Costa Rica on my mind ...
 

If you're not driving then you will either need to do some really long public bus rides to get everywhere you want to or book a good tourist agency. I don't know of any (because I'm local and do it myself) but I'm sure there's good ones recommended elsewhere that have good plans and established routes with buses. Note that they're likely to be extremely expensive.

Driving here isn't bad except in the capital (traffic). If I wanted to do all those things, then I would rent a car and get a good map and plan it out.

Some ideas:

Volcano - Volcan Poas. Do this first or at the end, it's near the airport (like an hour)
Cloud Forest - Parque Nacional Braulio Carillo - Near the capital
Beaches - White Sand then Santa Teresa - Black Sand and Caribbean Vibes then Puerto Viejo
Turtles - Not sure, likely on the Caribbean side.

If you want to cover entire Costa Rica and not drive, I suggest hiring a vehicle with a driver. Or like what @Redwood839 said, you'll have to take loooong public commutes. Route-wise, you may want to cover all the provinces (total of 7) and start from north . There's something to see in each province, so your visit won't be wasted. Well, that's only if you want to cover everything. But if you want a more laid back trip, here's a rough itinerary I could suggest:

1. La Fortuna Hot Springs
2. Arenal Volcano
3. Boat ride in Monteverde
4. Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
5. Explore Beaches in Tamarindo
6. Osa Peninsula

I'm sure you would enjoy all the activities with your kids. But also remember to orient them about being eco-friendly while you're touring around Costa Rica (it is very important). I'm sure there will be orientations for this during the trip but for basics, you can refer to this article: https://www.costaricarealestates.com...ly-tips.5.html

Enjoy your trip!

I would never use the provinces as a basis for planning my trip to Costa Rica because the boundaries are so artificial. The provinces exist only to provide legislative apportionment. There aren't even provincial governments. Checking off Costa Rican provinces is not like checking off U.S. states you've visited.

The only province that welcomes you with a sign is Guanacaste. Otherwise, you barely know where one ends and the next one begins. You pass through three provinces just driving from SJO airport to San Jose itself. Alajuela and Heredia provinces extend from the San Jose suburbs to the Nicaraguan border. Puntarenas province strings along most of the Pacific coast and includes both Monteverde and the Osa peninsula.

In my mind I was just thinking of having a navigator, pinning one province to the next, and then going on a roadtrip to have that "full" experience. But yes, with your explanation I totally agree it could be really confusing. Thanks!

There's a point just outside of Dominical on the south Pacific coast where the beach is in Puntarenas province, but you cross the road that fronts the beach and you're in San Jose province. Like I say, totally arbitrary. :)

Hi anaggie,

Did you take your trip yet? What did you decide were the must-do's?

What's the best way to get from SJO to the Hotel Punta Islita in Guanacaste? Other than by rental car.

Haven't used them, but we have booked them (ILT, linked below) to get from SJO to Ojochal. They've been very responsive to emails, gave great trip advisor reviews, and were pretty affordable ($325usd for 9pax, lots of luggage, in a Mercedes Sprinter for 4.5 hours including stops for food, photos, beer).

https://www.iltcostarica.com/