Costa Rica Vacations with Children

My first time to Costa Rica was a small child with my parents and two brothers. Take it from me, it is great for kids! What youngster wouldn’t love seeing wild animals, active volcanoes, rainforests, and beaches? Parents will have a great time with these activities and learning about the country’s culture, but the best part is they can put their offspring to bed early after tiring them out in Costa Rica’s countryside all day.

Most picky children will enjoy Costa Rican cuisine as it is hearty but simple. Beans, rice, grilled chicken and steak are staples in the Costa Rican diet. Most restaurants do not offer special kids meals, although some hotels do. Ask restaurants to accommodate child-size portions or have your kids split a meal. Carry snacks for long drives in remote areas as sometimes there is nowhere to stop. Some tasty kid-friendly drinks are batidos (fresh blended juice) with water or milk, horchata (cinnamon-spiked rice milk), or coconut milk. If you’re traveling with an infant, stock up on formula, baby food, diapers, baby aspirin, and baby creams in San Jose or bring them from home.

Families can go nearly anywhere in Costa Rica and be very happy. Even the capital, San Jose, has sights for children but I would recommend heading out of the city and into the green land. Take your kids:

To a turtle farm, at Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Ostional you can watch groups of olive ridley turtles lay their eggs at night.

Ziplining on a canopy tour in Monteverde’s cloud forest. You’ll get a new view of Mother Nature from the sky.

Wildlife watching in the jungle, or considering taking a tour of the Tortuguero river where you may be able to see crocodiles lurking in the waters.

Surfing at Mal Pais and Santa Teresa. Costa Rica has some of the best surfing in the world, but these beaches have tamer waves that will be safe for children. Surf camps have individual or group lessons for various experience levels.

White water rafting on the Río Reventazón or Río Pacuare if youre children are over 9 years old. Both of these rivers have smoother runs that are perfect for families, for stronger rapids children have to be even older.



This guide to family vacation in Costa Rica was written by a Costa Rica travel expert at Costa Rica For Less available to help you custom design your exciting Costa Rica vacations.