Top 10 Costa Rica Souvenirs To Take Home With You

One of the most frequently asked questions that I see in Costa Rica travel groups is - What should I take for my friends and family from Costa Rica? Well, I, too, was daunted by this question back in 2022. After having lived here for more than a year, it was time to pay my family in India a visit. I was perplexed as to what gifts to take for my friends and family, something that represents Costa Rica and would be loved by everyone! After a bit of research and asking around, I can proudly say that I nailed it! Not only did I manage to buy amazing souvenirs, but I also bought them for close to 15 people. Well, that’s quite a feat for a first timer! So, what is it that you can buy from Costa Rica and take home with you? To answer that, we have prepared a neat list of the top 10 Costa Rica souvenirs. Let’s get started!

10 Costa Rica Souvenirs To Take Home With You

1. Coffee

It is a no-brainer that coffee is one of the most popular items bought by tourists for personal consumption and as a souvenir. One of the largest producers of coffee in the world, Costa Rica produces around 1.5 million bags of coffee beans a year. Thanks to its abundant coffee-growing regions of Cartago, Monteverde, Turrialba, Puerto Viejo, La Fortuna, among many others.

You can find coffee at most of the local supermarkets and souvenir shops in your area. There are also many family-run businesses that provide coffee tours on their estate. You can look for one in the town you are visiting and sign up for a tour with them. At the end of the tour, they offer coffee tasting, and if you like it, you can buy a few bags of their freshly roasted coffee. A great way of supporting rural tourism and local economies!

Tip: Remember to check what kind of coffee you would need. I always buy Britt coffee capsules for my sister-in-law, who lives in Austria and only has a coffee pod machine. When I am buying coffee for my friends & family in India, I buy instant coffee as coffee makers are not very popular in Indian households.

2. Chocolate

You can hardly ever go wrong with chocolates! Chocolates are loved by all and eaten by people of all ages. Costa Rica is known for producing high-quality cocoa and is one of the leading exporters of chocolate.

You can find locally produced chocolates at high-end supermarkets and souvenir stores. You can also take a chocolate tour at one of the chocolate farms. In this tour, you learn how chocolate is made and may even get to make some! At the end, you can taste the different varieties of chocolate and buy some directly from them. Again, a great way of supporting local communities and businesses!

What’s more? Many farms run combined coffee and chocolate tours, an amazing opportunity for you to buy these 2 products directly from the source of production.

Britt, a Costa Rican company, makes amazing chocolates, and they even have a big store at the Juan Santamaria Airport. We personally love Britt Chocolates and always take some for our family & friends.

3. Lizano Salsa

Founded in the 1920s, Salsa Lizano is unique to Costa Rica. The salsa is a staple ingredient in Costa Rican cuisine, and the cuisine owes its flavor to this amazing salsa! 

Used both as an ingredient and as a dressing, the salsa tastes sweet & savory, and is not spicy. It is quintessential here, and you will find it in every supermarket, restaurant, souvenir store, and Costa Rican household. Costa Ricans absolutely love using the salsa to add flavor to their food. So much so that a colleague of Prateek’s carries a bottle with him everywhere he goes. Even to the office!

We have gifted it to two families visiting us, and they simply loved it. And now it has become an indispensable part of our shopping list of souvenirs to take for friends & family.

4. Printed towels & sheets

Bored of using monochrome towels and sheets in your daily lives? Buy printed ones!

With prints of sloths, turtles & other wildlife, an ox cart, national beer Imperial, beach scenes, currency notes, and the Costa Rican flag, these make for amazing, colorful souvenirs to take back home. And you can also use them while you are on your trip!

A printed beach towel has multiple uses. You can use it on the beach, as a wrap-around after a swim in the ocean, and as a sheet to sit on for admiring the views.

5. Stuffed Animal

Who doesn’t love a stuffed animal? And when it’s a cute sloth or a naughty monkey hanging from a curtain, it has my heart!

Almost all souvenir shops you visit will have numerous stuffed animals on their shelves. You will be spoilt for choice! Choose from sloths, turtles, toucans, monkeys, iguanas, coatis, and many more.

This is one of my top favorites, and kids adore them! I have gifted a stuffed sloth to an 8-month-old baby and a stuffed monkey to my 2.5-year-old nephew. And both of them absolutely loved it! So much so that the monkey goes everywhere with my nephew. Even to the bed!

6. Coffee Maker

If you are a coffee lover and like making coffee the traditional way, buying a Costa Rican coffee maker should definitely be on your list. A traditional Costa Rican coffee maker, also known as “chorreador”, contains a wooden stand, a sock for filtering the coffee, and a pitcher/mug for collecting coffee.

You will be able to find this at souvenir shops. There are many variations available, and you can choose from plain ones to hand-painted ones.

7. Wooden crafts

Made from woods like teak, rosewood, cedar, balsa, and bamboo, the wooden crafts sold at souvenir shops in Costa Rica are truly amazing!

Most of them are hand-painted in vibrant colors, and contain figures of popular Costa Rican symbols or wildlife like sloth, frog, toucan, butterfly, etc. From coasters, napkin holders, jewelry boxes, wine holders, bowls, and mugs to wall hangings, the options are unlimited!

I once bought a wooden coffee mug with a sloth on it for my sister. The shopkeeper even offered to carve her name on it for no extra charge. No points for guessing that my sister simply loved the mug!

8. Fridge Magnets

There is no dearth of options here, and almost all souvenir shops keep fridge magnets. From beaches, volcanoes, and wildlife, to the national beer Imperial, the designs of magnets in Costa Rica are quite colorful, quirky, and depictive.

Fridge magnets are my weakness! If it were up to me, I would buy one from every town we visited. But sadly, a fridge can only have so much space! After buying individual magnets from 6 popular tourist spots in Costa Rica, I had to stop.

9. Cacique or Guaro

If you are someone who likes trying alcohol from different countries, then Cacique or Guaro is what you should definitely try. With an alcohol content of 30%, Cacique is made from sugarcane and is also known as ‘Costa Rican liqueur’. It comes in different sizes and can make for a great gift to take back with you.

Wondering what it tastes like? Well, it tastes similar to rum. It is an amazing choice for making cocktails as it blends like Vodka, giving the cocktail a unique taste. Do try a local recipe called “chiliguaro”.

10. Handmade keychains, jewelry & paintings

You will find many vendors on the beach and the sidewalk selling handmade jewelry. Made from seashells, wood, and even coffee, the jewelry is often simple, yet elegant.

You can also find jewelry at souvenir shops, along with keychains and paintings. Sometimes, the artists are running their own shop, showcasing their art and selling paintings painted by them. Buying directly from these artists and street vendors helps support local art and artists.

Final Thoughts

Hope you found our list of top Costa Rica Souvenirs helpful! A souvenir is not only a great way of bringing back memories from your vacation, but it also serves as a reminder of the place. The souvenir can be as small as an earring or as big as a painting, as long as it serves the purpose!

We sincerely hope you enjoy your time in Costa Rica and collect a lot of beautiful memories (along with souvenirs)!

Have we missed anything that deserves to be on this list? Do let us know in the comment section below.