An epic 10-day teen-approved itinerary for the jungles and beaches of Costa Rica
Costa Rica has long been on my travel bucket list. For one, sloths and monkeys. Two, fresh and plentiful tropical fruit. And three, the ability to drive from volcano to rainforest to jungle to beach in 10 days.
We planned our trip with 2 of our three children for February. Trips with the offspring are less food focused than trips with just The Hubs. He enjoys food and drink as much as I do - or at least he pretends to. My kids like travel and adventure (but not waking up early), but the food is more of a means to an end. This trip has lots of super fun activities you’ll want to check out if you’re traveling to Costa Rica, but not as much foodie inspiration.
We flew into San Jose. Driving in San Jose was very challenging; road markings were limited, traffic was intermittently heavy, and the other drivers were not always forgiving. We stayed one night at the gorgeous Hotel Hacienda Belen in San Jose. We had dinner at the hotel, swam in the pool, walked the grounds, and enjoyed the constant chatter of birds in the surrounding trees.
We woke up early and enjoyed a delightful breakfast of pastries, fresh tropical fruit (obviously), and some of the best coffee ever at the coffee house at the hotel before we headed off on the long drive to La Fortuna. Google Maps will get you there, but you will think you are lost for most of the drive.
During our time in La Fortuna, we stayed at Los Lago Hotel. There are certainly more upscale places in the area, but it was perfect for us. Our room was large, the hotel was centrally located, breakfast was included, and the onsite hot springs were a family favorite.
One of our first adventures was river tubing. It was a blast! The water level was low, so the current ran slowly, but that was fine with me. The guides helped direct us through the rapids, and there were frequent stops to ensure the group was all accounted for. I'd recommend a boat tour if you are interested in seeing animals from the river.
We spent that evening in the hotel’s hot springs. My kids loved the warm water and didn’t want to leave!
The food and drinks at the pool bar were nothing special but perfect for what it was.
Our second day was full of Costa Rican experiences. We started our day early with a trip to La Fortuna waterfall. The path is entirely paved with a lot of steps. I recommend going early to avoid crowds and increase the possibility of seeing animals (we didn’t see any). Swimming was allowed, but the water was cold.
Next up was the Don Olivo Chocolate tour. This tour was fantastic and far more than just a chocolate tour. The owner’s son led the tour; the family lives on the property. There were generous samples of fresh fruit, warm from the sun, as we walked the farm. There was an interactive lesson in traditional chocolate and coffee production, from farm to table, and we sampled both. They even make rum (and gave us samples). It was not only educational but delicious!
We did a night tour at Mystic River. The guided tour covers trails and several hanging bridges. We saw insects, lizards, snakes, lots of frogs, a sloth, and wild boars. Our guide was excellent at spotting the creatures of the night and had great commentary along the way - we learned a lot. The Hubs, The Middle, and I found this tour very enjoyable; The Baby HATES snakes, so she really didn’t enjoy herself! I recommend you wear pants and a raincoat and bring bug spray.
Our day three adventure gave me severe anxiety even in the planning phase! I wouldn’t say I like heights…at all. I am a big baby and generally refuse to do anything that involves heights. But ziplining and canyoning (waterfall repelling) are, according to my family, a Costa Rican requirement. So if I was going to do it, I was really going to do it! We went on a full-day tour with Pure Trek that included zip lining above the rainforest treetops of the Arenal Rainforest Reserve, from as high as 600’ and distances of 2,600’ and then five waterfall rappels, from as high as 165’ and the “Monkey Drop” in the Arenal rainforest canyon. While I was frequently overwhelmed by fear, the guides were reassuring and encouraging. The Hubs, The Middle, and The Baby loved this activity. For me, it was terrifying, but I was SO brave and remain incredibly proud of myself for doing it!
We stopped for an early dinner at The Pizza Shop in Jaco on the way back to our hotel. The pizza was just what we needed after the excitement of the day.
The next day, we drove from La Fortuna to Playa Herradura. Google Maps offered up two routes, one through the mountains and a longer one around the mountains. We decided to take the mountain route. This drive was intense. Some portions are unpaved, parts are steep, and there are many hairpin turns. If you take this route and are prone to motion sickness, you’ll want to take something for it. We ended up with a flat tire; fortunately for us, it was right in front of a hotel with very helpful landscapers outside. In hindsight, the longer route around the mountain would have been easier on us and our car!
Be sure to stop at the crocodile bridge at the Tarcoles River. You’ll find people selling raw chicken to toss over the bridge to the crocodiles.
We stayed at Los Suenos Resort in Playa Herradura. It was gorgeous and well-appointed. And we took full advantage of the enormous and beautiful pool.
We were invited to participate in the hotel's sunset tree-planting ceremony. The hotel is trying to plant trees along its beachline to promote reforestation and create habitats for birds and animals. We were grateful for the opportunity to participate.
We enjoyed an ATV ride with Riders Adventures on our next day in Costa Rica. On the tour, we drove our ATVs on jungle trails up to the top of a mountain with a stop for lunch. We stopped at a hidden waterfall and drove through a river path on the way back down. We even saw a toucan in a tree right off the trail. We all had a blast. The Middle was pleased with how fast our guide let us go.
For dinner, we went to Ohana Sushi in Jaco. We all love sushi, and this was great. The menu is extensive and includes both raw and cooked rolls and even a few items beyond sushi. Everyone loved it.
We’d been so busy doing so many fun activities I scheduled a day at the hotel. We spent the day in the pool and used the SUP available through the hotel. It was nice to relax and soak up the sun.
We walked to Lanterna, an Italian steakhouse, at the Los Suenos Marina for dinner that evening. There was lovely outdoor seating, an extensive menu, and delicious food. And a gelato place right next door!
On our final day in Playa Herradura, we went to Manuel Antonio National Park . We left first thing with pastries and fruit from the hotel for breakfast. I highly recommend booking a tour. The tour guide will walk you through the rainforest and help you see wildlife with their spotting scope. We saw so many animals that we would have missed without our guide. The tour concludes with an enormous bowl of fresh fruit at the trail’s end. Beautiful beaches are also open for swimming at the end of the guided tour. If you’re going to Costa Rica to see animals, a tour of this park is a must!
We went back to Ohana Sushi for dinner. It really was that good!
We drove back to the San Jose area for our last full day in Costa Rica. We spent the afternoon at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Sanctuary, about an hour and a half north of San Jose. It was an incredible up-close snapshot of all things Costa Rica, and we all had a great time. We spent a lot of time in the butterfly house with all the very friendly butterflies. The Middle still talks about his face-to-face with the jaguar.
We spent our final night at the airport Hampton Inn & Suites. This hotel was convenient to the airport, and that’s about all it had to offer.
Our ten days in Costa Rica were terrific, with memories to last a lifetime. 5/5 Stars. Highly recommend!
I hope this motivates you to travel, eat…and return and share my journey through 7 continents and infinite foods.
10 days/9 nights
San Jose (1 night):
Day 1 - hotel pool/dinner
Day 2
2.5 hours to La Fortuna
La Fortuna (3 nights):
Day 2
Hotel hot springs
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
4 hours to the coast
stop at the crocodile bridge at the Tarcoles River
Playa Herradura (4 nights):
Day 5
Hotel pool
Day 6
Ohana Sushi (takes reservations, but we did not make one)
Day 7
Hotel pool
SUP rental from the hotel
Lanterna at Los Suenos Marina (takes reservations, but we did not make one)
Day 8
Take breakfast to go
Ohana Sushi (they take reservations, but we did not make one)
Day 9
Day 10
out
**I would highly recommend that you make reservations in advance when available. I always book scheduled activities and typically make dinner reservations in advance. I’ve indicated with a parenthetical any restaurants that take reservations.