The best things to do in Costa Rica with kids

This time of year is always my favourite point for dreaming of travel, for writing lists of countries I’d love to visit – and those lists always seem to include a trip to Costa Rica with kids.

It’s somewhere I’ve been intrigued by for a long time, not least because there are so many tempting things to do in Costa Rica with kids – volcanoes, beaches on two separate coasts, rainforest and cloudforest, amazing wildlife and a whole string of activities to try.

And that’s just for starters. If you’re considering a Costa Rican adventure for your family, here’s what should be in your wishlist.

Visiting Costa Rica with kids

One of the best things about a family holiday in Costa Rica is that there’s something for all ages in this tropical playground – plenty of adventure and chance to get active in Costa Rica with teens, but soft adventure and fun itineraries to suit younger kids as well.

It’s easy to discover a little taste of traditional Costa Rican life as you explore too, while Costa Rican food isn’t particularly spicy so will appeal to even pickier kids. You can even take a chocolate tour during your time in the country.

It pays to check the weather before you book as there’s rain year-round in some areas, especially the cloud forests, but different rain patterns on the Pacific and Caribbean coast – you can often dodge a lot of the showers, and as long as you’re prepared for the weather, it’s just part of the adventure!

The main dry season – and the busiest time of year – runs from mid-December to April, while the rainy season (or green season) is from May to November, with most rainfall in September and October.

Venture to a volcano

With over 200 volcanos in the country, you can’t visit Costa Rica with kids without seeing at least one – a couple you could even drive right to the rim.

Deservedly the most famous is Arenal, with a string of different ways to explore around this peak as you explore Arenal National Park.

Take a cable car into the trees, spotting some of the country’s wildlife (including sloths!) along the way, before walking on the hanging bridges – the Mistico Hanging Bridges at La Fortuna are suspension bridges leading through the rainforest canopy, so you can see some of the area’s wildlife in its natural habitat.

There’s also the chance to follow a tunnel and trails into the rainforest. Then, for a bit more adrenaline-fuelled fun, you can also come back down on zip lines. While it’s officially an active volcano, it’s currently in a dormant phase so you shouldn’t have any unexpected adventures involving lava!

Or Tenorio Volcano National Park, around two hours from Arenal volcano, is another great spot to explore the volcanic landscape, with trails leading through jungle, past waterfalls on the Rio Celeste and to natural hot springs.

See cloudforest

Step into the misty canopy of one of Costa Rica’s cloudforest reserves, with several to choose from across the country.

The Monteverde Cloud forest is one of the best places to spot the eye-catching quetzal – although despite being bright green, with metre-long tail feathers, they’re still an elusive sight.

You can wander over hanging bridges in this 26,000 acre biozone too, some as much as 2,400 feet up, where you’re sure to see some birds and possibly howler monkeys as well.

This is a great option if you’re visiting Costa Rica with young kids, with a sky tram to ride here as well. Or with older kids who love zip lining, you’ll find some of the highest and longest ziplines to try too, flying back over the valley.

In the Central Highlands Cloud Forest, La Paz Waterfall Gardens are easy to reach from capital San Jose, and ideal with younger kids.

Paved trails link five waterfalls as you wander through the cloudforest (and rainforest), with over 100 species of animals in the park – keep your eyes open for jaguars, pumas and ocelots, as well as spider monkeys. There’s also a hummingbird garden and butterfly farm here.

Explore a rainforest

Costa Rica’s rainforests are home to more than 100 species of tree, as well as giant orchids and sloths, plus more monkeys and birdlife.

Corcovado National Park is the most unspoiled but also the most remote: Bijagua is also off the beaten track and with the three volcanic peaks in the background and dramatic blue river, it’s a beautiful spot to visit.

If you’re lucky, you can even see tapirs here, as well as toucans and views of Lake Nicaragua.

Or Manuel Antonio National Park is more accessible, with a jungle full of animals as well as a coral reef off the gorgeous beaches.

You’re almost guaranteed to spot monkeys as you explore (and don’t leave snacks in your bag on the beach when you swim, as they and the raccoons which live here are practised furry little thieves!)

Hit the beach

With two coasts, you’re never going to be short of beautiful beaches – you could even get a taste of both during one trip, plus there’s sea kayaking and snorkelling on offer as well.

Along with Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific coast, you’ll find gentle waves along the Guanacaste coast such as Playa Flamingo and Playa Conchal and the sands on the shores of Culebra Bay in the Gulf of Papagayo.

Or for some of the best places to lounge by the Caribbean, Cahuita National Park has pristine white sands and mangrove creeks, plus some fantastic snorkelling on the reefs off the shore – all to a backdrop of howler monkeys in the jungle.

But that barely scratches the surface of the best beaches in Costa Rica – you definitely won’t be short of time by the sea here.

Go surfing

If lazing in the sun doesn’t tempt, Costa Rica is also a fantastic place to surf – Tamarindo on the Guanacaste coast is ideal for families and beginners, with other watersports for those who prefer another way to ride the waves.

Or Playa Hermosa in Puntarenas is another great surfing spot – it’s worth knowing there’s also a Playa Hermosa in the Guanacaste region, but if you find yourselves in the wrong place by accident, there’s some great scuba diving here, so all’s not lost. A little further down the Nicoya Peninsula, Samara is another great family-friendly surf spot.

On the Caribbean coast, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is one of the country’s top surf spots, home to the Salsa Brava wave – but you’ll find lessons for kids and beginners, so it’s not just for experienced surfers.

If you do venture down to Golfo Dulce, one of only three tropical fjords in the world (and the only place where northern and southern Humpback whales swim in the same waters), Playa Pavones is known for having the longest wave in the world.

Try rafting

Away from the sea, there are more watersports to try, including rafting – for a real thrill, you’ll find serious white water options, but if you’re visiting Costa Rica with kids, there are also gentler alternatives.

The Rio Saraquipi does have its own rapids but also quieter stretches of water where you can soak up the nature surrounding the river from your raft.

Or the Balsa River is ideal if you want more of a challenge, while still staying safe – rafting here is suitable for age 10+, with some white water as well as wildlife to spot.

Spot wildlife

Wherever you go in Costa Rica, you’ll be wowed by the wildlife – around 10% of the world’s bird population live here, around 1,250 species of butterflies, marine life galore on the world’s second largest coral reef system, plus those sloths and monkeys.

But while you’ll see some of the country’s natural wonders as you explore cloudforest, rainforest and beach, there are a few special experiences to plan into your trip.

Turtles

The chance to see turtles laying their eggs is just magical, and there are five main nesting sites across the country, split between the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.

With the longest nesting and hatching season, Tortuguero National Park is the best place to go, while the best time is between July and September when the sea turtles lay their eggs.

Birds

If you love bird spotting, Carara National park contains both dry and wet rainforest, and you’ll find half of all the bird species in Costa Rica here – over 400 different types.

Or Palo Verde National Park is home to around 250,000 birds during wet season: part wetland, part dry forest, you can also spot coatis and monkeys here.

Whales

Ballena National Marine Park is one of the best places in the world to watch humpback whales, as well as other cetaceans including bottlenose dolphins.

The whales migrate here between August and November, and again from December to April, on their journey between Antarctica and Alaska, so there’s a good chance of whale-watching for most of the year.

With nine miles of coastline – and a whopping 13,000 acres of ocean in the marine park – you’ll also find mangrove forests and coral reefs for some great snorkelling. There’s beach too, along with a strip of sand which looks like a whale’s tail at low tide.

Tree frogs

With their bright jewel colours, frog spotting in Costa Rica is a far cry from your local pond – the red-eyed tree frog might be one of the best known, but there are 149 species in total.

Harder to spot than you might think, there are a growing number of frog tours in Costa Rica. Arenal Oasis, the country’s only wild frog sanctuary, has night walks with a naturalist guiding you along the trails in the rainforest.

More reasons to visit Costa Rica with kids

For the past few years, there’s been a growing focus on sustainable travel – and the pandemic only highlighted that further, with companies and travellers looking at how our globetrotting can benefit rather than damage the destination.

And there are few places better than Costa Rica if you want to support sustainable travel – even the country’s motto is ‘pura vida’, or pure life.

Named the second most sustainable country in the world (using 99.2% renewable energy), Costa Rica has also won the first ever Earthshot Prize award for its work in protecting and restoring nature, the latest in a string of accolades.

A quarter of the country’s wild lands are protected by law: 26 national parks, 58 wildlife refuges, 32 protected zones, 15 wetland areas, 11 forest reserves, and eight biological reserves, and you can choose to stay at eco lodges galore during your family holiday to Costa Rica.

These can be a great way to support locally owned accommodation and guides, rather than multinationals too.

Don’t forget your travel company’s eco-credentials too. Some tour operators offset the carbon footprint generated by air travel as well as supporting local and humanitarian projects, or ensuring costs benefit local people rather than faceless corporations.

You can choose to donate your own time as part of your itinerary, especially at animal refuges in Costa Rica. At the Asis Project, which looks after anything from anteaters and sloths to monkeys and toucans, you can join a day of volunteering to help with daily tasks.

Or the Jaguar Rescue Center is an animal refuge that treats sick, injured and orphaned animals in order to reintroduce them to their natural habitats, especially birds, reptiles, amphibians and some small primates.

Plus there are plenty of small changes you can make too, everything from a reusable water bottle (not least because single use plastics are banned) and reef-safe sunscreen to considering shared transport as an alternative to a rental car.

PIN FOR LATER: COSTA RICA WITH KIDS

Images courtesy of Depositphotos

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