Hi,

We leave next week for Costa Rica and I'm trying to decide how many and what kind of shoes. The only hiking we'll do is to La Fortuna waterfalls, around the volcano. We'll also do hanging bridge tour in Arenal and a night hike in Monteverde. I hate to purchase new shoes for my 3 kids that they'll never wear again. Do they need Teva type sandals or a sturdier sea/shore shoe?? I assume we'll also take gym shoes and flip flops. Thanks for any advice.

You will get better results if you post this under the Latin American board, but I highly recommend Lands' End's sea to shore shoes for Costa Rica. Sandals allow too much stuff in (like twigs) for hiking. Oh, and be careful of biting ants! They got my oldest twice--they look like tiny harmless black ants but if you get on their trail they swarm and bite!

I just wore regular sneakers. It was fine. If you have Tevas, those are good, too. La Fortuna is pretty slippery and a little steep if you aren't careful, so it's important to have non-slippery shoes for that.

Loads of clothing and equipment threads about Costa Rica over on the Latin America branch.

I'm bringing two pair of good tennis shoes for each of my kids. When we hiked in the Pacific NW, we went to REI and bought them all hiking boots...worn only on that trip, of course, long since outgrown. (Big waste of money.)

We'll be in the same area the 11th-15th. If you see a family of 5 with a teenaged boy with wild red hair, that's us (it's poofy in the US...can't wait to see what it does in the rain forest!)

Thanks - I meant to post this in the LA branch...I think I'll do the gym shoes and sandals. Missypie, we don't leave until the 20th so hope to hear about your trip before we go???

How old are your kids?

My kids are 16, 14, and 9. What are your dates for your trip? You may be already gone!