Wildlife, beaches, rainforest and adventure after adventure, Costa Rica is the ideal destination for a fun-packed family holiday. This itinerary has been carefully designed with children (and adults!) in mind and offers a host of exciting destinations and experiences from jungle walks and rafting to wildlife observation and canopy tours. The trip takes in several of Costa Rica’s key highlights including Arenal Volcano and Tortuguero and finishes on the tropical beaches of the Nicoya Peninsula – perfect for some well-deserved R&R (or not!) at the end of the trip.
Itinerary Highlights
What’s included
flexibility
This is an example itinerary. It is fully flexible; you can add or detract days and include hotels at your chosen budget. It departs daily.
14
Nights
Price Guide
$POA
Our quotes are bespoke for your customised trip. The prices displayed are indicative only, read more
Fly to San Jose
San Jose Highlands – Welcome to costa rica!
A day to relax and recover in the lush grounds of your hotel just outside the capital San Jose. Explore the garden trails and drink in the tropical flowers and birdlife. If you are feeling active, you can hike, bike or raft or you may prefer to visit the bubbling crater lake of Poas Volcano or the picturesque La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Here, in this rainforest reserve, you can tour a series of impressive waterfalls as well as visit the park’s hummingbird gallery, serpentarium and butterfly garden.
Explore Costa Rica’s “Amazon” – Tortuguero!
Today, you travel by road and boat into the heart of Tortuguero National Park, a lush expanse of mangrove-lined channels and tropical rainforest perched along the dark sands of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. Often referred to as the “Amazon of Costa Rica,” this remote, roadless wilderness is a haven for nature lovers, home to around 60 species of mammals—including howler monkeys, sloths and even puma —and more than 375 species of birds. Based at a wildlife lodge nestled on the water’s edge, you will enjoy daily walks and boat trips to experience the region’s extraordinary biodiversity. Time your visit between July and October, and you can even witness one of nature’s great spectacles: the hatching of green, leatherback, and hawksbill sea turtles on the black volcanic beaches.
Arenal Volcano – Eco thrills & Spills!
Your journey takes you on to Costa Rica’s adventure-capital, the stunning Arenal Volcano and 7000 hectare national park, home to around 450 species of birds and mammals including deer, monkeys and coati. Here, you can hike, bike, raft, paddle and throw yourself into all manner of eco-thrills! Arenal’s “Hanging Bridges” are unmissable,a 3km walkway that takes you high into the forest canopy. Close by, you can take a dip in the dreamy La Fortuna Waterfall or walk on the flanks of the volcano itself. Further afield, you can visit the flooded forests and wetlands of the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, home to an extraordinary array of wildlife including jaguars, tapirs, ocelots and peccary or enjoy a float trip along the Peña Blancas River. Or, if this all seems too much, you can laze in hotsrprings, bird (or sloth)-watch direct from your lodge or tour the surrounding coffee and cacao fincas.
The Nicoya peninsula
Time to wind down on the beach! A short distance away, the Nicoya Peninsula offers miles of sunkissed sand, tropical rainforest and a host of resorts to choose from. For bars, restaurants and activities, head to the bustling town of Tamarindo while for something more secluded, look no further than Malpais, Santa Teresa or the Papagayo Peninsula. It was surfing that put Costa Rica on the map in the 70’s and why not take on one of the famous breaks (or look for calmer water)? Other options range from boat trips, canopy adventures and riding to snorkelling, fishing or simply luxuriating on the beach. Inland, there are waterfalls to explore, yoga retreats and wildife reserves – enough to keep the whole family entertained for days on end.
Fly home
A note on price
The prices outlined above are a rough guide to give you an idea of costs and enable you to budget for your trip.
Guide prices are generally for private arrangements based on twin share, in well located, good quality accommodation (excluding international flights).
Please note costs are indicative and may vary due to a number of factors such as; travel date, hotel choice, room category, number of people travelling and prevailing exchange rates.
Price Guide $POA
When to travel
Costa Rica enjoys a tropical climate year round which can be divided into a distinct dry and rainy season. The dry “summer” period runs from December to April and is the most popular time to travel. The wet season then corresponds from May to December and coincides with tempestuous downpours. Average temperatures range between 26°-28° throughout the year although it is obviously cooler in the highlands along the spine of the mountains.
Add on’s
Costa Rica is among the most family-friendly countries in Central America – wherever you explore, there are river-trips, canopy adventures, rafting, riding and zip-lining to enjoy. On the south-west tip of Costa Rica, the Osa Peninsula offers a fun-filled rainforest experience with wonderful jungle lodges ranging from the lxuruious to tented camps such as La Leona Eco-lodge.
Not to be outdone, the Monteverde Cloudforest is a mecca for bird-watchers and home to the iconic Resplendent quetzal. Or, for a heady slice of culture and history, why not take a flight to Cancun and visit the mesmerising Mayan sites of Coba, Chichen Itza and Tulum? This would then lead you nicely on to the colonial splendours of Merida and then Mexico City itself, one of Latin America’s great artistic hubs.
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