Anyone been to Costa Rica with teens?

[Caplin]

We are planning a big holiday for 2025 with our teen DDs.

last year we did Thailand (north and south) and it was amazing, so something equally adventurous and gorgeous.

I keep seeing Costa Rica as a suggestion and it looks amazing. Has anyone been? Would probably be July (wet season), but I think we are ok with that.

would probably do 2-3 stops, Volcano, jungle, beach.

or any other out there suggestions? Also considered Belize.

Not with teens but i did go by myself to costa rica secrets papagayo adults only.
Good fun.

I'd love to do Costa Rica, I've planned a Costa Rica trip before and as long as you avoid August and google the route, I think July is usually okay. I'd have love to have gone - kids chose The Galapagos instead, but there are so many things to do and see zip wiring horse treks (and I'm not horsey), river cruises, Toucans. Sloths.

We have been to Belize - we've travelled all over, but it's the one place I really didn't feel very safe and there is now a few issues around the border with Guatamala (which I haven't spelt correctly). I'd give that a miss.

We went late July early August for 3 weeks (as soon as term ended).
Only 2 days of day time rain and some awesome overnight storms.
Best for wildlife for us was the Caribbean coast - tortuguero for turtle egg laying season, and cahuita for beaches and jungle.

Fabulous place.

Sri Lanka and Borneo also work well for UK school summer hols, and both great with teens. Both also much cheaper than Costa Rica!

I went to Costa Rica almost 20 years ago. It’s a beautiful country with so much to see and do and something for everyone.
I went with Gap adventures - I think they’re called G adventures now. A must is the zip line through the cloud forests( assuming it’s still going). I would go back in a heartbeat.

Thanks all, think we are deffo leaning towards Costa Rica, looks amazing!!!!

Glad to know July isn’t too crazy wet! So exciting to get planning!!

Our dc were younger than teens, but it was the best holiday we've ever been on, you'll have a great time!

Went with a 10 and 11 year old in August 2017 and had an amazing time, rainforest, ziplines some very high up like at Diamante, horse riding through jungle, waterslide through jungle, active volcanoes, hot springs, sloths, toucans, monkeys, one of the best holidays we've had. Only issue was the kids complained life in the UK was very dull on return. 😂

We went last Easter for three weeks with a 10 year old and 14 year it was amazing like others the zip lining, hot springs, sloths, river rafting I could go on were all brilliant a fantantic holiday the kids will always remember

We went last summer with teens, it was absolutely wonderful. Zip lining, night hikes, sea kayaking, whale watching, incredible wildlife everywhere (we got so excited when we saw our first sloth on the first day - by the end we'd seen about 20!). We had a bit of rain off and on, sometimes torrential for a while, but certainly not a problem (went mid July).

The different regions are very different. Tortuguero was very hot, with a Caribbean vibe. Turtle nesting was unforgettable. Arenal amazing for birdwatching and outdoor activities. Monteverde quite chilly, but stunning. Manuel Antonio a bit more touristy, but really beautiful. Absolute highlight for us was an extension trip to the Osa peninsula - a remote paradise with the most stunning and totally empty beaches I've ever seen (not safe for swimming though). Honestly felt like I was in a David Attenborough documentary.

The wildlife is really the reason to visit, but we stayed in some lovely hotels, too, and for the kids that was what made it so fabulous - a morning of jaw-dropping wildlife followed by an afternoon chilling out by the pool. Everything was really efficient and well run, with very high quality guides. We went with Trailfinders, and they were great.

Downside - it was not a cheap holiday...

We took the kids to Costa Rica in 2022 (when they were tweens rather than teens) and had a brilliant time. We started off in Rincon de la Vieja, which is an easy drive from the international airport in Liberia, staying at an activity centre. Our first full day was river tubing and horse riding. If we'd had more time I would have loved to visit the volcanic mud pools. We then moved on to the Arenal area: hot springs, hanging bridges, zip wiring on the slopes of the volcano, cacao farm. Loads more activities on offer but we were only there for a couple of nights. Our third stop was the rainforest research centre in Sarapiqui, where we saw our first sloths and an abundance of poison dart frogs, crocodiles, turtles, toucans and lots more wildlife, including a very venomous snake. Our last stop of the tour part was Tortuguero. You have to leave your car in a car park and take a river boat for about an hour to your hotel (or you can fly in). It's all very well organised and the hotels organise the boats so you can't get on the wrong one or get off at the wrong stop. I've never been anywhere like it. We saw an enormous turtle laying her eggs on the beach at night, took a boat tour through the canals to see the wildlife and hung out in the small town. It's on the Caribbean coast but so remote. The beach is nice but there are crocodiles so swimming isn't recommended.

We were on an organised tour but having been once, I'd feel confident getting a hire car if we were to go back. The kids were never bored but definitely ready for chilling out on the beach after a week of non-stop travel and activities. We had a week at a resort hotel in Guanacaste and it was nice but not somewhere I'd plan to go back to. There was loads to do on the days we wanted to do more (we did various day trips to the Rio Celeste, a sloth sanctuary, Nicaragua, sailing, ATVs). The beaches in Cahuita (sp?) are supposed to be nicer.

Weather-wise, we went for the last week of July and the first week of August and got very lucky. The heavens opened for our turtle nesting tour in Tortuguero but it just added to the incredible experience. We had one day that was a wash-out on the beach part. Otherwise, it was only wet for short bursts on some days, but most were fine.

Following with interest as we are going soon! @toasty1 please can I ask what the weather was like for you as you went at Easter time? I’m slightly concerned that DS who doesn’t do well with +28°C is going to struggle!

We worked our way across from the Pacific side to the Caribbean side so saw every type of weather yes it was humid but before we went bought a load of quick dry sports t shirts for us all which I am glad I did in the rainforest it is actually quite cool as so high up so will need lightweight pack a mac's and then on the Caribbean side it was a dry heat and just like being in France or Spain over the summer but with costal breezes, it does get high 30's at Easter but we all adjusted well and don't look back at the holiday and remember it being too hot to spoil it

I will never ever go anywhere again in the middle of a wet season

Either side is fine but not slap bang in the middle

We’ve just been with a 3 year old and had an amazing time. Made 12 stops travelling around for a few weeks. Tortuguero, Manuel Antonio and Samara were highlights for us.

Surf school in Samara was amazing and definitely good for teens (even our 3 year old had a go), we went to about 7 national parks and although it’s one of the busiest Manuel Antonio was amazing, prep for the beach in there as it was breathtaking. We had a wonderful guide called Alvin from Airbnb experiences who was worth double what we paid him- everyone else’s guides were coming to him to spot animals and he was a lovely guy!

Definitely rent a car and explore!

I haven't been, but friends with teens went last July and reported having an amazing time. Their photos were absolutely gorgeous. They did some travelling on local bus services and stayed mostly in more basic hostel accommodation. They said the weather was ok on the whole even though it was rainy season, it didn't stop them from doing things.

For those who went to Costa Rica in june/july, were you able to fly direct from the UK?

following with interest

what was the insect situation like? Did you have to cover yourselves with deet or get bitten a lot? My dh is very tasty to insects which puts me off.

We all loved Costa Rica. Our kids were 12 and 16. We did a couple of nights in San Jose so we could go to Poas volcano, then Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. The flora and fauna is different in each place, because they all have their own microclimates. Arenal was quite rainy, but it's a great place for viewing wildlife, plus the hot springs were a big hit with our kids. Monteverde cloud forest was chilly and quite windy the day we went, but we loved getting away from the crowds and our hotel was a really idyllic spot. Manuel Antonio was hot and humid and very touristy, but we'd planned relax there at the end of our trip, so we just hung out at our (very nice) hotel and it was good.

Yes, we flew straight to Liberia.

On the insect front, we used Incognito shampoo, shower gel and spray and didn't get bitten. I'm usually a mosquito magnet but didn't have any issues in CR.

We went a couple of years ago with a teen and loved it. Really easy to self organise if you prefer to do it that way. We didn't hire a car, but all the hotels can help connect you to drivers for shared or private transfers. If you get a flight with a stop in the US, leave yourselves plenty of time... That was the only thing that was stressful. Agree with others that turtles nesting at Tortuguero was unforgettable

Thanks. Which airline was that with please? I was concerned that there might only be direct flights from UK in high season (our winter)

That was with TUI. BA was doing direct flights to San Jose at the same time.

Changing flights in the US wasn't a big deal (just make sure you have a good connection time as you have to go through immigration and back through passport control).
CR is amazing for teens.
We didn't hire a car but used buses and minivan transfers.
San Jose - Samara - Monteverde - La Fortuna then the Carribbean coast. Totally recommend tortuguera then down to cahuita (long boat journey to moon then bus to cahuita). So much wildlife.

I haven’t been able to find direct flights recently however Air France via Paris seems the best option. Less faffy than transferring in the US.
a friend went on Air Canada via Toronto and said that was fine