From the jungle to the beaches to the gorgeous shalas at Bodhi Tree, this week is an opportunity to get into the more natural cycle of the season by literally immersing ourselves in nature. 

Reconnect with nature's cycles through yoga practice, excursions, and the unique beauty of Nosara by getting out of the hustle and bustle of regular life through retreat and nature.

https://bodhitreeyogaresort.com/

Uniquely designed around the nature and the surrounding jungle, Bodhi Tree Resort resides in a blue zone in Costa Rica where cultures have evolved to prolong the longevity of human life and life expectancies of residents surpass 100 years old.

If you want to see photos of the room, please check them uploaded in this brochure, or at this link: https://bodhitreeyogaresort.com/rooms/

The essential items you need to bring to Costa Rica are hand sanitizer, sandals, swimwear, mosquito repellent, sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater, hiking shoes/trail running shoes or closed toed hiking sandals, sunglasses, a hat, battery pack, medical kit, waterproof phone case, camera, day pack, rain jacket and an insulated water bottle.

I’ll go more into details below for each one.

Hand Sanitizer

Many establishments will have hand sanitizer by the front door, requiring guests to sanitize before entering. However, we highly recommend bringing your own to have with you at all times. You can purchase hand sanitizer in any pharmacy or supermarket.

Disinfectant Wipes

Likewise, we recommend to bring your own disinfectant wipes.

Clothes

Costa Rica doesn’t have a strict dress code so comfortable and casual is best for pretty much the entire country. At the beach, your wardrobe will consist mostly of shorts, tank tops and flip flops. In the city, we recommend closed toed shoes, long pants and a light jacket or sweater.

Our recommendations: For Costa Rica, clothes that dry fast (like Nike Dri-fit clothes) and wick away moisture are the best, especially if you’re visiting the beach or rainforest.

Shoes

Flip flops are a must especially if you’re going to the beach. If you’re doing any activities, hiking shoes/sandals (with straps), sneakers, trail running shoes or hiking shoes are necessary. Whenever we travel around Costa Rica, I normally bring one pair of flip flops and one pair of sneakers/hiking shoes or closed toed hiking sandals depending on what we’re doing.

Our recommendations: We love closed toed hiking sandals. They are amazing for all sorts of outdoor activities and you can go from land to water easily. They dry fast, don’t smell, your feet can breathe and are much more comfortable than stuffy shoes and socks. Waterproof trail running shoes are also amazing for Costa Rica.

Mosquito Repellent

You have to bring mosquito repellent for Costa Rica as they are present all year round.

Our recommendations: You can find mosquito repellent in the supermarkets but we recommend bringing your own as it is very expensive here.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is also a must and bring at least SPF 30. If you burn easily, SPF 50-70 is best. Costa Rica is only 8-12 degrees from the equator so the sun is strong! Additionally, after sun care is very important in case you do burn.

Our recommendations: If you are going to be going in the ocean, we encourage you to buy reef safe mineral sunscreen. We personally love Raw Elements, SunBum and Kiss My Face. If you can, bring sunscreen. If you forgot it, you can get sunscreen at any supermarket or pharmacy but it is a bit more expensive. Don’t forget chapstick with SPF!

Toiletries and Medications

You can find all toiletries in Costa Rica like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothbrush, mouth wash, toothpaste and floss. There are a few items that I do recommend to bring though. These are tampons for women (not always readily offered at convenience stores/mini markets), face wash (very expensive), hair detangler spray, wet wipes, a packet of tissues and face wipes. If you wear contact lenses, make sure to bring a couple extra lenses.

If you’re taking any medicines, write down a list of them and keep it with you at all times. Try to include the active ingredients in each medicine or find the Spanish name.

For basic medicines, you can find mostly all OTC at the pharmacies in Costa Rica. We do recommend bringing allergy medicine like Claritin and Sudafed sinus medication as those are very expensive in Costa Rica. You can buy anti-nausea medicine at the pharmacy but I like to bring my own anti-drowsy Dramamine.

Supermarkets do have a small over the counter section with cold and flu, diarrhea and muscle pain medicines.

Rain Jacket

A rain jacket is an essential item if you’re visiting during Costa Rica’s rainy season (May to beginning of December). And you want to get a waterproof one, trust me! A poncho can work too.

Day Bag

For day trips, sight seeing and tours, bring a day backpack. If you’re not planning on doing long hikes, you can get away with a 20-25 L backpack to hold all the essentials: snacks, water, towel, change of clothes, camera, etc.

Insulated Water Bottle

I never leave home without my insulated water bottle. It’s the best feeling in the world to take a long sip of fresh cold water when it’s 90 F out. Additioanlly, bringing your own water bottle helps to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles and you’ll save money on buying water. You can drink tap water in most places in Costa Rica or bring a water filter if you have a sensitive stomach.

Micro Fiber Towel

Our second favorite item we never leave without. A micro fiber towel is awesome for wiping sweat off, using as a fan to cool off or to wrap your stuff in if it starts raining. We have several, a couple from REI 

Sunglasses and Hat

As for the sunglasses, I recommend bringing 2 pairs of sunglasses. One cheap pair so that you won’t cry if it gets lost in the ocean (which has happened to us and our friends many times) and one nicer pair for lounging and sightseeing. A hat or visor is also essential.

Swimwear

Don’t forget your swimwear! We recommend at least two pairs. For guys, the swim trunks without the mesh is best and ladies, bring all the bikinis you want!

Cameras and Technology

If you want to capture all those awesome adventures, an action cam is the best. GoPro and Sony Action Cam are two excellent ones. GoPro is exceptionally great now and that is what we use for our adventures.

Our recommendations: Make sure to bring the correct accessories for your action camera to attach it to helmets, surf boards, etc. 

Waterproof Phone Case

These waterproof phone cases are super useful. You can wear it around your neck and use it during light water activities like tubing, canyoning, etc.

Accessories and Extras

Here are some other items that will be useful.

• Small first aid kit.
• Adapter – Costa Rica uses the same voltage as US and Canada (110).
• Ziplock bags to protect your electronics.
• Laundry bag.
• Reusable cloth grocery bags.
• Lots of hair ties!
• Ear plugs, especially if you’re sharing your room

Essential items you cannot forget

• Original passport
• Credit cards you plan to use (don’t forget to tell your credit card company you are traveling overseas)
• Your return flight ticket out of Costa Rica (printed or saved on your phone)