Costa Rica Family Holidays

Take the Family is a travel agency specialising in active, adventure and luxury holidays. Your personal travel advisor will create the perfect Costa Rica holiday for your family, with expert advice and dedicated support throughout.

Why Costa Rica is perfect for family holidays with kids

Book a holiday in Costa Rica with Take the Family to kick back and relax, sure, but also to see jaguars in the forest, crocodiles and turtles on the beaches, cowboys, volcano-climbing, and breathtaking scenery everywhere, whether lush mountain trails through the jungle or open plains. This is a place where tapirs, butterflies, toucans and exotic plants abound.

Costa Rica is of the most bio-diverse countries on the planet, with everything from volcanoes and beaches to rainforests and mangrove swamps. It's a spectacular natural playground with scope for both fast-paced adrenaline thrills such as white-water rafting and more sedate pastimes including paddling through swamps or paddling on the beach.

Costa Ricans, or Ticos, are incredibly friendly, and children are genuinely appreciated, so travelling with them here is a delight.

As a specialist UK-based family travel agency, we can tailor-make the perfect holidays in Costa Rica for families. Contact one of our travel advisors now and let's discuss your holiday of a lifetime.

For more about Costa Rica family holidays, scroll down.

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The best things to do in Costa Rica with kids

Costa Rica Wildlife and Outdoor Activities

Wildlife and National Parks in Costa Rica

Hike to see some of the strangest and/or cutest animals on the planet, including macaws, toucans, tapirs and iguanas. National Parks in Costa Rica cover almost 30% of the total land mass.

Corcovado National Park

In Corcovado National Park, stay at a camp on the beach, snorkel, surf and horse-ride.

Manuel Antonio National Park

In Manuel Antonia National Park, experience the heady combo of gorgeous beaches fringed by a jungle teeming with wildlife.

Tortuguero National Park

Enjoy a boat trip along the narrow waterways of Tortuguero National Park, spotting brightly coloured birds in the trees and the odd crocodile basking on the shore.

Arenal Volcano National Park

Whizz through the jungle on a zip-wire in Arenal Volcano National Park, or for the less brave there are sky gondolas.

Turtle Watching and Butterfly Gardens

Keep the kids up late to watch turtles laying their eggs at the Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Ostional at night. Animal lovers also enjoy the hands-on butterfly gardens at Monteverde.

Whale Watching at Isla del Caño

Hop aboard the hour-long boat trip to the Isla del Cano, which might reward you with sightings of whales depending on the time of year.

Costa Rica Beaches and Water Sports

Best Beaches in Costa Rica for Families

Hit some of Costa Rica's best beaches. Playa Tamarindo in the province of Guanacaste is a surfer’s dream; with younger kids, Playa Uvita south of Dominicalis is a better swimmers’ beach, with the added benefit that you might spot dolphins and whales from its sands.

Nicoya Peninsula and Surfing

Discover the Nicoya Peninsula, one of a handful of worldwide ‘Blue Zones’ where people live longer and more healthily due to their environment. Forbes magazine voted its Malpais beach among the top 10 in the world, and local beaches as a whole score highly in Tripadvisor polls. Malpais and Santa Teresa are great places to learn to surf, whether at a surf camp or through individual lessons.

White-Water Rafting in Costa Rica

With ages 9/10 and up, experience the thrill of white-water rafting. The best spot is the Pacuare River, on the way to which you’ll travel through banana plantations and past volcanoes.

Costa Rica wildlife© www.visitcostarica.com

Costa Rice wildlife

Costa Rican food: what families and kids will enjoy eating

Traditional Costa Rican Cuisine

Food in Costa Rica is simple but tasty, with the emphasis on rice and beans, served with grilled chicken, fish or beef, and sides including plantains and salad. It's rarely spicy and usually goes down well even with picky eaters.

Seafood and Tropical Fruit in Costa Rica

Tortillas feature widely, there's lots of fresh seafood on the coast, and tropical fruits including mango, pineapple and papaya are in plentiful supply.

Western Food Options in Costa Rica

Familiar Western favourites can be found in some places, including higher-end hotels.

One of Costa Rica's dramatic craters

The best time to visit Costa Rica with kids

Is There a Best Time to Visit Costa Rica?

There's not really a best time to visit Costa Rica; we create family holidays to Costa Rica year-round.

Temperatures and Climate in Costa Rica

Temperatures in Costa Rica, which depend largely on elevation, are fairly constant year-round. The average daytime temperature in San José (1,172m) is mid 20°Cs; on the coast it's around 30°C. The mountains are naturally coolest.

Dry Season and Rainy Season in Costa Rica

The driest time is December-April, the wettest (most humid) May-November, although heavy rainfall can occur any time of year, especially on the Caribbean coast.

A newly hatched turtle in Costa Rica

How much does a family holiday to Costa Rica cost?

What Affects the Cost of a Costa Rica Holiday?

The cost of a Costa Rica family holiday is determined by time of year (high demand for accommodation from Americans and Canadians over the winter pushes up prices), airlines and their respective flight routes (you can fly direct from Gatwick or travel via the U.S. or Canada) and the type of holiday.

Independent vs Small Group Family Holidays in Costa Rica

Assuming you’ll wish to combine some time at the beach with an ‘active adventure’ your family can choose to travel independently (we’ll provide an itinerary for your Costa Rica family adventure package holiday and book everything for you) or as part of a small group trip, typically with 4-5 other families. The latter is generally more cost-effective and can be more fun too.

Guide Prices for Costa Rica Family Holidays

A 9-night trip in August 2026 on a small group adventure will cost from £2k per person, including flights from the UK, based on a family of four.

How to get to Costa Rica from the UK

Direct Flights to Costa Rica

There are direct flights from the UK to Costa Rica (San José) taking just under 11 hours, departing from London Gatwick. Alternatively, you can fly to Liberia in western Costa Rica in about 12 hours (see our Costa Rica map below).