Costa Rica is becoming the place to go for family travel. It’s positioned itself as an eco-friendly, safe and easy place to visit, see animals in the wild, relax on beautiful beaches and soak up the Pura Vida way of life.
It’s also becoming a popular destination, especially for spots like Manuel Antonio National Park and Monteverde. When we finally took our kids to Costa Rica for a two-week holiday during their March Break, we wanted to avoid the crowds but still experience the same adventures we’d read and heard about.
We wanted to see volcanoes, zipline through the cloud forests, see wild animals and enjoy the beaches while getting closer to “Ticos” as opposed to getting overwhelmed by tourists. We did and these are the top 18 things we were able to do! (We didn’t get to see the volcanoes because of cloud cover.)
- Spot the sloths – take a “slow” guided walk (I recommend the one at Hacienda Baru). Get a guide as the animals can be sometimes hard to spot high up in the trees.
2. Swim with a whale shark – take a boat ride to Isla del Cano for some snorkeling. You might get lucky… we did! You might spot dolphins, too (we weren’t that lucky!).
3. Try to find the quetzal – Visit Parque Nacional Los Quetzales and wake up early to spot this pretty bird. Let me know if you find one, because we didn’t see any but we’re told they are there.
4. Monkey see, monkey do – keep your eyes open on the coast and chances are you’ll spot a monkey in no time: capuchin, and spider monkeys abound, but you can also find the squirrel monkey and the howler monkey.
5. Watch out for crocodiles – stop at “croc bridge” over the Tarcoles River and look down to see alligators lounging on the shores.
6. Look for parrots and macaws – usually found on the coasts, these colourful birds are everywhere.
7. Eat a fruit – whether it’s a new one (maracuya) or a favourite (cantaloupe), fruits just taste better in Costa Rica.
8. Have a real fruit smoothie – many stands make them right in front of you. So delicious.
9. Stop and smell the flowers – Costa Rica’s flora is abundant to say the least. Might be these cloud forests? Or check out the Lancaster Gardens in Cartego. It’s an easy day-trip from San Jose.
10. Drive through the clouds – you can touch the clouds in either Monteverde or via San Gerardo de Dota.
11. Go surfing (or just watch it) – head to Dominical and enjoy the relaxed and cool vibes
12. Watch hummingbirds – from a rustic cabin on top of a cliff in undeveloped San Gerardo de Dota, still off the beaten path.
13. Watch a sunset – from a beach or in the mountains, the sunsets are amazing.
14. Jump a waterfall – head to Catarata Uvita for a refreshing dip in cool water or sit by one of the many at La Paz Waterfall Gardens.
15. Walk on a whale’s tail – the beach at Parque Nacional Marino Ballena is shaped like a whale’s tail! And if you are lucky, you can spot whales and dolphins from shore.
16. Visit a nature reserve – Costa Rica is home to 32 national parks, 51 wildlife refuges, 13 forest reserves and 8 biological reserves. That’s probably the only place you’ll see any of Costa Rica’s wild cats. Take your pick!
17. Look down from the treetops – change your perception by ziplining through the canopy.
