Costa Rica is a super family friendly exotic and adventurous vacation destination, and there are many regions to explore - whether you love beaches, jungles, mountains, cities, food, nature, wildlife, or Pura Vida lifestyle - you can enjoy them all here! If you are short on time, prefer slow travel, or have car sick kids (all 3 of these applied to my family on our recent trip and our first time in Costa Rica) you should stick to ONE region. For this Spring Break multigenerational family vacation, we chose the region of La Fortuna / Arenal Volcano! Why? After doing lots of research, that volcano just SPOKE to me. It's iconic! And while their beaches look beautiful, I just knew I could not miss Arenal Volcano. And turns out, there is PLENTY to do within 20 minutes of La Fortuna! Watch our highlights video and keep reading for more details about what to do with kids in Costa Rica, how child and senior friendly various activities are, and of course links to book the hotels and activities we absolutely loved and were perfect for our family, who ranged from 9 to 76 years old!
Disclaimer: links marked with * are affiliate links - you don't spend more but I receive commission from eligible purchases and bookings made after clicking.
FLIGHT:
Obviously the flight you book depends on many factors, most importantly your home airport options and if you prioritize price or convenience (aka flight times and stops)! We prefer flying out of Newark because it's closer and much cheaper to get to with a car service, but since my parents were coming with us, we wanted to get a direct flight, and the cheapest option was JetBlue out of JFK. It ended up being under $500 per person roundtrip, including free carry on, wifi, in-seat entertainment with tons of movies, drinks, and snacks! Check your flight options here* (just TRIPLE check you're searching San Jose (SJO) in COSTA RICA and not San Jose in CALIFORNIA - my mom made this mistake ha!!) At the time of booking, I signed up for their Barclay's credit card which gave me $250 credit and gets me 4 free checked bags (which we shared with my parents since we only needed 2). Score! The flights were smooth, under 5 hours. That might be long for some, but for seasoned long haul travelers like us, anything is easy when you're used to 24-hr travel days getting to Japan!! 
HOTEL: SAN JOSE AIRPORT AREA
Since our flight arrived in the late evening, we decided to stay at a nearby hotel rather than go into the city or take the 3hr road trip up to La Fortuna in the dark (not recommended!!!!!) After some research, I picked Country Inn & Suites by Radisson San Jose Aeropuerto* because it checked all the boxes:
HOTEL: LA FORTUNA / ARENAL VOLCANO AREA Arenal Volcano area is renowned for it's luxurious hot spring resorts, which yes, are obviously amazing, but quite an extravagant splurge for mid-range travelers like us! We decided to go a much more budget-friendly route and I was SO happy that my hours of research paid off when I stumbled across Hotel Lavas Tacotal*. They have spacious motel-style rooms as well as single unit adorable bungalows, laid across their gorgeously landscaped and tropical grounds, with 2 small but lovely pools, volcano views, and a huge open-air restaurant with DELICIOUS breakfast buffet. It's also open for dinner, with a full bar, though we never dined here outside of breakfast. They're very conveniently located as well - a 5 minute WALK to Go Adventure Zip Line meeting point, as well as a convenient store for all of your necessities, and a couple of decent restaurants. And about a 10 minute drive in one direction to downtown La Fortuna, and 10-20 minute drive in the opposite direction to Arenal Volcano. 
RENTAL CAR:
We booked our rental car with Adobe Rent-A-Car, after finding a great discount code on this Two Weeks in Costa Rica blog post - not only is it a great 10-20% discount, but you get some great freebies like a 2nd driver, booster seats, and car delivered to your hotel (which we needed since our flight arrived very close to their office closing and we didn't want to risk it)! We had a great experience with them - all the taxes and fees are straightforward from the get go, no hidden costs like some other companies often shock you with at the desk! RENTAL / DRIVING TIPS:
5 DAYS IN COSTA RICA ITINERARY:
DAY 1:
CATARATA DEL TORO: There are numerous ways to drive from San Jose to La Fortuna. We went to the east and had a nice pit stop at Catarata Del Toro waterfall. We had a later-than-planned-departure from San Jose (due to hubby needing to take some morning work calls at the hotel), otherwise we also would have also visited Blue Falls (literally right next to the other, we just didn't have a moment spare for it). Catarata Del Toro was GORGEOUS - an impressive 270 ft cascading waterfall within an old volcano crater! The water was actually grey due to nearby Poas Volcano current activity, but the color fluctuates. The entrance fee was $15, and you see the waterfall from above pretty much right away. We decided not to decend the hundreds of steps to the bottom due to the rain, instead we hiked around in our ponchos and had a nice relaxing adventure that broke up the drive perfectly. They have a restaurant on site that we were planning to lunch at, but the cook was sick, so we were out of luck there. This was our first lesson in "go with the flow, expect the unexpected" in Costa Rica! Pro tip: always have lots of snacks in the car for unexpected things like this, and being stuck behind cows or construction on the road for random 20-30 minute spans of time! 
NIGHT HIKE:
A night hike to see frogs, sloths, and other creepy crawleys at night in the jungle is a MUST DO in Costa Rica. But there are SO many to choose from, I found myself spinning in circles!! Save yourself the time and just book La Fortuna Hikes & Trails night hike* (about $43 per person), which is the one we did and includes a really unique tortilla making class (it actually ended up being a really hefty snack / light meal so consider this when making your dinner plans before or after the hike). 
Our guide was SO amazing! We were all given rechargeable flashlights, and she walked us through pointing out creature after creature, telling us all about them, letting us take our time capturing endless photos and videos. I had purchased and brought mosquito repellent bracelets and we all wore one but didn't notice many mosquitos, which was shocking - in the jungle and in Costa Rica as a whole. After 5 days I went home with only 2 bites, the kids had more unfortunate because they left the bedroom door open too long and had some in their room overnight. Oops! 
Day 2:
MISTICO HANGING BRIDGES There are a few options for hanging bridges, we opted for Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges* (about $40 per person) and absolutely loved it! It's a long hike, with lots of steep inclines, through gorgeous jungles, but the paths are paved and they even had strollers you could rent so that speaks to how well the paths are made! We didn't book tickets with a guide but recommend you consider it - they will help spot wildlife, take group photos etc! We occasionally came across a group with a guide and were lucky enough to have them point out a couple of vipers and other wildlife for us, so if you don't get a guide, try to stay near a group that does ha!! 
One of my 3 kids was terrified of the hanging bridges, I did not anticipate that, so keep it in mind if you have anyone afraid of heights in your group. They are QUITE high, they creak, they swing a bit if anyone isn't walking carefully one foot in front of the other. They are spectacular though, some offer views of rivers, others of the volcano. We just loved it! And it was mostly shaded, we didn't even bother with sunblock and were just fine. Be sure to use the bathroom beforehand, as there's nowhere within the park to go.
LUNCH: After finishing your hike, they do have ice cream and a restaurant with a stunning view, but if you want to save money, drive a few minutes down the road to Soda La Palma which was recommended to us by a Mistico staff member. It has great food, and even had a mini petting zoo behind it! 
DON JUAN ARENAL COFFEE + CHOCOLATE TOUR I should preface this by saying my mother and I almost opted out of this one. It sounded boring for us and the kids, we were just going to send the men while we stayed behind to let the kids swim. Boy oh boy were we mistaken, and I'm SO glad we all went along, despite the pricey admission tickets (about $50 per person)... this tour was EPIC!!!! So hands on, lots to smell, taste, and do. Our guide kept it fun for the kids and was so informative about EVERYTHING involved in the process of growing these crops. We saw a sloth on property, picked and ate fresh bananas off a tree, sucked on fresh cocoa pod seeds (they taste like fruit candy!!), even got to make our own chocolate! Don't sleep on this one, get your tickets for Don Juan Coffee + Chocolate tour here*!! 
Don Juan is located quite close to the La Fortuna Hikes & Trails, so could be nicely paired back to back with a hike there, although that's a LOT of guided tour in a row if you ask me (and my kids). They're also pretty close to downtown La Fortuna, so we booked the last tour of the day at 4pm and finished at late dusk and headed into town for dinner. We ended up at Volcano Steakhouse, which had a shockingly long wait (not sure if that's typical or they were down on staff) but food was good and vibe was fun, and my parents treated the kids to Pops ice cream afterward! 
Day 3:
LA FORTUNA WATERFALL
When in La Fortuna, visiting La Fortuna Waterfall* is a MUST DO. Again, like everything else, you must pay to see it, but it's worth it, trust me! It's about $20 per person, there was no discount for kids but my parents got in for dirt cheap after inquiring about their senior rate. There are 500 steps down, and another 500 steps back up. My mother opted to sit that hike out but there is a great viewing platform at the top, so she still got to see it from above and waited in the shade for the rest of us to hike down, SWIM at the base of the waterfall, and hike back up. We were all nervous about that climb back up, but honestly, take it slow, take lots of breaks (for just looking around and enjoying nature!), and it's no problem, really!! 
Be VERY careful though, the rocks by the waterfall are VERY VERY SLIPPERY!!! Also, if swimming out, be careful not to kick the rocks, there's a drop off a bit out where you can swim without concern about rocks, but when coming back in, just use your arms as you get closer. Ask us how we know (ouch!). Also, be mindful of your things. There was some security guards down there, not sure I would rely on them. They have lockers at the top so I advise you to leave valuables at home or in the lockers, and only bring down your clothes, shoes, towel, water bottle, and your phone in a waterproof phone pouch (see my "Costa Rica shopping list" at the bottom of this post for other must-brings)! 
GO ADVENTURE ZIP LINE Zip lining is right up there with night hiking for "must do" in Costa Rica. There are many locations and companies to choose from, and we struggled big time with this decision, especially since my father has Parkinson's and he was very very nervous about his ability to properly hold onto the line. We ultimately chose Zip Lining with Go Adventure* because at about $60 per person they were MUCH cheaper than some others, the tour included multiple zip lines AND an optional (but no extra fee) rappel, a Maleku experience, and admission to nearby Montaña de Fuego hot springs (and hot springs in the area are quite pricey so it was like 2 birds one stone here). Oh, and the meeting point was literally a 5 minute walk from our hotel. Winner winner chicken dinner! 
And were were 1,000% happy with our pick, Go Adventure was amazing!!! It was the first time zip lining for all of us, and we had THE best time! SO exhilarating, terrifying, breathtaking - all the feelings at once!! We were overwhelmed with the instructions at first, and totally anxious walking out to that first line. But everything felt very safe and secure - you were hooked onto the tree or the cable line basically at all times. We were SO high up but after that first zip, everyone felt amazing, even Mia who had been terrified on the hanging bridges was fine with this - so funny!! They have lockers at the meeting point so you can leave bags and valuables there. They don't recommend bringing ANYTHING with you on the zip lining tour, but I wore my DJI Osmo action camera on a harness (on my shopping list at the bottom of this post!), and my husband brought his iPhone and kept it secured in his pocket while ziplining. If you do bring a camera, make sure it is held close to your body and fully secured. You dont want to get tangled, and you dont want to drop something - all the platforms are a gridlike metal so very easy for little things to fall through or larger things to bounce and be gone forever in the jungle! You can hire a professional camera person there, it was quite pricey but if you dont have a camera that can be secured safely, and want to capture amazing stuff, you may want to splurge. But we were happy with the DIY videos and photos we got on our own. 
After such an adventurous day, we were all exhausted and were glad to find nearby Mirador Arenal Steakhouse (across the street from our hotel) for dinner (and I treated myself to a Passion Fruit Mojito - YUM!), and afterwards, a cute little convenient store (next to Go Adventure) where we were all treated to ice cream again by my sweet toothed Mom! Score!! Sweet end to a sweet day! 
Day 4:
ARENAL 1968 LAVA FLOW LOOP HIKE
As if we hadn't done enough hiking, JUST ONE MORE we told the kids! The Arenal 1968 hike (about $25 a person) is a must do in the area, it was a much more strenuous hike than we anticipated, AND we opted for the shorter loop, too! It also had lots of sunny areas - my shoulders deeply regretted not putting on that sunblock today! Definitely put on sunblock, bring water, use the bathrooms, and grab the hiking sticks they have at the entrance. There's plenty of wildlife to see, bring a guide for the best experience, otherwise just pay attention to other hikers looking at stuff, that's how we discovered most of the creatures we saw in Costa Rica! On this hike we saw a sloth, a Coati climbing through the trees, and some gorgeous birds with very interesting calls (listen to them in my youtube at the top of this post)! 
At the end of the hike is a cute cafe with GORGEOUS views, but again, we opted to drive onward to a Soda for a cheaper lunch. This time we visited Soda Arenal, which had amazing food and a super cute dog my mom and kids had fun feeding from the table, ha! 
Montaña de Fuego hot springs + pool Montaña de Fuego is one of the few all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica, maybe the only one in La Fortuna area? It's a beautiful property, and they have a lovely pool with swim up bar, jacuzzi, kiddie pool, 3 lovely manmade healing mineral hot springs, and volcanic mud to slather on your body - and a day visit for these is included with your Go Adventure wristband!! You don't have to go the same day, just don't take off your wrist band and you'll be admitted! There are no lockers, towels, or changing rooms though, so keep that in mind and BYO stuff. They do have bathrooms to use, so no worries there. You can also purchase food and drinks. It's a fun and relaxing time, we really enjoyed it as a "free" way to have the volcanic hot springs experience essential in La Fortuna (the bigger venues are very very pricey, but again, do your research - you may find buying day passes worthwhile, or you may decide to splurge on a luxury Hot Spring Resort as your accommodation, which includes use of their hot springs). 
Day 5:
Check out and go home day, we chose La Paz Waterfall Gardens as our pit stop on the road trip back this time and it was PERFECTION! Definitely give yourself plenty of time there, I think we were there about 5 hours and could have stayed longer!! The grounds and location were spectacular, possibly the best "zoo" we've ever been to - it's an animal sanctuary so all of the animals are rescues, and all (or mostly all?) local to Costa Rica. There's a butterfly aviary where they fly all around and land on you. You can see UP CLOSE tons of animals including spider monkeys, sloth, puma, jaguar, ocelot, toucan, venomous snakes, and more!
I highly recommend paying a little more for the admission ticket that includes the buffet lunch, for one because there's nothing else in the area and honestly the cost is barely more than you'd pay at a soda, and it's BUFFET with drinks, too. Admission is about $54 per adult without lunch, and $69 with lunch. The food was delicious!!! And great way to fuel up for the lovely hike that takes you to FIVE waterfalls!! At the end of the (up and down hike with lots of stairs) they have a free shuttle that takes you back to the entrace. Even my parents did the hike, so while it's not stroller or wheelchair friendly, it's quite doable for most people. 
TIPS, TRICKS, + PERSONAL TAKEAWAYS:
SHOPPING / PACKING LIST:
Some of our other Travel Guides + Family Friendly Itinerary we think you'll enjoy:
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About ME:I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins + 1), focusing on fun and honest product and travel reviews, helping busy parents find the best for their families! Find what you need in the menu bar or search section above! 
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