Calmer water
Punta Uva first, then Playa Chiquita. Reef-sheltered coves, shallow and warm.
Costa Rica / Puerto Viejo / With kids
Puerto Viejo · Family trips
Puerto Viejowith kids
Calm reef-sheltered water, sloths and monkeys often seen, and a trip that runs on bikes and beaches rather than a kids’ club.
About 4+best from this agePunta Uvaor Chiquita to baseWildlifewithin easy reach
Is it for you
An outdoors trip, not a resort one
Barefoot, wildlife-and-beach, and you plan your own meals.
A good fit
- A barefoot, wildlife-and-beach week
- Calm swimming at Punta Uva
- Sloths and monkeys most days
- Cacao farms you can taste your way around
- Cycling as a family activity
Less good
- All-inclusive ease
- A kids’ club: there is none
- Mild weather: the heat and rain are constant
- Meals planned for you
Where to base
Near the calm water, with a bike
The decision that shapes the trip. Get close to a reef-sheltered beach, and accept that meals will mean a short ride.
Nearest to restaurants
Town or Playa Negra, but the town beach is not the swimming one.
Get a trailer
Some rental shops offer child seats and bike trailers. A car helps more here than it would solo.
Best age
Works well from about four. Younger is fine, with more logistics.
Our take. Book somewhere with a pool or a real garden. The middle of the day is too hot for the beach, and a shaded place to run around buys you the afternoon.
Beaches
Which sand, which day
They are minutes apart and very different in the water. For young children, only two really work.
- Swim with kids
Punta Uva
Reef-protected, shallow and usually flat, with coral to snorkel straight off the sand. The one to build beach days around.
- Swim with kids
Playa Chiquita
A string of small sheltered coves, also calm. No facilities, so bring everything.
- Snorkel on calm days
Manzanillo
Good snorkelling off the beach on a calm, clear day.
- Walk, do not swim
Playa Cocles
A surf beach with strong currents. Lifeguard cover has been arranged by the tourism board, but it is not a guarantee.
Plan the mornings, write off the midday heat, and let the late afternoon be whatever the kids have energy for. Water safety on this coast, and every beach compared, is in the beaches guide.
Calm days
Beaches that work with kids
Shallow, warm and mostly flat. Always watch children in the water.
Wildlife days
Three that rarely disappoint
Wildlife sightings are common here. These are the ones we would build a week around.
Half dayThe Cahuita park trail
A very good wildlife hour with children. Walk a short out-and-back from the Kelly Creek gate; a guide finds the sloths and howler monkeys that kids would walk straight past. Flat, shaded, easy to cut short.
Half dayKelly Creek gate
Jaguar Rescue Center
A working rescue and rehabilitation centre just south of town, not a zoo. Guided tours have run in the mornings, when the animals are more active. Check the current age guidance and tour times, and book ahead. More in our wildlife guide.
Playa CoclesMornings
Guided tourSloth Sanctuary
A sloth rescue and rehabilitation centre about 15 minutes beyond Cahuita, toward Limón. Visits are guided and run from one hour; children 12 and under must be with an adult, and the sloths are never touched. Check current times on the sanctuary’s own site.
Near CahuitaFrom 1 hour
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, Dear Costa Rica may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Getting around
Bikes with an extra seat
The same flat coast road that makes cycling easy for adults makes it work with children, once you have the right setup.
- Child seats and towable trailers from some rental shops; ask when you book.
- The local Manzanillo bus is easy with kids for beach days, and inexpensive per ride.
- A tuk-tuk carries tired legs and the bikes home.
- If you hire a car, sort car seats in advance rather than at the counter, and drive the quieter stretches beyond Punta Uva in daylight only.
Where to sleep
With kids, the area decides the trip: Punta Uva and Playa Chiquita have the calmest water, and a place with a pool or garden helps in the heat of midday. Compare the areas and our three picks.
Keep exploring
Where to next?
OverviewThe Puerto Viejo guideTown, beaches and the lay of the land →BeachThe Punta Uva guideThe calm cove →StayWhere to stayAreas and three hotels →PlanThree days in Puerto ViejoA plan built around slack →SwimEvery beach comparedPick by what you want from the day →KnowIs Puerto Viejo safe?Theft, currents, health →
Photographs are credited on Photography credits. Check opening hours, age limits and tour times with each centre before you go.