We used various lists to decide what to take with us, including a VERY long thread on TripAdvisor about the top five items people would take if they were to go again. In an attempt at saving others from trawling other lists, here’s a summary of what we took, how we organised it and so on. My bag getting left at Heathrow focused my thoughts on what we actually needed and what was nice to have.

(Photos and Links to follow, but do comment if I forget this and you want more info!)

Luggage & Packing:

• 60L waterproof cargo bag (one each).
  • These were ideal. Easy to pack, and easy to carry with the rucksack straps. An unexpected benefit was that because of them being relatively soft, they fitted well in shared shuttles, taxi boat etc, where they were stacked securely with other bags.
• Daysack (one each).
  • We each had different ones of these (three of them were Osprey though!). Great for hand luggage, day trip items etc.
• Small collapsible shopping bag (two)
  • These were useful for separating items in daysacks and organising items that we needed access to (e.g. for the plane, so the daysacks could go in the overhead lockers) as well as for shopping!

Laws regarding what we could put in checked-in luggage dictated some of our packing choices (e.g. all lithium batteries have to be in hand luggage), so we ended up with tech in hand luggage. I insisted on everyone putting a complete change of clothes in each of the other holdalls and this ended up making my delayed bag less of an issue – giving me three complete changes plus my travel clothes to get by with.

Clothes & Shoes:

This is what we took, each. We did some hand-washing in the first week (partly because of my lack of bag) and chose our second week accommodation based on their laundry facilities. All tourist locations seemed to have easily and cheaply available laundry services too. We didn’t need to take so much underwear and could have managed with fewer tops too.

• 2 x pairs of convertible trousers.
  • Useful for travel and the couple of tours that were ‘no shorts’ – and in Monteverde when the temperature was more variable. Gave more shorts for us to choose from day to day too.
• 3 x pairs of shorts.
  • Quick-dry ones, with zippy pockets.
• 5 x short-sleeved tops.
  • Most of these offered UV protection and all were quick-dry.
• 1 x long-sleeved top.
  • We didn’t need this. The only tours that specified covered arms didn’t insist on it or we used our waterproofs or fleeces instead.
• Swimsuit
• Thin fleece
  • Great for travel, and used more than we expected in Monteverde – when we were cold!
• Travel clothes (we used some/all of the above for this, depending on personal preference)
• 7 x underwear
• 7 x pairs of socks.
  • Everyone had said we should have wool socks but I didn’t really fancy the itchiness. A couple of days before leaving home, I discovered Merino wool socks and am converted!
• Hat
  • Like every list says, choose a wide-brimmed hat – great in sun and rain. This was one of the main items I missed and couldn’t replace when my luggage was delayed. These were particularly useful for Zoe and I who otherwise got sunburned scalps where our partings were!
• Packaway breathable waterproof
  • We did have disposable ponchos too, on the basis of advice from other lists but only used these once and they were awful! The packaway macs were ideal, could be kept in our daysacks for the inevitable rain and actually worked.
• Watershoes
  • I didn’t know what people meant by these when I first saw them mentioned but they were great and well-used (and essential for some activities that insisted on full foot coverings for wet activities). We chose some that we could also hike in – perfect for La Fortuna waterfall’s 500 steps and then a swim at the bottom!
• Travel towel
  • These have improved a lot since I first had one about five years ago. Very useful, especially for sitting on in transport back from activities, taking to the beach etc.
• Waterproof hiking shoes
  • We lived in these. Worth getting good quality, comfortable ones.
• Hiking boots
  • We didn’t need these. All of the national parks have clearly marked, often concrete, paths. The only time we would have found them useful was in Tortuguero national park, which had some muddy areas. These would have been fine with our shoes if we’d had to though, but in the event, Roots Tours included wellies in their guided tour anyway.
• Bandanas
  • Didn’t need these although Zoe used one as a hair band at times. Could have been used instead of a face mask if Covid situation had changed rapidly perhaps.
• Sunglasses
• Goggles

Tech:

• Mobile phones
  • Including an old, spare one for the Kolbi prepaid SIM. This was even more useful than expected when my usual phone died in the third week!
• Canon SX70 HS camera
  • Chosen from advice from another site. Great zoom for wildlife in the distance. I only decided on this a month before we left, and would have benefited from having it sooner so that I could have learned more about using it.
• Olympus TG-6 Tough camera
  • Also chosen from advice from another site. Great microscope function, waterproof, good for taking on activities.
• GoPro Hero 7 camera
  • Used for ziplining videos. This was given to me with a load of accessories, so I wouldn’t have had it, nor taken it, otherwise.
• GoPro-like action camera
  • This is Megan’s. It was also used for ziplining videos. Surprisingly good quality for a non-branded item! Again, we wouldn’t have got this specially for the trip but as we had it anyway, it was good to take.
• 2 x Fire 8 tablets
  • These were on offer and I was wondering what to take instead of our expensive ipads. We only needed one although both were often in use for games etc. during travel delays. Mostly used for managing photos (in combination with Amazon Photos storage on Prime, this meant all photos were being uploaded somewhere safe when wifi allowed).
• Memory cards and adaptors
  • More of these were used than I’d been expected. Good to cycle through them and a couple of them did become corrupted between uses.
• Multi-socket extension cable and adaptor plug.
  • We intended to have two plugs but misunderstood what was in our unopened adaptor package (so carried a European adaptor with us, needlessly, for the entire journey…). Two would have been useful so that the girls could charge a phone in their room instead of using only one location in each accommodation for charging.
• Spare batteries and chargers
  • The other thing that I really missed with my delayed luggage was the Canon charger! Fortunately, I had three batteries, so that got us through our time in Cahuita before the bag arrived. We took advice on board to take spare USB charger cables but probably didn’t need to take so many – one spare of each time would have been fine.
• USB-C memory card reader
  • Very useful – made it easy to transfer photos from memory cards to the fires.
• Headphones & cables
  • Useful on flights. We got adaptors but it seems these aren’t needed anymore. Cables were needed – wireless connection would only work with our own devices and not the airline entertainment system.

Toiletries & First Aid:

We took a large first aid kit. Partly because of going to Tortuguero, which would be out of the way of help and resources, partly for convenience, and partly because of how long we were going for. Even though we didn’t use many of the items, I’d still take this ‘just in case’ – the options for getting other provisions were limited in many locations, especially given that we didn’t have a car to use.

• Shampoo, conditioner & moisurising soap bars
  • Much more compact than bottles! Am converted to these – will use them at home now too. Many of our accommodations provided products though, including the airbnbs, so didn’t need to take so many. One of each between all of us would have been fine.
• Toothpaste & folding toothbrushes
  • Self-explanatory. Colgate is available in supermarkets, so if you’re travelling without checking in luggage, toothpaste can be easily purchased in most locations.
• Travel hair brushes
• Hair bands
• Disposable razors
• Deoderant
  • We chose to take roll-on for compactness.
• Rehydration salts
  • Didn’t take enough of these. When Megan was unwell and dehydrated in Tortuguero, we could have really done with more.
• Energy tablets
  • As above, needed more.
• Stugeron (travel sickness tablets)
  • Used more than I expected. Gave to Megan for journey out of Tortuguero (partly to help her rest) and all of us for journey to and from Monteverde.
• Anti-diarrhoa tablets
• Paracetamol
• Ibuprofen
• Tweezers
• Scissors
  • Zoe didn’t think we would need scissors – but we used them a lot!
• Dressings, bandages, plasters and micropore tape
• Moleskin
  • Very useful. Took two packets which was about right.
• Blister plasters
  • Not needed because the moleskin was good enough at preventing developing blisters from getting worse.
• Eurax (anti-itch cream)
  • Took two tubes. One was enough but I don’t know if we were lucky not to get more itchy bites!
• Sting & bite cream
  • One tube was enough but well used.
• Germolene (antiseptic cream with anaesthetic)
  • Two tubes. One tube would have (only just) been enough as it was well used.
• Heel (cracked foot) cream & athletes foot cream
• Didn’t need the heel cream but the athletes foot cream was useful given the long periods with wet feet on some days.
• Vicks and cold and flu tablets
• Put these in in case of congestion for flights home. Didn’t need them.
• Vaseline / lipsalve
• 50% DEET bug spray
  • Took 8 250ml bottles. Got through one every other day, between us, in Cahuita and Tortuguero. Hardly used it for La Fortuna and Monteverde. Came home with 2.5 bottles left.
• Factor 50 Suncream
  • Took 6 250ml bottles. Came home with about 3 bottles left but we probably should have used more in Tortuguero and La Fortuna – and we only didn’t use it in Monteverde because of the weather at the time of our visit (which is unpredictable). Next time would take about the same because of the weather situation.
• Pocket tissues
  • A pack in each of the day sacks was enough.
• Hand luggage travel bottles
  • One of these we took empty and it was useful to decant lotion into. The other contained rubbing alcohol which was also useful.
• Mini salt packets
  • Didn’t use them but would have done for throat infections etc.
• Hand gel
  • Useful. Most places didn’t have hot water at sinks nor soap.
• Sanitary towels
  • Ended up buying some of these with the luggage issue, but Zoe & I both took bamboo reusable ones – very comfortable in the heat and easy to wash. Megan just managed to have a perfectly-timed cycle instead!

Household, Food & Other Items:

• Microfibre cloths.
  • Soft ones, kept in day sacks to double as flannels when needed.
• Travel / universal sink plug
  • Needed in two of the three airbnbs where the kitchen sinks didn’t have plugs provided.
• Washing up sponges.
  • These were mostly provided where needed. Could have just taken one.
• Zip-lock bags
  • Useful for opened food items in fridge (e.g. cheese) and for prewrapping money etc. before putting it in the money belt. Took two boxes of different sizes and used most of them.
• Travel laundry detergent
  • Useful. None of the places that had washing machines had detergent provided, and we also hand washed a few things.
• Travel clothes line and 5m paracord.
  • Useful, especially in La Fortuna hotel where there was no way of hanging a full load of washing anywhere. Could have just taken the paracord and some small pegs though.
• Biscuits, sweets, Pringles(!), mugshot instant pasta meals, couscous, cereal bars.
  • All useful but took far too many. Snacks particularly good for travel days. Difficult to use instant pasta meals and couscous as kettles are not generally provided in the way they are in the UK and Europe, so our plan for easy emergency meals didn’t really work as it involved needing a hob or microwave to boil the water.
• Doorstop alarms x2
  • Had read on a forum that these would be useful to put minds at rest at night in certain accommodation situations (e.g. the hotels where rooms opened straight outside into publicly-accessible areas) but they were pointless and didn’t work as they would have needed to be on a floor that had quite a lot of friction (e.g. carpet) which didn’t apply in the locations we were.
• Mini sewing kit
  • Megan sorted this out and it was perfect, although we only needed it once.
• Gaffa tape
  • Very useful! Used about a third of a roll for random purposes. Would have needed more if a bag needed a temporary fix or something.
• Waterproof daysack cover
  • Didn’t use it, just kept everything in plastic bags within daysack anyway.
• 1 litre waterbottles (1 each)
  • Used simple wide-neck transparent plastic bottles for these. Essential. Good for being able to monitor what the kids were drinking.
• Waterproof bag
  • Essential for some activities if you don’t want to leave everything at home. Unfortunately I didn’t check beforehand about how waterproof it was, and now have an insurance claim in – be careful not to end up like me on this!
• Waterproof phone case
  • Essential for some activities
• Torches
  • Useful for walking back to accommodation in the dark as pavements don’t often exist. For activities in the dark (Monteverde Frog Pond and the night tour) we were provided with torches to use. Tortuguero turtle nesting tour needed torches for the trip to the beach but they are not allowed to be used on the beach at all – even in an emergency.
• Spare prescription glasses
  • I have some scratched ones which were useful for zipling etc. Also didn’t want to have to spend a day or more getting replacement glasses if something happened to my main pair!
• Glasses strap
  • Essential for some activities.
• Money belts
  • Took three, with the plan of distributing everything around others, but didn’t do so in the end. Chose a fabric RFID one instead of a waterproof one for comfort and then waterproofed everything inside it (it dried quickly).
• Silica gel packets
  • Useful for drying things. They almost certainly saved the spare phone when it went for an unintentional swim…
• Ear plugs
  • Not needed. The nature was noisy but not enough to stop us sleeping. Generally the air conditioning drowned the nature noise out anyway!
• Glasses wipes
  • Individually packaged ones. Very useful – not just for glasses but for camera lenses, phones etc too.
• Travel pillow
  • Took an inflatable one which James really liked (so much so, that we bought him a cushioned one for the journey home). The rest of us didn’t really benefit from it, and the airlines now provide both pillows and blankets for long haul flights it seems.
• Games
  • We took bananagrams, flux, Misty, Ganz so Schon and packs of cards. Could have just had bananagrams, Misty and Ganz so Schon for the games we played.
• Puzzle Books
• Paperbacks
  • We read and left these in each accommodation, for other travellers to use. Most accommodation already had a bookshelf with books to swap or use.
• Costa Rican Map
  • Didn’t use this but we weren’t needing to navigate anywhere by ourselves.
• Spanish-English travel dictionary
  • Didn’t use this but could have done if it had been in our daypacks when we needed it! Downloading a digital offline version would probably have been more useful.
• Binoculars
  • Disappointingly not as used as we’d been expecting. Anything far away tended to move too quickly to spot with binoculars or be obscured with tree branches and foliage.
• Pens & pencils
  • Didn’t need as many as we took!

Financials & Paperwork

The decisions about what to take in respect of finances were quite difficult before we left. We seemed to accidentally choose the right options though. It is useful to know that most cash machines in Costa Rica are positioned inside banks and therefore are only available during bank opening hours. There was one in Santa Elena that we came across outside a supermarket which dispensed both colones and dollars which was available 24/7 though.

• Dollars, cash.
  • We were going to take about £1000 / $1000 as we knew we needed to pay Marco in cash and Roots Tours also needed cash on arrival in Tortuguero, and we hoped we’d find a working cash machine in Cahuita. In the event, we took nearly twice this much and it saw us through for half the holiday. We were repeatedly offered discounts to pay in cash.
• Colones, cash.
  • We took about £300 / 300000 in Colones. This also saw us through for half the holiday. We had been quite focused on what balance of dollars and colones we needed and shouldn’t have worried – all of the tourist locations quote in dollars but are very happy to accept colones and seemed to use true exchange rates. Restaurants and supermarkets that quote in colones would accept dollars but had poor exchange rates, so better to pay them in colones.
• Bank debit card with good overseas exchange rate and no cash fees (we used Nationwide)
• Bank credit card with good overseas exchange rate and no cash fees (we used Barclaycard)
• Spare credit card for same account
  • Zoe kept hold of this for an emergency. She also had her own debit card which wouldn’t have been economical to use but could have got us out of trouble.
• Passports
• ESTAs
  • I printed the confirmation just in case there was a power cut in Miami or something!
• Covid Passports
• Trip notebook
  • With all my plans, options, booking references, contact numbers, insurance details, passwords etc in. Vital!
• Student proof.
  • Some activities and tours offer discounts for students (aged 12+) and stated they needed proof. It was never asked for though.

Costa Rica what to take

Mandy