Three weeks in Costa Rica with a two year old kid

DWQA QuestionsCategory: Itinerary QuestionsThree weeks in Costa Rica with a two year old kid
samuel asked 8 years ago

Hi!
 
Love your site by the way! J
Me, my wife and our two year old child are going all the way from Norway to Panama and Costa Rica in mid april to mid may. We are not 100% sure about what to expect regarding traveling with a small child in Costa Rica. We are going to bring a umbrella stroller and a baby carrying device like the ones from Ergobaby or Babybjorn. That worked great in Colombia last summer. Baby stuff we will bring and diapers have I read that are easy to get hold of. When we travel we like to have something to see and do all the time. If it is a totally deserted place we will get bored after a short while. Since we travel with a child Zip lines, rafting and exploring the party scene is out of scope the same with extensive jungle trekking. So we are looking for something relaxing with some daytime exploring in the near by surroundings of the hotel. We will to the traveling by car with a rented driver. Hopefully the car ride will not be for to many hours. It is OK to stop a few places explore something on the road so the distance does not feel too time consuming.
We land in Panama City and will do some exploring in Panama. First a few days in Panama City and then a few days in Playa La Hermita or a bit further away from Panama City. Do you have any recommendations? San Blast islands looks so nice, but with a toddler I think it will not be so enjoyable.
I thought that it might be OK to fly from Panama City to Liberia and then find a nice place between Tamarindo and Samara. It seems like most of the nicest places are on that peninsula. Then visit La Fortuna, it seems like a must do in Costa Rica or can we give it a miss? Monteverde is a place people seems to enjoy and then have two last days in San Jose before flying home to Norway. Does this sound like a reasonable route? We want to relax so 5 places is a total maximum.
Do you have any scenic towns or places along the route for us to stretch our legs for a car break?
Any suggestions for reliable private car shuttle for us?
We are social people so we enjoy chatting with strangers, local and tourist J
Budget 100-150$ a night in hotel and whatever the cost are for private shuttle service, food and drinks.

Laurie replied 8 years ago

We are in a similar situation. Planning to bring our 2 and 4 years old to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica to explore for three weeks in april. Looking for kid-friendly places and activities.

1 Answers
Jenn and Matt Staff answered 8 years ago

Hi Samuel, 
You are right on to travel with the Ergo carrier, we love ours and use it all the time here. Your route in Costa Rica looks good and those are all good choices for destinations. You’d probably have to land in San Jose from Panama and then take a local flight to Liberia. Or you could just shuttle from San Jose to La Fortuna or Monteverde and make a loop with your Guanacaste beach town(s) in the middle. If you still need help with private shuttles, we can line you up with someone good, just reply to this thread by email. Sorry if I missed some of your questions, lots to get through. Have a great trip!