What are "must haves" to pack for our 2 week trip to costa rica?

There have been many posts regarding packing lists for Costa Rica--you may want to do a search on this board. Not sure what you mean by "must haves"--after all, for some underwear would be a must have, for others--not. Oh my, did I even SAY that????

Seriously: These are a FEW must haves:

sunscreen

insect repellent (Ultrathon is good)

camera--include a water camera as well

zip loc baggies, large and small

journal!

1 pair long pants or capris

t-shirts,

swimsuits/cover up

tennis shoes (or hiking shoes)

flip flops

light jacket or long sleeved t-shirt
prescription drugs

Map of Costa Rica if driving--or even if not driving!

guide book or two

AT&T phone card

Spanish phrase book--very helpful. ------I like the little blue turquoise Lonely Planet "Costa Rica Spanish Phrase Book"

Binoculars would be very handy, although we usually forget ours.

Copies of your passport so you can carry them with you and put the orig in a safety deposit box.


You know--the usual. Many would say umbrella and rain gear, but we have traveled there countless times without it and haven't missed it. You can buy an umbrella cheaply if you absolutely find yourself needing one.

I like to take a daypack and actually use it as a purse--on the plane and around the country. I take a little zip purse for money, credit cards, change, and keep it in my backpack. We actually split our cash and credit cards up and keep in separate places.

Number 1 "must have": A BIG smile, relaxed, easy going attitude so you can slip into "manana time" without too much of a culture shock! You'll also need a little patience because life moves along at a slower pace. Everyone expects a "hello, how are you today" before bombarding them with questions and requests!

Others will have additional ideas, and I have probably forgotten something that is a must have for sure, but hopefully, between several responses, you can put together a list that will work for you!

One more thing: Don't pack clothes for 2 weeks--most hotels (even the very small ones) offer laundry service for very little money. As do the local lavenderias.

We tried to pack as lightly as possible. One backpack each and it worked out great.

The most useful things we had were:

a small backpack that folded up into a pouch - was great for dayhikes, tours, etc and it could easily be stored in our big backpacks when not using it (we got it from REI)

headlamp - we used this at one of our more remote hotels, also good for night reading

alarm clock was a must

ziplock bags were wonderful, would have never thought of them but they came in very handy

We used two bottles of bugspray

I wish we had had calamine lotion - i needed it and couldn't find any at the stores.

I took a couple sundresses and wish I had taken more t-shirts. It was just really casual where we were.

I ended up wearing my jean skirt almost every night at the beach because it was so hot.

I took woolite but never ended up washing my clothes there.

To the list above I will add - Ace bandage and Icy Hot Patches - All that traveling and hiking can sure cause some sore tired muscles!

And I hate to bring this up again!! (long time Fodorites - remember!) But those zipoff pants sure come in handy.

And I will point you to an old thread that just about covers everything!

Have an ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL TIME!!!!

http://fodors.com/forums/pgMessages....chText=packing

Another thing, in case it isn't in the thread dfarmer showed you--take a small first aid kit--bandaids, etc. Just in case you get a blister or two. We keep one in our main travel bag and it's always there.

A bottle opener for Pilsens!

If you don't know exactly what you'll be doing, you might check with your hotel, or a guidebook to find out what activities are around, and pack for those, too.

E.g., in the Osa, I was really happy to have secure waterproof sandals (Tevas) so we could do the river hike that the Corcovado Tent Camp does. Flip flops would have been lost down the river. In Monteverde or on the Caribbean coast, I'd bring a cheap, lightweight poncho.

On one trip, I stayed at a resort-type hotel whose restaurant had a dress code and - unlike jlh - wished I had brought something a bit nicer for dinner. But outside the Papagayo area resorts and maybe San Jose, I haven't encountered anything so dressy that a cotton skirt, flip flops, and a cotten shirt couldn't handle it. That resort (Occidental Grand Papagayo) also had some INTENSE a/c, and I needed a cardigan or wrap for dinner and for the bar.

Moral of the story: check with your hotel to see what activities/facilities they have.

I would definitely bring some type of light rain gear. Don't bother with an umbrella. So much depends on when and where you are going. I have traveled a lot down there and can't think of a trip that I didn't need something to protect me from heavy clouds or rain at least once during the trip. They even come in handy when visiting waterfalls. There is a lot of mist flying off of the La Paz waterfalls plus it is quite cool up there so getting wet can be uncomfortable. If you are going to be primarily in the Guanacaste area, it is possible that you might not need anything. We spend a lot of time hiking in cloud and rain forests. I have a small rain jacket that folds up into a little pouch that I hook to my fanny pack. I have needed it also for those volcano/cloud forest hikes where it can get quite cool and windy. For a place like Monteverde I would even include a longer sleeved shirt.

First aid kit....band aids, a campensino told me to put baby oil on a blister and it really helped so I always carry a small bottle. Antibiotics, benedryl for the itchies. Like Donna, we always have those Icy Hot patches for the old arthritis at the end of the day. Good for just plain sore muscles from overdoing it also.

I am one of those that does include at least one sun dress. It isn't fancy, just something to be comfortable in after hiking and sweating all day. I mostly wear it down on the Osa where it is hot and the dress is loose and cool. More of a comfort thing for me rather than to "dress".

Lots of sunscreen obviously.

A ball cap is really handy. It keeps the sun as well as rain out of your face and helps to hide those bad hair days that can happen in the more hot and humid areas and when at lodges that don't have enough electricity for curling irons and hairdryers.

Large trash bags for dirty clothes. Smaller ones for dirty shoes. When you reach your next destination do remove the items from the plastic bags. If they are damp they will mildew. Zip locs to protect the electronics and to keep leaky products from ruining clothes.

I use a large sized fanny pack rather than a backpack style day pack. It holds a lot and also has a couple of holders for water bottles. I personally find it much cooler to haul around.

A little bottle of beano might not hurt for all those beans and rice you will run into (;-).

If you don't want to wear a headlamp, then a pocket flashlight like a Maglight or something similar can help out a lot. In many areas, street lights are nonexistent or few and far between--even on hotel grounds. Plus brownouts and blackouts are not infrequent--we experienced three such episodes on our five-day visit to CR.

If you do plan on washing some clothes along the way, bring just a small amount of fabric softener. It can really make a difference.