Costa Rica with a Toddler

Christine Martin

May 1, 2012

Tourists have been flocking to Costa Rica for years. While traveling there may be considered a foreign and unfamiliar experience for some, it is generally considered a safe and well-established destination for tourists with a modern infrastructure and facilities. Knowing this, we felt very comfortable taking our one year old.

Arriving late, we had nice overnight stay at the Hotel Grano de Oro in San Jose and then were picked up and driven to the Hotel Royal Corin in Arenal. It was perfect The area is known for hot springs and our hotel had built pools for them that were perfect with our baby. It was sunny when we arrived so we had a beautiful view of the Arenal Volcano but, within an hour, the clouds rolled in and we didn’t see the volcano again. Luckily enjoying the hot springs in drizzle and rain was quite enjoyable.

We took our son to the Iguana Sanctuary and we enjoyed walking around the town of La Fortuna. A highlight in the area was the butterfly farm at the volcano.

I had no idea that butterflies have eyes like this.

There is zip lining on the volcano that we couldn’t do because of the baby so we opted in for a sky tram at the volcano that provides a beautiful view of Lake Arenal, as well as a monkey trail to walk. Unfortunately it was pouring rain, so we didn’t notice many animals.

After a few days, we drove to Manuel Antonio and stayed at the Hotel Parador Quepos. The hotel was clean and fine. My favorite part was opening our hotel room door and seeing spider monkeys eating flowers off the trees five feet away and all the other wildlife on the property.

The hotel is also conveniently located to Manuel Antonio National Park. The park is teaming with wildlife.

Brazilian Wandering Spider – one of the most venomous spider in the world

Giant Green Anole, often confused with a chameleon because it can change colors but is more closely related to iguanas

Basilisk, aka Jesus Christ Lizard, named for its ability to run on water

When you walk out of the park you can walk straight onto the beach. My son enjoyed eating sand here.

We went to a tiny local restaurant where squirrel monkeys made an appearance.

Boat rides in the area are another common activity. We really enjoyed this excursion, as we were taken to Damas Island where we were bombarded by capuchin monkeys, some that were bold enough to jump on our heads. My one year old found this to be hysterical. There was an opportunity to see plenty more animals too.