What I Packed and Wore in Costa Rica

 If you follow me on Instagram you saw that I recently spent about a week in Costa Rica (9 days including travel days) with three of my dearest friends. Our itinerary included one night in San Jose to reset after redeye flights and ~12 hours total travel time from Seattle, two nights in Quepos to explore Manuel Antonio National Park (you can click on the links to read the posts), a stop at the stunning Starbucks Hacienda Alsacia Coffee Farm, two nights at the stunning Tabacón Resort & Spa near La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano that included a nature walk at the Mistico Hanging Bridges, and three nights at a resort on the Gulf of Papagayo in Guanacaste before flying home from the Liberia Guanacaste airport. I packed my Rimowa Essential Cabin Luggage (a Christmas present from my husband to replace my heavier, well-loved Tumi Aluminum carry-on) and my Tumi Voyageur Contine Weekender bag for this trip with a variety of mostly casual/athletic wear pieces to mix, match, and rewear throughout the week. Please continue reading to see photos and details of all of the pieces I packed and wore in Costa Rica.

We planned to spend quite a bit of time adventuring outdoors during our week in Costa Rica, and with April being a transitional month between the dry season and rainy season I expected sunshine, hot temperatures, and humidity. That meant packing lightweight, moisture-wicking athletic pieces that I could mix and match throughout the week including a pair of long pants, a pair of shorts, several tanks, one short sleeved tee, two baseball caps, hiking sandals, sneakers, and a small sling bag that fit my reusable water bottle and essentials. Not pictured (I completely forgot to take an airport selfie!) is my airplane outfit that consisted of a favorite pair of travel pants and long sleeve tee that I have also linked below.

Pants: current style with cargo pockets here or tapered leg version here

Tank: exact here or racerback version here

Sandals: exact style current colorways here and here

Baseball cap: current version here

Sling bag: current version here or here

Sunglasses: exact here

Mosquito bracelets: exact here

Airport outfit pants (not pictured but a favorite of mine: exact here

Airport outfit long sleeve top: exact here

Pants: current style with cargo pockets here or tapered leg version here

Tank: exact here or racerback version here

Sneakers: newer version here (available in 6 colors)

Sling bag: current version here or here

Sunglasses: exact here

Mosquito bracelets: exact here

Shorts: exact here (available in 4 colors)

Tank: exact here or racerback version here

Tee: exact here (available in 17 colors!)

Hiking Sandals: exact style current colorways here and here

Flip Flops: exact here

Baseball cap: exact here (available in 7 colors)

Sunglasses: exact here

Mosquito bracelets: exact here

Raffia Bag: similar here or here

In addition to the above outfits for outdoor hikes and walks, I packed two pairs of casual shorts and three button up shirts to rotate. These outfits worked well for days where we were driving from one area to another, our stop at the Starbucks coffee farm, relaxing at our resort in the Gulf of Papagayo, and the sunset catamaran sail. In hindsight, I did not need three casual button-up shirts and could have done just fine with two and will note that for my next tropical vacation. Flip flops and a small raffia bag were my go-to accessories for these looks.

Green/White Button-up Shirt: exact here

White button-up shirt: exact here

Crop button-up shirt: similar here

Tank: exact here

White Tailored Shorts: similar here or here

Denim shorts: exact here or here

Flip Flops: exact here

Sunglasses: exact here

Mosquito bracelets: exact here

Raffia Bag: similar here or here

Of course, swimsuits are essential to pack for a Costa Rica vacation. I packed three suits to wear throughout the week so that I always had a dry suit for afternoons at the hotel pool during the hottest part of the day in Manuel Antonio, dipping in the thermal pools at Tabacon Resort & Spa near the Arenal volcano, and relaxing days in the pool and Pacific Ocean in Guanacaste. I rave about these Vetchy suits nonstop, especially now that they make DD tops, because they fit so well and are extremely flattering. I don't get paid for these links, I just love them that much. The third mint green set is from a company called Berlook that I kept seeing ads for on Instagram. I followed the size chart, but found that the pieces fit a bit large and if I were to order from them again I would size down. I really like the color, though! In addition to these three swimsuits, I also packed two coverups.

Bikini Set: exact here (I am wearing a Small DD+ top and Small bottoms)

Bikini Set: exact here (I am wearing a Small DD+ top and Small bottoms)

Bikini Set: exact top here and bottom here (I am wearing a size Medium top and Small bottom)

Coverup: similar here or here

Coverup: exact here and here

The final pieces in my packing list were two dresses and one romper that I wore throughout the week for dinners/evenings. Since the temperatures in the evenings were still quite warm, I made sure to pack lightweight linen, poly, and silk fabrics. I packed one pair of heeled sandals and the small raffia bag I mentioned above to wear with all of these looks.

Hi-Low Dress: similar here

Wrap Mini Dress: exact here or similar here or here

Romper: newer version here

Heeled Sandals: exact here

Bag: leather version here

That wraps up my Costa Rica packing list! I am glad I packed light with carry-on luggage only, since we moved around quite a bit during our week exploring the country. Thank you for reading through my Costa Rica series, and I would love to hear how you pack for similar trips in the comments below. Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope you have a fabulous week!