What to Wear in Costa Rica for a 10 Day Trip

For me and my husband, packing for Costa Rica was fairly straightforward (whereas Packing for our baby and toddler is a different story)! We were determined to travel carry-on only on our 10-day trip to Costa Rica with our two very young kids. Before having kids, Donald and I always traveled carry-on only, so we have lots of experience packing light. We planned to re-wear some of the clothes we were bringing, and also brought along a travel laundry kit (which ended up being extremely handy).

HOT TIP: We used a local Costa Rica travel agentcy called Costa Rica Vacation (Namu Travel) and LOVED their suggestions and their high level of service. They had access to unique experiences and organized all the driving so we didn’t need to rent a car! As a bonus it cost LESS than if we had booked everything a la carte. Get $200 off with Costa Rica Vacations when you use this link, and if prompted mention you were referred by Kristen Manganini.

In Costa Rica, we planned to spend half the time near the hot springs and jungles of Volcan Arenal, and the other half on the beach in the surf town of Tamarindo. Packing a light suitcase for us was essential for our carry-on only plan. We had lots of travel-friendly baby gear in-tow (in addition to a non-walking baby and a potty-training 2-year old).

What to Wear in Costa Rica: Your Fashionable and Practical Costa Rica Packing List

Overall, Costa Rica is a fairly relaxed place, where you can be casual and colorful in your fashion choices. It is a tropical place year-round, sometimes humid, and often has tropical rainstorms. Including a tropical flair to your wardrobe is essential! Light, breathable fabrics, UPF clothings, and bug-repellency should all be considered when you are choosing what to wear in Costa Rica.

Being practical is important in Costa Rica, as the weather can be extreme (heat or rain). But a vacation is always more fun when you add a little twist to your look to match the vibe of your new surroundings. Especially is you’re staying in a gorgeous resort or eco retreat. Think: floral and tropical prints, bright colors mixed with neutrals, linen and light cotton, and summer lounge wear mixed with flowy resort-wear silhouettes.

Your packing list might differ slightly if you are packing for different activities. If you will be doing more strenuous activities, you may bring more athletic items. And if you are staying at a high end resort, you might be along more resort wear for nice dinners. What to wear in Costa Rica is very dependent on your plans, style of travel, and activities. If you’re planning a high-end girls trip to Costa Rica, your fashion choices would be very different than a modest family trip. Our mid-range itinerary to Costa Rica was perfect with our wild little boys — they never felt out of place or disruptive at the resorts, in town, or on excursions.

A Note about Travel Insurance: While Costa Rica is a very safe country, you don’t need any extra headaches when traveling. We purchased World Nomads travel insurance for about $250 for all 4 of us, just for the peace of mind. It covers a most of the common travel issues: from missed flights, to sickness, injuries, and stolen items.

Below is what I ended up packing in my carry-on backpack, and was just enough for what I needed for 10 days in Costa Rica.

Gorgeous and Lightweight Tops & Dresses to Pack For Costa Rica

• Two Basic Tank Tops: For daily wear, often with a bathing suit underneath.

• One Nicer Tank Top: For a nicer dinner out.

• One Loose T-shirt for when you want your shoulders covered but still need to be cool in the heat.

• A Versatile Sundress that can go from a coffee plantation, to the pool, to a restaurant in town. Bonus points for pockets!

• A Loose Floral Dress: Choose one that doubles as a Beach Cover Up so you can wander town, wearing your bathing suit underneath, so that you’ll always be ready for a last-minute beach stop.

• Light Long Sleeve Layer: This one has sun protection and doubles as a layer for chilly nights.

This is another long-sleeve option for a light long sleeve that is a little more stylish from Etsy.

Shorts & Pants to Pack to Keep you Cool in Costa Rica Humidity

• Quick Dry Hiking Shorts: Perfect for excursions and everyday wear.

• Hiking Capris: These long shorts from Columbia are my favorite hiking capris. they are halfway between shorts and pants, and not as long as regular capris. The waist band is semi-elastic, and not too long and heavy for very hot weather. They are also weightless and extremely packable!

• Denim Shorts: A lightweight baggy option is best for the humid stickiness of Costa Rica.

• Linen Shorts: Like denim, These should be lightweight and loose. They also were the most fashionable shorts I brought and so wore them quite often to town or dinners.

• Linen Pants: Perfect for walking to the pool, or for wearing to dinner after the sun goes down (sunset is around 5:30pm in Costa Rica in May, much earlier than in Boston!).

Accessories for your Costa Rica Packing List:

• Sun Hat: For those hot sunny days out and about. I wore my hat everyday in Costa Rica since the sun is so strong.

• RFID Crossbody bag: Essential to keep your valuables and passports safe while traveling.

• XL Packable Beach Bag that fits everything: Since getting this bag, it has been essential to all of my packing. I use it to put my personal item + jacket + lunch + random kids things in it on the plane so I can carry everything with one hand. At our destination it’s a perfect bag to keep bulky items (jackets or laundry) organized. Of course you can also use it for towels, snorkels, and snacks when you go to the pool or the beach! Oh and it’s less than $10 and comes in many colors.

• Travel Backpack: This one is a “personal item” perfect if you’re flying on an airline that charges extra for carry ons.

• Packable Rain Jacket: Essential for those afternoon rain showers. Costa Rica can be very wet.

• Polarized Sunglasses: It’s very hot and sunny in Costa Rica and eye protection is essential! I like these stylish and inexpensive sunglasses which are perfect for travel, as they are likely to get scratched or lost when on the road.

• Bathing Suit: Costa Rica is warm and there are pools, beaches and hot springs throughout the country. Wherever you end up in Costa Rica, you shouldn’t forget to pack a bathing suit!

• Travel Turkish Towel: This is an essential piece of your packing list for Costa Rica. A Lightweight cotton towel can double as a sarong skirt, or protext your shoulders from the sun. It fits easily into any beach bag or daypack for an impromptu hot spring stop or dip at the beach.

• A Note On Jewelry: You don’t need to pack much jewelry for traveling to Costa Rica, as the style isn’t so much glam as it is boho. I like to buy local jewelry once I arrive, as there plenty of touristy boho options to match your Costa Rica travel wardrobe. You’ll end up with some unique souvenirs to wear back home!

Packing Light for Family Trip with Toddlers to Costa Rica

Packing light for a trip to Costa Rica is fairly easy since the clothing is lightweight and not too many accessories are needed. When traveling as a family, packing can be a bit more tricky, but it is certainly doable. Check this post for tips on what to pack for a Toddler for Costa Rica. And for more on how to travel to Costa Rica with a Toddler and a Baby, check out this post.

I hope these tips help streamline your packing and make you carry-on Costa Rica dreams possible!

Happy Travels!

-Kristen