Puerto Viejo, like much of Costa Rica, is a child and family friendly place to visit. In addition to building sand castles and body surfing in the waves at the numerous beaches in the area, you and your family can do things like visit the Jaguar Rescue Center, Cahuita National Park, Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Rescue, and Ara Manzanillo.
You can also take an art class at Casa De Arte Caribe, go kayaking and ziplining, shop at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, or even test out your surfing skills. Plus there are plenty of tours available in the area including chocolate tours and indigenous culture tours.
Go to the Beach
Best Ages: All
Time Commitment: Half day
This is an obvious one since the beaches are probably the main draw of Puerto Viejo for your family. But they can’t be missed either! Puerto Viejo has a beach for everyone. It has busy surfing beaches like Playa Cocles, beaches in town for a quick cool off like Chino Beach, beaches with tidal pools like Playa de Corales, and quiet snorkeling beaches like Punta Uva.
Whatever your family’s beach preferences are, Puerto Viejo has something to offer! For detailed descriptions of 9 of the best beaches for families in Puerto Viejo, check out The Best Puerto Viejo Beaches for Families and Kids.
Playa Chiquita
Jaguar Rescue Center
Best Ages: 2+
Time Commitment: 90min tour
Unlike the name states, you will not see jaguars at the Jaguar Rescue Center. But you do see a lot of animals that are indigenous to the area. Animals like spider monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, white footed boobies, and even a jungle cat whose species I forget.
All the animals you see are those that for some reason will never be able to be released into the wild again. They do have jaguars on site, but they are not available for public viewing due to the fact that one day they will be rereleased.
You’ll learn both about how the rescue center was founded and how it operates today. They also share the individual stories of each animal as well as some fun facts about each species. Tour guides survive on tips, so come prepared!
We rode our bikes there, and the signage for the turn off was obvious from the main road. The tour is 90 minutes long, and if you’re looking for a way to cool off afterward, you can head over to Playa De Corales and check out the tidal pools.
Casa De Arte Caribe
Best Ages: 4+
Time Commitment: 90min
If your kids are looking to connect with other kids in Puerto Viejo, they might enjoy Casa De Arte Caribe. They provide weekly art classes for kids aged 4 and up. It could also be a good option if you’re experiencing some rainy weather during your visit!
For more information, check out their Facebook page.
Farmer’s Market
Best Ages: All
Time Commitment: 60min
The Saturday farmer’s market in town is the perfect place to pick up some tropical fruits and local veggies to sample. There are also a lot of locally made jewelry, indigenous goods, and local crafts available to buy. Don’t forget about chocolate from locally grown cacao and other baked goods!
The Farmer’s Market happens every Saturday from 6am until noon!
Pijiballe - Local produce found at the Farmer's Market
Kayaking
Best Ages: 5+
Time Commitment: Half day
A lot of tour companies offer a visit to Punta Uva (the best snorkeling beach in the area) with ocean kayaks. The reef there provides enough protection from big ocean waves and makes for easier, smoother kayaking for kids and adults alike. Not to mention all the reef fish you’ll be able to spot! There’s also a river in Punta Uva that is perfect for spotting rainforest wildlife from the water.
Chocolate Tour
Best Ages: 3+
Time Commitment: Half day
Cacao is one of the biggest crops grown in Costa Rica. Chocolate tours help you learn the process of how the cacao bean goes from plant to chocolate bar. And you may even get a few tastes along the way. Which may be your kids' favorite activity in Puerto Viejo!
There are a number of tours available in Puerto Viejo. Caribeans Chocolate, a cafe in town, offers its own tours. Some tour companies pair the chocolate tour with cultural tours, waterfall visits, or ziplining experiences.
Cahuita National Park
Best Ages: All!
Time Commitment: Full day
Cahuita National Park boasts a 5 mile rainforest hiking trail and beautiful snorkeling beaches. It is about 17km outside of Puerto Viejo. So you’ll either need to drive yourself, take a taxi, or take a tour.
You can do Cahuita National Park on your own. Entrance is donation based, and parking is around $5USD for the day. But you can only snorkel with a local guide. And you would be amazed with how much more wildlife you’ll spot with a local guide hiking along with you.
A lot of tour companies offer Cahuita National Park as just part of a full day experience. It’s often paired with a chocolate tour, some ziplining, a waterfall visit, and/or an indigenous culture tour.
Ziplining
Best Ages: 4+
Time Commitment: Half day
This family activity in Puerto Viejo is for the adventurers in the group. See the jungle from the Howler Monkey’s point of view with a ziplining adventure! It’s generally available for ages 4+ and is a half day excursion. You have your choice of ziplining companies in the area and you can either book online or at one of the tour operators in town.
Most companies offer transportation from Puerto Viejo and provide a bilingual guide and some light snacks and water.
Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
Best Ages: 2+
Time Commitment: Half day
Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge provides a wildlife walk through the jungle and some beaches for sunbathing. You can visit on your own, but if we didn’t have our guide, we honestly would’ve seen around 5% of the wildlife that we saw with our guide!
I had seen Abel mentioned as a recommended guide, and he did not disappoint! He meets you in the town of Manzanillo, which is around 13km outside of Puerto Viejo, so you’ll either need to bike, taxi, or drive there. We cycled from Cocles and it was an easy, safe ride all the way there. He even found a friend to look after our bikes for us during our tour.
He arrived on time and was so very patient with our five year old daughter. He was able to engage and involve her in the wildlife spotting to keep her interested. And wildlife did we see! On my own, the only thing I would’ve spotted is the howler monkeys. With his help, we also saw things like vipers, sloths, toucans, and poison dart frogs. He also taught us about the local culture and history.
Abel Bustamente has such a passion for the area and what he does. He found joy in pointing out his wildlife finds to other hikers, tourists and locals alike. If you want to get in contact with him, his WhatsApp number is +506 8895 7394.
Surfing
Best Ages: 5+ (may depend on swimming ability)
Time Commitment: Half day
A major draw of Playa Cocles is the surfing that’s available. You have your options of board rental companies and surf lessons. It’s definitely possible as a beginner, but generally more suitable for intermediate surfers.
If you’re not as interested in standing up, but still want to ride the waves, surf shops in the area often also offer boogie boards for rent as well.
Ara Manzanillo
Best Ages: All!
Time Commitment: 60min
The main goal of Ara Manzanillo is to increase the population of Green Macaws in the wild. Green Macaws are a critically endangered species mainly due to deforestation. In 2020, there were only 500-1000 left in the wild.
Ara Manzanillo breeds Green Macaws and gently releases them into the wild in a way in which they will have the skills and knowledge to thrive on their own.
You and your kids can learn more about their mission and visit their release center every day from 3-4pm. Make sure you make a reservation ahead of time! At the time of writing this, the cost is $20 per adult, and children under 12 are free. But you can always find more information on their website.
The release center is located 10km outside of town, so if you don’t have a car and little legs can’t bike that far, you’ll need to find a taxi in town or book a tour through a company that provides transportation.
Cultural Tour/Indigenous community
Best Ages: 5+
Time Commitment: Half day
There are multiple indigenous communities and land in the areas around Puerto Viejo. A lot of tour companies offer visits to these communities. Some include a meeting with one of the community’s shamans. Many are paired with chocolate tours, waterfall visits, or ziplining.
We chose a tour that included a shaman visit. And after we learned about indigenous culture and spirituality, we participated in a cleansing ceremony with the shaman in a traditional canonical hut. It was definitely one of the more memorable parts of our trip!
It’s definitely a great learning opportunity for kids to learn about other cultures and beliefs. But it was a bit of a stretch for our five-year-old. So something to consider if you have littler kiddos.
You will never be short on activities with kids in Puerto Viejo! What are some of your favorite activities to do while traveling with kids?
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