Best Activities for Children in Costa Rica

Question:

Wendy,

My siblings and I are considering a family vacation to Costa Rica during spring break next April. There may be 8 to 12 children, ranging in age from 6 to 18, and we’d probably go for 7 to 8 nights.

There seems to be so much to do in Costa Rica. Do you have any suggestions that won’t break the bank for this animal- and nature-loving group?

—Priscilla O.

Answer:

Costa Rica is a popular destination for families, packed as it is with outdoor adventures that work for a variety of ages. Sadly, I haven’t made it there with my own kids yet. So, to get an answer for you, I turned to the Costa Rica experts from my WOW List, who have plenty of advice for large family groups. A first and foremost tip for this family in particular, but that will ring true for many travelers: Go to fewer places and spend more time in each place. Travel within Costa Rica is expensive—unless you take public transportation, which most Americans find too challenging. Furthermore, packing up and moving is a hassle. Twelve kids and, say, 6 to 8 adults: That’s 18 to 20 chances to leave something important in the last place you stayed. Also, the longer you stay in one place, the more you can get to know the locals.

Here are suggested activities for large family groups:

Courtesy Costa Rica Expeditions

Whitewater rafting

Costa Rica is a narrow country just 10 degrees north of the equator, with a spine of mountains down the middle. This makes for world-class rivers for all ages and levels of difficulty, with dramatic tropical scenery and warm water. Rafting in general is a wonderful activity for kids. You learn teamwork, and how to overcome obstacles and challenges, yet there is very little danger. Costa Rica’s ideal conditions make it even better.

Looking for monkeys in the rainforest

Monkeys are hard enough to find in the forest that everyone will be excited when you see your first ones. There are four species of monkeys in Costa Rica: howler, spider, squirrel, and white-faced capuchin. Visitors who want to see monkeys and are willing to keep looking almost always see at least one species, though few visitors see all four. No matter how many species you see, learn about them all. What are the differences in their personalities, their families, their diets?

Surfing

Advances in surfboard design have made learning to surf much easier and safer than it used to be. Costa Rica has ideal waves for learning and good instructors all along the Pacific Coast. My favorite surf spots for kids are Nosara and Playa Grande. Another reason that Costa Rica is a great place to learn to surf is, as with rafting, warm water. There is something about friendly water that makes learning swift water sports a lot more pleasant.

Watching turtles nesting on the beaches of Tortuguero National Park

Visitors can actually stand a few feet from a 300-pound Green Sea Turtle while she lays 80 to 100 eggs, covers up her nest, perhaps digs a false nest to throw off predators, and, finally, after more than an hour, returns to the sea. No one ever forgets the experience. The season is June through October. During the peak months of July and August you have about an 85% chance of observing such nesting.

Helping local kids learn English

For children on vacation, nothing is as potentially valuable for them as consciously contributing to the places they visit. We have a program at Tortuga Lodge called the Word Adventure, in which guests help local kids learn English.

Zip-lining

Almost without fail, parents who are planning a family vacation want to include a zip line in their itinerary. There are a few things to keep in mind:

• When determining which children can go, it’s more about weight than age. We use the guideline of minimum 70lbs but that is not always right, because the harness has to fit properly on the child. So if the harness doesn’t fit, they can’t do the zip line.
• When kids are small and light, even when the harness fits properly, they usually will have to go in tandem with a guide. Parents often insist that they want to be the ones to zip with their child, but that’s not a good idea; their child is much safer with a guide.
• As with any adventure sport, it’s a good idea to check a company’s safety record or their recommendations beforehand. (Neither is easy to do). Of the hundreds of zip lines available in Costa Rica, we only work with a handful. They were approved because they were built correctly and they are operated to safety standards by their guides.

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