Costa Rica with Kids: 15 Fun Things to Do (Family-Friendly Activities!)
Due to its gorgeous and diversified topography, families will find Costa Rica a fascinating and thrilling playground.
There are plenty of family-friendly activities in Costa Rica, including wildlife preserves, beautiful woods, and tropical beaches.
It also has many museums and cultural attractions that glimpse its past.
We highlighted the top family-friendly sites in Costa Rica to assist you in having a wonderful trip.
- Manuel Antonio National Park
This 680-hectare area, established in 1972, enchants families with its untamed jungle and white sand beaches.
Why We Recommend This Activity
This national park is a must-see because it offers a captivating combination of beautiful beaches and animals.
Many adorable animals, including sloths and rare birds, can be found as you stroll around this vast park.
In addition, the park features family-friendly pathways that lead to beautiful beaches and vistas.
Recommended Ages
This park offers a variety of activities to amuse kids ages three and older, adults, and teenagers.
- Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park
This beautiful park in La Fortuna provides many family amusement and adventure opportunities.
Why We Recommend This Activity
Without a doubt, Mistico Arsenal is among the most excellent family-friendly weekend activities in Costa Rica.
In addition to its breathtaking views, it also features family-friendly trails and hanging bridges.
The park also offers trips focusing on natural history and guided bird watching.
Recommended Ages
Children ages three and up can enjoy the trails, bridges, and excursions at Mistico Arenal.
- National Museum Of Costa Rica
This museum, established in 1950, houses a collection of objects illuminating Costa Rica’s history.
Why We Recommend This Activity
Are you unsure about what to do in Costa Rica with children when it rains?
Remember to add this museum to your family-friendly destinations in Costa Rica.
Families will love exploring the exhibits in this museum’s archaeology, anthropology, and biology sections as they learn about the nation’s history.
A butterfly garden welcomes you as you enter the museum as a bonus.
Recommended Ages
For adults, teenagers, and children aged six and above, the National Museum is a good rest stop.
- Don Olivo Chocolate Tour
There is never a dull moment on this delightful and extraordinary 2-hour trip in La Fortuna de San Carlos.
Why We Recommend This Activity
Take this Costa Rican chocolate tour to satisfy the sweet tooths of your kids.
Each member of your tribe will receive a cup of hot cocoa and chocolate bars when you take the Don Olivo Chocolate Tour.
In addition, the tour offers complimentary tastes of fresh sugarcane juice, Leche, standard apples, and papaya.
Additionally, the tour will give you a sneak peek at how they make chocolate.
Recommended Ages
The Don Olivo Chocolate Tour is fun and educational for kids of all ages.
- La Fortuna Waterfall
Families will love this 75-meter waterfall in Alajuela Province, known in Spanish as Catarata Fortuna.
Why We Recommend This Activity
If you’re looking for more outdoor activities for kids in Costa Rica, you ought to start with this impressive cascade.
You may view its gorgeous environment and plunge into its calm waters for a reasonable charge.
You’ll see a lot of tropical animals on the route to the waterfall.
Recommended Ages
La Fortuna Waterfall is a thrilling experience for people aged five and older.
- Arenal Ecoglide Park
This exciting park is tucked away near the base of the Arenal Volcano and is packed with entertainment for teenagers, adults, and even young children.
Why We Recommend This Activity
Arenal Ecoglide is not just one of Costa Rica’s most thrilling family activities for nothing.
This park will excite you with its 13 thrilling platforms and zip lines.
Additionally, it is relatively safe, even for children.
Recommended Ages
The park’s zipline tour is open to children as young as two years old.
They must each be accompanied by a guide; they are not permitted to travel alone.
- Cahuita National Park
Established in 1982, the Cahuita National Park is a refuge for low-cost family amusement.
Why We Recommend This Activity
Visiting Cahuita is one of the most excellent family-friendly activities in Costa Rica.
At this park, you may take advantage of many kid-friendly activities and attractions at everyone’s favorite price of nothing.
Puerto Vargas and Playa Blanca are two of its beaches where parents with young children can unwind.
The park also provides a ton of options for hiking and wildlife viewing.
Recommended Ages
For guests of all ages, the Cahuita National Park offers many family-friendly activities for guests of all ages.
- Baldi Hot Springs
Baldi provides the entire group with many hours of relaxation and amusement thanks to its 25 thermal pools and waterslides.
Why We Recommend This Activity
Baldi Hot Springs offers activities for all ages and interests.
Parents can unwind in the sauna or sip cocktails at a swim-up bar.
Kids may have their splashy adventures at the nearby miniature water park.
Recommended Ages
Baldi Hot Springs will astonish older children, teenagers, and adults alike.
- Curi Cancha Reserve
A family-friendly private wildlife refuge in central Costa Rica is called Curi Cancha Reserve.
Why We Recommend This Activity
A birdwatcher’s heaven is Curi Cancha.
The reserve, home to more than 200 bird species, astounds families with its vibrant bird inhabitants, such as the Orange-bellied Trogon.
It is home to various species, including armadillos, coatis, and two-toed sloths.
Recommended Ages
Children three and older will enjoy the excursions and exhibits at Curi Cancha Reserve.
- Museo de los Niños
This fortress-like building served as Costa Rica’s most dreaded prison from 1908 to 1979.
Today, it houses a vibrant and instructive children’s museum.
Many people consider it to be among the top family-friendly activities in Costa Rica.
Why We Recommend This Activity
The variety of interactive exhibits at Museo de Los Ninos rivals any children’s museum in the United States.
This museum will engage your children’s curiosity and fascinatingly stimulate their love of learning, thanks to its more than 40 interactive rooms and zones.
Recommended Ages
Children ages 12 and under can engage in interactive activities at Museo de Los Nios.
- La Paz Waterfall Gardens
This eco-park in central Alajuela will provide your group with a cool tropical jungle respite.
Why We Recommend This Activity
La Paz has many magnificent natural wonders.
This eco-park, which features a tropical rainforest and miles of hiking trails, will undoubtedly inspire your children’s inner outdoor explorer.
Additionally, it is home to five beautiful waterfalls that are reviving.
The park’s Night Out with Frogs excursion, which lets you get up close to leaf and tree frogs, is entertaining for kids.
Recommended Ages
Children ages three and older can enjoy the activities and tours in La Paz.
- Club Rio Outdoor Center
This outdoor center, located inside the Springs Resort & Spa, is ideal for kids who adore animals.
Why We Recommend This Activity
In Costa Rica, sloths are virtually ubiquitous.
They even dangle from phone cables, as you will observe.
But go to Club Rio Outdoor Center in Arenal for a truly unforgettable encounter with these critters.
This outdoor center’s knowledgeable specialist naturalist will provide priceless knowledge about sloths.
Their guided tour also stops at rescued spider monkeys, macaws, jungle cats, and affable sloths.
Recommended Ages
Children three years old and older will enjoy the activities and tours in La Paz.
- Jade Museum
This archaeological museum, founded in 1977, offers families a distinctive cultural encounter.
Why We Recommend This Activity
This museum has the most extensive collection of American jade worldwide thanks to its enormous 5-floor exhibition space.
At this museum, you’ll find over 5,000 exquisitely produced treasures, including translucent sculptures and mesmerizing ceramics.
It also features interactive exhibitions specially made for a younger demographic.
Recommended Ages
Children aged five and older will enjoy the interactive exhibits and games at the Jade Museum.
- Tortuguero National Park
This national park in northeast Costa Rica is well-known for its sea turtles and is only reachable by boat or airplane.
Why We Recommend This Activity
On the national park’s beaches, you can find some of the most significant sea turtle-hatching grounds on earth.
Four different kinds of sea turtles deposit their eggs on these beaches from March to October.
You may still view a lot of stunning sea turtles at this park, even when it’s not the nesting season.
Guess what else?
Other attractions in the park include kayaking, birdwatching locations, and Tortuguero Village.
Recommended Ages
The Tortuguero National Park is excellent for young explorers aged five and up.
- Tamarindo Beach
Tamarindo is the final item on our list of enjoyable activities for families in Costa Rica.
Tamarindo, the most developed beach town in Guanacaste, is well-known for ecotourism and surfing.
Why We Recommend This Activity
Tamarindo Beach should be at the top of your list of family-friendly things in Costa Rica.
Tamarindo Beach offers a variety of activities that will please the whole group, from breathtaking sunsets to surfing and snorkeling.
It’s a secure location for kids to swim and construct forts because of the gentle waves and sandy shoreline.
Recommended Ages
Tamarindo Beach offers a wide range of activities for adults, youths, and kids of all ages.
