Family Adventures in Costa Rica
Costa Rica rewards curious families. Wildlife appears reliably. Trails are graded. The culture is warm and genuinely welcoming. These are the experiences that children talk about years later.
🏊 Swimming
Isla del Caño Biological Reserve
The finest reef on the Pacific coast of Central America, twelve kilometres offshore
Drake Bay
🌊 Waterfalls
Catarata La Fortuna
A dramatic 70-metre waterfall, tropical rainforest, wildlife, and swimming
La Fortuna
🏊 Swimming
Parque Nacional Cahuita
One of Costa Rica’s most beautiful Caribbean national parks
Cahuita
🌊 Waterfalls
Cataratas Llanos de Cortez
The most accessible major waterfall in Costa Rica — and the most generous
Bagaces
🦜 Wildlife
Playa Grande
Leatherback turtles nest here in darkness — the beach is theirs first
Playa Grande
🏕️ Camping
Estación Sirena, Corcovado
The most biologically intense place on Earth — no services, no shade, no compromise
Osa Peninsula
🌊 Waterfalls
La Paz Waterfall Gardens
One of Costa Rica’s most famous eco-attractions, located in the cloud forest between Poás Volcano and Sarapiquí
Heredia Province
🦜 Wildlife
Canales de Tortuguero
Boat through rainforest canals watching caimans, sloths, and river otters
Tortuguero
🥾 Hiking
Sendero Las Pailas, Rincón de la Vieja
Active mud pots, fumaroles, and howler monkeys in a single morning hike
Rincón de la Vieja NP
🥾 Hiking
Savegre Valley Trail
Network of cloud-forest hiking trails around San Gerardo de Dota and the upper Río Savegre
San Gerardo de Dota
🏊 Swimming
Nacientes Palmichal
Crystal springs and natural swimming pools
Acosta
🥾 Hiking
Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco
Costa Rica's first protected area ends in a wild beach almost nobody reaches
Cabo Blanco
💎 Hidden Gems
Bahía Drake
One of the wildest and most biodiverse destinations
Drake Bay
🥾 Hiking
Dominical
Jungle coast surf town — strong rip currents, one main street, gateway to the southern Pacific
Dominical
💎 Hidden Gems
Zarcero
The highland town where the town square is a topiary garden — and has been since 1964
Zarcero
🦜 Wildlife
Uvita
The whale-tail sandbar at low tide — humpback nursery from August to October
Uvita
🥾 Hiking
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Where the cloud never quite leaves and every surface is covered in something living
Monteverde
🦜 Wildlife
Puerto Jiménez
Main gateway to Corcovado on Golfo Dulce — scarlet macaws in the town trees, pura vida pace
Puerto Jiménez
🦜 Wildlife
Golfo Dulce
One of Costa Rica's most spectacular natural regions and one of only a few tropical fjord-like gulfs in the world
Golfito
🦜 Wildlife
Piedras Blancas National Park
Primary lowland rainforest connected to the Osa — jaguar, tapir, almost no visitors
Golfito
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Laguna Don Manuel
A tranquil mountain retreat where a pristine volcanic lagoon is surrounded by misty cloud forests, scenic trails, and fresh highland air.
Dota
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Dino Land
Journey back in time at where lifelike animatronic dinosaurs roam misty forest trails in the heart of Bajos del Toro.
Sarchi
🥾 Hiking
Reserva Forestal Río Macho
A world of misty cloud forests, hidden ravines, and extraordinary biodiversity.
Paraíso
🦜 Wildlife
Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Marta
An underrated hidden nature destination in Cartago offering waterfalls, rainforest, wildlife, rivers, and hiking.
Jimenez