Our recommendations for appropriate age ranges for a number of the most popular tours and activities in Costa Rica are shown below and you can read the reasons by clicking on any symbol.
Obviously not all kids are the same and as a parent you know best whether yours can push the limits when it comes to strength, coordination and ability to learn techniques and follow directions.
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Safety standards are relatively good for the most part but the adventure tourism industry is only loosely regulated. Just because a tour operator will allow kids to do something doesn’t mean it’s safe. Use your own judgement.
We’ve also created an extensive list of free or inexpensive things that families can do on their own
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Activites, Tours & Adventures for Kids in Costa Rica
ATVs – Not Recommended for Kids
The three minutes of instruction prior to a 4-wheeler tour is not nearly enough. If on the other hand your kids grew up around ATVs and already know how to operate one they may be bored on a tour which will be very restrictive in what’s allowed.
Costa Rica’s famous beaches are perfect for the whole family. Lifeguards are only present on a couple of the most popular tourist beaches and everyone should know about rip currents before jumping in the water.
Mountain Biking – 13 yrs or older
Mountain biking in Costa Rica can be extremely demanding – incredibly steep, technical and muddy. However, most organized tours stick to relatively tame gravel or 4WD roads and would probably be okay for younger riders with some experience. We put up the teens and older recommendation mainly because most tour companies won’t have bikes to fit younger riders.
Beach cruisers are common on the southern Caribbean and great for kids.
Road biking in Costa Rica is can be quite dangerous (high speed traffic, blind corners and zero shoulder). Bike tour routes should be planned extremely carefully regardless of age.
Birdwatching Tours – Not Recommended for Kids
Although kids of all ages will enjoy spotting amazing colorful tropical birds, guided birdwatching tours are probably inappropriate. Adult birders are a serious lot and there’s too much “shushing” and standing around waiting involved for most kids. If they’ve demonstrated a previous interest at home you might consider hiring a private birding guide.
Botanical Gardens – All Ages with Boredom Warning
There’s no reason kids of all ages can’t visit Costa Rica’s botanical gardens but you’ll have to decide whether they’ll want to or not. There are two world class gardens in Costa Rica-Wilson, outside San Vito in the mountains near the Panamanian border, and Lankester, outside Cartago in the Central Valley.
Rodeos & Fiestas – All Ages With Caution
Fiestas de el Patron are celebrated across Costa Rica with carnival rides, food stalls, a horse parade called a Tope, and a rodeo featuring Corridas de Toros – bull riding. The daytime activities are almost always family oriented but sometimes the alcohol flows a little too freely during the live music and fireworks at night. Use your judgement.
Large domes created from nearly transparent netting concentrate hundreds of butterflies in gardens of their favorite flowers and fruits.You’ll see them fluttering in the wild, but nowhere near as many and the gardens also often provide educational materials and guides. Most have a “nursery” where you can observe every stage egg, larva, pupae, and hatching into a “jewel of the rain forest.”
Camping – All Ages With Caution
Camping in the tropics can be a blast or genuinely miserable – insanely hot, unbelievably wet, incredibly buggy. If you and your kids are adventurers go for it and you’ll probably have a ball but don’t say we didn’t warn you…
Canoeing & Sit on Top Kayaks – 5 yrs & older
The silent glide of a canoe is one of the best ways to sneak up on wildlife along the banks of rivers that are nearly impossible to reach by land. Younger kids can share a canoe with an older sibling or parent and two man kayaks are generally available.
Kids should know how to swim and parents should make sure the tour company provides a child sized life vest that fits well.
Canopy Zip-Line – 10 yrs & older
Canopy zip-lines are an activity where the appropriate age is less important than the appropriate weight. Most recently constructed zip-lines are hands off and the riders don’t do anything but ride. A guide latches participants to a pulley and launches them down the cable. A bag of rocks could complete the course as long as it was heavy enough to overcome friction and make it to the next platform.
The exact weight required depends on the altitude difference, cable tension and distance so each course has a different minimum typically ranging from 50-80 lbs or roughly 8-10 years old.
Many courses will allow lighter kids to go tandem with a guide or will strap two kids together.
Coffee farm and processing facility tours are not surprisingly targeted mainly at adults but if your kids are interested there’s no reason not to take them.
World class blue water is close to shore, and the billfish are biting but we’re going to let you decide whether your kid(s) are ready for an experience that costs upwards of $500 per person and often involves more beer than fish.
Diving in Costa Rica is nothing like Florida or Caribbean island resort diving. Typical the best dives are further off shore, deeper and seeking pelagic marine life like turtles sting rays, hammerhead, white tip and massive nurse sharks, as well as humpback and pilot whales in season.
Rough water and strong currents are the main reason we don’t recommend SCUBA in Costa Rica for younger divers.
The age recommendation has more to do with speed of play than anything. The golfers behind you probably paid over $300 for their round so they aren’t going to have a lot of patience. If you have a younger golfer who can hold their own go for it…
Guided Nature Walks – All Ages (private), 8 yrs or older (group)
Guides add immensely to a the experience of a hike in the cloud or rainforest. They know the best times and places, and they see things that are invisible to untrained eyes.
We recommend group or shared tours only for kids old enough to understand explanations of botany, entemology and other natural history because the guides may not have time to do a separate presentation for them.
We also recommend private tours for very young kids because sometimes they cry or fight. If your kids never do that then you don’t have to worry about them scaring away the animals and ruining the experience for a whole group. You know your kids best, you make the call.
Trails range from paved and level to bare tracks climbing steeply through sucking mud. Make your choices of where and how far to go based on previous experience hiking with your kids. If you don’t have any previous experience you’ll want to err on the side of “easy.”
There are two kinds of horseback riding in Costa Rica. Trail rides and real riding. The horses that give trail rides are very well trained, know exactly where they are headed and the rider has no more control over them than one of the plastic ponies you drop quarters into in front of the supermarket. These rides are relatively safe for younger kids but remember it’s still a very long way to the ground if they do manage to fall.
Real riding is possible in some of the less touristed areas where locals rent out horses. Our recommendation for real horseback riding is similar to ATVs. Three minutes of instruction is not nearly enough to make a kid a rider and kids that already have a lot of experience at home may find these rides boring.
Hot springs – old enough to keep their face out of the water
Naegleria fowleri, or the “brain-eating amoeba” lives in warm fresh water. It causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis by entering the nose and eating it’s way up the olfactory nerve to the brain causing death in a few weeks.
It’s no more common in Costa Rica’s hotsprings than the ones in the U.S. or anywhere else but I wouldn’t let the kids in unless they’re old enough to know you mean it when you say “No dunking your brother in the hot springs!”
Pre Columbian, indigenous, and contemporary art, insects, natural history, philatelic, railway, printing, and jade museums are found in San José.
Nature & Wildlife Cruises – All Ages
The rivers are like roads to the deepest parts of the rainforest and you are likely to see more wildlife from the water than from a trail. The two main destinations for river/canal/marsh cruises are Caño Negro and Tortuguero National Parks. Mangrove swamp tours are offered near Manuel Antonio and further south from Sierpe.
Please remember that screaming, crying or fighting children can ruin the trip for everyone on the boat by scaring off the wildlife. If yours do that consider taking a private tour for just your family or doing something else because it’s not like a theater where you can just take them to the lobby…
As you might suspect in a country covered in rain forest that rises from one ocean to 12,000 feet and drops back to sea level in the space of 70 miles, white water abounds in Costa Rica.
Rafting trips cater to all ablility levels and interests. Most white-water trips require participants to be at least 13 years old and some don’t allow anyone under 18 depending on water levels.
There are also calm water rafting trips that focus more on wildlife than thrills for younger kids.
White water inner-tubing is a relatively new adventure on the Costa Rica scene mainly in a few slot canyons near Rincon de la Vieja and the Rio Arenal near the famous volcano. The rapids vary greatly between river sections and depending on flow so the minimum recommended age also varies a lot. One thing to keep in mind is that unlike most tours the participants get spread out so there may not be a guide “right there” if something goes wrong.
Rappelling and Canyoneering – Varies
Canyoneering is the sport of going down canyons usually negotiating a river and waterfalls. There are a number of companies that have set up commercial rappelling operations near Arenal volcano. They include steel platforms and walkways and guides that do all the rope handling and control descents on “rappels.” Kids as young as 10 or 12 may be able to participate.
You can also do “real” canyoneering in Costa Rica which involves setting anchors in the rock and tying knots that your life depends on. Sixteen or older might be a better age limit for this type of adventure.
Reptiles, Amphibians & Serpentariums – All Ages
One of the most common fears expressed about travel to Costa Rica is one of snakes, and while you’re likely to spot a number of colorful reptiles and amphibians in the wild, snakes are very shy. It’s not likely that you’ll see any unless you hire a good guide to seek them out, or get a close up look at a serpentarium.
Many sailing cruises are geared towards cocktail hour and are not appropriate to families. Others are daytime excursions that might drop anchor for a couple of hours of snorkeling in a secluded cove.
Kid’s typically love flying in small planes and it’s the adults that might need someone to hold their hand. Flightseeing tours are not common but you may find yourself using a small plane for transportation and it can be a great adventure.
Sea Kayaking – 13 yrs or older
Paddle with dolphins, whales, and turtles for a unique experience in otherwise inaccessible areas. Tandem boats are sometimes available for kids that aren’t comfortable going solo.
Snorkeling in Costa Rica tends to be more challenging than the glassy smooth water found on Caribbean islands. Even in the somewhat protected coves there are choppy waves and strong currents to deal with.
Snorkeling isn’t generally recommended for kids younger than teens because of strong currents and rough waves. Of course there’s an exception (in the photo a 3 year old exception) to every rule.
Surfing – 5 yrs or older
Costa Rica is a surfers paradise and odd are pretty good if you and your kids both start taking lessons at the same time they’ll end up making you look bad within an hour or two.
There are some big breaks in Costa Rica so you’ll want to start out smaller. Samara, Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio are three of the better regions for beginners.
Trekking & Backpacking – Experience Recommended
Overnight tours in the backcountry are not recommeded for kids unless their parents have significant previous experience and know what they are getting into.
Turtle Nesting – 10 yrs or older
Seeing sea turtles nesting may sound like the most wonderful experience ever for your youngsters but keep in mind it may require staying up until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., hours of waiting, and long walks in soft sand. Even after all that there is no guarantee of seeing anything…
Waterfalls & River Hiking – All Ages
The number of spectacular waterfalls in Costa Rica reflects rainfall averages of over 20 feet a year and the sheer drops of some of the mountain ranges. Some are easy to walk to on paved trails while others require technical canyoneering skills. Choose the appropriate difficulty for your family.
Marino Ballena National Park takes its name from the humpback whales that mate in its warm waters each December though April. Whale watching boat tours have reasonably good success rates but it may not be the best activity for younger kids as there can be a lot of waiting involved and the failure to see any whales is possible.
The constantly balmy water (66 to 71 °F, 19-21 °C), average wind speeds of 24 mph (40 kph) and the exquisite setting combine to make Lake Arenal a world class destination for windsurfers. Bahía Salinas in the northwest is the most popular beach location for windsurfing.
Windsurfing is a destination sport (at the two spots mentioned above) in Costa Rica and not something offered at a typical resorts.
Zoos & Animal Rescues – All Ages
Small “zoos” around the country have been organized around animal rescue efforts. Zoo Ave. in Alejuela is a particularly good example; rehabilitating parrots for reintroduction into the parks and reserves of Costa Rica.