What to Pack for your Costa Rica Vacation

Bringing the right clothing and gear for your trip to Costa Rica is super important. Packing light but having the right things will make your visit much more enjoyable. The climate is humid and having clothing that dries easily will make for a much more enjoyable stay.

Costa Rica typically has temperatures that range from high 68 to 90 degrees. Most of the time you should expect the temperature to range from 70-82 degrees with humidity. Costa Rica’s rainy season historically has been from May through December, but for the past few years the seasons haven’t followed a consistent pattern. If you are spending a week in Costa Rica, it is likely that you will experience several days of sunny and warm weather in the morning with a late afternoon or evening rain shower.

Planning for the rain is essential to enjoying your trip to Costa Rica. You’ll definitely want to bring a quality, light-weight poncho with you in case you end up in a rainstorm.  It is highly likely no matter when you come that you will use it.

From mid-November to April, the weather tends to be more dry, but even in the “dry season” you can still almost guarantee rain in the late afternoon and evenings for several nights during your stay.  

Essential Items to Pack for Costa Rica

• Valid Passport (Must be valid for at least 6 months after your flight)  It’s a good idea to have copies as well as backup.
• Credit Card – Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere in Costa Rica. Some merchants also accept Discover and AMEX, but many still do not accept these cards. ATMs in Costa Rica accept Visa and Mastercard.
• Cash – US Dollars are accepted everywhere and you can even request US dollars from many ATMs. We recommend bringing cash for tips but you can also tip via credit card.  Read about Costa Rican money.
• Sunscreen-  You are closer to the equator and the sunscreen available in country isn’t as good as what you can bring from home.  
• Bug Spray – Bugs likely won’t bother you but they do carry tropical diseases.  Please apply daily for your health and safety.  If you have a bug bite that doesn’t heal after a week or two when you are home, please tell your doctor you were recently in a tropical area.
• Reusable Water Bottle – it is humid.  You will get dehydrated more quickly than you realize. A water bottle will help you stay hydrated.

What clothing should I bring to Costa Rica?

• Waterproof jacket or quality poncho
• T-Shirts that are quick drying (Remember it’s humid in Costa Rica)
• 1 Long Sleeve quick dry shirt for the evening, sun protection and bug protection
• Light quick drying Shorts
• Light hiking pants or convertible pants
• Underwear
• Socks
• Swimsuit
• Hiking Shoes
• Flip-Flops or Quality Sandal
• Water Shoes, small hand towel (to dry off before you change), and a bag for your wet clothes if you plan to raft or do water activities
• Pajamas

What medicine should I bring to Costa Rica?

You can get most medication in Costa Rica, but if you are planning to be active, it’s a good idea to bring Ibuprofen and any other medicine you normally take.

IMPORTANT!!! If you have a tendency to get car sick, be sure to bring Dramamine or other medication. The roads are windy and getting sick while driving is no fun for anyone. We list this as an essential, just in case. If you think there is a chance you’ll get sick, come prepared. Let us know if you think you might get sick and we’ll give you warning of when you might want to take a safety pill to avoid getting sick.

Our team carries a first aid kit with lots of different medicines for emergency, but it’s best if you plan to bring your own.

Suggested Items to Pack

• Headlamp or flashlight – Bring this especially if you are visiting an eco-lodge or jungle camp or want to spot sleeping creatures at night near your room.
• Day Excursion Bag – To carry needed items while you’re on your excursions.
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• First Aid Kit with Medicines (Ibuprofen is a favorite of our adventure travelers after a long day of rafting, paddling, canyoning or other physical activity)
• Something to read – You’ll likely have some down time in the evening because the sun sets around 5-6 PM most of the year
• Binoculars – You’ll likely see lots of birds, monkeys, sloths, etc. and its nice to be able to get a closer look.
• Personal Toiletries
• Headphones – you will frequently have wifi.  You don’t want to bother others.
• Chargers for your phone – Electrical outlets are the same as in the USA.  Don’t forget to check with your phone provider so you know what your plan will cover and you don’t receive hefty charges.  Most people can leave their phone on airplane mode most of the time and use wifi.

Items for Kayak Trips and Week of Rivers: 

Amazing Vacations Costa Rica has a variety of gear available to use and rent. As part of your cost for the week of rivers, we will provide you with a kayak, raft or ducky. We do have SUP paddle boards if you are interested in doing whitewater in a SUP.

We suggest kayakers with multiple days on the river bring their own:

• Water Bottle that you can keep in a kayak (a carabiner clip is nice)
• Water Shoes that will stay on your feet (closed toed recommended)
• Min 2 Quick dry shirts (one wet, one wetter)
• Min 2 Swimsuits (one wet, one wetter)
• Nose Plug (if needed)
• Drybag (recommended)
• Bag to hold your wet clothing and gear after changing. (dry bag, excursion bag, or even garbage sack works great)
• Helmet (optional if you love yours)
• PFD (optional if you love yours)
• Sprayskirt (optional if you love yours)
• Paddle (optional if you love yours)

We do have all of these optional items available for our guests to use as backups but we’ve found that most kayakers are much more comfortable on the water when they have their own kayak gear.

We have Werner Sherpa Bent and Straight shaft paddles, 194-200 cm.

Also, make sure you’ve told us what kayak you are planning on paddling.  You can see a list of our boats here.

Are there lots of Mosquitos and other bugs in Costa Rica?

Some of our team lives in Utah in an area known for lots of mosquitos. When our Utah team has traveled to Costa Rica, while there are mosquitos, they have never been what they would consider bad.  In fact, many days and evenings you might not even see a mosquito.  

However, on Jason’s first trip he fell asleep for a few hours in a hammock at his hotel while wearing shorts.  When he woke up, he did find that there were gnats (sometimes called no-see-ums in the USA) flying around him and had 8-10 bites on his legs that had been exposed. They did itch for about a week.

We recommend that people take a pair of light, convertible pants that can become shorts. That way once it cools down for the evening, you stay comfortable and don’t run any risk of having gnats or any other bug bite you. 

We also recommend daily use of bug spray no matter if you notice or feel bugs to avoid tropical diseases.  We also take one, light long sleeve shirt with us and will wear that if we know we’ll be eating dinner outside while it is dark. You’ll eat almost all of your meals outside in the open air on a patio or deck.

While the bugs are not bothersome, they can carry tropical diseases, so we suggest wearing bug spray even if you don’t see bugs.  See our Blog Post about bugs in Costa Rica.  If you have a bug bite that lasts longer than a couple of weeks after you get home, please tell your doctor you recently traveled to Costa Rica so they can check for these diseases.