Things I wish I’d Packed for Costa Rica

A summary of several thousand comments from visitors on the Costa Rica Travel Group when asked what they should have brought on vacation.

Obviously what you should bring on a trip to Costa Rica depends on what you’re going to do. Lounging at the poolside bar at an all inclusive resort suitcases will be packed differently than a trekking through the jungle from an ecolodge backpack.

Skim the list below to see if there’s anything that fits your travel style. The most common answer was “half as many clothes and twice as much money.”

“Things I Wish I’d Packed”

Bug Spray – ironically, insect repellent was also atop of the list of things to leave home. It’s not uncommon to spend a week or two in Costa Rica without mosquito bites (resorts that fog with insecticide, dry season, etc.) but hundreds of people said bring more or better repellent. DEET alternatives that work are not available in Costa Rica so you have to pack them.
No fee cards – many travelers realized they were loosing a lot of money because they didn’t get a credit and debit card with lower/no fees before leaving home.
Portable charger (aka powerbank or powerpak) – small rechargeable battery packs that can be pugged into the wall then used to charge phones, cameras, tablets etc. on the go. Around $20 will buy enough capacity to charge several phones. Of course you also need appropriate cords.
Dramamine (aka gravol, bonine) – many of the roads in Costa Rica are roller coasters and even people who aren’t susceptible to motion sickness commented they wished they had something to prevent nausea.
Sunscreen – it’s expensive here, selections of reef safe or hypo-alergenic are limited, and you’ll use a lot.
Duct Tape – I always have a few yards of duct tape wrapped around my stainless steel water bottle and have used it to splint broken fingers, seal punctures in bike tires, radiator hoses and the bottom of my foot, you can repair a broken pack strap, get the cat hair off your wife’s black dress, etc. etc. etc.
Multi-outlet – The plug/outlets and voltage are the same as the U.S. and Canada but travelers commented that there are never enough. The line current can also have a lot of dips and spikes that can damage sensitive electronics so we recommend a travel size surge protected multi outlet that also has a couple of surge protected USB charging ports built in.
Cash – dollars or colones. Although several people mentioned they spent more than they expected most don’t realize that one of the worst places to exchange money is at a bank before you leave home. It’s safer and more economical to get a no fee ATM card instead of packing more cash.
Ear plugs – truck air brakes 1/2 a mile away, barking dogs, a quinceañera discomovil, roosters that think the sun comes up at 4 am, or even the ones that wait until it starts getting light at 5:45 am.
Binoculars – First things first, if you’re going to bother buying and carrying them then you want 8×42 or 10×42, roof prism, nitrogen filled, waterproof, and multi coated for birds and wildlife in Costa Rica. If you know what that means then you know we are right and if you don’t know what that means you just have to trust our 50 years of experience. The gold standard are Zeiss and Swarovski starting at around two grand. We use the Nikon Monarch which I would say is very reasonably priced at ~$260. The Celestron for $80 is a fantastic bargain. Barely less bright than the Nikon and a third the price.
Gifts for hosts and guides – anything that’s a specialty of your home like maple syrup makes a great gift with a bit more meaning than a cash tip. See below for the best gift a guide could ever receive.
Special Shoes – multiple mentions of all types – water shoes, waterproof shoes, hiking sandals, boots, Keen’s etc. Ironically another item that was mentioned frequently were “blister band-aids” because so many people buy new Keens or hiking shoes but don’t break them in.
Dry bag and/or waterproof phone case – there’s a lot of water in Costa Rica even when it’s not raining – beaches, waterfalls, rivers, estuaries, hot springs and swimming pools.
Wash cloth – face cloths or wash cloths aren’t a typical Costa Rican bathroom accessory.
Drugs – Building a good first aid kit is an investment of effort that will pay off for a lifetime. I’ve been carrying the same one for fifty years with inventory updates and refresh once a year. If you don’t have time for a whole kit a few specifics that were mentioned a lot are – anti-allergy medication because the allergens and seasons are totally different from home, afterBite, blister bandaids, pepto, tums, lomotil, imodium, and pain relievers.
Raincoat & Umbrella – another item that appeared frequently on both the “wish I packed” and “don’t bother” lists.
Powerbars – expensive and the selection probably won’t include your favorites.

Remember, these are just the most common things people forgot or didn’t think of… you’ll also want the things that everyone brings on the main packing list.

Honorable Mentions

A couple of items didn’t get a lot of comments but could make a big difference.

An old phone. If you’re planning on getting a local SIM card it comes with a local number and your regular number is not available for wi-fi calling or messaging etc. You can put the local SIM into a spare phone and have the best of both worlds.

Kid’s life vests and helmets if you’re planning adventure activities like zip-lines, rappelling, rafting, climbing, horseback riding etc. The quality and fit of the provided equipment may leave a lot to be desired especially in children’s sizes.

Just Buy it When You Arrive?

Many travelers suggested that none of the things on the list need to be packed – “Costa Rica is civilized, you can buy everything here.” That’s true but do you really want to try to find an open famacia to get imodium for a bout of diarrhea at 3 am? Even if it’s not an emergency who wants to spend their vacation going from store to store because you don’t know who carries what.

Just buying it in Costa Rica is sometimes expensive and not always convenient and you might have to drive 10 hours round trip to find electronics or camera batteries in San José.

Some things are easier to get after you arrive. You can buy the popular travel antibiotic Cipro at any pharmacy without a doctor visit or prescription. It’s also probably not worth packing a case of wine in your checked bag even though prices are probably better where you come from.

Leave it Home, Didn’t Need it

Just like the “things I wish I’d packed” list the usefulness of the “don’t bother bringing it” list will depend a lot on your travel style but take a look and see if you can lighten your load.

clothes – there’s no dress codes, everything is casual and many travelers reported they packed way too many clothes. You can do laundry or have it done. Specifically many said their rain jacket was useless or unused.
makeup – most of it just melts right off your face. Maybe a little waterproof mascara and lip gloss but don’t bother bringing the whole makeup bag.
heels – you pretty much have to be born into it to manage heels on the cracked cratered sidewalks and gutters.
mosquito repellent – “we were there a whole week and never saw a mosquito”.
snorkeling gear – while the quality of the gear provided on tours is not great, neither is the snorkelling. If you own your own gear you’ve probably snorkeled in world class destinations like Hawaii, Fiji, the Barrier Reef etc. and Costa Rica will be very disappointing by comparison. It takes up a lot of space and may not get much use – a lot of visitors said leave it home.
curling iron, flatiron – pretty much anything to try to wrangle hair other than a scrunchie. It’s hopeless.
jewelry – makes you a target for theft and rings, earrings etc. can be easily lost or snagged on adventure tours.

Take it or Leave it

A few items showed up prominently on both the take it and leave it lists.

The most controversial is insect repellent. It’s amazing how many people end up with Dengue or just a load of bites because they assume there are never any insects, ever, anywhere in the tropics based on “we didn’t get any bites in a whole week”. It’s not hard to be prepared. Better safe than sorry?

Rain gear, coats, ponchos and umbrellas are a source of much discussion as well. Mainly because some people get lucky and experience only dry weather and others get torrential rain and discover that none of the options are that great. We do bring gortex jackets but main for wind and cold at higher elevations because breathable waterproof fabrics don’t work well in the heat and humidity of the rain forest.

Snorkeling gear is another take it or leave it.

Unique & Unexpected

Out of thousands of suggestions of things to bring no one mentioned one of our favorites, probably because they don’t know what they’re missing.

While you’re unlikely to get any video of pumas or jaguars a trail camera is fun to try. They’re cheap (the one we used for the lion photo above was $40), easy to pack, easy to use, and even if you’re only staying in the rainforest a few nights you can probably find a spot where every morning will reward you with some fun captures. Kids are enthralled by them.

Stick one near the fruit tray or tree that many eco-lodges use to attract birds for guaranteed awesome close-ups and then move it to their hiking path at night (infrared images in total darkness) because animals like to take the easiest route through the forest.

Trail cameras are expensive and hard to find in Costa Rica so it’s likely that your lodge or airBnB will have noticed a good spot nearby but has never had a camera to put there and will be excited to help you locate one. They’re also awesome gifts for guides or to leave at your rental or lodge. They may even send you photos and videos for years to come as future souvenirs reminding you of what a great trip you had.

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