Even if you say you’re not a souvenir person, every person wants to bring back a little something to remember their trip by. Souvenirs are a great way to not only commemorate your vacation, but it helps the local economy, local artisans and it’s fun! I love souvenir shopping when I’m traveling abroad but I always do a little bit of research first to find out what are the iconic souvenirs to buy, where to buy to support local businesses and around how much I should expect to spend.
Unfortunately in Costa Rica, it can be common to see items that don’t have anything to do with the country. Most of the time it is because the store is owned by an immigrant/expat and they make things from their home country or their own specialty product.
An example is like in Tamarindo, you will see many Argentinians who have a little stand or a shop with beautifully crafted hand made items but they’re not 100% Costa Rican. That’s perfectly fine and you can still say you bought it in Costa Rica, but if you are looking for authentic souvenirs that truly represent the country, here is a list of our favorite souvenirs from Costa Rica we always bring for family and friends.
Best Souvenirs from Costa Rica
Chorreador de Café (Coffee brewer)
Costa Rica is well known for its coffee but not many people know the traditional way of brewing it. Before coffee machines and Keurigs, Costa Ricans used this little item to make delicious coffee. They use what they call a “sock” for the filter, a wooden stand and the blue tin pitcher to make coffee.
This is a great souvenir for 2 reasons: it is 100% usable and it’s as Costa Rican as you can get! Yeison and I make coffee this way, we don’t even own a normal coffeemaker anymore. You can find painted and plain ones at any souvenir store or supermarket. The painted ones are very beautiful since they have paintings of toucans, macaws and other iconic Costa Rican symbols.
Depending on which one you get, they are usually around $20, cheaper if you get the non-painted ones at the supermarket. If you’re planning on using it to make coffee, you should buy extra socks. You can also get some painted wooden coffee mugs to go with your new Costa Rican coffee maker. You can also buy the blue tin cups and though they don’t look unique, it’s what all Ticos used to use for their coffee.
Coffee
This is the easiest gift if you are looking for souvenirs to bring back for family and friends. And it’s cheap!
Here is our tip for buying coffee from Costa Rica: do not limit yourself to the Britt coffee. They have the biggest marketing department and the shiniest presentations (not to mention it costs the most), so it seems like they are the “best” brand.
In reality, if you ask the average Tico, maybe 1 out of 10 Costa Rican buy Britt on a regular basis. We’re not saying it’s not good coffee, just that there are plenty of other brands that are just or even better and cheaper. Britt coffee is around $10-12 a package, others are $5-8.
We recommend Doka, Sunburst, Terrazu by Cafe Rey, 1820 and the one I’m holding in the picture above. But feel free to get a variety of coffee and find out which one you like!
We also encourage coffee lovers to take a tour like the one we did at Doka Estate to learn about the process and because many coffee companies only sell their products as their estate, not in the supermarkets. Also, buy coffee at the supermarkets, not the souvenir stores. It’s cheaper, fresh and they have a bigger selection.
Chonete
The chonete is an iconic symbol of the people that built Costa Rica. This is the “hat of the farmers” and one of the most representative items in Costa Rica history.
You can find the hat in pretty much all the souvenir stores but if you want the real one, go to a “Agropecuaria” where they sell products such as farming tools, machetes and seeds. They sell the real ones that farmers wear.
Ox Cart/Wheel Figurine
The ox cart, or carreta, is one of the most important tools in Costa Rican history. Back in the 1800’s, ox carts were used to carry coffee and other products and also a means of transportation. Painting the ox cart started in the 20th century as a way to signify the driver’s home.
Since ox carts aren’t needed as they once were, artisans make little figurines of the carts and wheels as decoration and souvenirs.
You can find carts of all sizes and they’re quite beautiful, usually painted red with animals and nature on. It’s a trinket of Costa Rica that you can put on a shelf to remind you of the good times you had!
A Futbol Jersey
Costa Ricans sure love their futbol and if you’re also a fan, then a team jersey is a must on your list. Especially since their goalkeeper is probably the most beloved in the world right now (Keylor Navas).
The one we are wearing are the la sele (team selection) jerseys but they also have the league jerseys like Saprissa, Heredia and Alajuela. You can find them in all the souvenir shops and on game day, you’ll see vendors hanging selling them on the street.
Other Souvenirs
Those are our favorite souvenirs and in Yeison’s opinion, the most representative souvenirs from Costa Rica. However, you’ll find a ton more in the shops that are fun to browse. Some things we really like are shot glasses, sarongs, painted items and towels. You’ll also find lots of animal figurines and statues, painted feathers, stuffed animals, bowls, pots, purses and other knick knacks.
If you like jewelry, you can find artisan shops in most touristic beach towns.
Remember to bargain when shopping for souvenirs and most souvenir stores take USD and credit card. Make sure to check the exchange rate for colones if you use cash.
The best places to buy authentic souvenirs from Costa Rica are the local towns such as Sarchi, San Jose and Heredia. In the touristic areas, you will probably see the same kind of items in all the shops so I recommend looking for artisans shops. Most stores will have a “hand made in Costa Rica” sign.
Pin this post “Best souvenirs from Costa Rica” to Pinterest!
Sammi says
Hi Alana! Haha yes you do need to change the sock out every couple months. I do know you can buy them online on Amazon (affiliate links disclaimer 🙂 ). Ticoland is a company that sells Costa Rican things on AMazon and they even have the chorreador stand and some other stuff.
Alana says
Hi! I am heading back to Costa Rica in April- I bought a chorreador the last time I was there and it came with one sock… where do I buy extra socks? The grocery store? I didn’t realize the importance of having extra socks ( the coffee tastes awful if the sock isn’t dry) – live and learn. Thanks and I love your blog! Pura vida
Terri says
What about chocolate? Also do the Costa Ricans do textiles like the Guatemalans?
Sammi says
Hi Terri! To be honest I am not a huge fan of Costa Rican chocolate but you can find them local chocolate in places like La Fortuna, Monteverde and Puerto Viejo where the cacao farms are. They don’t really do textiles like Guatemalans, but funnily enough, if you go to the souvenir stores in La Fortuna, they are actually all owned by Guatemalans and you can see Guatemalan textiles there. But Costa Ricans don’t really do any.
Vicki says
I was in Jaco a few years back. I purchased a mama bird and her babies in a house made all of coconut. It has since weathered pretty bad and would like to replace it if possible. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Vicki
Sammi says
Hi Vicki, unfortunately I don’t have any. You can’t really buy Costa Rican souvenirs online, if you know anyone visiting you can ask them to bring you one back.
Carmen Sosa says
Hi
I went to CostaRica a week ago. I bought some souvenirs including a crystal ball. Unfortunately,in my flight back to NY break. If there any possibility that I can buy trough the internet? Please let me know where. I collect crystal ball from differents countries and cities this is vey important to me. Thank you in advance for your help.
Pura Vida, Carmen
Sammi says
Hi Carmen, unfortunately I am not familiar with any online gift shops in Costa Rica. I just checked Britt, the most popular one and they just have coffee to sell. I recommend asking in the Expats in Costa Rica Facebook groups, maybe someone in there knows something. Sorry!
Lindsay says
We will be going to Costa Rica in August and are trying to figure out when, and where, our best opportunities to souvenir shop will be. We have a pretty busy itinerary starting in San Jose and traveling to the Arenal area, Rincon de la Vieja, Tamarindo, and then finally ending up in San Jose again to fly out. I would like authentic, maybe a Chorreador de Café, coffee, and/or some authentic pottery or something to display. Any input on which places would be best to shop?
Sammi says
San Jose would be the best for Costa Rican made items. Tamarindo is very touristic and actually many of the souvenir stores are owned by foreigners or Argentinians, Arenal has a lot of souvenir stores owned by Guatemalans (for some reason) and in downtown San Jose like the central market, you will find more authentic souvenirs made by locals and you can find everything – the chorreador, handpainted items, pottery, etc. But for coffee, I actually recommend going to the normal supermarkets as its cheaper there than in the souvenir stores and in Arenal, there is a nice coffee shop called Rainforest Cafe that sells good coffee. In the Rincon de la Vieja NP, if you go to Buena Vista, there is a Costa Rican who set up his own coffee place there and you can buy his special blends.
Kadast says
It’s a small town named Sarchi, they have the best and autentic pieces in Costa Rica mostly wooden spoon, wooden jewelry, etcall you can imagine made it with beautiful and autentic wood from CR.
Susi Haikes says
my daughter visited Costa Rica this past summer and brought home nearly every thing you’ve listed. They are great souviners! However, my husband put the hand painted wood mug and glass shot glass in the dishwasher and the paintings have come off. Any where I can purchase these items online to replace?
Sammi says
Oh no! Hmm I don’t unfortunately :/
Julie says
What are the best souvenirs to buy young children….besides a t-shirt. If I purchase a jersey, what’s the most popular team?
Sammi says
You can get the national team jersey (Yeison and i both have one of those) or the most popular team is Saprissa.
Regina says
I saw those coffee makers in CR but didn’t realize they were so authentic. Nor did I know about the chonete. I have to go back!
I bought a lovely pareo in La Fortuna but I don’t know how if it was made locally. My best souvenirs are really the great photos we took of the wildlife. Such a beautiful place!
Sammi says
Yeah the coffee makers are probably the most authentic Costa Rican souvenir you can get as that’s the traditional way to make coffee here, same with the chonetes. You’ll see all the farmers wearing one!
I agree, photos are my favorite souvenir too. So much fun to look back to reminisce!
Helena Bower says
Hi! I need your help. I live in America and I need some help finding 4 souvenirs that add up to $100 in US dollars for a Spanish project. I’ve done some research and have written some things down, but can’t quite find 4 items that add up to $100. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Helena! Hmm let me see. You can get a large painted chorreador (the coffee maker) with some extra socks for $20, a large painted bowl for $40, a a large painted feather for $20 and a big toucan figurine for $20. Hope this helps!
Helena Bower says
Awesome! Thank you so much!
Sammi says
You’re welcome!