Costa Rica Family Vacation

Arrive in San José through Juan Santamaría International Airport. After clearing customs, follow the corridor to the right toward the airport exit, where a local representative will be holding a sign with your name. Transfer approximately 15 to 20 minutes to your hotel in San Jose.

In the morning, set out on a private transfer toward Arenal, stopping en route at La Paz Waterfall Gardens for a self-guided visit. This 70-acre (28-hectare) private nature park, of which about 40 acres (16 hectares) is cloud and rainforest, sits between Poas Volcano National Park and Braulio Carrillo National Park. It has five waterfalls, one of the world's largest butterfly observatories, an animal sanctuary home to more than 100 species, and 3.5 km (2.2 miles) of trails.

After lunch at the gardens, continue to your hotel in La Fortuna, a town at the base of Arenal Volcano, and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure.
Please note that comfortable, sturdy closed-toe shoes are required at most nature reserves in Costa Rica. Keep sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, insect repellent, a reusable water bottle, and a waterproof camera on hand.

Optional Activity: Sarapiquí Family River Rafting
For families who want more adventure, a Class II-III rafting trip on the lower La Virgen section of the Sarapiquí River can be added along the way, suitable for children ages 5 and older. This option means an earlier departure from San José and a later arrival in La Fortuna.

Driving distance: 146 kilometers / 90.7 miles
Transfer from San Jose to La Fortuna - Approximately 3.5 hours

Spend the day as you like in the Arenal Volcano area, one of Costa Rica's main hubs for adventure travel. Relax at your hotel in La Fortuna or choose from a range of optional activities, from easy nature and wildlife walks, coffee and chocolate farm visits, and traditional cooking classes to river floating, tubing, and kayaking on Lake Arenal. For a more active day, options include waterfall hikes, ATV tours, horseback riding, mountain biking, canyoning, and waterfall rappelling.

Talk to your Trip Planner before you travel to arrange optional excursions, including a four-in-one canyoning and waterfall rappelling adventure at La Roca, a sloth-watching tour at the Sloth Territory Reserve, a coffee and chocolate tour at Finca Don Juan, a twilight boat safari on the Peñas Blancas River, or a visit to Baldi Hot Springs.

Rise early for a guided walk at Mirador El Silencio, a private reserve 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) from La Fortuna at the base of Arenal Volcano. The reserve covers 550 acres (225 hectares), about half of it primary forest, with six trails totaling 8.5 miles (14 kilometers). Your guide leads you to a lookout facing the volcano and the site of its 1968 eruption.

The trails suit a range of abilities. Trail 2, the Peccary Trail, is a narrow, muddy climb through primary forest for those who want a challenge, while Trail 1 (Spider Trail) and Trail 4 (Spring Trail) are less steep and still pass through forest. If time is short, Trail 6, the Lava Fields of 1968 Trail, starts from the upper parking area, crosses a farm field, and climbs to the old lava flow and the highest viewpoint on the property.

Please note that sturdy closed-toe shoes are mandatory on all forest trails. Bring insect repellent, sunscreen, a raincoat, a hat, sunglasses, a waterproof camera, and a reusable water bottle.

Return to your hotel to freshen up and check out before a midday door-to-door shared shuttle to Monteverde. After a short drive to the jetty at Arenal Dam, board a roofed pontoon boat across Lake Arenal, with views of Arenal Volcano along the way, to the lakeside town of Río Chiquito. From there, continue overland up a dirt and gravel mountain road to your hotel in Santa Elena, surrounded by the Monteverde Cloud Forest.

Please note that there is no pier, so you board and leave the boat directly on the lakeshore, which can be muddy. Wear suitable footwear, and expect a bumpy ride on the unpaved road to Monteverde. 

Hiking length: 2 to 4 hours
Transfer from La Fortuna to Monteverde - Approximately 3.5 hours

Head to Selvatura Park for a guided natural history walk across its treetop hanging bridges. Eight bridges span the park's canyons and mountains, ranging from 170 to 560 feet (52 to 171 m) in length and reaching heights of 36 to 180 feet (12 to 60 m), each five feet (1.5 m) wide. 

After lunch, visit the park’s Butterfly Garden, home to more than 30 species of Costa Rican butterflies, along with its Reptile and Amphibian Exhibition and its Sloth Sanctuary, where sloths move freely through a habitat designed to mimic their natural surroundings. The sanctuary also cares for sloths rescued after poaching, habitat loss, illness or accidents, rehabilitating them for release back into the wild. 

The rest of the afternoon is free to relax at your hotel or explore the town of Santa Elena. 

Optional Activity: Selvatura Park Canopy Zipline
For families who want more adventure, the canopy zipline at Selvatura Park can replace the butterfly garden, reptile exhibit, and sloth sanctuary visits. To add the zipline while keeping those visits, spend the full day at the park, leaving early in the morning and returning late in the afternoon.

Today, head down from the mountains toward Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast, with a stop on the banks of the Tárcoles River for lunch and a two-hour boat tour with a local guide. The river is home to one of the largest crocodile colonies in Central America, with crocodiles ranging from 10 to 23 feet long.

The boat follows the river toward the Guacalillo estuary and its mangrove forest, where four mangrove species grow. This meeting of river, estuary, and ocean draws more than 50 bird species, including scarlet macaws, mangrove cuckoos, mangrove hummingbirds, mangrove vireos, and Panama flycatchers, along with pelicans, boat-billed herons, egrets, and migrating waterfowl. A bottle of cold water and a brochure describing the 56 bird species most often seen along the river are provided.

Stretch your legs and take photos before continuing to your hotel in Manuel Antonio in the mid-afternoon. Dinner is on your own tonight, and local favorites include Luna Restaurant and El Avión.

Driving distance: 192 kilometers / 119.5 miles
Transfer from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio - Approximately 4 hours

Set out in the morning for a guided nature walk through Manuel Antonio National Park.  Covering 683 hectares of rainforest, beaches, and coral reefs, the park is home to 109 mammal species and more than 184 bird species. Your guide helps you look for white-faced monkeys, squirrel monkeys, sloths, and colorful crabs, and you can bring a swimsuit to swim at the secluded beaches inside the park.

Please note that the park is closed on Tuesdays.

Return to your hotel for a free afternoon to relax or explore Espadilla Beach on your own. Talk to yourTrip Planner before you travel to arrange extras at an additional cost, including a massage, spa treatment, or ocean kayaking.

Enjoy a leisurely morning in Manuel Antonio before a private transfer in the early afternoon to your hotel near Juan Santamaría International Airport in San Jose.

If you're traveling in the dry season (December through April), ask your Trip Planner about adding a coastal boat tour with snorkeling before you check out.

Today is free for you to relax or explore before your flight. A shuttle transfers you to Juan Santamaria International Airport in time for your return flight, closing out your Costa Rica adventure. If you’d like more time in Costa Rica, talk to your Trip Planner about extending your trip.