Colourful Costa Rica: A Family Adventure Alive with Nature

Days 1–2: San José

Begin your family adventure in Costa Rica’s capital, San José, where historic buildings, shady parks and lively streets offer a first taste of the country. Stay for two nights at Hotel Aranjuez, a characterful boutique hotel set among 1930s houses, featuring high wooden ceilings, mosaic floors, and patios shaded by fruit trees. It’s well placed for exploring the city, with museums, parks and the lively Paseo Gastronómico La Luz nearby.

Day two brings a taste of San José and an introduction to Huetar culture. Browse the colourful Mercado Central, admire the capital’s 19th century architecture, or pause to sample a traditional Costa Rican casado. Travel to the Indigenous community of Quitirrisí, about 32 kilometres south of San José, where you’ll follow trails to ceremonial sites and learn about medicinal plants, dying techniques, and handicrafts made with natural fibres.

Day 3: La Fortuna

Leave San José behind and head into Costa Rica’s lush northern lowlands, where Arenal Volcano rises above La Fortuna. Your home for three nights is Montana de Fuego Resort & Spa, which offers plenty to make a family stay memorable. Splash around in the indoor and outdoor pools, tuck into dishes made with produce from the orchard, unwind in the hot springs, or experience thrilling nature-filled activities in the resort’s own adventure park, set within 45 hectares of forest.

This evening, meet a local Tico family in La Tigra and discover the rainforest after dark. A nature guide will lead you along trails through regenerating forest, helping you look for nocturnal birds and mammals, insects, bats and frogs, including the red-eyed tree frog. Afterwards, gather for a home-cooked Costa Rican dinner cooked on a wood-burning stove before returning to your hotel.

Days 4–5: La Fortuna

Visit Sloth’s Territory for a guided walk along forest trails, keeping an eye on the treetops for sloths and other wildlife in their natural habitat as your guide shares how the reserve helps protect these much-loved animals. Continue to an agroecological farm run by a local family, where you’ll try milking a cow, feed young calves, and meet some of the farm’s other residents. You’ll also taste freshly pressed sugar cane juice, discover traditional ways of making chocolate from cacao, and admire a variety of beautiful orchids. Finish with a farm-to-table Costa Rican lunch made with ingredients from the property and surrounding area.

The following day, drift gently down the Peñas Blancas River on a guided safari float. Look out for wildlife along the riverbanks and in the rainforest canopy, including monkeys, sloths, toucans, herons and kingfishers. At the end of the float, visit a traditional Costa Rican home for a tortilla-making activity and home-cooked lunch.

Day 6: Bahía Ballena

Head for Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, where wild beaches are backed by rainforest-covered hills. Pause at the Tárcoles River to watch American crocodiles bask along the banks or glide through the water – a unique chance to observe these impressive reptiles in their natural habitat.

Continue to Bahía Ballena, where you’ll spend three nights at Villas Gaia, a welcoming retreat in a spectacular jungle setting. Relax in one of its colourful bungalows, take a dip in the hilltop pool overlooking the ocean, or follow the private trail to Tortuga Beach. It’s a wonderful base for discovering the region’s natural highlights: look out for humpback whales and dolphins offshore, explore Ballena Marine National Park, or take in the mangroves of the Térraba-Sierpe National Wetlands.

Days 7–8: Bahía Ballena

Visit the Boruca Indigenous community in Costa Rica’s South Pacific and hear how they’ve survived for hundreds of years thanks to their knowledge of cultivating the land. A local guide will take you to a viewpoint overlooking the Talamanca Mountain Range before introducing you to Boruca artisans, who’ll share the secrets behind their crafts. Learn how natural materials such as roots, vines, plants and snails are used to dye cotton, try your at making a traditional Boruca mask, and share a freshly prepared lunch.

The following day is yours to savour at your own pace. Wander the sun-drenched shores of Costa Ballena, feel the Pacific breeze, or simply unwind at the hotel with the sounds of the jungle all around you.

Days 9–11: Golfito

Arrive in Golfito, a laid-back Pacific town on the shores of Golfo Dulce and a gateway to the Osa Peninsula. Cross the gulf by boat to Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, a secluded retreat that lives in harmony with nature. Tucked between tropical rainforest and jade-coloured waters, the lodge’s private retreats feature open-air showers and forest-facing terraces.

The next few days in this biodiverse corner of Costa Rica are yours to spend as you wish. Paddle, snorkel or swim in the gulf, look out for dolphins, or explore the mangroves by kayak. Back on land, follow the lodge’s self-guided rainforest trails or join an optional excursion with a local guide in search of monkeys, scarlet macaws and other wildlife. For a slower pace, the spring-water pool and hammocks offer a peaceful place to take in the forest sounds. At dinner, savour freshly caught fish and produce from the lodge’s garden.

Day 12: San José

Say goodbye to Costa Rica’s pristine rainforest and travel by boat to Golfito or Puerto Jiménez, before enjoying a bird’s eye view of emerald mountains, volcanoes, and the sparkling Pacific coastline on the flight back to San José.

Spend your last night of the holiday at Sleep Inn Hotel Paseo Las Damas, a modern base located opposite España Park and the Modern Art Museum. Mark the end of your Costa Rican adventure with a relaxed final evening together – if you’re in the mood to celebrate, you might join the locals on the dance floor at a nearby salsa club and let the music set the pace. However you choose to spend it, take a moment to look back on your family’s time in Costa Rica and the memories you’ll treasure long after you’re home.