Than A Camera) To Pack on our sister site, DIY Costa Rica, for more information about that.)
• Consider packing field guides if you have a specific interest in identifying flora or fauna encountered during your trip.
  Field guides can be big, bulky, and heavy, so be selective in choosing which ones to pack, if you absolutely must bring them to Costa Rica. Foldable, pamphlet-style field guides are a good compromise: they’re packed with information but are lightweight and easy to carry around in backpacks.
• Consider packing a bike chain or bike lock.
  If you intend to rent a bike in Costa Rica, it’s a good idea to bring a bike chain or bike lock from home so you can secure your rented bike when you’re not using it (i.e., while you shop, swim, hike, or dine). If you’re renting a mountain bike from a professional bike shop, you should be able to get a chain or lock through the shop, but if you’re only renting a beach cruiser bike for casual exploration, you’d best supply your own lock or chain.
• Consider packing extra batteries or phone/camera charging cables.
  Costa Rican stores sell batteries and cables, so it isn’t a requirement to bring them from home to accompany your devices, but if you want the convenience of having extras on hand, go ahead and throw some in.
• Consider packing a pocket-size Spanish book.
  Books can eat up luggage space and add luggage weight pretty quickly, so packing several isn’t smart. But if it’s an interest of yours to practice speaking Spanish with Costa Ricans during your vacation, consider packing one language guide, ideally a small one that will fit in your pocket or day pack. Alternatively, you can rely on Google Translate or other language translation websites or apps to facilitate your linguistic education.
• Consider packing your preferred snacks.
  It goes without saying that snacks can be purchased in Costa Rica, everything from nuts and seeds, granola bars, cookies, crackers, chocolate, and candy to fresh fruit, baked goods, and other delicious treats. But everyone has their own comfort foods, and if there’s something that you find particularly pleasing or calming to consume, bring it from home. When you take lengthy transportation services between destinations, check into hotels long after restaurants have closed, need a boost during a challenging hike, or encounter the late-night munchies, you’ll appreciate having a familiar taste of home.

What not to bring to Costa Rica

Here’s what we suggest skipping when debating what to pack for Costa Rica.

• Journals or books that you don’t honestly think you’ll use during your trip.
  If you’re an avid reader or writer, by all means, bring your journal and a novel to Costa Rica. If you aren’t either of those things, though, we’re certain you can find better items to fill your luggage with than hundreds of untouched pages.
• Jewelry.
  Let’s state the obvious: you’ll probably wear casual clothing, if not hiking or bathing attire, throughout most of your trip. If you plan to dress up while on vacation, skip the fancy jewels. The last thing you need to worry about on a trip to the rainforest is the whereabouts of your expensive or irreplaceable accessories and heirlooms. It’s also worth noting that flashy things can attract sly eyes, so if bling is your thing, keep the adornments to a minimum.
• Travelers cheques.
  Apart from some all-inclusive resorts, most tour operators, hotels, restaurants, and shops in Costa Rica don’t accept travelers cheques. Furthermore, most Costa Rica visitors rely on cash and credit cards, not travelers cheques, to pay for things in Costa Rica. (For more information about this topic, see our related blog post Spending Money In Costa Rica: What To Know About USD, Colones, Credit Cards, And More!, as well as the information we provide in the “Money and Spending Safety” section of our related blog post Is Costa Rica Safe? Yes, If You Do This.) If you absolutely must bring travelers cheques to Costa Rica, know that in most cases, you’ll only be able to cash them in at Costa Rican banks, so you’ll need to make time during your trip for multiple jaunts to local bank branches.
• Anything that Jean Claude Van Damme would carry with him.
  Unless you’re up for roughing it in Costa Rica Bear Grylls style, you’re probably not going to need duct tape, a match set, a Swiss Army knife, a compass, or any other similar kind of wilderness survival tool.

Don’t forget this…

When deciding what to pack for Costa Rica, don’t forget to leave space in your luggage for souvenirs. (See our related blog post Costa Rica Souvenirs: Buying Tips And Photo Galleries for souvenir suggestions and photos.) Better yet, when packing for Costa Rica, fill the space you allot for souvenirs with donation items, such as school supplies, medical supplies, and futbol (a.k.a., soccer) shoes, that can be donated to Costa Rican schools, organizations, and sports clubs. You’ll be surprised to learn just how rewarding a Costa Rica vacation can be when you pack a little philanthropy into it. 😉

QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Have you been to Costa Rica before? What did you pack for the trip?

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