Costa Rica is a country in Central America that’s got two spectacular bodies of water on either side of it: in the east it’s The Caribbean Sea and in the west it’s The Pacific Ocean. Check out all the fun things Costa Rica has to offer for kids!
Happening Habitats
Costa Rica is a treasure trove of animal life, volcanoes and rain forests. Travel through this Central American country and you’ll most likely spot a few of these critters along the way: turtles, frogs, boa constrictors, toucans, macaws, monkeys and tons of creepy, crawly insects.
Zany Zones
One of the greatest things about Costa Rica are the many zones that are packed into one little country, each with its own unique features and fun things to do:
- Central Valley: San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, is in the Central Valley, which is surrounded by volcanic mountain ranges. San Jose is pretty chaotic, but you’ll love the reptile and butterfly gardens, wildlife park and cool museums.
- Caribbean Zone: Warm, rainy-and-sunny, with thick plant life and a variety of different microclimates, the Caribbean part of Costa Rica has white sand beaches as well as misty coastlines, extra-large tropical plants and waterfalls cascading from the hillsides. You’ll get a kick out of the quick changes in weather and environment!
- Northern Zone: The Arenal Volcano is the most active volcano in Costa Rica, and it oozes lava and spits out ash and rocks from time to time! You can even hear the volcano rumbling at night!
- Monteverde: Monteverde is famous for its cloud forests, which are shiny green forests cram-jammed with primeval plants and trees, where flecks of rain blanket the hillsides in a fine mist and clouds race across the sky at high speed. It takes a bit of doing to get to Monteverde (bumpy and twisty roads), but it's well worth the effort!
- Pacific Coast: On the Pacific Ocean side, Costa Rica offers mangrove forests to explore, really wet, tropical rain forests, warm water beaches and fab places to see spectacular wildlife, like the endangered scarlet macaws, two-toed and three-toed sloths, toucans, ocelots and tapirs, plus marine mammals, dolphins and humpback whales!
Awesome Activities
Besides all the animals, plant life and the different zones you can travel to in Costa Rica, the country definitely knows how to please tourists by offering a wide range of cool outdoor activities that range from tame to totally exciting!
- Twilight Night Walk: Take a walk through the forest after dark to explore the mysteries of the jungle. You’ll get to see tons of animal species getting ready for nightfall and the activities of nocturnal species (animals that are active at night and sleep during the day), including bats!
- Meet Local Kids: A really fun thing to do in Costa Rica is to visit one of the country’s schools while it’s in session and hang out with kids your own age! Find out how they live – and how life is pretty much the same anywhere you travel!
- Volcano Hike: Many of the volcanoes in Costa Rica include hiking trails so you can actually see them up close and personal! Just make sure to check the eruption and lava flow updates before you go – you’ll want to avoid running into this hot stuff!
- Whitewater Rafting: If you’re up for some real adventure, check out one of Costa Rica’s many whitewater rafting tours. With tons of winding rapids in the country, you’ll be able to raft through jungles and rainforests – and have some bumpy fun along the way!
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