14 Days | Make family memories among evergreen forests and towering volcanos
Get off the beaten track on this two-week family holiday in Costa Rica, exploring all the best highlights and hidden secrets. Starting in subtropical San Jose, you'll explore Tortuguero National Park – home to 13 of Costa Rica’s 16 endangered mammals and the nesting ground of the green turtle. Spend some time in biodiverse Sarapiqui and maybe take on a few fun, active adventures with the kids. Stay in La Fortuna under the mighty gaze of Arenal Volcano and soak in your onsite hot springs before heading to the cloud forest in Monteverde. Learn how to cook authentic local Costa Rican food in Dominical with three generations of locals and then take a day trip to the popular Manuel Antonio National Park. After a huge adventure full of natural wonders and wildlife, meet the Indigenous community along the Terraba River and learn about their matriarchal society before ending it all back in San Jose.
Trip overview
- Start
- San Jose, Costa Rica
- Finish
- San Jose, Costa Rica
- Theme
- Family
- Destinations
- Costa Rica
- Physical rating
- Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
- Style
- Original
- Ages
- Min 5
- Group size
- Min 2 - Max 16
- Trip code
- QCFB
- Spend time with the Terraba community – an Indigenous group who have survived off the land for more than 500 years – and enjoy a shared lunch of local eats. The kids will love the chocolate-making lesson here!
- Walk through the diverse forest and jungle and take an incredible canopy walk along suspended bridges in Cloud Forest – lookout for sloths and various birdlife as you go.
- Experience life as the locals do by spending time on a family farm and learning how to cook authentic local Costa Rican food.
- Enjoy some family downtime in the seaside town of Dominical at your eco-hotel, surrounded by stunning beaches and a tropical jungle.
- Look out for wildlife in the evergreen rainforest of Sarapiqui – a town known for its rich biodiversity – and enjoy some free time to maybe learn about the nocturnal creatures that dwell here.
- By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, Eden Reforestation Projects. Donations help them provide local employment opportunities and tackle climate change one tree at a time as they restore forests across 10 different countries.
- Make sure you pack some sturdy and comfortable shoes as you’ll be walking around cities and towns and through forests and jungles on this trip.
- There are a few days of long travel on this trip as you’ll be covering a lot of Costa Rican ground. These drives are along smooth roads in new and comfortable vehicles, and are great for games, chats and scenery spotting. You’ll also make interesting stops along the way to break up the longer drives.
- Is it hot in here? You’re in tropical Central America so it can get very humid, although nighttime and locations at higher elevations can get chilly. Carry plenty of water, dress in light clothing and bring a waterproof jacket. We’ll give you every opportunity to cool off with a swim.
- With so much to see and do, Costa Rica can sometimes be expensive. Expect to pay more than you would in other Central American countries for a lot of things.
Itinerary
View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2024 - 31 December 2024
Inclusions
13 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners
Private vehicle, Boat, Public Transportation
Hotels (13 nights)
- Tortuguero - Boat ride to Tortuguero
- Tortuguero - National Park Entrance
- Tortuguero - Boat tour of the canals
- Sarapiqui - leader led rainforest night walk
- La Fortuna - Los Laureles Hot Springs
- Monteverde - Sky Walk (Entrance)
- Monteverde – Hands on breakfast activity & Farm tour
- Manuel Antonio - Homecooked lunch
- Terraba community - Indigenous Community Visit & Mask Carving Lesson
- Terraba community- Chocolate making
- Manuel Antonio National Park - Tour with a Naturalist Guide
- Manuel Antonio National Park - (Entrance fee)
- Tortuguero - Turtle Watching Night Tour - USD47
- Tortuguero - Sunrise canoe trip around canals - USD47
- Sarapiqui - River float tour - USD70
- La Fortuna - La Fortuna Waterfall (Entrance only) - USD21
- La Fortuna - Arenal 1968 Volcano View and Lava Trails (Entrance fee) - USD26
- Monteverde - Sky Tram & Sky Trek - USD84
- Monteverde - Coffee & Chocolate tour - USD47
- Dominical – Marino Ballena National Park hike - USD78
- Dominical – Mangrove Boat tour - USD85
Dates and availability
Important notes
1. Age restrictions apply to this trip: minimum age 5 years old. Please note that anyone aged under 18 must be accompanied by (and share accommodation with) a parent or legal guardian.
2. A discount of 10% applies on this trip to children 17 or younger at the time of travel.
3. Full passport details are required at the time of booking in order to purchase entrance tickets to Manuel Antonio National Park. Delays to provide this information may result in changes to your itinerary, and we will not be able to guarantee entry. Details provided must be accurate as per your passport bio page.
4. First day - there will be a group meeting at 6pm on Day 1
Last day - no activities are planned for your last day, so you can depart at any time.
5. A single supplement is available on this trip
6. Costa Rica is a tropical country, so rain can be excepted at any time. The rainy season in Costa Rica runs from May – November. While July and some of August does experience dry spells, families need to be prepared for the rain. Rain does usually come in the afternoons, and it can pour. So you will need to be prepared with wet weather gear. Hurricane season in this region is from June to November, when landslides, mudslides, flooding and disruptions to essential services can occur. Intrepid monitors any situations that arise and may need to change itineraries or activities in response to these natural weather occurrences.
7. Many hotels outside of San Jose have been built further out from the centre of town so travellers can enjoy the countryside, rainforests and views, where people can wake up to birds, not cars. Many of the hotels we use are in such locations.
8. Costa Rican food is known for being fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables. Rice and black beans are a staple of most traditional Costa Rican meals. Meals in Costa Rican are more expensive than its neighbouring countries.
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