Our family of four just returned from a one month road trip through Costa Rica and wanted to share some fresh impressions. This post is about what to bring with you for your Costa Rica holiday. We will do a separate one with our itinerary and what activities and restaurants we enjoyed as a family in Costa Rica.

One thing to consider when preparing for the trip is the season you are traveling in. We travelled in the rainy season and were prepared to a fair amount of rain. It did rain most afternoons in some areas like La Fortuna and Tortuguero but this was really not an issue overall as the rains were short lived. Most activities are organised early in the morning precisely for this reason. We also had a tropical storm the day after our arrival, which of course is a different thing, and we had to stay indoors or close to our accommodation for the best part of that day. Once the storm was over, we went back to our itinerary and could enjoy all the activities as planned.

So, here is the top 10 items you should bring with you to Costa Rica for a family holiday 🇨🇷:

1. Rain ponchos: wether in the rain season or not, always good to carry one with you. We had these for the kids as they are compact and light weight and they really loved wearing them. We took the ponchos everywhere in our day back pack and used them often in La Fortuna. Just remember that we also traveled in the rainy season so might be that you need them a bit less. I would still bring them though. We had lightweight waterproof jackets for the adults.

2. Insect repellent. Bring lots of this one and also, do not just apply once before leaving for the activity but bring the bottle with you. We used up almost two bottles, sometimes more effectively than others. Some mosquitoes did not care much about our insect repellent after all and we still got bitten but we’re happy to have applied some at least. The best protection are long sleeves, and even that may not be sufficient. At night in Monteverde, mosquitoes were even biting us though the pants 😊.

3. Refillable water bottles: most hotels and lodges offer a drinking fountain. In any event, water in Costa Rica is drinkable and you can refill the bottle easily in any cafe and restaurant. It saves you money and saves the plannet from all the plastic. A double win!

4. Sun block: even if you might not feel it, the Sun is strong even when walking under the canopy. Always wear Sunscreen. We forgot a couple of times and we’re red within minutes. It goes without saying that hats and some long sleeve rashes are also highly recommended for long periods at the beach.

5. Water shoes: we used ours almost duly. Many activities would almost require them, like rafting and tubing. Also all beaches we have visited had some seashells or stone portions making the water shoes a very useful thing to wear, both for the kids and adults.

6. Hiking shoes or tennis shoes. Many places will ask you to wear shoes covering the toes ( Mistico in La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano National Park). There are snakes and sometimes vipers in the forest and a sturdy shoes will be better for walking on an uneven or muddy terrain. We had real hiking shoes as they provided better support when walking long distance with a carrier.

7. Rain / rubber boots Wether in the rainy season or not, we found that some trails were always muddy and National Parks like Tortuguero and Tenorio Volcano recommend rubber boots for hiking. We managed well with our hiking shoes that are high and waterproof. You can also rent adult size rubber boots in some accommodation or at the Park entrance. For the kids we took their usual rubber boots as small sizes are not always available to rent.

8. Children life vests. If you travel with little ones, bringing your own life vests offers some peace of mind. Adult ones are available in all boats we took in Costa Rica but not kiddy size ones. We had several boat trips planned and some locations like Tortuguero and Corcovado are only reachable on boat rides so bringing your children size life vests is a good idea to make sure you are prepared for all circumstances.

9. Quick drying towers. Some accommodation will offer towels for the pool and even the beach but is a good idea to bring your own for activities outside the lodge. We used ours for white water rafting, tubing, when visiting the La Fortuna waterfall and the full day waterfall trip in Manuel Antonio.

10. Dry bag: this one we forgot to bring and we missed it a lot. There is a lot of water based activities and this would be perfect to keep your phone and valuables. We have a Go Pro camera so we tried to use that and avoid bringing the phones close to he water but still, it would have been great to have a dry bag with some essentials for white water rafting for example.

Bonus items: Long pants and long sleeve breathable shirt: When walking in the National Parks and reserves it is always better to have long pants as it will spare you lots of insect bites. Especially for the kids, we made sure to have long pants for longer walks in nature. Also, mosquitoes may not care much about he insect repellent ( they are particularly bad in rainy season) and long pants and sleeves will offer some additional protection.

We always bring with us some of the most usual medication like ibuprofen, paracetamol and some stomach pills in case of tummy problems so I did not mention this specifically for Costa Rica. We found diapers quite easily but noticed that wet wipes were mostly available in larger supermarkets.

If you have been to Costa rica, drop us a comment with your must pack items. This way other travellers can benefit of your experience.

Ssfe travels!

CGK