YES or SKIP: activities with kids in Arenal, Costa Rica
Arenal, Costa Rica isn’t all that big, but boy does it pack a punch for adventure loving kids.
The Arenal region is conveniently located in the middle of Costa Rica. “Arenal” most accurately refers to the Arenal volcano, a still-active volcano and an iconic sight in Costa Rica (which, be warned, is shrouded in cloud more often than not). The local town is La Fortuna, so you will hear visitors use Arenal and La Fortuna interchangeably when talking about this region. If you’re flying into the country, it is about 3.5 hours away from San Jose, and only 2.5 hours away from Liberia. Arenal has a little bit of everything to create the perfect adventure. Mountains, rainforests, rivers, waterfalls, hot springs, and more. If you are traveling with kids, there is almost no reason not to hit up Arenal.
I admit I was a little skeptical at first. La Fortuna is touristy, there is no denying that. The tourism industry is hopping, and there are about a hundred different companies and tours for every activity. It feels touristy. There are huge billboards and advertisements on the road into La Fortuna and all over Arenal. It felt a bit like I was driving into the Las Vegas of Costa Rica. However, once you get out of town and into the mountains and jungle, it is still an authentic and immersive experience.
The nature and jungle around Arenal is incredibly well preserved, and the activities are to help you experience it all. From hiking to hot springs to repelling down waterfalls, there is so much to do! It can feel a little overwhelming, figuring out which activities to do and which company to do it with. And you still want to leave time to relax!
As we say in almost every post on traveling with kids, it’s important not to overwhelm kids with too many organized activities. Kids (at least our kids) can only take a certain amount of direction, no matter how novel or exciting. Ours need plenty of downtime every day, where they can unwind and run around like crazy things. (Otherwise they become uncooperative petulant little demons.) A rule of thumb we usually follow is 1 activity a day. We try never to schedule more than 2.
We stayed in Arenal for 4 days, which is about the average length of stay for most travellers to the region (around 3-5 days). With so many options and only so much we could do, we had to be strategic about how we spent our time. In this post, we review a list of the most popular activities in the Arenal region. We’ll recommend ones that we feel are the most family friendly, and which ones our kids absolutely LOVED. We will also discuss popular activities we chose to skip (or leave as a “maybe” on your list if times allows.)
TOP ARENAL ATTRACTIONS
Hot springs: YES (100% kid-approved)
We consider this one of Arenal’s top attractions, thanks to the geothermal activity of Arenal Volcano. Visiting a natural hot spring is something you won’t be able to easily do elsewhere in Costa Rica. There are smaller resorts around the country, particularly in the Guanacaste region, but Arenal has hands down the most established hot spring industry. The top hot spring resorts in Costa Rica are here, and there is a selection for every taste and budget.
And there is nothing more rejuvenating than relaxing in a hot spring surrounded by Arenal’s lush jungle, soaking in volcano views… unless you have kids. Big S and Lil S love swimming and water, but they are *not* about being zen. Which is why we feel not all hot springs are created equal. With all the options, you need one that will afford adults to relax AND for kids to have fun. We recommend considering these:
Tabacon Resort and Spa
This is the most well known hot spring resort in Arenal, and considered the most luxurious. At first glance, it might not seem the most kid friendly with its cascading natural pools and secluded romantic nooks. But this place kept the kids occupied all day. It is so spacious it felt like we had the place to ourselves everywhere we went. Big S and Lil S loved the natural pools for playing pretend (and to be honest, surrounded by waterfalls and exotic flowers I could have become a fairy queen too…) There are several larger pools for swimming, a swim-up bar, and terraformed waterfalls everywhere. At the end of the day, us parents felt rejuvenated and the kids were exhausted – which is definitely a win-win all around. (Read about our full experience at Tabacon here.)
Baldi Hot Springs
This resort is larger than life, more on the amusement park side than a zen retreat. There is a dedicated kids area, with a splash pool and play structure with a tipping bucket for the younger kids. There are also kids-sized waterslides and larger waterslides for adults too. The kids are guaranteed to have a great time here, but the experience is not as authentic as Tabacon.
The Springs Resort and Hot Spring
This is a luxury retreat that combines both the zen of Tabacon and the fun of Baldi. It is a resort, but you can purchase a day pass here and enjoy the complete resort experience, with thermal pools, waterslides, and a kids game room. There is an activity centre, where you can arrange things like horseback riding or kayaking at an additional cost. Absolutely incredible view of Arenal volcano from here (we know, because our airBNB was a stone’s throw away up the street.)
Kalambu Hot Springs
A more modest and reasonably-budgeted Baldi. This is your waterpark adventure in Arenal. There are only 2 thermal pools here, but a plethora of slides, splash areas, and spots for kids to have a fabulous time. Kalambu offers a *great* view of Arenal volcano on a clear day.
Los Lagos Hot Springs
A great budget option for families, with hot springs, pools, and waterslides. There are add-on activities you can purchase here, including a butterfly garden, a crocodile pond, and a zip-line. You can also enjoy views of Arenal volcano from here. Los Lagos is a hotel, but you can also buy a day pass directly from reception.
Renowned hot springs in this area we do NOT recommend for families are Eco-tamales and Paradise Hot Springs. These hot springs are smaller, and do not offer as much privacy/space for kids. The last thing you want is to be shushing your kids all day and feeling guilty for disrupting someone else’s zen.
Hanging bridges: YES
A hanging bridges hike is something virtually all ages can participate in and enjoy. The top locations in Costa Rica for hanging bridges are Arenal and Monteverde. If you are visiting both places, we recommend picking one hanging bridges park only, as both offer similar experiences.
Hanging bridges is a great family activity. No matter where you go, it will be a spectacular hike through the rainforest, with stunning views of the canopy and surrounding areas as you cross the bridges. Big S and Lil S *loved* the bridges. It sways and wobbles and we did not encounter a single kids on these bridges who wasn’t trying to sway and wobble it even more. Even kids who don’t normally enjoy hiking will be scrambling from one bridge to the next. We also saw a handful of coatis on our walk.
The two main hanging bridges companies in Arenal are Sky Adventures and Mistico Hanging Bridges. They are similar experiences offering immersive rainforest walks, with views of Arenal volcano and Arenal lake on a clear day. Mistico trails are a little better maintained and more accessible for strollers and wheelchairs. The cost of both are comparable. You can buy a package at Sky Adventures that includes zip-lining and a gondola ride, which is a definite discount if you are up to doing everything on the same day. Because hanging bridges and zip-lining would have been too much for us, we booked zip-lining with Sky Adventures and hanging bridges with Mistico on different days, just to change things up a little.
Both Mistico and Sky Adventures can feel “touristy”, but if you visit early, you will only be walking the trails with a handful of other people, and it will still feel like an authentic rainforest experience. Mistico Park opens at 6:00am, and Sky Adventures hanging bridges opens at 7:30am.
HIKES AND GUIDED TOURS
Arenal volcano hike: SKIP
It might seem like a missed opportunity to visit Arenal and not the Arenal Volcano National Park. This is a hiking area located at the base of Arenal volcano. You cannot hike to the top of the volcano. The trails will take you around the base. The hike takes you through rainforest, as well as hardened lava. There are lookout points where you can see the volcano and Arenal lake.
The reason we recommend skipping this is there is nothing all that unique about this area. (The lava is unique, but after visiting Iceland the year prior, we had seen lava aplenty.) And there are many places in the region that will give you a better view of Arenal volcano.
An exception to this is if you are interested in taking a horseback riding tour of Arenal volcano. Horseback riding is a fun thing to do in Costa Rica and adds an exciting element for kids besides “just hiking”. Our kids got to ride horses in Monteverde, so we opted to skip this experience in Arenal.
La Fortuna waterfall: SKIP
This is another one of those “but I’m here!” debates.
La Fortuna waterfall is one of those iconic images that will pop up on your search engine if you so much as *think* about Costa Rica. And we probably could have done this without kids. It’s close to the centre of town and the waterfall hike only takes about 20-30 minutes. It’s something you can easily squeeze into your itinerary but with kids it is a whole *event*. Even though it’s a short hike, it’s mostly stairs (over 500 of them!) down to the waterfall and then back up again. You can swim at the base of the waterfall, but the base of waterfalls (especially a big one like this) is not the most kid-friendly place to swim. It gets deep fairly quickly and the force of the water is too strong for littles. La Fortuna waterfall also gets very crowded during the day.
Big S and Lil S would have done it. They would have grumbled about it and wouldn’t have appreciated the falls at their full value. Instead, for a good afternoon activity with kids, check out the El Salto rope swing (below).
Night tour: YES (100% kid-approved)
Going on a night tour is definitely a highlight in Costa Rica. There are so many animals that are nocturnal, and something about wandering around the rainforest in the dark makes it automatically adventure-y.
You can book a night tour with almost any park (eg. Arenal volcano national park has a night tour), or you can inquire through your hotel. Some hotels have their own trails, or they can hook you up with a guide. Our recommendation for night tours is to pick a small trail or animal sanctuary. This might not sound all that “adventure-y”, but you can’t appreciate the scope of a vast forest in the dark anyway, and you will be able to see way more animals in these smaller spaces. We have 2 recommendations for night tours in Arenal:
Borgarin Trail
Borgarin Trail is a short hike that is known for its sloths. It’s not anything special to look at – the forest here is relatively new, planted around 30 years ago on what was once farmland. It’s also very close to the town, wedged between a hostel and a restaurant. But there are a handful of sloths that live here. I won’t say you’re guaranteed to see one, but if you take their guided tour they will go out of their way to find sloths. You can hike this trail during the day either with or without a guide.
However, the biggest bang for your buck is definitely taking the night tour. The tour starts before nightfall, and the first priority is finding sloths. The tour then takes you through the short trail looking for other animals, before ending at their small frog sanctuary. Flashlights are provided. On our 2 hour hike, we saw 4 sloths (including a mom and baby!), an owl, lots of insects and spiders, and a ton of frogs. The guides will also help you take the best photos of these nocturnal animals.
Arenal Oasis Sanctuary
This is a highly-reviewed night tour through a… frog sanctuary. There is a chance of seeing other animals too, but the main focus is finding frogs. It might not sound all that exciting, but let me tell you, frogs are WAY COOL. (I did not have this opinion until we saw all the different frogs at night.) This tour has an option of including dinner, which is a nice add-on.
Rio Celeste: MAYBE (but we were a SKIP)
Yet another iconic Costa Rica spot we chose to skip. Rio Celeste is a river and waterfall that is a magical shade of turquoise-blue, located inside Tenorio National Park. We love beautiful views, and it did hurt a bit to skip this place. If we had stayed longer, we would have been tempted to add it. Rio Celeste is a 1 hour drive from Arenal – it would definitely have been a whole day activity for us.
The reason for skipping Rio Celeste is really the same why we chose not to visit La Fortuna waterfall. I think we’ve had to recognize that kids – at least our kids – are all about “doing” and less about “seeing”. Rio Celeste is a long hike to a waterfall (and this one does not even allow swimming). There are 6km of trail, although you can get to the waterfall in about 30 minutes. If you do want to swim, there is a place further down river outside the office park where you can swim, called “Rio Celeste free pool” on Google maps.
ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES
Zip-lining: YES (100% kid-approved)
The kids loved zip-lining so much that when it was over Lil S immediately asked if we could go again.
Zip-lining in Costa Rica was definitely a highlight of our trip. We did the course in pouring rain, completely muddy and wet, and we still thoroughly enjoyed it.
There are several zip-lining courses in Arenal that take several hours to complete. These are not your average amusement park zip-lines. These are long – some over 700 metres long – cables that take you into the rainforest and over the canopies straight through the clouds.
There are 2 zip-lining courses in Costa Rica we feel are exceptionally suitable for kids.
Ecoglide Arenal Park
This is hands-down the safest and most kid-friendly “canopy” trek in Arenal. There are 11 lines and 1 suspension bridge. The lines are relatively short, up to 400 metres max, and only about 25 meters up from the ground. Each line has 2 cables, one that slides and another independent cable for added safety. This course has a minimum age limit of 3, which is the lowest we’ve seen. Younger children would zip-line with a guide.
Sky Trek (Sky Adventures)
Sky Trek is probably the most popular zip-lining course in Arenal, and for good reason. It is a true rainforest adventure over the canopy, with views of Arenal lake on clear days. There are 7 lines, the longest over 700 metres and 200 metres high! Sky Trek has an automatic breaking system, which was important to us as we didn’t trust that our kids could operate handbrakes. (We have heard of friends getting concussions on zip-lines here!) This course has a heigh limit of 1.2m – which is generally 4-5 years. Depending on weather conditions (which apparently changes the friction of the cables!) kids may ride alone, with each other, or with a parent. (The goal is for you to have enough weight/momentum to reach the end and not get stuck in the middle.)
Balsa river rafting: YES (for older children)
River rafting is a great way to experience the rainforest in Arenal. The Balsa river rapids are family friendly, while the Sarapiqui river is more for adventure seekers. Make sure you join a class II/III rapids tour if you are traveling with kids (easier and safer rapids). Most tours take around 2 hours, and include a more active rapids section and a calmer river section for admiring the scenery and wildlife spotting. Many tours also include lunch. The age limit for river-rafting tours is generally 7-8, but I found a couple where the minimum age was 6. Ultimately, we did skip this, as our kids were a little on the young side, but it would be an exciting family activity for older kids.
ATV tour: SKIP
ATV tours in Arenal could be a good option if you’d like to take in some of the scenery, but find hiking or horseback riding too tame. But overall, we feel that this is not a great use of time here, as there is nothing unique about doing an ATV tour in Arenal.
El Salto Rope Swing: YES
This is a little not-so-hidden gem right outside of town. This little spot along Rio Fortuna is just under a bridge, and might not seem like much at first glance, but our kids could have stayed here all day! The main attraction is a rope swing into a natural pool. We all did this a couple of times. It requires some bravery and it’s definitely an adrenaline rush. The highlight for Big S and Lil S was getting to play in the river. There are no lifeguards here, and there are some areas of fast moving water downstream. (Our overly-bold kids almost got swept away at one point and got a very important lesson on taking rapids seriously that day.) BUT there are also lots of calmer areas for kids to play, splash around, and cool off. Make sure to wear water shoes.
Oh, and another great thing about this activity? It is free! You just have to pay an attendant to park your car by the side of the bridge.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Rainforest chocolate tour: YES
One last activity that deserves a mention is taking a rainforest chocolate tour! This is a great activity if you are looking for something a little less physical (and also delicious). Most tours will take you on an immersive experience to learn about how to harvest, process, and prepare cacao into chocolate. AND – definitely the best part – you get to sample all sorts of yummy chocolate! We did not do a chocolate tour in Arenal (but did catch a little chocolate experience in Monteverde). Some popular tours here include: Don Olive Chocolate Tour, Rainforest Chocolate Tour, and Don Juan chocolate and coffee tours (which combine chocolate, coffee, and sugar cane experiences).
** If you found this post helpful, make sure to check out the rest of our series on traveling through Costa Rica with kids! **
