The Complete Guide to Camping in Costa Rica

This post shares everything you need to know about camping in Costa Rica, the best way to experience the pristine nature of this special country.

Sleeping on deserted beaches, waking up to the sound of toucans and macaws, and spying monkeys in trees around your site – this is camping in Costa Rica.

This article may contain affiliate / compensated links, that may earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you. For full information, please see our disclaimer here. While all efforts have been taken to ensure the information included in this post is correct and current, travel information such as opening hours, business operations and prices change frequently. If you find anything in this post that is incorrect or outdated please let me know in the comments so I can update it for other readers.

Why go camping in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is home to some of the most pristine nature in all of Latin America. Long stretches of empty, undeveloped coastline meet lush rainforest crawling with native wildlife. Throw in magical cloud forests, verdant mountains, and valleys filled with waterfalls, and the result is one special place – Costa Rica.

In a country so lauded for its nature, camping in Costa Rica gives you the opportunity to completely immerse yourself in the outdoors. Not just during the day, but 24/7. Sleep to the sound of the waves, wake up to the sunrise and spend all your time soaking up the natural beauty.

Whether you’re honeymooning in Costa Rica, adventuring with friends or taking a family holiday, camping is a unique way to experience this magical country.

All this pristine and protected nature means there are plenty of gorgeous places to pitch a tent or pull up your camper. And best of all? You can do it for free in most places as wild camping is legal in Costa Rica. 

In addition, Costa Rica is a relatively small country, making it a great place for a road trip. Exploring with your own vehicle is the best way to get around, giving you freedom and flexibility to get off the beaten track, and avoid inconvenient public transport and expensive tourist shuttles.

Having a camping set-up means you’ve got transport, accommodation and a kitchen all in one, saving money on hotels, eating out and many tours. A bonus if you’re trying to travel Costa Rica on a budget , one of the more expensive Latin American countries to visit.

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How to go camping in Costa Rica

Unless you’re living in Costa Rica and already have your own car and camping gear, working out how to go camping in a foreign country is a valid consideration.

If you’re thinking about camping in Costa Rica, chances are you have your own camping set-up in your home country, but for most, it’s not possible to transport this to Costa Rica.

So, there are a couple of different options to consider for your camping in Costa Rica set-up.

Drive your own car to Costa Rica

Road-tripping through Mexico and Central America is a common route for overlanders. Whether you’re from the USA or Canada and have driven your own car/van/truck to Costa Rica, or you’ve flown in and bought one already somewhere in the region, this is the simplest way to go camping in Costa Rica. You’ve already got your set-up sorted, but hopefully, this post helps with other elements of the experience of camping in Costa Rica.

Rent a car and bring/buy a tent

If you’re on a tight budget, but still want the experience of road-tripping and camping in Costa Rica, the cheapest way would be to rent a standard car and bring or buy a tent and some basic camping gear. San Jose is the best place to rent a car, and there are some big shopping malls and a Walmart in the area if you decide to buy gear when you arrive.

Rent a campervan

There are a couple of companies in Costa Rica that rent kitted-out campervans. The terminology changes in different countries, but to me, a campervan is a van that has been permanently fitted out for camping, with a built-in bed, kitchen etc. These are less common and can be hard to find as rentals are generally from small and informal businesses, or individuals renting out their own van.

Rent a 4×4 from Nomad America

What we did, and what we think is the best way to go camping in Costa Rica, is to rent a fully equipped 4×4 vehicle from Nomad America. They have a range of 4×4 cars for rent (giving you complete freedom on Costa Rica’s crappy roads, more on that below!), all with a rooftop tent and all the camping gear you need to comfortably sleep, cook meals, and explore Costa Rica!

🛻 Thinking about renting a Nomad America 4×4 camper to see Costa Rica? Read our full review of Nomad America and our experience camping and road tripping in one of their Toyota Troopys

Driving in Costa Rica

Driving in Costa Rica is relatively straightforward and there isn’t anything too major to be concerned about. They drive on the right-hand side, road signs are mostly clear and prevalent, speed limits sit around a maximum of 80 km/h and the locals aren’t the craziest drivers we’ve experienced in Latin America!

I’ve got some more tips about driving in Costa Rica in my road trip guide.

Road conditions in Costa Rica

The major problem with driving in Costa Rica is the quality of the roads. The question ‘Do I need a 4×4 to see Costa Rica?’ is a common one for travellers and we wondered the same thing.

Many of the major roads in Costa Rica are in great condition, and driving is a breeze. But, so many more of them are not. A lot of roads are unpaved, and those that are paved, are actually in worse condition as they are so full of potholes!

This is common all over the country, even in areas that are very popular with tourists. Add in the fact that many of the roads are narrow and winding in the mountains, or prone to flooding on the coast, and you’ve got some tricky conditions to contend with.

So do you really need a 4×4? That depends.

If you’re visiting on a short trip and just hitting some of the more popular highlights like La Fortuna and Manuel Antonio, no. You will definitely encounter roads in very bad condition, that are unpaved or littered with potholes, but if you drive slowly and carefully you would be fine.

But having a 4×4 gives you complete freedom, flexibility and peace of mind, and if you want to get a little further off the beaten track, I would encourage you to consider it. We LOVED driving our Land Cruiser Troopy from Nomad America (aka the greatest car of all time) and we had zero concerns about where we could take it.

Whilst you might be able to easily travel between destinations without a 4×4, some of the best parts of Costa Rica are down dirt roads. Hidden waterfalls, beachfront camp spots and palm-lined tracks that are just begging to be explored are much more accessible with a 4×4.

Many road trippers worry about the routes given by Google Maps vs Waze, and you need to research which roads are passable for many destinations, rather than trusting the apps. But we just put in our destination and followed the route blindly because it didn’t matter at all where it took us, or how bad the roads were, we could do it in the Troopy.

There are some destinations I wouldn’t visit without one, such as parts of the Nicoya Peninsula and Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula. These places had the worst roads we encountered, which were pretty much all unpaved, steep, and bumpy, and river crossings were required for the most direct routes.

If you don’t opt for a 4×4 you do need to be aware that many routes do involve river crossings. This might seem crazy in your home country, but in Costa Rica, having a main road pass through a river is pretty normal, and locals do it every day. Some crossings are only passable in the dry season, even for 4x4s, and in the wet season, you have to take a big detour. But regular cars would not be able to do this at any time of the year, so you need to carefully research if your routes involve river crossings and work out alternatives if you don’t have a 4×4.

Nomad America is the best of both worlds. A 4×4 to give you complete freedom to drive literally anywhere without worry, AND a great camping set-up all in one.

How to find spots to camp

Finding a spot to park up or pitch your tent is very easy in Costa Rica. The app iOverlander is the best place to start, a visual map with camp spots that have been reviewed by other travellers, often with photos and general information about the amenities available at the site.

Nomad America also has an incredible custom Google Map that shares mainly paid campgrounds all over the country, that have been vetted and reviewed by previous road trippers.

Wild v paid campgrounds

There are two main types of camping in Costa Rica:

• Wild camping, where you park in nature for free
• Paid campgrounds, where you stay at a formal site with amenities

Wild camping

Wild camping is legal in Costa Rica, and this means you can technically camp in most public places for free. In reality, the manifestation of most wild camping in Costa Rica is on beaches with public access. The main rule you need to follow is that you cannot drive and camp on the beach, you must remain behind or under the line of palm trees you will see on most beaches.

Wild camping in Costa Rica is exactly as the name suggests – wild. You won’t have any amenities or facilities, you are sleeping in nature. For the most part, this means no toilets, no showers, no electricity, no access to water and no shelter. It’s just you and nature.

At times this is uncomfortable, unhygienic and frustrating. But what supersedes all these feelings, is being totally immersed and in sync with some of the most pristine nature in the world. Parking under the shade of a grove of palm trees, waking up to a stunning, empty beach. Watching the stars at night without any light pollution, and falling asleep to the sound of the waves. Most of the time you’ll be the only one around. The fact that you don’t have any of those basic comforts makes it even more special.

Although legally you can pretty much pull up anywhere and camp, we would still recommend using iOverlander to find verified and safe places to park. It’s not always easy to find public, open places that are viable for you to park and camp, but iOverlander does the work for you. You can filter by type of campground if you’re looking specifically for free and wild spots.

It’s comforting to read recent reviews and ensure other campers have had positive experiences. Although rare, sometimes reviews will alert you to issues around theft, or unsavoury characters known to be hanging around or drinking in the area, and you can steer clear.

Our favourite wild camping spots

• Playa San Miguel, Nicoya Peninsula – just you, the palm trees and a couple of friendly dogs
• Playa Palmeras, Montezuma – rock pools right in front for your morning shower and easy access to town
• Playa Dominicalito, Dominical  – walking distance to a free waterfall for a shower, a great café for a meal (and toilet), and stunning beachfront views

Paid campgrounds

There are a number of established campgrounds around Costa Rica where you can pay to set up. These sites have more amenities, usually offering toilets, cold showers, lights and electricity, Wi-Fi if you’re lucky and sometimes communal kitchen facilities and sheltered areas.

Another benefit of paid campgrounds is security, with many of them having gates and fences, so there’s less chance of people wandering around, and you can (usually) comfortably leave your gear out on your site. The quality of these campsites varies a lot, but you should expect pretty basic.

There are many specific campgrounds that just offer camping services. But often the paid sites you will find on iOverlander are hotels, hostels or natural attractions that already have facilities that they also offer to campers.

If you’re specifically looking for a paid campground, I would also recommend doing a quick Google search ‘destination name + camping’. Although iOverlander is a great resource, sometimes there are places offering camping that aren’t featured, mainly because they are a business primarily offering something else (hotel, hostel, natural attraction) and they have recently decided to offer camping too.

Paid campgrounds generally charge around 3,000 – 6,000 Colones ($5 – $10 USD) and they charge per person, not per site. It’s actually not that cheap, considering the amenities were basic at best in most of the places we stayed, but when you need a shower, you need a shower!

Our favourite paid camping spots

• Catarata Vuelta del Cañon, Bajos del Toro – basic, but cheap with gorgeous mountain views, no crowds and friendly dogs and cows. Oh and access to the best waterfall in Costa Rica!
• Higuerón Rooftop Tent Camping, Monteverde – absolutely incredible mountain views and the cleanest, hottest shower of our whole trip!
• Casa Viva, Uvita – the cheapest option in Uvita with great Wi-Fi, surrounded by palm trees and a sneaky secret access point to Playa Uvita which is normally paid only.

Our camping road trip itinerary

I’ve written a separate Costa Rica road trip guide, that covers our complete itinerary, as well as more specific details on the driving side of things. If you’re keen to see Costa Rica by car, but the camping element isn’t really your thing, head over there.

But here is a brief overview of our suggested camping road trip route through Costa Rica:

• Puerto Viejo
• Bajos del Toro
• La Fortuna
• Monteverde
• Montezuma
• Manuel Antonio
• Uvita
• Drake Bay
• Dominical

GET OUR COSTA RICA ROAD TRIP GUIDE

A 23-page mini road trip guide for Costa Rica, including our route and itinerary plus where to eat, stay and play in 9 destinations.

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Camping basics in Costa Rica

Let’s face it, no matter where you are camping, it can be tedious to do even the most basic of tasks. There’s no fridge to keep your food cold, making a cup of coffee takes half an hour, dishes can’t be thrown in a dishwasher and phones run out of battery quicker than we ever noticed.

When you don’t have access to the basic amenities most of us are used to in modern life, it can be frustrating and uncomfortable. With some careful planning and consideration, you can overcome or work around most of these issues and try and make camping in Costa Rica as comfortable as possible. Here’s how we navigated the age-old camping issues.

Keeping food cold

Part of the appeal of camping in Costa Rica is that you have your own kitchen on-board, and can cook at least some meals to save money. But the major challenge when it comes to camp cooking is storing food and keeping things cold. And having ice on tap to put in your fresh coconuts!

Unless you’ve got a very fancy campervan set up with a built-in fridge and battery system, you’ll most likely have a cooler box and ice. We had a large chest-style box included with our Nomad America rental, which we topped with ice every couple of days.

Ice is sold at most supermarkets and some smaller convenience stores. We didn’t have any trouble finding it, but we always made sure we grabbed it if we needed it before heading anywhere really remote.

Ice was surprisingly quite expensive. Most places sold a smaller bag (1.5-3 kg) and a larger option (5kg). Smaller bags were 1,000 – 2,500 Colones ($1.80 – $4.60 USD), and larger bags were around 2,000 –  3,500 ($3.70 – $6.50 USD).

The warm weather in Costa Rica meant ice didn’t last as long as we would have liked, and by day three, it was pretty much just cold water. We found it was better to totally fill the cooler with a couple of bags, rather than doing individual bags which seemed to melt within a matter of hours!

Finding water

Water is a hot commodity when camping. There are a couple of different things you need water for, and how to find it will differ accordingly.

Firstly is water for drinking and cooking. Most places in Costa Rica have clean drinking water which makes this easier. Note most, and make sure you do a quick Google search or ask a local, as this doesn’t apply in more remote areas like Drake Bay, the Nicoya Peninsula and most of the Caribbean.

However, you need some kind of vessel for storing water, as there is not always access to taps, especially if you’re wild camping. If you’re staying at a paid campground outside of these areas, there should be a tap with clean drinking water.

Although we don’t like buying plastic bottles, we decided to buy 2 x 6-litre bottles of water that we could use to store water. When we knew we were going to be wild camping and outside of civilisation, we would be sure to fill these bottles up in advance with safe drinking water.

We planned to do this when we were staying at paid campgrounds, by looking at water points on iOverlander, or at a paid top-up water station which you will occasionally see in supermarkets and gas stations. 12 litres easily gave us enough water for 3+ nights.

Secondly, is water for rinsing, dishes or showering (if you’re lucky enough to have a shower). Our Nomad America rental included a 20-litre pipe attached to the roof rack and a hose attachment with a shower head. It wasn’t a ‘proper’ shower, but we were so happy to have this as it meant we could rinse the salt and sand off at the beach, and at least have a quick rinse off in the evenings before bed.

We needed to fill this pipe up with a hose, which we found at gas stations, paid campgrounds and often just from random shops or points on the street. This water doesn’t need to be safe to drink, it just needs to be fresh so it was less of a concern where we got it from.

Electricity

Light for nighttime and charge for electronic devices are the main things to consider when it comes to electricity.

We had no problems with light in the evenings. Our Nomad America rental came with strip LED lighting that we could plug into our car in the evenings. The car didn’t have a second battery system, but the lights didn’t use a lot of power and we never killed the car battery. They also gave us a couple of USB rechargeable lights and lanterns. In addition, we always travel with USB rechargeable head torches and they really came in handy.

For charging devices, most cars will have some kind of power outlet to charge whilst driving, whether that’s a 12v or USB plug. Nomad America included a 12v power converter, which had multiple USB sockets, a USB-C socket, and standard power points so we were able to plug in laptops, phones, cameras, head torches and lights whilst we were driving.

Don’t forget to charge your devices while you’re driving, as your car won’t have any power while it’s off, and you can easily drain the battery trying to charge when you’re not driving.

We also travel with a power bank, so we could charge our phones in the tent at night. We just remembered to plug the bank in to charge each day when we started driving.

Cooking

If you’re renting from Nomad America, you’ll be stocked with all the kitchen gear you need to cook some delicious meals!

We had two butane gas stoves, with an initial supply of gas canisters. I would recommend stocking up on extra gas at the beginning, and always having at least one spare canister. It wasn’t difficult to find gas, but it definitely wasn’t available at every supermarket we went to. I would suggest thinking ahead if you’re going to smaller destinations, and stocking up in bigger towns.

The benefit of renting from an agency like Nomad America or a similar campervan rental company was that we didn’t have to worry about buying or bringing all the little bits and pieces needed to cook. We had everything from a chopping board to pots and pans, a traditional Costa Rican coffee maker and all cutlery, crockery and cooking utensils.

Groceries and fresh produce are pretty easy to come by in Costa Rica. However the smaller the town, the less variety you will find. We tried to plan our meals around a week in advance and stock up on all dry ingredients in bigger towns where there was more choice. Then we purchased our fruit and vegetables when we needed them, as this is usually pretty easy to find even in the smallest of towns.

Toilets

Not the nicest topic, but something you have to think about when camping in Costa Rica. If you’re staying at paid campgrounds, you’ll definitely have access to a toilet, which is the easiest option.

If you want to wild camp, you’ll be saving money, but sacrificing guaranteed access to the loo! If you’re a guy, you’ve got number 1 sorted pretty easily. Girls, if you’re camping on the beach, the ocean is your go-to for number 1, or a squat behind a tree if you’re desperate at night.

Number 2 is a little more complicated… Unless you’re wild camping somewhere very remote, there are usually restaurants or accommodations around. Preparation is key here, and you have to plan your business a little more than usual.

If you’re eating out at all, or doing any activities during the day, be sure to take advantage of the toilet when you have it. Gas stations and big supermarkets usually have toilets available for free. In some beaches or towns, you will find public toilets available for a small fee. Just be sure to scout out your options before unpacking the car and setting up for the night. Try to arrive at camp relieved if you can!

If all else fails, Nomad America provides a shovel for you to dig a hole. If you do need to do your biz in the wild, be sure to follow some simple rules to be courteous to other people and protect the environment. Head as far away from populated areas as possible, finding some natural privacy in the meantime, and don’t go anywhere near a water source. Dig a hole, and be sure to cover it up when you’re finished. Bring toilet paper and/or baby wipes with you, but do not leave them in the wild. They are rubbish that needs to be disposed of correctly.

Showers

Less gross but believe me just as important. It is hot in Costa Rica and you are going to be sweaty, smelly, salty and dirty most days and dying for a shower!

Again, if you’re staying in paid campgrounds, you’ll have access to a (cold) shower. Easy.

If you’re wild camping, showering/cleaning is a bit trickier. As I mentioned above, our Nomad America Troopy came with a water pipe and hose attachment with a shower head. There is no shower tent, so this is simply for rinsing off in your swimwear, not proper naked showers. But we were so happy to have it nevertheless.

Again, with some careful planning, you can get clever about when and where to have a shower. Many natural attractions like waterfalls, and some beaches (mainly those in national parks) have shower blocks. Use them when you see them and try and get back to your car clean after a day’s activities.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be camping near a river, waterfall or other natural water source and you can combine an activity with a shower! We loved walking to Montezuma Waterfalls from our camp at Playa Palmeras in the morning for a swim, and to Cascada Poza Azul in Dominicalito.

Otherwise, buy a pack of baby wipes and a face washer/flannel and do it the old-fashioned way. Even after rinsing off in our outdoor shower, I would pop into the tent for a few minutes with some wipes and deodorant and do another round of scrubbing before getting into clean clothes.

To manage your personal hygiene and not end up dirty and smelly, we would recommend switching between wild and paid camping. Or, even factor in a couple of nights of accommodation in the middle of your trip to have a proper cleanup and refresh.

Phone service and wifi

We always recommend getting a local SIM card when you travel. It makes life so much easier, as so many daily things rely on your phone – checking reviews for restaurants, transferring money for ATM visits, researching places you’re visiting and so on. This is especially important when you’re camping in Costa Rica, as you’ll want to be looking for campsites, checking road conditions and making plans on the go.

We actually came to Costa Rica from Nicaragua and continued to use our SIM cards from there, as it was much cheaper than Costa Rica’s phone plans. But it’s easy enough to buy a SIM card when you arrive in Costa Rica, although their plans are quite expensive with not a lot of data included.

I was using the Claro network, and Brayden was using the Liberty network. The service was spotty at best and was probably the worst coverage we had experienced in Central America. Most of the campgrounds we stayed at had no phone service at all, and we were off-grid for days at a time.

If you stay at a paid campground, you should have wifi (of varying quality). Otherwise, most restaurants and cafes offer wifi, so we often bought a drink to sit in a soda and use their wifi if we didn’t have any phone service at our campsite. And then proceed to stand outside said soda in the dark at night on our phones!

Do be prepared for weak or no phone service in many of the places you are camping in Costa Rica. Take the chance to use your phone, and pre-download or organise anything you need to when you’re in a bigger town with service or wifi.

We often found ourselves wanting to research or plan out the following day’s activities, and realising we didn’t have any phone service, so try to think of all your ‘to do’s’ for the next day before you settle in for the night.

Weather in Costa Rica

If you’re a camper, you know the weather can make or break your camping experience. Camping in Costa Rica – a hot, wet and tropical climate – can be a little different to camping somewhere like the UK or Europe.

There are a couple of weather elements to consider when camping in Costa Rica, and the impact they will have on your experience – heat and rain. 

Heat and humidity

One of the main things I have been asked on Instagram about camping in Costa Rica is about the heat, and how we slept at night. Honestly, we didn’t find it that bad (but we do love hot and humid weather), but we had plenty of sweaty nights in the tent.

Our Nomad America rooftop tent was extremely big and spacious, and we could unzip windows on all four sides, with fly screening to keep the bugs out. Most nights, having a fresh air flow from all sides was enough to keep us cool. Although it is hot in the day, it does cool (slightly) in the evening, and a well-ventilated tent will usually match the outside temperature quicker than a house or building could.

If you’re renting a van, I would ensure that there is some ability to open windows, vents or doors whilst still having protection from bugs. You can’t sleep with your doors wide open, as you will be eaten alive by mosquitos, but face the risk of suffocating and overheating with all the doors closed!

A couple of things we did to handle the heat and make sleeping easier:

• Park in the shade – there are plenty of palm trees around, so choose a shady spot.
• Get the tent set up and airing out as early as possible – you don’t want to be setting up your tent minutes before you are climbing in for the night. It needs time to ventilate and cool, especially if it’s a rooftop that has been in the blaring sun all day.
• Try and get into bed feeling cool – if there is no breeze in the evening, you will find yourself sweaty and clammy before you’ve even gotten into your tent. We tried to cool our body temperature by having a cold shower right before bed (if we had the option), or using a flannel with cold, icy water from the cooler.
• Use a battery-operated fan – if you have one. Otherwise, bring in a cold washcloth to lay over your body when trying to fall asleep.

Don’t forget the highlands of Costa Rica are much cooler, so plan some time in places like Monteverde or Bajos del Toro, where you will have a reprieve from the heat. We were freezing at night and scrambling for more layers to wear – crazy!

Rain

Rain is my most hated element when camping, but in a country like Costa Rica, you need to prepare for a lot of it. Even in the dry season, rain is possible at any time, and usually in Costa Rica, when it rains, it pours.

The rain itself isn’t really a problem. You’ll usually get a good indication it’s coming, so make sure your tent is zipped up and car doors are closed. We had an awning included on our Nomad America car, that we could shelter under that during periods of rain. Definitely pack a raincoat, shoes that can get wet and quick dry clothing. Our tent stayed dry inside, albeit a little damp from the humidity.

The problem with rain is that when things get wet, they do not dry quickly in such a humid environment. If you’ve had a patch of rainy weather, you’re likely to have wet clothes, wet towels, wet shoes and wet tents and awnings that end up stinky, soggy and smelly. The ground is muddy, so therefore your car, tent or van is dirty and it can feel like you’ll never be clean or dry again!

As soon as the sun comes out, these should all dry quickly. Be sure to pack a long rope/string, or travel clothesline that you can string up between palm trees. But if you know you’ve got a patch of bad weather coming, we would recommend looking for a paid campground as many of them have drive-under shelters, so you’ve got an added layer of protection. Or, spring for accommodation for a night or two, and get everything dry and clean.

Safety when camping in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a generally safe place to travel and is considered one of the safest countries in Central America. Crime rates are low and police don’t have a bad reputation for corruption like they do in some other Latin American countries. We felt completely safe exploring the country for 5 weeks, sleeping in remote places all alone and driving around.

But as always, you should take precautions, and there are a couple of things to consider when it comes to safety for camping in Costa Rica.

Theft

Opportunistic theft is probably the biggest thing you need to worry about when camping in Costa Rica. Especially when you’re wild camping, as you’re essentially out in public, on display. If you’ve done any research about travelling in Costa Rica, you will see repeated warnings about not leaving valuables in your car. Well, I’m afraid to say that’s not possible when everything you have is inside the car!

We never felt at risk, however in a couple of places we were repeatedly warned about theft, being Uvita and Dominical. This Costa Ballena area was the worst we visited, and many many locals and expats told us to be very careful with our things.

We always made sure to pack up most of our gear when we went to bed in the evenings. This means our cooler, chairs, table, and tub of cooking bits were stored in the car and locked. We didn’t leave anything out in sight that was easy to grab by someone wandering past.

We were also very cautious of where we left any electronics during the day. If we were going into the water for a swim, wandering off to find some coconuts or leaving the car even momentarily we hid away any cameras, phones or chargers.

We were comfortable leaving the car and tent set up and going out for a few hours. We just made sure anything outside was packed away, there was nothing left inside the tent, and any valuables were out of view from the windows. And of course, triple check all your doors are always locked!

Wildlife

A few people asked me on Instagram asked if we were scared of encountering any wild animals whilst camping. It’s a fair question, as Costa Rica is full of wildlife all over the country, in and out of national parks. Most of the animals you see are not dangerous though, and the majority of the time if you see wildlife at your campground, you will be ecstatic! We spotted monkeys, toucans and macaws on numerous occasions from different campsites.

We didn’t encounter any scaries like snakes, big spiders or insects. There are of course mosquitoes and other small bugs around every night, and at the beach, you are guaranteed to see hundreds of crabs around your site at night.

Avoid parking in any overgrown areas with long grass in case of snakes, or anywhere near an estuary as this is the most likely place to come across crocodiles. Give your tent a good scan before you climb in at night, and don’t walk around barefoot in the dark.

Packing list for camping in Costa Rica

This list isn’t an extensive packing list, rather these are some things you might not usually bring but will be invaluable for camping in Costa Rica.

• 🩴 Thongs – aka flip flops for my non-Aussies. Good to have for communal showers, and also for around camp when it’s wet and muddy.
• 🧥 Raincoat – a given in Costa Rica.
• 🩳 Quick dry clothing – if you are camping in Costa Rica, you must favour practicality over fashion! Light, quick-dry clothing is best.
• 🔦 Head torches – the easiest way to have light at night, and a hands-free option is great for cooking and moving about camp.
• 🪭 Rechargeable or battery-operated fan – this is one thing we wish we had, but couldn’t find in the shops in Costa Rica and couldn’t have lugged around for the previous 5 months of travel. If you’re travelling solely to go camping in Costa Rica, buy one on Amazon and bring it with you!
• 🧻 Baby wipes and toilet paper – to clean yourself, for wild-toileting and to keep your campsite tidy and clean.
• 💧 Face washer – or flannel, or washcloth or whatever you call it! Another good thing to have for personal hygiene, but also to bring into your tent at night to keep cool.
• 🧖🏽‍♀️ Two sets of towels – you need beach and bath towels. With the humidity, towels do not dry overnight, and you don’t want to use a wet, salty beach towel when you finally get access to a shower! We bought some bath towels at Walmart, but pack extras if you’re coming straight to Costa Rica. You can never get enough towels when camping.
• 🔋 Power bank – for an extra hit of charge at night when you’re not driving, and so you can charge phones inside your tent.
• 🦟 Insect repellent – a chemical-free natural alternative is best. Also, consider buying or bringing some citronella candles or incense for around your campsite. We even bought incense into the tent in the evening on a plate.
• 🧴 Reef-safe sunscreen – only use it when absolutely necessary, and please remember reef-safe can still be harmful to water sources.
• 🪢 String or a travel clothesline – to set up on palm trees around camp and dry towels, swimwear and clothes. A few pegs don’t hurt either for windy days.
• 🥡 Food containers – one thing we felt was missing in our Nomad America set-up was containers to store leftovers, chopped fruit and other snacks. We always travel with a couple of collapsible containers but we also bought a set from Walmart in Costa Rica.
• 🚰 Reusable water bottles – no single-use plastic bottles! Buy a large plastic water bottle at the beginning and top up your reusable bottle as you go.
• 🛍️ Reusable grocery bags – for your supermarket trips and fresh fruit and produce, then you don’t need to accept single-use plastic bags.
• 🧉 Stainless steel straws – for all your fresh coconuts!
• 👀 Binoculars – a handy addition to any Costa Rica packing list, we wish we had some with us. Both for around camp, when we spotted birds and animals, but especially for national park visits.
• 🐶 Dog treats – you’ll meet some sweet local dogs hanging around your campsite. Most don’t have a permanent home, and could use some love, affection and a treat! Buy some when you do your groceries to keep around camp.

Camping in Costa Rica was one of the greatest travel adventures we have ever had. Spending every waking moment in some of the world’s most beautiful nature, having the freedom to explore outside of the main tourist areas, and sleep on deserted beaches with unique wildlife was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is undoubtedly the best way to see the country, and I hope this post has helped you plan your own trip camping in Costa Rica!

MORE COSTA RICA POSTS

• The Ultimate Costa Rica Road Trip Guide & Itinerary
• Nomad America 4×4 Camper Rental in Costa Rica – Our Review
• Costa Rica On A Budget: How Expensive is Costa Rica?
• 10 Best Beach Towns in Costa Rica: Which is Right For You?