Costa Rica with 2 kids without renting a car

hi, I have two kids aged 12 and 7, and we’d love to visit Costa Rica, especially to explore the national parks and see the wildlife. I was thinking of going during the spring break in 2025. All-inclusive trips are *super* expensive, so I was wondering if it’s doable to plan this independently, even though I don’t drive. Has anyone had experience with this kind of trip? Does it seem realistic to get around using local transport? And what about safety? I’ve traveled alone with my kids before, but only in European countries close to France. Thanks so much for your insights! !

Hi there and welcome to this forum.

I spent a month in Costa Rica in 2022. I looked into avoiding renting a vehicle, but public transportation seemed complicated. And most importantly, it only takes you from city to city, so you have to take taxis (sometimes expensive) to get to the different parks. For safety, Costa Rica is very safe—even ideal with kids, since the parks are particularly well-marked.

So, I’d say Costa Rica without a car is tricky. But I didn’t test it myself.

Hello,

It should be possible to visit several parks using public transportation, but in my opinion, it’s not the easiest solution. Personally (I was with my wife and child), I rented a car. Let’s take a random park with a beautiful beach: Manuel Antonio There are buses every 3 hours, and it takes 3h40 by bus from San Jose to Quepos, the closest town. Stay there to get to the park early in the morning. From Quepos to the park entrance, it’s about 1.7 km—you can walk, take a taxi, or maybe a bus (check locally for info). In my opinion, you should look at the list of national parks below and see which ones are easiest to visit with public transportation. Personally, I’d go for those that require part of the trip by boat, like Tortuguero, or ones that require going through an agency, like Corcovado (the wildest), while staying in Golfito or Puerto Jiménez. For beaches on the Atlantic side, I recommend Cahuita. To get to any town by bus, use the Rome2rio website: https://www.rome2rio.com/fr/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiArva5BhBiEiwA-oTnXdPuMRu0c4vUSgd_69uYwzEInwou4hSvIDatXr0Z55o4czYQbbHGahoCkEsQAvD_BwE Good luck!

https://voyagesautenteo.com/costa-rica/conseils/les-parcs-nationaux/

For safety, I don’t think there’s an issue aside from theft—like anywhere in Latin America if you don’t keep an eye on your belongings.

Hello,

I’ll pick a park at random with a nice beach: Manuel Antonio There are buses every 3 hours, and it takes 3h40 by bus from San Jose to Quepos, the closest town. Stay there to get to the park early in the morning. From Quepos to the park entrance, it’s about 1.7 km—you can walk, take a taxi, or maybe a bus (ask around when you’re there).

In this case, yes, there’s a bus service to get there. I took it to avoid the very expensive parking.

Personally, I’d go for places that require some boat transport, like Tortuguero, or ones where you need to go through an agency, like Corcovado Park (the wildest), staying in Golfito or Puerto Jiménez.

For beaches on the Atlantic side, I recommend Cahuita.

You’ll have to make choices because covering the Tortuguero / Corcovado / Cahuita triangle in 15 days—I wouldn’t recommend it!

To get to any town by bus, use the Rome2rio website: https://www.rome2rio.com/fr/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiArva5BhBiEiwA-oTnXdPuMRu0c4vUSgd_69uYwzEInwou4hSvIDatXr0Z55o4czYQbbHGahoCkEsQAvD_BwE Good luck!

The traveler’s bible! 😉