Planning a family trip to Costa Rica? Don’t stress it and just go to Costa Rica with this day-by-day Costa Rica travel plan – driving, rentals, must-sees, ticket planning, etc. This ready-for-you 10 day Costa Rica itinerary tells you exactly the best places to visit in Costa Rica with kids complete with vacation rental recommendations, national park need-to-knows, and essential tips to road trip Costa Rica.
An adventure in Costa Rica with kids is waiting for you: spot sloths in the rain forest, snorkel in crystal-clear waters, or try out surfing. From monkeys to sloths to Costa Rica beaches, your adventure in Costa Rica plan is here. This family trip to Costa Rica travel plan takes the overwhelm of planning to visit Costa Rica, and simplifies it.
Don’t stress it, Mom and Dad! Let’s plan a Costa Rica vacation for family. Right here, right now.
10 Day Costa Rica Plan – Quick Jump!
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Costa Rica Itinerary Plan
A road trip through Costa Rica is the perfect way to experience its diverse landscapes, wildlife, and vibrant culture. After an adult trip to Costa Rica several years ago, we had been eagerly awaiting returning with the kids. We knew they would love the monkeys, sloths, and ocean especially.
Starting and ending in San José, this 10-day Costa Rica itinerary takes you through lush rain forests, sunny beaches, and picturesque national parks. This 10 day in Costa Rica itinerary starts at the San Jose airport, heading north to the La Fortuna Area, and south for Manuela Antonio National Park.
~~~> Yes, keep reading. All of this post. But make note to go check out my “25+ Costa Rica Tips” because these are the lessons I learned during our travels. Es muy importante!
Costa Rica 101
Before diving into the fun planning of stage of your Costa Rica family trip, make sure you go over these basics including where to stay and what to book. Check out “25+ Costa Rica Tips” for more info about cell phones, getting around Costa Rica, and what to bring to Costa Rica.
What do I need to arrange before our Costa Rica trip?
- Rent the car, plan for insurance, and get your route
- Book tickets for Mistico Hanging Bridges and Manuel Antonio NP
- Book any big excursion like our Cano Island snorkel trip
- Make sure your credit card doesn’t have international fees and notify the company of travel
- Add an international plan to your cell phone – you’ll be glad you did!
Recommended Costa Rica Family Stays
- Family hotel near Rio Celeste
- My Costa Rica favorite resort – Finca Luna Nueva
- Jaco – beautiful jungle hotel with pool, restaurant, and family rooms
- Private VRBO rental house in Manuel Antonio or Quepos
- San José family hotel with airport transportation
Day 1: Arrival in San José and Drive
Flying in from Georgia, we arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica early in the morning after a Miami connection flight with a plan to arrive at our Rio Celeste vacation rental by afternoon. This leg of our Costa Rica road trip would be a circle: west to Puntarenas, northeast to Rio Celeste, south to La Fortuna, and back to central Costa Rica to continue the next leg.
Renting a Car for Costa Rica Road Trip
Given the larger size of our family and the need for automatic transmission (yes, we are those people), I knew we needed to plan a rental car in advance. At the San José airport, we were met outside the terminal by the Adobe Rental Car company with a sign and piled into their van for a quick drive to get our Costa Rica rental car.
~~~> Wondering if you really need to rent a car in Costa Rica? Yes! Read about Costa Rica car rental here on my Costa Rica tips.
Puntarenas Quick Stop
Puntarenas is a small town on the west coast of Costa Rica which sticks out on a little peninsula into the Gulf of Nicoya. Set on the beach, this is a great little two hour trip for a lunch along the beach, looking out at the water. We parked along the road, wandered along the water, and ate our first Costa Rican meal.
The speciality of this area is a Churchill, and you will see them offered at all these restaurants. This super-sweet drink is shaved ice topped with flavored syrup and condensed milk. For us, it was just too much. But if you want the local specialty, look for one of the signs along the beach.
Get Groceries and Supplies
Plan ahead It’s another 2.5 hour drive from Puntarenas to the Rio Celeste area, and you won’t want to get back in your car once you unpack at your amazing Costa Rica hotel. Stop and get some basic food supplies for an easy supper if needed. Speaking from experience, the kids will want to be in the pool! Fruit and sandwiches it will be.
MOM TIP: If you have picky kids who want/need to live on peanut butter, consider packing it in your checked luggage. That stuff is expensive down here.
Hotel Catarata
Once you see a picture of the beautiful waters of the Rio Celeste waterfall (as you do all over all the Costa Rica social media photos), you’ll want to add it to your Costa Rica itinerary. This family-friendly Costa Rica hotel was picked for its comparatively low price, room for a family of six, included breakfast, and its proximity to the Rio Celeste Waterfall.
Our two nights at this hotel started with a full breakfast from the menu. We chose from a traditional breakfast including gallo pinto with beans and rice served with toast, but for the less adventurous people, you can have simple eggs or tradition pancakes. The staff at Hotel Catarata Rio Celeste was very helpful and friendly.
Make sure you also leave some time to wander around the grounds and look at the birds and beautiful flowers. The pool is lovely and makes for a good relaxing evening after a day of flying and driving.
Day 2: Rio Celeste and Tenorio
Plan to spend two nights in this area. The first night was after arriving in late the night before; second night was after exploring Rio Celeste and the surrounding area.
Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano National Park
Only minutes from our Rio Celeste hotel, Tenorio Volcano National Park was our first Costa Rica destination. I didn’t plan on getting a tour guide, but man, am I glad we did. A guided tour through Tenorio NP really was one of the highlights of our trip, and we still talk about our tour guide on a first name basis. Plan to get a naturalist tour guide at the beginning of your journey so they can show you how to best look for the animals. It makes it a lot easier for you to find sloths on the rest of your trip.
While you can book a guided tour of Tenorio NP ahead of time, there are also plenty of licensed guides waiting at the entrance to the park. Look for the guides that look like their telescope it natural; these are the pros that can find you the sloths and birds up in the trees. They know how to put your phone up to the telescope, so you can have pictures to take home with you.
While you can easily explore Tenorio and Rio Celeste on your own without getting lost, you’ll miss out on seeing the animals. If you want to reach out to the guide we used (and hung out with all day), here’s our Rio Celeste naturalist recommendation.
Warnings: There are a lot of stairs to get out to the waterfall lookout – and you have to climb them back up. While they are very sturdy and well-built, prepare yourself by bringing your water, wearing good shoes, and taking your time as needed.
While there is a second part of the park further up from the beautiful waterfall, we were ready to head back down.
MOM TIP: You’ll be mostly in the shade. Don’t stress the sun protection here.
Lunch Near Rio Celeste
After our Rio Celeste trip, we continued speaking to our guide Bryan who talked us into adding on a tubing adventure through his friends. Much cheaper than we would find through other groups he promised. So off we went with our new friend to his restaurant recommendation, back to our hotel to get water clothes, and driving off to the middle of no-where Costa Rica to go tubing.
Looking back, trusting this stranger was a major step of faith, but how else could my kids have ended up talking all through lunch with a local about his job and how he learns English. It was a fun and very unexpected day. Bryan comes up in conversation like he’s an old friend. 🙂
Only minutes from the entrance and across the highway from Tenorio National Park is your lunch destination. (And I can’t find the name of it so save the picture!) They have delicious, authentic Costa Rican food, but for the more timid family members, they even have a pizza oven. The restaurant inside is a true experience with a beautiful view. You’ll remember this meal.
Tubing Down Rio Celeste
You’ve seen the waterfall of Rio Celeste; now go tube down the actual river! Head about ten minutes away from the Tenorio NP to Villa Celeste Katira. This privately owned restaurant offers a full-adventure excursion center: canopy tour, tubing, hiking, and zip lines.
Villa Celeste Katira would be a great place for spending a whole afternoon trying out different activities while eating a good lunch. There are even areas for changing into dry clothes, so plan ahead. They even have several rooms for you to make Villa Celeste Katira your home base for exploring the La Fortuna area.
For your Rio Celeste float trip, you enter the river at the restaurant and will be picked up (tubes and people) at the end to be taken back to your car. They even had some tropical snacks waiting for us when we got back to the Villa Celeste Restaurant.
Of note: If you have a dry season Costa Rica trip, there won’t be as much water. Things are “dry” if you will. Although there was water flowing down the river, there were areas that required us to be pulled a bit by the guide. They kept their hands on our floats and guided us the whole way through the jungle river.
I’m sure tubing in Rio Celeste would be different during the wet season. It started raining while we were tubing and they said that was the first raindrops they had had in about five months. Dry means dry!
MOM TIP: Make sure you pack your waterproof phone bag, strap-on sandals, and sunshirts. You can’t wear your sunhat with the required helmet, so put on that sunscreen. And if you’re not all wearing your fast-dry shorts, make sure you pack dry clothes to change back at the restaurant.
Day 3: Drive and Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges
Our road trip through Costa Rica hit another Costa Rica favorite attraction when we spent the morning exploring Mistico Hanging Bridges. We packed up our luggage from the first hotel and drove two hours along Lake Arenal. These Costa Rica hanging bridges were on our way to our next rental at Finca Lunca Nueva – the best place of the whole trip!
We were in luck the day of our visit because we could actually see the pointy top of the Arenal Volcano. It seems you can only see it only about sixty days a year due to clouds and rain.
Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges
Most of the Mistico Arenal recommendations suggested that we get a naturalist guide at Mistico, and I’m glad we did. To make sure you get a ticket, plan to get your Arenal Hanging Bridges at Mistico tickets online before your Costa Rica trip, and although the park was not super-crowded, there were definitely a lot of people waiting for their tour guide to arrive. In contrast to our Tenorio NP experience with lots of sloths, amphibians, and insects, this day at Mistico Hanging Bridges was all about the birds. Our experienced nature guide showed us a pair of toucans within minutes of starting our walk.
In order to see the most animal life, we arrived for an early morning tour. While you will be walking across raised bridges and not near water, you need to plan to wear closed toes shoes. This is another place where those gripping water sandals will alsocome in handy. While you won’t be hiking up a flight of stairs like you did at Tenorio or La Fortuna, the parth includes some hills to go up and down.
Here you will find great views, lots of birds, and a very memorable experience. If you want to get a Mistico Bridges private guided tour you can, but it’s also easily arranged to have one from the park.
Arrive at Hotel: Fina Luna Nueva
Only an hour after leaving Mistico Hanging Bridges, you will arrive at my favorite part of the trip! Meet the rain forest eco-lodge that has everything your family or group wants from their Costa Rica vacation. Finca Luna Nueva. I love it so much there’s a whole post about it!
~~~> When you find the best kid-friendly resort in Costa Rica (with rooms big enough for families!), you book it right away. Read “Finca Luna Nueva: The Best Costa Rica Adventure for Families” – when you see the photos of this tropical Costa Rica paradise, you’ll send all the photos to your friends. Because it’s fabulous.
I picked this fabulous family-friendly Costa Rica lodge for many reasons. It had bungalows big enough for a family of six, it had amazing online pictures, it was close to Mistico Bridges and the La Fortuna waterfall, and it was a full beautiful resort experience. The problem is that it’s becoming more popular, so make sure you book your Finca Luna Nueva bungalow early! I was so excited about staying here that I planned the rest of our Costa Rica vacation around available dates.
Day 4: Exploring the Town of La Fortuna
La Fortuna is an excellent Costa Rican town experience. The town is built around a beautiful grassy area and has lots of tourists. You will also find a grocery store, church, tourist shops, and lots of restaurants. You can find so many different types of food here! Our first visit we had Italian food at Italianissimo and on our second visit, we had Argentinian food. Both were very good.
(Have I mentioned that we didn’t have much “authentic Costa Rican food” during our visit? There are so many options from every country possible!)
We spent the afternoon hanging out at the Finca Luna Nueva pool at the hotel. Surrounded by the jungle trees and birds, it’s a beautiful tropical oasis. The trails around the property needed to be explored!
Day 5: La Fortuna
If you’re staying at my favorite jungle eco-lodge (aka FLN), it’s only a half hour drive to the waterfall at La Fortuna. It’s about ten minutes from the waterfall into the town of La Fortuna, so if you want to plan a lunch eating out, that’s easily added. We spent the afternoon back at the hotel doing one of their on-property adventures, making chocolate from their farm.
La Fortuna Waterfall
Another must-see Costa Rica location is the waterfall of La Fortuna. This irresistable waterfall seems to be all over the internet – which also means it will be crowded. Set within a large nature preserve, this is technically part of the Arenal Volcano National Park.
Unlike Tenorio or Manuel Antonio, this almost feels more like an amusement park with a detailed map of all the areas, wide paved paths, a gift shop, and large changing rooms at the restroom. This feels like a Costa Rican version of Six Flags including the pull-up areas at the front for large tourist busses where you get your La Fortuna Waterfall tickets.
The only thing to do at this waterfall is see the waterfall. There are several overviews that give a lovely view, but essentially it’s just a lot of stairs (530 to be exact) down to base of the waterfall. You’re surrounded by rain forest and beautiful views the whole time. Although you can get in the water at the waterfall, the force of the water is so strong that you won’t be able to get too close to the actual water. It’s not safe.
At the bottom of the stairs, there are benches to put your stuff down. Plan to bring a waterproof bag to keep closer to your or don’t bring anything of value. There are no lockers; just a few lifeguards directing traffic.
Our favorite area to explore wasn’t to the right with the waterfall. Go back up to the benches or crawl over the slippery rocks (like my kids, of course) to the quieter downstream area right around the corner. Here, you can get in the middle of the river and just sit and look around at the scenery.
MOM TIP: These rocks are very slippery and rough. Set the safety rules before you let them head out to the waterfall, and I highly recommend you keep on some gripping water shoes. My husband has a permanently deformed toe from his fall at the rocks! Wear your fast dry clothes, bring a small towel, and don’t forget to fill up the water bottle and snacks!
Finca Luna Nueva Excursions and Chocolate Tour
One of the reasons I chose to stay here was because of the on-site Finca Luna excursions that can be added on during your stay like a guided rain forest tour, herbal medicine class, or farm tour. If your kids are as exhausted as mine and just want to hang out at the hotel, add on a chocolate tour (as we did) or wander off into the Children’s Eternal Rainforest on the private trail. You can even wake up early and meet the birding expert at the bird station.
Make sure you leave time to hang out at the hotel, enjoy the view, and play in the pool. After all, you’re paying money to have the whole Finca Luna Nueva experience. It’s as much a part of your family trip to Costa Rica as driving all over seeing the sights.
If you’re not staying here, there are plenty of other tour groups all from the town of La Fortuna like this rainforest chocolate tour or waterfall rappelling tour or even a whitewater rafting class 3/4 adventure! There really is enough to do in this area to stay much longer.
~~~> Don’t forget to go check out my “25+ Costa Rica Tips” because these are the lessons I learned and I wished I’d known before we went to Costa Rica. Time savers!
Day 6: Drive to Quepos and Manuel Antonio
After packing up after you last pool-side breakfast at Finca Luna lodge, prepare for a day of driving. It’s three hours to Tarcoles, so you’ll definitely be ready for a stretching break mid-morning. In about half an hour, you’ll start seeing the busy areas of Jaco for a lunch break. It’s another two hours past there to Manuel Antonio and Quepos, so you’ll arrive mid-afternoon easily. This can be winding road in parts, so you’ve been warned. It’s time for those car-sickness precautions.
Tarcoles Crocodile Bridge
Tarcoles Bridge is located in the northern boundary of Carara National Park. If you don’t have time to have a trip through this national park, you should definitely stop at the bridge. As everyone does. Because it’s free!
How to See Tarcoles Crocodiles
You’ll know you are at the correct bridge in Tarcoles – also the only one – when you see the crowd and the busses. Look for a safe place to park – usually at a big souvenir stand. Make sure you lock your car and hide your luggage as best you can. There were lots of safety cautions reported online before our trip about this area due to the high number of visitors. Follow the cross and walk to the bridge.
You are able to see the crocodiles from both sides of the bridge, so take the time to run across between traffic for another view. The bridge with slats at the railing did make me nervous with my small children – you’ve been warned!
Even if you don’t like crocodiles, this is a great place for a view across the national park. It’s quite lovely. Also a good place for a quick snack or souvenir shopping at the stands along the road.
Lunch in Jaco
On our first trip adult-only trip to Costa Rica, we stayed in Jaco for several night and took a day trip to Manuel Antonio NP. Jaco is a busy surfing town with plenty of restaurants, shopping options everywhere, and a calm beach. If you want to stay in the action in a town that appears to have some night-time entertainment, Jaco is a good option.
We stopped for a couple of hours for a meal and actually managed to have some Mexican tacos. There were a ton of meal options to choose from. This is a great place to walk around and just see. The Main Street is only a couple of blocks from the ocean, so once you find a parking spot, you can always leave the car and walk over to see the ocean. It’s not super close, but close enough.
On our first trip, we stayed at this Jaco lovely jungle-surrounded hotel right off the main highway; it’s only five minutes from town but away from the crowds. With a beautiful pool and on-site restaurant, you’ll wander through the trees where toucans, macaws, and hummingbirds fly. Check out Jaco’s Hotel DoceLunas.
Drive to Manuel Antonio (the town)
Upon arrival, to our Manuel Antonio VRBO and communicating to our hosts on WhatsApp, we quickly settled in and walked several blocks to go grocery shopping. We planned on eating breakfast at the house during our visits, snacking for lunch, and cooking a meal at the house for supper. We needed some food.
Manuel Antonio is a great small town to make your home-base for lots of Costa Rica day trips. Located right at the rain forest of Manuel Antonio, you’ll be woken up by the howler monkeys swinging through the trees and have a beautiful view from your balcony. It also has tons of touristy-restaurants, several small easy-to-maneuever grocery stores, and feels safe.
Unfortunately, our Manuel Antonio rental house was so amazing, that it has now been purchased. However, check out these other reasonably priced Manuel Hotel rentals I would have loved to have stayed in!
- This ocean-view house has an amazing pool
- Ocean view house, beautiful pool… I need this hammock in my life!
Day 7: Wander Quepos, Surfing at Manuel Antonio
Town of Quepos
Although our rental home was in the town of Manuel Antonio near the national park entrance, we were only about a ten minute drive to the larger town of Quepos. This town is on the water but doesn’t really have a pretty beach area. This is more a boat docking area. There are views out over the ocean, lots of souvenir shops, and restaurants. We spent an hour or so here, but Quepos wasn’t our favorite “cute Costa Rican town”.
Surfing at Manuel Antonio Beach
To some adventurers, Costa Rica means surfing, and the kids and husband wanted to try this for an afternoon. However, I didn’t realize that different beaches have different surf ratings based on the strength of the waves. After talking to our rental home host, it was recommended to just show up at the nearby Manuel Antonio beach and hire a local surf instructor.
As surfing beginners, the kids and Dad didn’t know what to expect, but they paid for their first surf lesson. After some beach instruction, they headed into the surf, each with their own personal assistant. However, no one in my family lasted the whole two hours due to exhaustion and raw skin.
Surfing life lesson: don’t pay for a whole day surf lesson. Unless they are experienced or very hard-core, you won’t get your money’s worth. Lesson 2, make sure they wear tightly fitting water shirts to prevent skin irritation.
If you aren’t planning a trip into Manuel Antonio National Park (or couldn’t get tickets), hanging at the beach is a great option as it’s right on the other side of the park; same wildlife, same tree line. You can even keep walking down the Manuel Antonio beach, and you will end up at Playa Espadilla Norte which is right at the national park. As we were ready to leave, we actually saw an iguana and a group of Capuchin monkeys right on the in the trees at our cars.
MOM TIP: One of the reasons my kids had to stop was the horrible chest chafing. Make sure your kids have tight swim shirts! Consider adding some body glide to their sensitive areas; I listened to a boy whine for dayssss after surfing.
Manuel Antonio Beach Warning
The beach at Manuel Antonio (outside the national park) was the part of our Costa Rica vacation where I felt the most “taken advantage of”. Even to drive toward the beach, you are hustled to pay for a parking spot and approached by multiple people who all look very official. Although we thought we were just paying to park on the road like everyone else, somehow we got a beach parking spot complete with our own umbrella and chair. I mean, go along with it, support the locals… However, you definitely don’t have to do all this.
Additionally, as this is a surfing beach, it is not good for playing in the water. There were actually life guards who made my kids get out of the water and looked at us like we were crazy for getting in it. If you have little kids who want to play on the beach and in the tide, this is not the place for you.
Day 8: Drake Bay and Caño Island
Best Costa Rica Investment? A day with Drake Bay Discovery tour boating through the bay, snorkeling at Cano Island, and having a tropical meal.
The best days on a family vacation are those that you book with an excursion. We keep prioritizing this (and springing for the cost) because they really are the best memories. It was a four-hour drive from Manuel Antonio to the tiny village of Sierpe, but I booked at trip with Drake Bay Discovery. And it was worth it.
This full-day naturalist trip took us on a high-speed boat through Drake Bay into the ocean. Our guide showed us the different monkey habitats as we zoomed through the water, and the kids loved the speed especially as we crossed from the bay into the ocean surf. (Totally gotta pack the nausea meds for this!)
We arrived at the beautiful tropical paradise of Cano Island where we snorkeled for about an hour before going to explore the island and climb to the lookout. This brief adventure was a tropical oasis with hermit crabs, ocean play, and an amazing ocean view. After getting back on the boat, we headed back inland where we stopped at a locally run resort for a homemade meal and more beach wandering. This amazing snorkel adventure was definitely a highlight of the trip!
If we had had another day, I would have totally booked an excursion to Corcovado National Park (like this!); it sounds like the ultimate away-from-the-crowds animal paradise. Now I know where to aim for next visit!
Day 9: Manuel Antonio National Park
When you ask where to see capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica, you will most likely be directed to Manuel Antonio. The problem is that, most people probably told the same. Manuel Antonio was definitely the most touristy place we visited while in Costa Rica. However, there are more quiet areas of the park that you need to know about, so keep reading.
How do I get tickets to Manuel Antonio?
Getting Manuel Antonio NP tickets ahead of time is essential; you can only get them ahead of time online. It was almost a big mess up for me because they only allow in a certain number of visitors per day. This means, don’t decide to wait until you get there to go get your tickets because they will sell out!
Only available through the Sinac government website, tickets to Manuel Antonio is a process that requires you to register so it’s not a fast thing. As ticket exit is not timed, people can stay all day if they want. Consider arriving early in the morning to have a couple of hours before even more people arrive, but it’s always possible later in the day means early arrivals have left already. Either way could work.
What is there to do at Manuel Antonio?
A day trip to Manuel Antonio National Park is the ultimate Costa Rica adventure. Walk through the forest looking for sloths on your way to the beach. You can take side trails off to go see the Sendero La Catedral waterfall during the rainy season or even take a longer hike up to Punta Catedral.
Walk down to the popular beach of Playa Espadilla Sur. You can take the wider park road, but if you move closely to the right, you will see a smooth raised trail that will take you further out into the mangroves. You’ll most likely see a crowd of people standing excitedly with their cameras. This means they have already found the capuchin monkeys jumping from branch to branch – or the monkeys found them!
Find your seat at the beach and look at the beautiful turquoise water. You’ll want to sit in the shade, but I’m warning you, this is where the monkeys hang out. I hope your waterproof bags are zipped up with nothing sitting outside to tempt them. I stopped one curious monkey from stealing out of a neighbor’s bag!
There are also some tide pools among the rocks at Playa Espadilla Sur to explore if you keep walking down the beach, a tower to climb for a full view, and plenty of big iguanas waiting for you. If you’re still long enough on the beach, these giant lizards may even find you and walk right onto your blanket if you aren’t careful.
If you’re wanting a more quiet beach, just keep walking. If you’re looking at the water, make about a 180 degree turn and look for the “other side” toward Playa Gemeles. This equally beautiful beach is more remote.
As you are not allowed to bring in food to Manuel Antonio, I suggest you start your adventure day with a big breakfast and plan to stay until early afternoon. Bring some fruit and water (in only a refillable bottle). There is a food stand somewhere – but I never saw it.
Do I need a guide for Manuel Antonio NP?
If you haven’t already booked a guided tour, you can find some guides waiting at the front with their telescopes. You could take a tour on the way to the beach for an hour and let them help you see some of the many sloths. Both times we’ve been there, we could see howler monkeys swinging from the trees at the entrance. Just look up!
Although you don’t need a guided tour, we did one our first trip to Manuel Antonio. Only with the guides help were we able to see a basilisk lizard walking on water, blue morpho butterflies at the canopy line, and a coati. Money spend on a Manuel Antonio guide isn’t wasted, but it definitely isn’t necessary. Not to mention, this is the place to see
If you haven’t found My Tan Feet, it’s been my go-to guide for all things Costa Rica!
Day 10: Marino Ballena National Park
From our home base near Manuel Antonio, we took a day trip over to Marino Ballena National Park in the small town of Uvita. This top Costa Rica national park is known for the whale tail shaped beach (ballena means whale, like baleen… get it?) that only comes out at low tide. But the beach alone was spectacular with the mountains in the background and the tropical forest.
This beach is super flat and huge; you can walk really far out into the water without a drop off. Plan to walk and go exploring. If you’re lucky enough to be here December to March or August to November, you’re arriving during humpback whale season! Plan to go on a humpback whale tour and say hi for me.
If you’re looking for a quiet, small Costa Rica town to make your home base for a couple of days, consider Uvita. It was away from the crowds, and I wish we’d had a bit of time to walk around and explore. This small tropical Uvita hotel set among the trees sounds like a place we need to check out next time! (Check out Maria Luisa Villas here)
Marino Ballena Need to Know Facts:
- Parking will be done at a privately-owned parking lot outside the park. There will be several lots to choose from. It’s a quick five minute walk to the park entrance.
- Get your tickets right at the entrance – it’s only $6 per person!
- Pack in a waterproof bag with good straps. The beach here is so wide and flat, that as the tide comes in, it really comes in farther than you expect. It’s quite a walk over to the “whale’s tail” so bring a back pack or something that’s easy to carry. You’ll be glad you did.
- Plan to sit near the water with all your stuff. The tree line is far from the water, so if you want to see what the rest of your family is doing, you will need to stay with them. I definitely wouldn’t plan to leave stuff at the trees as it’s about a football field away.
- Don’t ditch the sandals; instead, consider bringing water shoes. Past the whale’s tail there are lots of tide pools to explore, but you’ll be scrambling over slippery rocks. Put your shoes back on.
- Bring snacks, water bottles, quick dry towels, and all your beach gear. There are no restrooms or snack bars at this simple-yet-beautiful Costa Rica place.
- Rinse off at the restrooms and showers at the Marino Ballena entrance, so bring some dry clothes for the ride home. If you don’t want to carry extra clothes over to the beach, it’s quick walk to the car if you want to go back and get them.
Day 11: Drive to San José’s Adventure Inn
Similar to arrival, we needed a place to stay the night before our San José flight. While I looked into exploring some different areas of Costa Rica during the four hour drive to the capital of San José, I didn’t want to add too much and arrive at the Adventure Inn in the dark. Knowing we still had to give back the rental car, I kept it simple
The San José plan was to explore and see a museum. However, those plans changed when I saw the San José traffic, difficulty parking parking, and all the people. We found our way to the mall – where we were obviously some of the only foreigners – and strolled around before a gourmet very American lunch of Pizza Hut. Now without a car, we opted for a dinner at the hotel’s Moon Glow Bar and Grill.
The Adventure Inn in San José had everything we need: family rooms, a swimming pool, and free transportation to Juan Santamaría International Airport. It was a great, safe, family-friendly hotel; I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again.
Day 12: Fly home
Early morning wake up took us by hotel shuttle to the San José airport about three hours before our flight. We changed planes in Miami. Nothing exciting here 🙂
This 10-day Costa Rican adventure blends adventure, nature, and relaxation. Whether it’s hiking lush volcanoes, spotting wildlife in national parks, or relaxing on pristine beaches, this journey is one for the books. Safe travels! 🌴
~~~> When you find the best kid-friendly resort in Costa Rica (with rooms big enough for families!), you book it right away. Read “Finca Luna Nueva: The Best Costa Rica Adventure for Families” – when you see the photos of this tropical Costa Rica paradise, you’ll send all the photos to your friends. Because it’s fabulous.
Pin this Costa Rica itinerary for future reference!
Thanks for stopping by my little corner! Here’s to your next adventure.
I’m Bobbie. As transplants from Texas, my family of six is on a mission to discover all of Georgia’s amazing places, experience amazing road trips across the United States, and create a homeschool life along the way.
Want to adventure like me? Reach out! I’d love to chat. Stop by my Instagram or Pinterest page to discover more of our adventures.
Want to work with me? I’d love to work with your destination and tourism board to help other family travelers see all you have to offer.
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