Costa Rica had been on our family travel bucket list for a long time, and after finally visiting with our little kids, I completely understand why it’s such a popular destination for families!
Between spotting monkeys in the wild, riding horses along the beach, ziplining through the rainforest, finding hidden waterfalls, learning to surf, and exploring Manuel Antonio National Park, this trip had the perfect combination of adventure and kid-friendly activities.
For this Costa Rica itinerary, we split our trip between Jaco and Quepos/Manuel Antonio, which worked really well for our family. We stayed at Clarita’s Beach Bar & Resort in Jaco first and then moved south to Best Western Hotel & Casino Kamuk in Quepos.
If you’re planning a Costa Rica trip with toddlers or young kids, here’s where we stayed, what we did, and the family-friendly Costa Rica adventures I’d recommend adding to your itinerary.
Check out my saved IG stories from our trip to Costa Rica here!
Stop #1: Jaco, Costa Rica
Jaco was our first stop, and I think it’s a really fun home base for families who want to experience Costa Rica’s adventurous side.
You have the beach right there, but you’re also surrounded by rainforest, waterfalls, wildlife, and tons of outdoor activities. This is where I’d plan things like surfing, horseback riding, ziplining, and a UTV jungle adventure.
Where We Stayed in Jaco: Clarita’s Beach Bar & Resort
We stayed at Clarita’s Beach Bar & Resort, and the biggest selling point for families is the location—you are right by the beach.
Being able to walk out of your hotel and have easy access to the ocean is SO nice when you’re traveling with little kids. Instead of loading everyone into the car every time you want some beach time, you can make it part of your day whenever it works with naps, meals, and everyone’s moods.
The resort also has a pool, which is always a huge win with kids, plus an on-site restaurant so you don’t necessarily have to leave the property for every meal.
Why We Liked Clarita’s for Families
- Beachfront location
- Swimming pool for the kids
- On-site restaurant (included breakfast)
- Free secured parking
- Air-conditioned rooms
- Easy home base for Jaco-area adventures
- Beautiful Pacific Coast sunsets
- Convenient if you want to mix adventure days with slower beach/pool time
This was a great place to start our trip because we could alternate bigger adventure days with much easier beach and pool time.
Tours around Jaco
1. Go Horseback Riding
BOOK A JACO HORSEBACK RIDING TOUR GetYourGuide discount code: WHEREISBRIGGS5 (note the 5 at the end)
Horseback riding is such a fun way to experience Costa Rica with kids because you’re still having an adventure without needing to do a strenuous hike.
There are several horseback riding experiences around Jaco. The one that we did linked above included rides through the rainforest and then to the beach! These tours are specifically designed for beginners, which can make them a good option for families with kids. They did have helmets available for the kids.
2. Zipline Through the Costa Rican Rainforest
BOOK A JACO ZIPLINE TOUR GetYourGuide discount code: WHEREISBRIGGS5 (note the 5 at the end)
You can’t go to Costa Rica without at least considering ziplining!
Flying through the rainforest canopy is one of those quintessential Costa Rica experiences, and the Jaco area has a ton of options. You’ll find everything from shorter canopy courses to bigger adventures that combine ziplines with waterfalls, hanging bridges, ATV rides, and other activities. The tour that we did and linked above had 10 ziplines and took us about 1 hour and 45 mins to complete the entire course. This was the highlight of the trip according to my five-year-old!
If you’re visiting with little kids, check the minimum age and weight requirements for the specific course before booking, because they vary between operators. My three-year-old was too young to do this tour that I linked above when we went but my five-year-old fit the height requirements.
3. Take a UTV Through the Jungle to Find Waterfalls
BOOK A JACO ATV/UTV + WATERFALL TOUR GetYourGuide discount code: WHEREISBRIGGS5 (note the 5 at the end)
This is one of the best activities if your family wants a little more adventure!
There are UTV and ATV tours around Jaco that take you away from the beach and into the rainforest, where you can drive along jungle trails, cross rivers, see incredible views, and stop at waterfalls.
I love activities like this because the adventure of getting to the waterfall is just as fun as the waterfall itself.
For younger children, I’d specifically ask for the UTV and not the ATV when booking. Always confirm the tour’s current minimum ages and passenger requirements before booking.
I would also suggest bringing kids water shoes and a life jacket, since the waterfall this tour leads you to is quite deep and I wasn’t able to touch the bottom.
Stop #2: Quepos + Manuel Antonio
After Jaco, we continued south to Quepos, which is the gateway to Manuel Antonio.
I loved combining these two areas because the second half of the trip felt much more wildlife-focused. This is where I’d prioritize the mangroves, Manuel Antonio National Park, and some beach time.
Where We Stayed: Best Western Hotel Kamuk
For the second half of our trip, we stayed at Best Western Hotel Kamuk in downtown Quepos.
The location makes it a convenient base for exploring the area, and Manuel Antonio National Park is only about 4.8 miles from the hotel.
The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, which was another big plus for us traveling with kids. There’s also an on-site restaurant, Mira Olas, with ocean views.
Why We Liked Best Western Kamuk for Families
- Convenient downtown Quepos location
- Less than 5 miles from Manuel Antonio National Park
- Outdoor swimming pool
- On-site restaurant
- Breakfast included
- Locked parking lot for rental cars
One small tip I’d give other families: bring a sound machine or request a pool-facing room if one is available.
The hotel is in a convenient downtown location, but that also means some rooms can pick up traffic noise from the road. This wasn’t a dealbreaker for us at all, but with little kids—especially if you’re dealing with early bedtimes—a sound machine would be an easy thing to pack.
Tours Around Quepos + Manuel Antonio
4. Learn to Surf in Quepos
BOOK A FAMILY SURF LESSON IN JACO GetYourGuide discount code: WHEREISBRIGGS5 (note the 5 at the end)
When you’re staying in a surf town, you might as well try surfing!
Jaco has beginner surf lessons, including family-oriented options, so this can be such a fun way to introduce kids to surfing in Costa Rica. Our instructors were extremely kind and even assigned a private instructor for my five-year-old while my mom and I worked with another instructor during our lesson. My three-year-old was old enough to participate but chose not to.
Even if no one in your family has ever surfed before, instructors can teach you the basics before getting you into the water. This would be one of my picks for families with kids who are old enough to really participate and want to try something completely new.
5. Take a Monkey Mangrove Boat Tour
BOOK A MANUEL ANTONIO MONKEY + MANGROVE TOUR GetYourGuide discount code: WHEREISBRIGGS5 (note the 5 at the end)
This is one of my favorite types of activities to recommend with little kids because you get an amazing Costa Rica wildlife experience without asking young children to hike for hours. My five-year-old told me this was the “real-life Disney Jungle Cruise!” and I couldn’t agree more!
You travel through the mangroves by boat while guides help you look for wildlife. Depending on the day, you may spot monkeys, birds, reptiles, and other animals living around the mangrove ecosystem. For little kids, the boat ride itself is part of the adventure!
If seeing wildlife is high on your Costa Rica bucket list, I would absolutely put a mangrove tour on your itinerary.
6. Explore Manuel Antonio National Park
BOOK A GUIDED MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK TOUR GetYourGuide discount code: WHEREISBRIGGS5 (note the 5 at the end)
The park combines rainforest, beaches, hiking trails, and wildlife all in one place. Keep your eyes open for monkeys, sloths, lizards, birds, and all kinds of other animals along the trails.
Would I Hire a Guide?
Yes—and this is actually something I would change if we did our trip again.
We explored Manuel Antonio without a guide, and while we still enjoyed the park, I think we would have gotten much more out of the experience with a naturalist guide. The guides know what to look for, can help spot animals that you would probably walk right past on your own, and can teach kids about what they’re seeing along the way. Many also use spotting scopes, which can make wildlife viewing much easier.
Also, when booking your entrance time slot, choose the earliest one! We made the mistake of choosing the 9-9:40 am time slot, and by the time we arrived, it was already quite hot and made hiking a bit more uncomfortable with the kids. I wish we had chosen the 7 am time slot.
7. Go Parasailing in Manuel Antonio
BOOK PARASAILING IN MANUEL ANTONIO GetYourGuide discount code: WHEREISBRIGGS5 (note the 5 at the end)
For one final adventure, you can see the Costa Rican coastline from an entirely different perspective—from the air!
Parasailing is available from the Manuel Antonio beach area and gives you incredible views of the Pacific coastline and surrounding rainforest.
This is definitely one of the more adventurous activities on this list, so you’ll want to check the current minimum age, weight requirements, weather conditions, and whether children can fly tandem with an adult before booking. They were okay with my kids flying tandem with me!
For kids who meet the requirements and love adventure, this could easily become one of their favorite memories from Costa Rica.
How I Would Build a Costa Rica Itinerary With Little Kids
If you’re recreating our trip, I wouldn’t try to squeeze multiple excursions into a single day. Instead, I would book a morning tour (rain usually comes in the afternoon) and then spend the rest of the day on the beach or at the resort pool!
A sample trip could look something like this:
Day 1: Arrive + drive to Jaco + pool/beach
Day 2: Horseback riding + Jaco Beach
Day 3: UTV jungle/waterfall adventure + Resort pool
Day 4: Ziplining + Jaco Beach
Day 5: Travel from Jaco to Quepos + explore downtown + pool
Day 6: Manuel Antonio National Park with a guide+ beach at National Park
Day 7: Monkey mangrove boat tour + hotel pool
Day 8: Parasailing or surfing + begin the trip home
You could easily shorten this by choosing your favorite activities or extend it by adding extra beach and pool days.
What to Pack for Costa Rica With Little Kids
Between the beaches, waterfalls, jungle adventures, bugs, and tropical rain, having the right gear made our Costa Rica trip with kids so much easier! Here are the essentials I’d recommend packing:
- Water shoes: A must for waterfalls, rocky beaches, and water adventures. Look for ones with good traction. (These are great adult ones that I have)
- Kids’ life jackets: We like bringing our own so we know they fit our kids well, although some tours require you to use theirs.
- Bug spray: Keep it in your day bag—you’ll especially want it around the jungle, mangroves, and in the evenings.
- Itch patches: These take up almost no space and are great to have when the inevitable mosquito bites happen.
- Lightweight rain jackets/ponchos: Tropical rain can come quickly, so pack something small that you can throw in your day bag.
- Quick-dry clothes: Between the humidity, rain, waterfalls, and beach, clothes that dry quickly are a huge win.
- Swimsuits + rash guards: We were around water constantly! Long-sleeve rash guards also help with sun protection.
- Sunscreen + hats: You’ll spend a LOT of time outside, so keep sunscreen with you for reapplying.
- Toddler/hiking carrier: Helpful for little legs on trails and longer adventure days.
- Dry bag/waterproof phone pouch: Great for boat rides, waterfalls, beaches, and unexpected rain.
- Reusable water bottles: The heat and humidity make staying hydrated extra important.
- Sound machine: Especially helpful at hotels.
- Small first-aid kit: Always handy when traveling with adventurous little kids!
Basically, pack for your kids to get hot, wet, muddy, and covered in bug bites—and you’ll be prepared for Costa Rica!
Is Costa Rica Worth Visiting With Little Kids?
100% yes.
What surprised me most about Costa Rica was how many of the experiences adults travel there for can still be enjoyed as a family.
You don’t have to choose between a relaxing family vacation and an adventure trip. In the same week, your kids can swim in the hotel pool, play at the beach, look for monkeys in the rainforest, ride a horse, explore waterfalls, learn to surf, and cruise through mangroves.
That’s what made this trip feel so special for us.
If you’re planning your own trip, I would split your time between Jaco and the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area just like we did. Jaco gives you easy access to beaches and adventure activities, while Manuel Antonio adds some of the wildlife experiences Costa Rica is famous for.
Happy travels and pura vida!
