10 Days in Costa Rica Itinerary

Costa Rica is a fun, safe place to take your family for a memorable vacation. I have made a 10 days in Costa Rica itinerary that covers the best of this incredible country.

Costa Rica is a small, Central American country, bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. It is a politically and economically stable country, with a democratically elected government and a high standard of living.

The local currency is colones, although most places take a credit card or US dollars.

Is Costa Rica safe for families?

This is not a country where you have to stay in a resort to be safe: it is a very peaceful place. They don’t even have an army here.

The water is safe to drink, and is delicious! No extra vaccines are required but there is a risk of Zika: if you are pregnant or planning to be, give it a miss this year.

When to go to Costa Rica

Dry season is mid December to April and the rainy season is from May to November. As Costa Rica is so close to the equator, temperatures do not vary much – a pleasant 70 to 80F year round.

The climate varies depending on where in the country you are visiting, however; cities on the Caribbean side experience a lot of rain and humidity, while the Pacific coast gets more dry weather. The central valley of San Jose is generally warm, while the mountain regions can be colder.

I took my three and five-year-old to Costa Rica recently during Thanksgiving week. The end of November is still the rainy season, which meant we did get wet, but it was also far less crowded than in the summer. 

Hotels are half the price compared to the peak season, which meant we were able to stay in some great places for cheap.

We found the weather to be fairly predictable: sunny in the mornings, with rain in the afternoon. Although the forecasts predicted rain every day while we were there, we actually had plenty of sunny days. Even when it did rain, it was warm.

I would recommend going during the rainy season if you don’t like crowds. It seems like a good trade-off to me.

This itinerary is best for families with young kids who can’t do some of the more active stuff (believe me, we will be back in a couple of years for more!) so if your kids are older, check out this great guide on top adventurous things to do in Costa Rica.

10 days in Costa Rica

If you have 10 days, you have enough time to see most of the country’s most popular attractions, including the volcanic region of Arenal and the spectacular natural beauty of Manuel Antonio National Park.

Day One: Arrive at San Jose

San Jose is the capital of Costa Rica and the biggest city. Most tourists skip San Jose to head straight to the coast (to be honest, we did this too!) but it’s a great place to get a glimpse of real life away from the tourism.

A simple airport hotel with a free transfer like Courtyard by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela or Hampton Inn & Suites San Jose Airport is your best option for accommodation.

If you arrive in the morning, use the day to explore the city or visit a museum. San Jose is a great place to learn about the history of Costa Rica before you head out on your family adventure.

Visit the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica to discover the history and culture of Costa Rica, from pre-Columbian times up to the modern period.

The bright yellow building was originally a military barracks but became the museum’s home two years after the army was dissolved in 1948. Younger kids may not appreciate the exhibits but will enjoy the butterfly garden.

The museum is located on Calle 17, between Central and Second Avenue. The museum is closed on Mondays and on certain holidays. The fee is $11 and children under 12 are free.

If you are in San Jose on a Saturday morning, check out the farmer’s market in Escazu on Avenida 32, just south of the public park. It’s a great place to try an ice-cold coconut water, fresh-squeezed sugar cane juice, artisan coffee or an empanada.

Day Two: La Fortuna

Arenal Volcano, near the town of La Fortuna, is approximately a three-hour drive from San Jose. It’s just under 100 miles away but finding a straightforward route is tough in Costa Rica.

If you are driving yourselves, Google Maps and Waze work well but bear this in mind when you are choosing your route: the quickest road is sometimes unpaved, narrow and winding. If you have kids prone to car sickness, take the longer way.

Fortunately there are plenty of roadside sodas along the way (that’s a cafe, not a drink!) to stop and enjoy a fresh fruit smoothie.

We used Adobe Car Rental for our ride and can recommend this company. They included two car seats for free and included the cost of the mandatory insurance, so there were no surprises.

The other option is to hire a driver and private car. This doesn’t actually cost much more than renting your own car; the downside is you don’t have the freedom to explore on your own when you get to your destination.

If you don’t have your own car in La Fortuna, you can use Uber to get around or just book yourselves onto a tour. 

Los Lagos Hotel, Spa and Resort

Check yourself into the family-friendly Los Lagos Hotel, Spa and Resort for the next three nights and take the afternoon to enjoy the hot springs.

Los Lagos is a great base to explore the area and you can see a lot of Costa Rican wildlife right here in the lush landscaped gardens.

Our kids loved the pool with a kids’ water slide and waterfall. It was shallow enough for our three-year-old to stand up in. The naturally-heated water is fresh with no chlorine and we could have easily spent all day in there.

There is another, deeper pool with a swim-up bar and a bigger water slide, which our five-year-old also enjoyed. A lot.

The on-site butterfly garden was also a hit with the whole family and we visited it every day on the way back to our room from breakfast.

Breakfast is included with your stay and it was good – we enjoyed pancakes, eggs, fruit, and of course, rice and beans. The restaurant is also open at night for buffet or a la carte service.

Day Three: Arenal Volcano

The town of La Fortuna lies to the southeast of Arenal Volcano, an active volcano that lay dormant for centuries before violently erupting one night in 1968 and destroying the town of Tabacon.

The volcano was pretty active until 2010 and has been peaceful ever since. You can take advantage of this pause in activity and hike the trail leading to the volcano in Arenal Volcano National Park.

You can’t go right up to the rim – despite appearances, this is still an active volcano and the toxic gases billowing out are dangerous – but the looping trail takes you close enough to get a good view of the cone.

There are two parts to the park: the Volcano and Peninsula sectors. The ticket into the park covers both but to get to the peninsula trail, you have to exit the car park and drive further down the road.

In the Volcano sector, there are three trails you can take from the car park after paying at the booth. Las Coladas trail takes you out and back to the lava flow from 1992 and a lookout point, a total distance of two kilometers (1.25 miles). 

El Ceibo trail starts around halfway down Las Coladas, loops past the enormous namesake Ceibo tree, then joins up again at the end of that trail. You can do both trails as a loop, making the total distance around four kilometers (2.5 miles).

The third trail, Heliconias, starts near the entrance to the park and is 600 meters long. All the trails are fairly flat, wide and easy to walk, even with young kids.

If you want to do both the Peninsula and the Volcano sectors, start with the Volcano as the last entrance is 2.30 p.m., while the last entrance time for the Peninsula trail is 4 p.m. 

Day Four: Mistico Hanging Bridges

Mistico Park is a private wildlife preserve where tourists get a bird’s eye view of the forest by walking across a set of hanging bridges. You can get a guided tour or walk the trail by yourselves.

Being in the canopy is a completely different sensory experience to hiking the forest floor. The sounds of the cicadas, tropical birds and monkeys are all around and everywhere you look is a deep, lush green.

The trail takes between two and three hours to walk, although it is not far or difficult to walk: you will simply want to take your time to enjoy the experience.

The path itself is narrow but easy to navigate and our three-year-old had no problems walking the entire length. The six hanging bridges and ten ordinary bridges are well-maintained and not too scary.

It is possible to take a stroller but you would need an off-road model as the path is not paved and there are parts that are quite steep. There are shortcuts that avoid the really tricky parts, however, and there is also a shorter wheelchair-friendly trail you can take.

We took the self-guided option and enjoyed taking the trail at our own pace but the advantage of a guided tour is you will see more wildlife.

Once you have finished the tour, check out the restaurant: the view of the volcano is one of the best around and the fresh fruit smoothies are great.

Day Five: La Fortuna Waterfall and Rainforest Chocolate Tour

If you close your eyes and imagine a thundering waterfall in the jungle, that’s exactly what La Fortuna Waterfall looks like. You can swim in the cool waters at the base once you have descended the 500 steps from the car park.

It’s not really suited for young children but adjacent to the waterfall is a shallow river with darting fish and a sandy bank, perfect for paddling.

As we had our own car, we arrived in the morning and shared the area with about ten people: after noon, the tour buses arrived and the numbers quadrupled.

This is a good place to take some sturdy hiking sandals: I wore a pair of Keens in the water and they gripped the slippery rocks well while protecting my feet. They were perfectly dry to wear again the following day.

In the afternoon, head to Rainforest Chocolate Tour for a sweet (and educational) adventure into chocolate production. The tour guides take you into their farm and show you how the fruit of the Cacao is transformed into the food of the gods.

No spoilers, but bring an empty stomach.

Day Six: Travel to Manuel Antonio National Park

Costa Rica is not a large country and the driving distance between Manuel Antonio National Park and La Fortuna is only 230 km (140 miles). However, unlike the US, there are few freeways.

Roads are narrow, winding and in some instances, unpaved. It took us all day to drive from La Fortuna to Manuel Antonio National Park. Not great with small children who get travel sick.

I would recommend breaking up this drive by going back to San Jose for a night, or to Carara National Park, which is a more manageable 3.5 hours. 

If you want to see crocodiles, stop at Tarcoles, near Carara National Park. Jaco is another nice town in this area, make sure you stop at Tacobar for amazing fish tacos.

Another option is to charter a car and be driven to Manuel Antonio.

We found we could easily walk to restaurants from our hotel and a shuttle bus took us to the beach and national park entrance, so we didn’t use the car at all once we arrived at Manuel Antonio.

So rather than driving yourself, you could drop the car at the rental agency in La Fortuna and charter a van to drive you to your destination, then return you to the airport.

Finally, you could also consider a flight. Arenal to Quepos (the closest town to Manuel Antonio) is only 30 minutes by airplane with Sansa, for around $100 each one way.

Driving in Costa Rica is an experience in itself and you will see more of the country but if you don’t want to spend that much time in the car with young children, flying is the way to go.

Day Seven: Manuel Antonio National Park

Manuel Antonio National Park is a protected rainforest and beach area, full of amazing wildlife. Nearby Quepos is a drive away but we stayed in the tourist area close to the park entrance.

There is a good mix of luxury, mid-range and budget accommodation available here. We picked Si Como No, a mid-range eco-resort perched on the top of a hill.

The resort has a family pool with a waterslide and swim-up bar, an adult-only pool, a movie theater and two restaurants on site.

We booked a Superior room, which has two double beds and a balcony, but on arrival received an upgrade to a Deluxe room. The upgraded room had similar amenities plus a vaulted ceiling and a beautiful stained-glass window.

As we were so close to a number of great restaurants, we only ate breakfasts and one evening meal at the hotel, but the food was good. Breakfast especially was a highlight, with fresh fruit, delicious coffee and house made granola.

The hotel has a free shuttle to take guests down the hill to the public beach and back to the hotel. You can get a timetable from reception. If you miss the bus, you can walk back – it’s about 45 minutes – or take a taxi.

Just opposite the shuttle stops is a path that takes you to the park entrance, where you buy your tickets in a bank, for some reason.

Don’t take any food or drink with wrappers, as all bags are searched on entry and anything that could possibly cause trash is confiscated. Do take sunscreen, bathing suits and a towel or two – but have everything secured in a backpack, or those cheeky monkeys will make off with your belongings.

The park is beautiful and well maintained. A wide boardwalk takes you through rainforest, mangrove and down to Manuel Antonio Beach, where white sands and tropical waters await.

Signposts in English and Spanish offer information about the wildlife, which is easy to spot even if you are not part of a tour. At the end of the trail to the beach are restrooms, showers and a cafe.

It is not necessary to get a guide, but you will see more wildlife if you do.

Day Eight: Espadilla Beach and Night Walk

After breakfast, head to the beach for the morning. There are umbrellas and chairs to rent, plus coconut water to buy. Surf and body boards are also available to rent. 

The water is a bit rough for young kids to swim, but it is fun for a paddle and older kids can have a go at bodyboarding the waves.

Once you have had enough of the beach, take the shuttle back up the hill and check out some of the cafes for lunch.

While not exactly a local cuisine, the Falafel Bar opposite Tulemar Resort serves delicious fresh falafel, salad and pita. The smoothies were particularly memorable. 

Another interesting lunch stop is El Avion, an airplane-turned-restaurant near the beach. Although we didn’t make it here, we heard good things about the food from other tourists.

Have a relaxing day next to the pool and an early dinner before your evening’s entertainment: a guided night walk through the jungle.

Why a night walk? Lots of wildlife only comes out after dark so this is the best way to see Costa Rica’s adorable red-eyed tree frog. 

Si Como No has its own nature reserve across the road from the hotel, which is where we took our tour.

The tour took around two hours with an extremely knowledgeable naturalist, and although the walking distance was not far, it was a tiring night for our three-year-old.  

Also a bit scary: Si Como No’s preserve has crocodiles in an enclosure, along with the snakes and frogs we had come to see. A crocodile roar in the dark jungle certainly sent a shiver down my spine. We all survived however, with amazing photographs and memories.

Day Nine: White Water Rafting Or Chill By The Pool

If your kids are a bit older than ours and you are there during the rainy season, a white water rafting trip is a fun way to see the country from another, adrenaline-filled perspective.

Savegre River, which runs through Manuel Antonio National Park, has a mix of fun rapids and calm areas. Rafting companies will take kids as young as five for a half-day adventure along the river, with lunch included.

Alternatively, use your last day to have fun in the pool, because sometimes you need a vacation from your vacation.

Day Ten: Travel Back To San Jose

Depending on your flight time, this is going to be a travel day. It takes about three hours to drive to San Jose airport, although the front desk at our hotel advised us it sometimes takes more like four.

If you are flying, it is approximately 30 minutes flight time between Quepos and San Jose airport.

Juan Santamaria International Airport, as it is known, is a small and easily navigable place. While it is always a good idea to give yourself two hours to get through security when flying internationally, we got to our gate within an hour.

And that’s it! Let me know in the comments if you found this itinerary useful!