What to bring to Costa Rica???

Question

so if your going to go visit the volcano and go to the rain forest and hiking ..wat should you bring? and the types of clothing!?

Answer 1

Take sunscreen, sunglasses, umbrella, light clothing (especially if it is of a material that'll dry fast, 'cause it is damp in Costa Rica anyway), and if you're going to do some serious hiking, take or purchase there a pair of rubber boots, they're cheap enough.  Also don't forget the insect repellent and camera.  Good luck and ENJOY!

Answer 2

Wow, some really long answers. Arenal is ONE of these sub-climates and Costa Ricas winter is not Necessarily opposite to ours if you are in this particular Sub-Clmate.

Winds off of the Caribbean sea in Dec/Jan bring lots of rain and permanently cloudy skies. No sunscreen needed at this time, let me tell you. One week this Dec was so cold i was wearing a sweater to sleep because there is no heating here and you usually only sleep with light blankets (tropical country and all).

In La Fortuna it is warmer as you are closer to sea level. As you drive towards the volcano and Arenal you are climbing elevation and it can be quite cool especially after sun down.

I recommend bringing

A light long sleeve shirt

Lightweight pants that will dry easily

Extra socks (think Rain Forest)

Closed toed shoes for hiking (sneakers are ok)

Rain Jacket or poncho

Shorts and t's and all that good fun in the sun wear is necessary as well. Especially if you are here in March/April when it is the HOTTEST!

Answer 3

Good question: Especially since beautiful CR has multiple sub-climates & weather is varied throughout the whole country. CR has only two seasons; rainy/wet & Hot/dry, with their summers opposite ours...so our summer is their winter & our winter is their summer. With only two seasons travel to CR is either in the high season Dec-May; low season June-Nov. So watch for pricing to be high in the high season.

As far as clothing: Dress comfortable & light, only need a windbreaker, rain gear, & maybe a light jak for eves/early morns. The mountain areas do get cool at times...you can be driving in the lowlands seeing 80 degrees plus & as soon as you begin incline toward the higher elevations the temp drops, quickly. One morning we drove through mountains from Pacific coaast it was 82 degrees, by the time we reached the highest elevation it was 41 degrees. Arenal area (volcano sites) is a bit dryer with warm temps & only cool eves/am's averaging 60's & 70's which warms up really fast once the sun shows its radiant self. The rainforest is an area you will want to wear hiking type attire; a safari hat, zip-off Khakis,light windbreaker (if too wet), bug repellant,hiking boots(good tread for gripping) lots of water to drink. Travel to Costa Rica is best done with bringing as little as you can get by with, weight is a heavy (no pun intended) factor when flying, especially if you intend to take the hop flight from main International airport. Comfy shoes, sneakers, loafers,water shoes,hiking shoes,sandals. Dressing up to anywhere is hardly an issue, most all places are totally casual...and if you do go out for an evening la-di-da reservation only type place, a sundress is your best choice & the guys khakis & sport shirt. Very tropical environment~ VERY HOT in Jan/Feb/Mar although the average temps usually range 70-87 degrees overall. I have included my past posting which includes alot of info you may gain by reading>

"Highly suggest to go online & visit www.dominical.biz www.Uvita.biz...or visit Costa Rica forums online such as an excellent one call WeLoveCostaRica.com.

Try looking for B&B's, Bungalows, & Villas for real pleasurable stays in Costa Rica. I reccomend visiting the South Pacific coast if you love Rainforest, surf,beach life,monkeys,Toucans,beautiful avian life as well as versatil fauna, surrounded by warm temperatures. Costa Rica has multiple temperatures, due to multiple(7) sub climates.

If you do visit the South Pacific area, I highly reccommend the Manuel Antonio area, Dominical/Dominicalito/Uvita/Ojochal & Drake Bay areas! We stayed in awesome places every time & met wonderful people! Try looking at The Monkey House when searching Dominical.biz, or try The LookOut ( www.hotelcostarica.com) in Ojochal( tell them Sandy referred you!), also Incognito in Dominical...as well asVillas Rio MAr (www.villasriomar.com...all terrific places.

Restaurants are of plenty, we choose Tico style food while there as well as lot's of fresh caught/cooked fish! Excellent eating places we enjoyed: La Parcela (great views too), Mallena Bellina in Uvita, The Chef's Table (fine dining/reservation only) have lodging too, see online site at: www.villasdelasaves.com (tell them Sandy referred you)

Citrus or Exotica in Ojochal de osa

Stuff to do: scuba/snorkel, Whale/Dolphin watching,great deep sea fishing(but expensive), Canopy &White water Rafting, Waterfalls galore, Our favorite is the Nauyaca Waterfall Horseback absolutely breathtaking even for the non-experienced rider...just $40 for a full day 7am-2pm all meals & swim at the falls! (they also are online with mini movie of falls)

Hope I have helped you a bit...there is so much more!

Enjoy you visit...Pura~Vida!

21 hours ago - Edit - Delete

Source(s):

many visits to CR

property owner there

frequent return visits to CR =personal experience

Answer 4

It depends on which volcano and which rainforest.  If you will be up in the Talamanca mountains, you'll want a fleece jacket and long pants.  At lower elevations, you'll not want the fleece, but may want a light windbreaker in the evening if you are cold natured. Long pants are still useful for hiking--less skin for insects or scratchy plants to get at.  Lots of folks bring the kind w/ zip-off legs since in a pinch you can zip off the legs and turn them into shorts.

Nylon or polyester pants, shorts, shirts, socks and undies dry quick, both when you are wearing them and when you take them off,  which is good for decreasing the warm damp environment in which fungi like athletes foot like to grow.  

An umbrella is generally more useful than a rain jacket. Rain jackets are too hot and you'll get almost as wet sweating inside them.

Don't forget a hat and sunglasses.  Hatless travelers get both sunburned and tend to have headaches.

A set of clothes just for hiking that you change out of in the evening and wear again for hiking the next day helps you reduce the amount of stuff you have to carry, since if you get wet, you can let them dry out in your room--and when you are out hiking, nobody cares if you are wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday.  An evening change into another set of comfortable shoes is nice.

January-April is the dry season, you'll want an umbrella, but may not see much rain (maybe a shower), but from late April on, you'll likely encounter rain showers or heavy rains (by July) every day.

Bring good binoculars, you'll discover that there are fabulously colored birds and other wildlife (sloths, coatimundi, monkeys) you'll want to see up close.  

If you plan on buying a camera to take consider the sanyo xacti e1 (takes still photos and video clips and is waterproof)

When I take students there I give them this list:

hat

sunglasses

umbrella

lightweight clothes (nylon and polyester (aka microfiber))

shoes for hiking (trail runners are fine)

extra socks

comfy shoes for evening

fleece jacket--if you'll be up in the higher mtns

swim suit & flipflops

small backpack (aka bookbag)

sunscreen (waterproof)

insect repellent can be useful (but use a low % deet formulation for the sake of the environment)

binoculars

camera (if digital, don't forget the charger, and bring some extra memory sticks, a couple of gig will prob. do)

a couple of paperback books to read in the evening (12 hour tropical days/nights means you wake up at 6 with the sun and the sun goes down at 6 w/ little twilight)

a journal notebook to record your memories and a couple of pens

extra passport photo

waterbottle (don't waste your money on nalgene or fancy hydration systems, which you'd hate to lose. A couple of regular water bottles from the grocery are fine and you can refill them from the tap most places and buy others if you lose them--CR water supply is as safe as that of US cities.  Expect to drink 2 liters/day min. to stay healthy).

Have a great trip.