Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

WANT TO SAVE MONEY IN COSTA RICA?

Our sister site, Pura Vida! eh? Inc., has child tour discounts and student tour discounts. Con mucho gusto (you’re welcome) and pura vida!

🙂

Going to Costa Rica with kids?

If you have children or have spent any time with children, you already know that just as kids say the darndest things, they also ask inventive questions. In Costa Rica, when we hear young voices mutter: “What does zip-lining feel like?”, “How does a sloth not fall from a tree when it’s sleeping?”, or “Why do Costa Rican people eat rice and beans every day?”, we smile because we know Costa Rica is rife with opportunities for young explorers to experience adventure, nature, and culture, and to discover the answers to their endless questions.

Fortunately, not only is Costa Rica a great place for children (and adults) to explore and learn, it’s also a vacation destination that meshes well with family travel. There are lots of child-friendly accommodations and transportation services, as well as countless things to do in Costa Rica with kids. Below, we cover general tour and activity suggestions for children (identifying which ones typically have a minimum age limit) as well as the most popular tour and activity options for children depending on their age to help you discover amazing ways to introduce your little ones to exciting Costa Rica.

Our experience traveling around Costa Rica with kids

Our business requires us to travel around Costa Rica regularly, and we’ve long done that with our Costa Rican niece and nephew in tow. As spring chickens, they loved the thrill of visiting waterfalls, playing in rivers and pools, swinging on Tarzan ropes, and taking nature walks. As time passed, they grew patient enough to travel to more remote destinations in Costa Rica that either required long commutes or the use of a range of transportation services. They also grew strong enough to handle more challenging hikes, and they matured enough to genuinely appreciate nature and wildlife. As teenagers, they loved the thrill of adventure excursions, opportunities for deeper immersion in nature, and chances to kick back at hidden hot spots.

Boy, did they grow up fast…

Things to do in Costa Rica with kids: General tour and activity suggestions for all children

To give you an idea of the variety of experiences available in Costa Rica to families with kids, we’ve compiled a list (arranged in alphabetical order) of Costa Rica tours and activities that welcome child participants. Note that in some cases, minimum age limits for participation apply. (See the bottom of this article for more information about minimum age limit policies.)

The most common tours and activities experienced by children in Costa Rica are presented in bold text. Tours and activities that tend to enforce a minimum age limit (although that decision varies across tour operators) are marked with an asterisk (*).

• Aerial tram rides
• Animal sanctuary visits / animal refuge visits / animal rescue center visits
• Art gallery visits
• *ATV tours (children may participate as riders on a 2-passenger ATV driven by a licensed adult)
• Bird-watching tours
• Boat tours / safari float tours
• Canoeing tours
• *Canopy zip-lining tours
• *Canyoning tours / rappelling tours
• Catamaran tours / sailing tours
• *Cave tours
• Chocolate tours
• City exploration
• Coffee plantation tours
• Classes, lessons, and courses
• Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours
• Environmental sustainability tours / organic farm tours
• Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)
• Fruit plantation tours
• Garden visit tours
• Hanging bridge tours
• Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)
• *Horseback riding tours
• Hot spring visits
• Indigenous reserve tours
• *Kayaking tours
• Museum visits
• National park tours
• Night tours
• *Rafting tours (typically rivers with class II/III rapids)
• Rock climbing walls
• Shopping tours
• Snorkeling tours
• Spice tours
• *Stand-up paddling tours
• Sugar cane mill tours / trapiche tours
• Surf lessons
• Swimming hole visits
• Theater visits
• Tree-climbing tours
• *Tubing tours
• Volcano tours
• Waterfall tours
• Waterslide rides

Things to do in Costa Rica with kids: The most popular tour and activity options for children depending on their age

As we touched on at the start of this article, a child’s interests, preferences, and abilities change as they age. To help you understand which Costa Rica experiences appeal, on average, to children of a particular age, we’ve compiled a list (arranged in alphabetical order) of the best Costa Rica tours and activities for children age 0-4 years, 5-7 years, 8-10 years, and 11-12 years. In most cases, children ages 13 and above can participate in tours and activities geared for adults.

Costa Rica tours and activities for children age 0-4 years

The top five tours and activities for children in this particular age bracket to experience in Costa Rica are presented in bold text.

• Aerial tram rides
• Animal sanctuary visits / animal refuge visits / animal rescue center visits
• Boat tours / safari float tours
• Catamaran tours / sailing tours
• Chocolate tours
• Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours
• Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)
• Hanging bridge tours
• Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)
• Hot spring visits
• National park tours
• Swimming hole visits
• Volcano tours
• Waterfall tours

Note that many tour operators will allow very young children (i.e., infants) to participate in tours when they’re carried by a parent. For several tours and activities, depending on the terrain at the location where they take place, the use of strollers may not be permitted or recommended.

Costa Rica tours and activities for children age 5-7 years

The top ten tours and activities for children in this particular age bracket to experience in Costa Rica are presented in bold text.

• Aerial tram rides
• Animal sanctuary visits / animal refuge visits / animal rescue center visits
• Boat tours / safari float tours
• Canoeing tours
• Canopy zip-lining tours
• Catamaran tours / sailing tours
• Chocolate tours
• City exploration
• Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours
• Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)
• Hanging bridge tours
• Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)
• Hot spring visits
• Indigenous reserve tours
• National park tours
• Surf lessons
• Swimming hole visits
• Tree-climbing tours
• Tubing tours
• Volcano tours
• Waterfall tours
• Waterslide rides

Costa Rica tours and activities for children age 8-10 years

The top ten tours and activities for children in this particular age bracket to experience in Costa Rica are presented in bold text.

• Aerial tram rides
• Animal sanctuary visits / animal refuge visits / animal rescue center visits
• Boat tours / safari float tours
• Canoeing tours
• Canopy zip-lining tours
• Canyoning tours / rappelling tours
• Catamaran tours / sailing tours
• Cave tours
• Chocolate tours
• City exploration
• Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours
• Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)
• Fruit plantation tours
• Hanging bridge tours
• Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)
• Horseback riding tours
• Hot spring visits
• Indigenous reserve tours
• Kayaking tours
• National park tours
• Rafting tours (typically rivers with class II/III rapids)
• Rock climbing walls
• Snorkeling tours
• Surf lessons
• Swimming hole visits
• Tree-climbing tours
• Tubing tours
• Volcano tours
• Waterfall tours
• Waterslide rides

Costa Rica tours and activities for children age 11-12 years

The top ten tours and activities for children in this particular age bracket to experience in Costa Rica are presented in bold text.

• Aerial tram rides
• Animal sanctuary visits / animal refuge visits / animal rescue center visits
• ATV tours (children may participate as riders on a 2-passenger ATV driven by a licensed adult)
• Boat tours / safari float tours
• Canoeing tours
• Canopy zip-lining tours
• Canyoning tours / rappelling tours
• Catamaran tours / sailing tours
• Cave tours
• Chocolate tours
• City exploration
• Coffee plantation tours
• Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours
• Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)
• Fruit plantation tours
• Hanging bridge tours
• Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)
• Horseback riding tours
• Hot spring visits
• Indigenous reserve tours
• Kayaking tours
• National park tours
• Night tours
• Rafting tours (typically rivers with class II/III rapids)
• Rock climbing walls
• Snorkeling tours
• Stand-up paddling tours
• Sugar cane mill tours / trapiche tours
• Surf lessons
• Swimming hole visits
• Tree-climbing tours
• Tubing tours
• Volcano tours
• Waterfall tours
• Waterslide rides

Child discounts for Costa Rica tours and activities

If you’re a parent or guardian with plans to travel to Costa Rica with kids between the ages of 0 and 12 years and you’re looking for a way to save money, don’t miss the Discount Database on Pura Vida! eh? Inc., our sister site. Use the database to find hundreds of discounts for Costa Rica tours and activities, or narrow your search to discounts for child participants only.

Looking for child discounts? We’ve got ’em! Use the links below to determine which tour and activity options offer savings for children:

Tours and activities that offer child discounts (i.e., a child rate)

Student discounts for Costa Rica tours and activities

If you’re a parent or guardian with plans to travel to Costa Rica with kids older than the age of 12 and you’re looking for a way to save money, don’t miss the Discount Database on Pura Vida! eh? Inc., our sister site. Use the database to find hundreds of discounts for Costa Rica tours and activities, or narrow your search to discounts for student participants only.

Looking for student discounts? We’ve got ’em! Use the links below to determine which tour and activity options offer savings for students:

Tours and activities that offer student discounts (i.e., a student rate)

A quick note about minimum age limits and other minimum/maximum policies

Minimum age limit policies are set and enforced by tour operators in Costa Rica; therefore, they vary by company. Depending on the activity, some tour operators also have minimum and/or maximum height, weight, or waist-size requirements. If you’re in the process of planning your Costa Rica trip, don’t forget to research your chosen tour operator’s policies before you make any tour or activity reservations. The last thing you’ll want to happen on the day of your scheduled tour is for someone in your family to be denied participation due to noncompliance.

QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Have you been to Costa Rica with kids? Which tours/activities did your family experience and which tours/activities did your child(ren) love the most?

Pura vida!

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