Are you planning a trip to Costa Rica? This beautiful country, offering both a Pacific and Caribbean coast, has so many fantastic family activities for a vacation.
We recently traveled to Costa Rica and were most challenged by the types of shoes to bring. We wanted to be comfortable, but also wanted shoes appropriate for the activities we had planned. We also wanted some stylish options for evenings out to dinner.
If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica may be wondering which shoes to pack for this ultimate family vacation. Here are some of the shoes we brought and recommend.
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The Best Shoes for Costa Rica
Before you put together your packing list for Costa Rica, you’ll want to figure out what activities you are going to do. On our Adventures by Disney Costa Rica trip, here are some of the activities our itinerary included:
- White water rafting
- Zip lining
- Snorkeling
- A rainforest walk
- Dinners out
- Hot springs
- Beach
- General tourist activities – walking around, etc.
You’ll also want to check the weather forecast. For our summer trip, we saw a lot of rain in the forecast. It didn’t rain all day, every day, but things were pretty wet at some point each day. I hate walking around with wet feet, so having an alternative pair of shoes was always nice.
When buying the types of shoes recommended for this type of trip, you’ll need to decide how much you want to spend. Some fantastic expensive shoes are perfect for these various activities. But for us, we didn’t want to spend a lot of money on something we may only wear a few times. So, think carefully about your budget and consider purchasing better options if you feel you’ll use them often.
Sneakers
These days, I almost always wear sneakers on my travel day. Not only are they generally my biggest shoes, but they are also my most comfortable. So by wearing them, I save room in my luggage and am comfortable.
I also wore these sneakers when touring for our Costa Rica trip, but not for the rainforest walks. I love my sneakers, and I didn’t want them to get wet or muddy, so I wore different shoes instead.
We also needed to have closed-toed shoes for ziplining. This was non-negotiable, and sneakers were the best option for this.
Because it was pouring when we packed up for ziplining, we packed a second set of clothes, including shoes. We weren’t going back to our hotel from our ziplining trip, so it was important to have a change of clothes.
For sneakers, I recommend bringing your favorites. My favorites are OnClouds, and you can buy them here. Whichever sneakers you bring, I’d recommend trying them out for a little while to make sure they are comfortable.
Water Shoes
Our white water rafting trip required water shoes. These had to be secure on the back of our feet. There was some question about whether these needed to be closed-toed shoes or not, so we opted to be safe and purchase/pack closed-toed options.
Between the four of us, we had two different kinds of water shoes. Here’s what we bought:
They were both effective when rafting, so it’s best to choose a pair that fits your style. Our white water rafting company did have a small gift shop offering water shoes for purchase, but it’s never a guarantee that these will be offered or that your size will be available. It’s best to bring your own.
Quick Dry Shoes
With rain in the forecast each day (and a few rainforest-type walks in our itinerary), I wanted to make sure that I had some quick dry shoes that would be good for these types of walks. These shoes took the place of my OnCloud sneakers when I didn’t want those to get wet or muddy.
Based on Amazon reviews, I purchased these quick dry outdoor sport sneakers. They were perfect for our trip, because they are lightweight and easy to pack, but are also effective. In addition, they have great traction, so they would have been good for any type of walking.
Even when I was wearing a different pair of shoes, I put these in my backpack as a backup. They can be purchased from Amazon and come in a variety of different colors.
Beach shoes
While you can use the water shoes (from white water rafting) for any beach or pool activities, I prefer to use flip-flops for my beach shoes. We needed these for the hot springs and the beach. With the dark volcanic sand, it became very hot and difficult to walk barefoot.
We also used our own beach shoes from other trips. You are likely to already have these in your closet, and they are easy and lightweight to pack.
Shoe Bags
Because these shoes are likely to get wet and maybe even muddy, I’d recommend packing shoe bags for your trip. Place your shoes in these as you pack and the dirt/mud from your shoes won’t end up on your belongings.
We recommend this option from Amazon, which comes with twelve bags. As a bonus, you’ll be able to use them for other things as well.
