Packing List to Central America: Costa Rica and Nicaragua

I like to travel light. Comfort is more important to me than my look. Or fashion. 

Practical clothing is the most important. I grew up listening to a quote that makes a lot of sense now, "being well dressed means that you are adequately dressed for the occasion".

If I'm going to a natural trip in the jungle or visiting a developing country, I'll pack a couple of dry fit leggings and comfy sneakers or Birkenstock sandals. No heels or fancy brands. Dressing modestly is a way to get mixed with locals without getting unwanted attention.

Costa Rica: After a plane and 2 buses, getting a 3rd one

Sunscreen is essential. We read in several blogs that sunscreen in Costa Rica was very expensive and hard to find in some places. I bought 2 packages to make sure that we had enough. Besides that I like to use less commercial brands. I prefer natural products like Alba Botanica. 

You'll need a repellent for tropical mosquitoes. This time around the citronella oil didn't work with these guys. They were indifferent to that.
A facial cleanser is very important to keep your skin healthy. These countries have high levels of pollution and it's impressive how your skin can get dirty. While travelling I use simple products as rose water or thermal water sprays.

Sunscreen

For this trip in Central America I packed a thick and large scarf and a light sweater that I just used a couple of times in the early morning and on our flight back. It was incredibly hot and sometimes a bit rainy which can be very refreshing.
Long pants or long thick leggings plus a long sleeve shirt are also advised for hikes in the forest or boat trips. This will protect you from unwanted mosquito bites. Dry fit fabrics are recommended because levels of humidity are very high.
A raining coat can also be handy. I wore mine during a canoe trip just to make sure that mosquitos wouldn't get me and it worked out well.
Waterproof hiking sneakers are better than the flexible light ones. The jungle is not an easy path. You'll find mud and other challenges. Tough shoes have a better performance on these conditions. And provide more protection for your feet.

Hiking sneakers

Although we didn't have any safety issue, you should take a security waist belt to keep your money and cards. We read about many incidents in very touristic areas in Costa Rica, namely Tortuguero. It's better to be conservative on this matter.

I found sunglasses extremely useful. Dust is very common in large and small cities. And brightness is also a problem. Just in case I would also pack some eye-washer to help relieve irritation by removing air pollutants. More than one week after our return, my eyes are still dealing with some kind of irritation.
Throat drops are a good idea. I started adding it on my essential list after a really bad experience in El Salvador. Air pollution caused me a violent ongoing throat irritation that lasted for more than 1 week.

Security waist belt

You can also carry a reusable bottle. There are many places where you can get filtered water for free and it's also a way to go green. Many places that we visited are having issues with garbage, particularly with plastic bottles.

In many areas there is no public illumination at night. A battery-less flashlight can be very convenient.
I always travel with a bunch of pens in my bag. If I have to fill out immigration forms or other documents I can do it faster and I don't need to waste time looking for it or asking other people.
Since we were travelling by public transportation and hiking, we couldn't control our meals schedule. And other times was just hard to find decent food. So we bought two boxes of cereal bars (unfortunately is hard to find healthier options). This was very functional. We didn't starve so much.

Reusable bottle