Real trip, actually taken · 10 days
10-Day Costa Rica Itinerary with Kids: San José, Arenal and Lake Arenal
Hot springs, a treehouse night, hanging bridges and slow lake days under Arenal Volcano.
- Going to
- Costa Rica
- Length
- 10 days
- Travelers
- Families
- Trip total
- $7,440–$10,050
A real family took this trip. We filled in the open days around Arenal and moved the airport shuttle earlier.
Their rating
Rated by the traveler who took this trip.
$7,440–$10,050
The total covers flights from Detroit, Michigan, lodging, getting around and tickets and tours for the whole party, plus food, gas and parking estimated in the breakdown below.
Things to do
- Museo de los Niños (Day 2)
- Walk Avenida Central to Plaza de la Cultura (Day 2)
- La Paz Waterfall Gardens (Day 3)
- Soak in the Bio Thermales hot springs (Day 3)
- Bio Thermales Hot Springs (Day 4)
- La Fortuna Waterfall (Day 4)
- Arenal Volcano National Park trails (Day 5)
- Ecoglide Arenal Park zipline (Day 5)
- Night walk for frogs and snakes (Day 5)
- Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park (Day 6)
- Groceries in Nuevo Arenal (Day 6)
- Lake Arenal (Day 7)
- Río Celeste Waterfall trail (Day 8)
- Lake Arenal boat trip (Day 9)
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Why this plan works
An early flight means an early landing, so the first day stays at a hotel ten minutes from the airport — no transfer, no plans, just the pool.
- 5:00 AM
Morning flight to San José (SJO)
5:00 AM
A morning arrival turns day one into a real pool day instead of a lost travel day.
Book ahead · Fares typically open ~11 months out and are usually cheapest 2–4 months ahead
This family flew out of Detroit at 5:00 am and landed around 10:40.
- 11:45 AM
Transfer to Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belén
11:45 AM
Close enough that immigration time is the only real wait.
About 15 minutes from SJO.
- 12:30 PM
Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belén (2 nights)
12:30 PM
Two nights here means you only unpack once before the rainforest.
Book ahead · Rooms usually open ~12 months out; book 2–3 months ahead for choice
Hacienda-style hotel on a former coffee estate with big pools and gardens.
- 1:00 PM
Pool afternoon
1:00 PM
Everyone was up around 2:30 am.
Lunch poolside, then let everyone nap or swim.
- 6:30 PM
Dinner at the hotel
6:30 PM
An early night before the city day.
Early dinner on the grounds.
Bookings & costs
$7,440–$10,050
0 of 17 bookable items booked
Food not included: about $1,240, listed below
Locked in
$0
paid or reserved
Still to book
$8,720
est. $7,420–$10,015 · 17 items
Gas & parking
$30
est. $20–$35
Know before you go
Practical notes for this trip — the things worth sorting before you leave.
Roads
The drives from La Paz Waterfall Gardens to Bio Thermales and around Lake Arenal are slow and curvy — plan on more time than the map says and keep motion-sickness remedies within reach.
Getting around
The last stretch into Bio Thermales is unpaved. This family used Frank Tours, a driver-guide based in San Carlos; if you drive yourself, rent a car with clearance.
Check out and drive to La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Money
US dollars are widely accepted around La Fortuna and Arenal, but carry colones for sodas, parking and small vendors.
Weather
Early April is the end of the dry season around Arenal, but afternoon clouds still build — do volcano views and the Arenal Volcano National Park trails in the morning.
Packing
Bring water shoes for La Fortuna Waterfall and the Río Celeste trail, and a light rain jacket for every day.
Airport
From Nuevo Arenal, SJO is roughly three and a half hours; confirm your shuttle the night before and leave enough time for the international check-in buffer.
Time-sensitivePrivate shuttle from Nuevo Arenal to SJO
Wildlife
La Paz Waterfall Gardens is the easy bet for sloths and toucans, and a guided night walk around La Fortuna finds far more frogs than wandering on your own.
Hot springs
Bio Thermales and Arenal Manoa both have their own hot springs, so there's no need to pay separately for a hot-springs park.
Want this trip on your dates?
Make this yours — free, no account, no card.
Questions about this plan
- Why stay near the airport the first two nights instead of downtown San José?
- The Hacienda Belén hotel is about 15 minutes from SJO, so a morning arrival becomes a pool day, and the downtown museum loop is an easy taxi ride on day 2.
- Is one night at the Bio Thermales treehouse enough?
- For this route, yes: you arrive mid-afternoon, have the hot springs in the evening and the next morning, and leave at noon for La Fortuna, which is only about 45 minutes away.
- What is there to do around Nuevo Arenal for a few days?
- The plan fills two days from the lake house: a paddleboard or kayak morning on Lake Arenal, and a Río Celeste day trip to Tenorio Volcano National Park, about two hours away.
- Why a Lake Arenal boat trip instead of a Pacific catamaran?
- This family chose the lake: it's minutes from Nuevo Arenal and keeps the day before the early airport run short. A Guanacaste catamaran is listed as Option B, but it means around 2.5 hours of driving each way.
- How early should we leave Nuevo Arenal for a midday flight from SJO?
- This family left at 7:30 am for a 12:24 pm flight. The plan moves it to 6:30 am, because the drive is about three and a half hours.
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