Clothes for Costa Rica
 

Is a pair of pants necessary for our June visit to Arenal and Bosque del Cabo? I've ready it's necessary to protect against insect bites and the brush when hiking the rainforest.

Surely you mean LONG pants?

Zipoffs are very handy. That said, at Bosque del Cabo and Arenal, I always wear shorts. Hiking in the rainforest, too. Longer shorts or lightweight pants are good to have for horseback riding, but not absolutely necessary. BdC offers an excellent horseback tour, inexpensive, wonderfully scenic, through the forest and on the beach. Repellent is a good thing to have, of course, but you don't have to have long pants.

I'm totally cracking up at Davy1961's response. :-))

I like the zipoffs as well, redconley. That way you have the choice between shorts and long pants. The BdC trails are well maintained so you won't be trampling through the underbrush, but still want to exercise caution about touching trees or boulders as you hike as they can house various biting critters and sharp or thorny edges. I think I hiked in all pant lengths last year (shorts, capri, long) and didn't encounter any issues.

I have to say 'bring zip-offs' so you have the best of both worlds. I know for a fact that there are people that attract mosquitos and there are people who never get bitten. I am one of those whom mosquitos arrow in on while my husband does not get one single bite. Either long pants or be liberal with the repellant.

I'd bring at least one pair of lightweight pants or capris. Good for hiking, ziplining, horseback riding, etc.

An acquaintance just came back from CR & had quite a revealing show from some girls doing the zipline. Their shorts were too short, & I'll leave the rest to your imagination.