21 Unique Souvenirs from Costa Rica (2024)

Looking for souvenirs from Costa Rica? You’re in the right place. There are a number of special souvenirs that are unique to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica’s culture and special attributes consist of elements from Latin American and indigenous culture, their commitment to biodiversity, coffee and chocolate production, and the pura vida lifestyle.

There are excellent food and drink products to bring back from Costa Rica, as well as clothing, jewelry, soap and bath products and also some special colourful handicrafts and art.

Having visited Costa Rica more than once, I most recently rented a car and spent 10 days travelling all over the country. I was able to come across a variety of different souvenirs; many of which I took home and cherished and used for a long time.

One of my favourite thing about Costa Rican souvenirs is that they are often earth-friendly, sourced with sustainable products, and fair trade.

So, let’s jump in – here are the best souvenirs from Costa Rica

19 Best Costa Rican Souvenirs

1. Items that say “pura vida” on them

One thing you will pick up on quickly in Costa Rica is the term pura vida, which means “pure life.”

You’ll hear that Costa Ricans say it to each other, often as a greeting, or as a way to say that things are going well.

Pura vida has become a slogan for Costa Rica. you can find it on baseball caps, T-shirts, magnets, keychains, anything.

I recommend grabbing a trinket to bring home to remind you of the pura vida. We definitely grabbed more than a few of them.

2. Traditional Costa Rican coffee maker

A traditional coffee maker in Costa Rica is called a chorreador, also known as a cloth coffee maker. We saw these everywhere when we were in Costa Rica.

It’s pretty simple – you simply fill the cloth part with coffee beans, and pour hot water over the top. It works like drip coffee, except you don’t need to change the cloth at all.

You will see these everywhere – cafes, artisan markets, and even coffee farms. Because of how light and compact they are, they’re great for camping.

There’s a nice chorreador made of teak wood here, which is also foldable for travel. There are a lot of other nice coffee-themed items on their website too.

3. Costa Rican coffee

It will be hard to travel to Costa Rica without coming across Costa Rican coffee. Coffee has been produced in Costa Rica since the late 1700s, and Costa Rica’s soil is perfect for growing coffee.

Coffee production has played a major role in Costa Rica’s economy and is their largest export. There are said to be around 50,000 family owned coffee farms in Costa Rica today.

and you can find Costa Rican coffee served in restaurants

Coffee has become a big part of the culture in Costa Rica, and there are farms you can visit to learn about how its made. You can read more about history and coffee culture in Costa Rica here.

One of our favourite memories in Costa Rica was visiting Monteverde Coffee farm, where we got to see how the coffee was grown and made, and got to sample their coffee afterwards.

Needless to say, we came home with several bags of it – some for us, and more as gifts for others.

I’ve ordered several times since then. I recommend visiting the Cafe Monteverde farm, but you can also order coffee (and other really cool souvenirs) from their online shop here.

Pro Tip: While coffee from a local farm is great to have, if you’re not visiting a farm then look for the brand Britt, in grocery stores or the souvenir store at the San Jose airport.

4. Bamboo jewelry

There are a few different types of unique jewelry you can find in Costa Rica.

You can find bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings made from wood, or bamboo. Bamboo or wooden jewelry is soft to the touch, made sustainably and fair trade. Look for the sign hecha amano (handmade)

If you’re looking for more high end jewelry, then I recommend checking out the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum) in San Jose.

While the museum itself is fascinating, with gold artifacts dating back to 500 AD, the museum also has a gift shop with some expensive, unique gold jewelry, which can range in price from as little as $20 to hundreds of dollars per item.

5. Chocolate

Aside from coffee, our second favourite Costa Rican souvenir was chocolate. You can buy locally produced chocolate directly from a family farm, or chocolate bars or candies from a supermarket.

We visited a family-owned chocolate farm outside La Fortuna, and purchased chocolate products from them.

Costa Rican chocolate bars are called Tapita, Guayabita, and Milan.

Britt (the same company that makes coffee) also has amazing gourmet chocolate that you can buy at the SJO souvenir store, or online.

If you want to look for Costa Rican chocolate bars, then you can find those at supermarkets. Most supermarkets in Costa Rica are locally owned, and you can find chocolate bars there.

6. Costa Rican musical instruments

Just like coffee, art, and beer are a big part of Costa Rican culture – so is music! There are a few small, often handmade instruments to look for:

Maracas

Maracas are a shaker instrument that are common in Latin America and the Caribbean, but the maracas in Costa Rica have their own unique style.

The rattle part of the instrument tends to be larger, and they are usually painted with bright colours.

This would make a fun unique toy for a child, or just something unique to display in your home.

Ocarina

You can also find handicraft ocarinas (which you might like if you’re a Zelda fan) which are often made of ceramic, and hand painted.

Marimba

A marimba is the most popular instrument in Costa Rica, but marimbas quite large; like a table – so they’re not easy to bring back as a souvenir.

7. Brightly painted wooden oxcarts

The wooden oxcart is the most popular handicraft in Costa Rica, and is called a carreta in Spanish.

The national day of the oxcart which takes place on the second Sunday of March in Costa Rica, mainly in a place called Escazu which is outside of San José.

The Spanish name for the holiday is called Día Nacional del Boyero. (Boyero is an oxcart driver.)

Although actual oxcart’s are large, you can buy small ones to take home as a souvenir. They are usually hand painted, often beautiful, bright colours.

You can find hand painted oxcarts in the town of Sarchi where they originate, or at handicraft markets around the country, or airport souvenir shops.

8. Costa Rican cerveza souvenirs

Beer is another big part of the culture in Costa Rica, and Costa Rican breweries have popped up around the country. There are several Costa Rican beers that you can try, but the most popular is Imperial beer.

Aside from bringing home a bottle or two of the beer itself as a souvenir, you can also find Imperial beer merchandise in stores, mostly in San Jose.

9. Lizano sauce

Lizano sauce has been a Costa Rican favourite for over 100 years. It’s very common to add it to casado, the common Costa Rican dish, but it can be used on all kinds of dishes – meats, cheeses, veggies, eggs and rice.

The bottle will be labeled Lizano Salsa, and it’s both a sauce, and a condiment.

Lizano sauce relatively cheap and you can find it in Costa Rican supermarkets. Since its a liquid (and therefore on the heavier side) I recommend grabbing it on Amazon to save the extra weight in your luggage.

10. Soccer jersey

The most popular sport in Costa Rica is soccer (futbol in Spanish) and you can find Costa Rican national team sportswear in clothing and souvenir stores in San Jose.

You can find the Costa Rica national team jerseys, or shirts with the Costa Rica team colours, flag or logo.

If you’re not going to be in San Jose, or if you can’t find team Costa Rica soccer souvenirs in person, then they can also be bought online at a few places: World Soccer Shop or Jaguar.

11. Eco-friendly beauty products

One of the most fascinating parts of Costa Rica is its commitment to sustainability, and you can see that through it’s fair trade, natural beauty products.

I brought home a coffee scrub from the coffee farm that we visited, made by Monteverde Natural Cosmetics. Its a nice exfoliator for skin while having a shower (and smells like natural coffee too, which I love.)

All of Monteverde Natural Cosmetics products are made in Monteverde with plant based ingredients. You can buy them in Monteverde, or on their website.

If you prefer a more luxury skincare line, you should check out Raw Botanicals which you can buy online. They’re a Costa Rican skin and haircare line based in Manuel Antonio region. Their products are top of the line, cruelty free, sustainable and use natural ingredients.

12. A chonete hat

The chonete hat is a bucket-style hat traditionally worn by people while working in the field in Costa Rica. It’s a symbol of hard work, but it also works very effectively as sun protection if you buy one.

You can buy the hat itself, but you can also buy a pin or magnet of a chonete hat from Gallo Pin (which also makes other pins of traditional Costa Rican symbols.)

13. Costa Rican wine

Costa Rica is not known for its wine, however, there are locally produced, unique to Costa Rica wine flavours that you can try, and bring home.

We visited a chocolate and fruit farm near La Fortuna, where we found vino de cacao (chocolate wine) and vino de maracuya (passion fruit wine.) Both of these are white wines, mixed with chocolate or passion fruit.

We decided to bring home a bottle of the chocolate wine. To be honest, we weren’t big fans of it – so I’d recommend trying it before bringing home more than one bottle of it.

Pro Tip: Both of these wine bottles were found at Don Olivo Chocolate Farm near La Fortuna. It’s a great tour, for adults and for families.

14. Printed towel or blanket

In markets near the beaches in Costa Rica, you’ll find people selling beautiful colourful printed or designed towels and blankets.

You will see this in areas such as Manuel Antonio, Jaco, Tamarindo or elsewhere in the Guancaste province. Many of these are hand dyed and designed with vibrant colours.

It’s possible to haggle for the price, but you can probably expect to pay somewhere between $5 and $10 per blanket, depending on the merchant.

15. Colourful painted pottery

Pottery is a strong tradition in Costa Rica, mainly in the Chorotega culture, which are the indigenous people of Costa Rica who lived here before Colombus discovered it.

Guaitil, a town east of Tamarindo, is known as the pottery capital of Costa Rica where chorotega style pottery is made. The name pronounced “wy til.”

and the easiest way to visit the town is if you’re driving; it would be about an hour by car Tamarino. You can read more about the town and its pottery here.

The easiest way to find authentic chorotega pottery is to go to Guaitil, but you have other options too if you’re interested in pottery.

There is a studio in Tamarindo where you can take ceramic classes and make your own pottery to take home.

16. Costa Rican candy

Aside from chocolate and chocolate-covered coffee beans, there are some unique Costa Rican sweets that you can bring home.

One of the most traditional is called Confites de Natilla Zarcero, which is a sour cream based candy. You can find bags of it in supermarkets, and its not very expensive so its worth a try if you’re curious.

Grocery stores are the best place to find Costa Rican candy, especially if you’re looking for the wrapped kind.

We also saw lots of non-brand name candy at the central market in San Jose – lollipops, and other types of hard candy, for a bargain deal.

17. Tortillas

On most CostaRican plates, there’s an added tortilla. These tortillas are often made with cornflower, and are about the size of your hand.

Tortillas are such a common staple in Costa Rica, that can find bags of them in supermercados, whether its a chain or a locally-owned one.

18. A glass for your favourite drink

Whether it’s a coffee mug, espresso or tequila cup – you can find all kinds of options in Costa Rica.

There are wooden, hand-painted mugs, ceramics and regular glass mugs and glasses.

I love this Monteverde bus mug from Hola Lola shop here (they have other uniquely printed Costa Rica souvenirs too.)

19. Costa Rican wildlife souvenirs

A big part of what makes Costa Rica is its thriving wildlife, and you can see that reflected in many of the souvenirs – T shirts, hats, magnets, and of course, stuffed animals.

I usually saw sloth stuffed animals, which are adorable – you can also find monkeys, tropical birds, and frogs.

If you’re in Costa Rica with kids then you’ll likely be begged for some of these. You’ll mainly find plush toys in souvenir stores in the tourist hot spots, such as the Monteverde town, or even the airports.

The best selection of cute Costa Rican plush toys that we saw was at Selvatura Park in Monteverde, right beside the sloth and butterfly conservatory. It was so large and expansive, with a huge selection of cute tropical stuffed animals – it was hard not to leave with all of them!

20. Wood products

Costa Rica has a thriving timber industry, and the country is known for their good quality wood works; both art and furniture which are usually made of teak, mahogany or rosewood.

You will find wood products artistic wood carvings at handicraft markets around the country.

You can see some examples on Costa Rica market online here – (although every time I check, I find they’re usually out of stock.) The easiest way to shop for handicraft wood products would be in person.

These souvenirs can get heavy, so be mindful of that.

21. A boruca mask

Boruca masks are an authentic souvenir unique to the Boruca people, who are indigenous people. Their traditional masks were used to attempt to scare away Spanish invaders after Costa Rica was discovered over 500 years ago.

Boruca masks are made with wood, colourfully painted, and are usually made to look like a cross between a jaguar and a bird. You can read more about their history here.

You can find Boruca masks in gift shops, and markets. There are also some on Etsy.

Where to to Look for the Best Costa Rican souvenirs

• Supermarkets – check Costa Rican grocery stores to find candy, snacks, chocolates, tortillas, cookies and drinks that you can only buy in Costa Rica
• Mercado Central in San Jose. The mercado central is a great place to find trinkets, sweets, pastries and other locally produced goods
• Souvenir Stores– Costa Rican ‘souvenir stores’ tend to be found in the major tourist areas; gift shops of tourist attractions like museums, downtown San Jose, Monteverde and La Fortuna
• Farms – visit a family-owned coffee, chocolate or fruit farm and buy some of their fresh produced products to take home (to be honest, these souvenirs were our favourite!)
• The town of Sarachi – Sarachi is known as the most artisanal town in Costa Rica, and is the best place to find hand painted oxcarts as well as other handicrafts. Sarachi can be easily visited if you go to Poas Volcano or La Paz Waterfall

Costa Rica Souvenir FAQ

Here are the most commonly asked questions about choosing souvenirs from Costa Rica

What is the best thing to buy in Costa Rica?

Depending on your personal tastes, the best things to buy in Costa Rica are locally produced and fair trade coffee and chocolate, or colourful painted wooden art and products.

What can’t you bring back from Costa Rica?

While Costa Rica is known for its abundance of fresh fruit, you can’t bring back fruits or seeds in your luggage. Fruit can however, be a snack while on the plane or at the airport.

What kind of jewelry is Costa Rica known for?

Costa Rica is most known for its bamboo and seed jewelry which is often handi crafted and found at local markets. You can also find very unique gold jewelry at the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum) in the capital, San Jose.

Final Thoughts on Souvenirs from Costa Rica

I hope that this article has filled you with ideas of things that you can bring home from Costa Rica. A big part of what I love about Costa Rican souvenirs is that most of the time when you buy them, you’re supporting someone’s livelihood as well as the support for sustainable, eco-friendly products.

Whether its coffee, chocolate or another food product from a family-owned farm, or beautiful artisan handicrafts, there are so many authentic, eco-friendly, and locally produced things to bring home from the land of pura vida.