Costa Rica for Families in 7 Days: Caribbean Coast Wonders

San Jose is a charming capital, but with seven days in Costa Rica, you will not really want to waste any time on city streets, especially when you can venture directly into nature. After landing at the country’s main international airport, you will be met by your local guide and transferred to the Caribbean. Upon your arrival, you will check-in to a lodge that basks beneath the frame of Irazu volcano. Here, you have time to rest before lunch. Your lodge will be emblematic of Costa Rica’s appeal, providing luxury and space in incredible natural surroundings. After lunch, you will ascend with your family up an active volcano that last erupted in 1994.

It is very safe to explore at the moment, but you can still encounter surreal volcanic power. The road will twist and turn, leading you toward a summit that features three craters. Pools will shimmer and will be visible when you peer into one of the craters, fumaroles will spit out sulfuric gases, and bubbling mud pools will change before your eyes. You will be exploring a wonderful volcanic world, and there are different hiking trails in which you can indulge, so your time on Irazu can be as active as your family desires. There will even be a waterfall in the vicinity should you wish to extend the day’s adventure. Irazu is en route to the Caribbean coast, so this will be a convenient stop in addition to providing you with time to relax after your volcano tour.

This morning, you will depart your lodge after a buffet breakfast. Today’s adventure will lead you deep into the wilderness. The Rio Pacuare twists through canyons and forest to the Caribbean Sea. Tropical birds tend to flutter around the banks, forest shrouds the water, creating a green canopy that will provide shade throughout the day. Most of the river is calm, so you will spend the morning drifting through nature. There are also places of grade II and III rapids, where your family adventure will take on an exhilarating feel. This white-water rafting experience is usually possible for all children over the age of six. Where you start will depend on the time of year because the guides cannot take young children on the grade IV rapids.

While a few rapids will stir adrenaline and excitement, most of the rafting trip will be serene as you look for birds and slowly make your way toward the Caribbean. After lunch and some time to rest, your journey will continue to the Guapiles Highway. Upon your arrival, you will pass under a tunnel to emerge in Braulio Carrillo National Park, where a beautiful road will lead you further into the wild. To complete your journey, you will need to travel by boat. Although this may all seem like a tiresome journey, there is wildlife all around, and the variety of transport methods will make the day seem like an expedition. Once you are in Tortuguero, you can rest along the river and listen to monkeys as they howl.

Natural worlds merge together in Tortuguero, and its jungle interior is navigable by canals and rivers. Without roads or villages, it is a place where rare birds fly above river otters and capuchin monkeys jump past endangered iguanas. On the Caribbean Coast, you can experience iconic scenes with breathtaking golden beaches that are mostly without footprints. During your time on the coast, you will also be able to witness four different sea turtles throughout the area. With two full days, you can fully explore both paradigms. Today, you will explore the coast. First, you will cruise along a 22-mile beach, where you cannot swim, but you can watch your kids run off some energy.

Traveling onward, your guide will show you a safe place for swimming and snorkeling. Beneath the surface, you might catch a glimpse of a green or loggerhead turtle. Leatherback turtles dominate the area from February to July, and these are the world’s largest turtle species, making them an incredible sight, even when you are looking down from a private boat. Your day on the coast will be flexible. Usually, your guide will lead you back to your lodge in the afternoon, where you can relax and watch for monkeys. After dark, you will return to the beaches in search of hatching sea turtle eggs. The next generation of turtles will crack out of their shells after dusk, and with a roving spotlight, you will be able to watch their first steps, which will prove to be a wildlife experience as intimate as it is authentic.

While days in Tortuguero can be active, they are also very comfortable and relaxing. Your lodge is tailored to families with interconnected rooms and a wide range of cuisine. All meals will be included, and there will be plenty of choice for both traditional and Western foods. Local guides can also occupy your children with specific activities, such as short wildlife walks. This will provide you with time to relax and your kids with time to explore and play. Today’s activities will lead you into the jungle’s interior along canals and rivers that are teeming with life. It will be fun paddling slowly along and listening to howler monkeys from bank to bank.

Your local guide will lead the way, teaching you about different bird species, including toucans, kingfishers, and macaws. Hopefully, a large capuchin monkey troop will swing past you, bringing wide-eyed wonder among your kids. Usually, you can see howler monkeys in the trees, and sometimes sloths hang down from branches that rise above the water. After a morning tour, your afternoon will be flexible, so you can choose whether to venture deeper into the jungle or to soak up some sun on the Caribbean Coast. You should note that Tortuguero is not the best place for swimming because the waters can be wild or inaccessible. If you desire, you will be able to swim safely tomorrow during your time in Puerto Viejo.

While the journey to Tortuguero is an adventure, you can save on travel time by flying to Puerto Viejo. In just 30 minutes, you will be touching down in Limon before a short transfer to Costa Rica’s Caribbean beach town. Here, colorful houses line the town’s streets, exuding a youthful energy that can be absorbed on the transfer to your beachside lodge. For these final two nights, you will be staying on the beach, where you will enjoy barefoot access to the sand and all the charms of an idyllic coastal getaway. Almost instantly, you will be immersed in the area’s laid-back atmosphere, and today should resolve any misconceptions about a Caribbean Costa Rican vacation.

Nothing specific will be planned for today, so you can check-in early to your lodge, lounge around the sand, swim in calm turquoise waters, and enjoy the space that has been provided. Like elsewhere on your tour, Puerto Viejo will create a space for you to come together as a family. This is not a country of bustling cities, and keeping your kids close and entertained will be easy. There is a freedom to Costa Rica that gives your kids time to run and explore. Local guides can customize an afternoon of activities for you if you are interested, including an Afro-Caribbean cooking class or a visit to the swamps and wetlands of Gondoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge.

Puerto Viejo is a wonderful location that can give you the best of both worlds. There are beaches and a laid-back Caribbean atmosphere. Puerto Viejo is also home to a wonderful array of national parks and wildlife. Cahuita is one of these parks, and it is excellent for families because of its range of options. At this park, you can be hiking in the wilderness with toddlers as there are flat trails that run parallel to the beach. You can even take teenagers on a longer hike in search of white-faced monkeys, colorful crabs, and stunning viewpoints. Hiking can be complemented by snorkeling, and the marine world here is one of the finest in Central America.

With a local guide, you can snorkel in calming water as stingrays glide around the bottom. Sometimes, you will not be able to distinguish their camouflage until they move. Octopus also lurch in the water, and nurse sharks provide stunning views beneath the surface. If snorkeling is not for your family, then Gondoca Manzanillo will be a good alternative. Here, you can witness playful dolphins, manatees, and caimans on a boat tour or from tandem kayaks. Everything during these seven days in Costa Rica will be completely customizable, so your guide can tailor the level of adventure to suit your family’s interests.

A late flight out of San Jose will still provide you with time for incredible wildlife experiences. Not far from the coast, you will find the Jaguar Rescue Center, which is a forested enclave home to jaguars, sloths, monkeys, anteaters, and wild cats. You are not guaranteed to see all of these animals, but it is remarkable how much is visible within a small space. After a short visit to the center, you will travel by road for 45 minutes to Limon, where you will catch a domestic flight to San Jose. In San Jose, a representative will greet you and assist in your transfer to your international flight.