13 – 23 Feb 2027 · two adults and a ten-year-old
Volcanoes, hot springs and whales, one big adventure a day.
Before the days start
Costa Rica is a narrow country with a spine of volcanoes. Rincón de la Vieja and Arenal are both active-arc volcanoes, which is why there are hot rivers and steaming ground in the north and why the springs here are fed by the mountain, not heated in a tank.
The route is a line down the country, not a loop: fly into Liberia (LIR), fly out of San José (SJO), and drive about 600 km between. February is the dry season on the Guanacaste side and around La Fortuna. The Pacific south is not especially dry — Uvita sees roughly 60 to 150 mm over a week in February, so pack a rain layer for the last leg.
What is specific here is the humpback season. Whales come up from the Northern Hemisphere between December and April, and Ballena Marine National Park is where the Whale’s Tail sandbar shows at low tide. That, not the beaches, is the reason the plan ends in Uvita.
Costa Rica sells itself on adventure and nature, and both are here. The skill is choosing: with a ten-year-old, one big activity a day, and two long drives that carry nothing.
Nights 1–2
Active volcano, steaming ground at Las Pailas and rivers warm enough to bathe in. The easy start, 45 minutes from the airport.
Nights 3–5
The adventure base: canyoning, a balsa float, ziplines and a night in the springs. Arenal has not glowed since 2010.
Nights 6–7
Rainforest that runs down onto a beach, with sloths and capuchins on the path. Shut on Tuesdays.
Nights 8–10
The Whale’s Tail sandbar, humpbacks offshore and scarlet macaws in the almond trees.
The one decision that changes the shape
The first eight nights are identical. The last two nights are Uvita, and they carry the whales, the Whale’s Tail and the macaws. Pick the version you want to read; the day-by-day below is the 10-night plan, and plan B is the same days with the south shortened.
Rincón 2, Arenal 3, Manuel Antonio 2, Uvita 3. Whale’s Tail on the lowest daytime tides, a whale tour on the Monday, and a three-and-a-half-hour drive to SJO on the last day.
| Night | Date | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Sat 13, Sun 14 | Rincón de la Vieja |
| 3–5 | Mon 15, Tue 16, Wed 17 | La Fortuna |
| 6–7 | Thu 18, Fri 19 | Manuel Antonio |
| 8–10 | Sat 20, Sun 21, Mon 22 | Uvita |
Lodging at 2026 from-rates: about $2,336 before tax.
Rincón 2, Arenal 3, Manuel Antonio 3, flying home from SJO on Sunday. This costs you Uvita: no Whale’s Tail, no whale tour, no macaws. What you gain is two fewer days and one drive less. Manuel Antonio to SJO is shorter than Uvita to SJO, but the figure is not sourced.
| Night | Date | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Sat 13, Sun 14 | Rincón de la Vieja |
| 3–5 | Mon 15, Tue 16, Wed 17 | La Fortuna |
| 6–8 | Thu 18, Fri 19, Sat 20 | Manuel Antonio |
Spare Manuel Antonio day (Sat 20): Damas Island mangrove kayak, or the Quepos canopy. Lodging at 2026 from-rates: about $1,947 before tax.
What to book, and what he can do
The limits are age, height and harness weight, not fitness. Two of them sit exactly on his numbers, so measure and weigh him before anything is booked. Prices are 2026 and per person.
| Activity | Price | Limit | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure Trek canyoning | $117 incl. tax | 5+, four rappels | La Fortuna |
| Balsa float II–III | $65–85 | 6+ / 8+ / 10+ by operator | La Fortuna, La Virgen |
| Sky Trek | ~$60–65 child | 5+, child gear 10–40 kg | La Fortuna |
| Guachipelin canyoning | $50 | 10+ | Rincón |
| Rio Negro tubing | GAP | 140 cm, 8+ | Rincón |
| Guachipelin canopy | $65 / $45 | 4–12 | Rincón |
| Humpback tour | $80–85 / $45 | child 4–10 | Uvita |
| Damas mangrove kayak | ~$90 + tax | GAP | Quepos |
| Papa’s Place night walk | from ~$40 | child 5–11 | Manuel Antonio |
1) Guachipelin day. 2) Pure Trek canyoning. 3) Balsa float. 4) Sky Trek with the tram. 5) Uvita whales. 6) Night walk, or the mangrove kayak.
No incident was found for the shortlisted operators from 2023 to 2026. Boat operators were not searched and no independent certification was verified.
The soak plan
Two of the four hotels include springs, so you only need to pay for one, and that one is a night at Tabacón. Everything else is free with the room.
| Place | Child | Adult | Know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Negro (Guachipelin) | $30 (4–12) | — | Free for guests; 10 pools, 37–40 C |
| Titoku (Kioro) | $24 | — | Free for guests, ends 18:00; page says no availability |
| Tabacón | $55 (6–11) | $115 ($129 from 9 Jan) | Open to 22:00; the night soak |
| Baldi | $29 + 13% | ~$58 with meal | Kids’ area closes 18:00 |
| Ecotermales | $25 | ~$59 | Evening 17:00–22:00; a review says poor for kids |
Royal Corin (16+), Tabacón Shangri-La Gardens (18+), Baldi upper level, Paradise Premium, Costa Verde II and Cockpit Cabana, Oxygen Jungle Villas, El Castillo Ojochal, Gaia Manuel Antonio (13+).
LIR → Hacienda Guachipelin → Las Pailas → Rio Negro springs
The base is 34 km from the airport. The last stretch is unpaved and its length is not confirmed, so ask the hotel when you book. Sunset is about 17:45; do this in daylight.
A short loop through steaming ground and mud pots. The crater trail has been closed since 2011, so this is the walk, not a summit. The volcano is on OVSICORI level 3 and the CNE issued a yellow alert on 1 October 2026, so check status the week before.
Open Tuesday to Sunday only, so Sunday works and Monday does not.
Pick two. Canopy $65 / $45 (ages 4 to 12). Canyoning $50, minimum age 10, so he just qualifies. Rio Negro tubing needs 140 cm and age 8: he is on the line, so measure him. Horseback is from age 4 with a 240 lb limit, and a booking inside 48 hours is a full cancellation charge.
Ten pools at 37 to 40 C. Free for Guachipelin guests; otherwise $30 for a child (4 to 12). The guest-access claim is not on the hotel’s own page, so confirm when you book.
Rincón → La Fortuna → canyoning → Arenal NP → Tabacón at night
About 155 km. Leave after breakfast, arrive early afternoon. Canadian Family Day falls on this Monday, which affects flights, not Costa Rican roads.
Four rappels, minimum age 5, $117 including tax. Free cancellation within 24 hours through resellers. This is the one thing on the trip that gets a ten-year-old properly wet and scared in a good way.
Open daily 08:00 to 16:00. Tickets are bought at the booth, by card only, even though some blogs say online. Go early; the lava-flow trails are the point.
Balsa float, class II–III: Arenal Rafting Co (6+) $65 + IVA; Desafio (8+) $82 / $74; Rios Adventure La Virgen is exactly 10+ at $85. Sky Trek: about $93 adult / $60–65 child, min age 5, child gear covers 10 to 40 kg and he is near the top. Tickets are hard to get December to April.
Out for him: Pacuare (12+), Class III–IV sections, Selvatura Superman (55 kg).
Open to 22:00, so this is the one to do after dark. $115 adult / $55 child (6 to 11), or $184 / $90 with a meal. From 9 Jan 2027 the adult price is $129; the child price after 8 Jan is not stated, and whether tax is included is unresolved. Shangri-La Gardens is 18+. It is stars, not lava.
La Fortuna → Quepos → Manuel Antonio NP
About 215 to 245 km via Ruta 702 and 142, then 1, 23 and 27, 34 and 235. Going via Bajos del Toro is no faster. Leave early; sunset is about 17:45 and this is not a road for the dark.
Open Wednesday to Monday, 07:00 to 15:00, shut Tuesday (16 and 23 Feb). $16 adult / $5 child + 13% IVA, online timed tickets only. A guided walk is $65 / $45 under 10; ask whether a ten-year-old gets the child rate. Sloths, capuchins and raccoons are on the path.
Child tier 5 to 11, from about $40 through resellers. Optional; skip if the morning in the park wore him out.
Quepos → Uvita → Whale’s Tail → whale tour → SJO
Damas Island mangrove kayak at Quepos is about $90 + tax. Then 64 km, 1 h 10 to 1 h 25, to Uvita. Playa Uvita at sunset, with scarlet macaws in the almond trees.
Walkable around low tide only. Daytime low on Sun 21 is 08:33–08:54, so arrive about an hour before. Sources agree on the pattern and differ by about 20 minutes. $6 adult, under 11 free, not sold online; open 07:00 to 16:00.
| Date | Daytime low |
|---|---|
| Fri 19 | 06:49–07:10 |
| Sat 20 | 07:44–08:05 |
| Sun 21 | 08:33–08:54 |
| Mon 22 | 09:20–09:40 |
| Tue 23 | 10:04–10:24 |
NOAA TWC0341 and seatemperatu.re. 13–17 Feb have only afternoon or pre-dawn lows.
About $79.50 to $85 adult / $45 child (4 to 10), 3 to 4 hours, park fee included. “95% success” is marketing. Northern humpback season runs December to April, so February is in it. Boat operators were not safety-checked.
3.5 to 4 hours via Ruta 34 and 27. Do not use Ruta 2 on a flight day. Allow for the $29 exit tax if the fare does not include it, and leave a large margin; the flight time is not fixed yet.
The handful actually tapped in the field
| # | What | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open-jaw flights | Nonstop on Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet (LIR), Porter |
| 2 | Four hotels | Popular dates go 3–6 months out |
| 3 | Rental car | Open-jaw drop fee ~$50, waived by Adobe on 3+ days |
| 4 | Manuel Antonio ticket | Timed and online only |
| 5 | Sky Trek, whale tour | Fixed slots; Sky Trek is scarce Dec–Apr |
Lodging at 2026 from-rates is about $2,336 for 10 nights and $1,947 for 8, before tax. Flights, car and activities are on top. No February 2027 quote exists, so treat these as a floor.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Flights, YYZ–LIR return | C$522–848 pp typical |
| Flights, YYZ–SJO return | C$622–1,004 pp typical |
| Rental, 10 days | ~$880 (Alec) |
| Third-party liability | $15.95 / day at Vamos |
| Exit tax | $29 pp |
| Park fees, family | ~$37 + IVA at Manuel Antonio |
Ticks are saved in this browser.
Canadians need no visa for up to 180 days and an onward ticket may be asked for. The e-health form was repealed on 1 April 2022 and travel insurance is no longer required (travel.gc.ca, 31 Aug 2026). GAP: migracion.go.cr not read.
Not yet known. February 2027 rates for every property; operator prices and cancellation terms; Guachipelin zip and canyon ages; Poás and Rincón trail status; the unpaved Guachipelin access length; the open-jaw fare; the Tabacón child price after 8 Jan 2027; the Manuel Antonio to SJO drive time for plan B.
Left out deliberately. Monteverde (3–3.5 h from La Fortuna, windy and misty in February), Corcovado (guide and permits, needs a Drake Bay night), Isla del Cano, Tortuguero, Chirripó, quetzals (breeding starts mid-February).
