Camping in Costa Rica

Camping in Costa Rica is a great way to get to out of the way places, and experience the fascinating night and very early morning hours in the tropical forests.

Camping is not necessarily a great way to travel the beaten path. Ten years ago, camping was permitted or at least tolerated on most of Costa Rica's beaches. It was also relatively easy to find a spot far enough off the beaten path that you didn't have to worry much about someone happening by and cleaning out your tent while you were out for a swim. Now, camping is prohibited or at least strongly discouraged on many of the beaches, and if you leave stuff in your tent it's not unlikely it will be missing when you return. Campgrounds are becoming more common in some of the beach areas and more popular tourist destinations around Costa Rica and if you take advantage of their storage facilities for your valuables while you're out hiking or surfing, you should be ok.

Sometimes people choose to camp for economic reasons; it's cheaper than a motel. In general this is true, but established campgrounds are in the $5 per person or $12 per site range, and you can typically get a cheap clean cabina under $20 double. If you can squeeze the extra few bucks out of your budget it's nice to have lights, screens, hammocks on the lawn, not having to try to dry your tent out before packing it to prevent mould, bathrooms you don't have to put your shoes on to get to...

I'm definitely not saying "don't camp.", although we know people who've taken gear, tried camping, and say "never again!" We always take camping gear with us to Costa Rica, but we typically only camp a few nights a month spending the rest in cabinas or hotels. We're fortunate to have friends all over the country, so we typically store the gear when we're not on a camping section of a trip. Additionally, we use minimal gear and trade some comfort and convenience for not having to schlep that extra crap. Use the gear to get to places most other people don't, and you'll have some of the greatest experiences of your life.

Obviously you have to adjust this advice to your personal preferences. When I was 18, lathering up with DEET and crawling into a a depression in the dirt under a low hanging shrub was all I needed for a good night's sleep. I might still be able to handle that in a pinch, but honestly, I've got a few more bucks now and I'd never choose to sleep in a hole in the dirt if there were a reasonable alternative...