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Costa Rica Upgraded Family Adventure
9 days, San José to San José
Itinerary Notes
Prices are based on double occupancy; all other room configurations are on request and cannot be guaranteed. We will accommodate triples/quads whenever possible. Please call for further details.
Family Adventures are designed for groups traveling with children between the ages of 7 and 17. Your group must include a child in order to book, and anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Itinerary
Day 1San José
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.
Costa Rica has one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and is a top destination for nature lovers. As such, there is a lot of rain, regardless of the season, allowing for its lush green rain forests and cloud forest, in which flora and fauna thrive. Please come prepared for the possibility of wet weather and variations in temperature.
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you’re back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your CEO will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.
Arrival Transfer
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Day 2San José/Monteverde
Travel in the morning to Monteverde, with a stop at a working farm and coffee cooperative for a farm-to-table lunch, followed by a property tour. Take an afternoon cooking class, then attend a coffee-making demonstration before some free time to settle in to our hotel. In the evening, take a walk in the forest with an expert naturalist guide to look for nocturnal wildlife.
The town of Monteverde is fairly small with shopping and some great restaurants, but most of the upgraded accommodations in this area are located outside of the main town centre - to take better advantage of the natural beauty and stunning landscapes of the area. Taxis are readily available to take you into town and back and can cost approx. $10USD each way.
Accommodations tend to be a bit more simple here, with fewer amenities. Its important to remember that the cloud forest sits at a higher elevation and offers a cooler but humid climate - which is why hotels in this area do not have A/C. It can also feel damp in rooms which is unavoidable in such a climate.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Life Monteverde Community Lunch, Tour, and Cooking Class
Upon arrival, enjoy a brief introduction before having lunch made with fresh ingredients from their organic farm. Afterwards, tour the working coffee farm and meet some of the farm animals that help support this organic land. Then, get hands-on with a traditional Costa Rican cooking class followed by a coffee-making demonstration.
Your G for Good Moment: Cafe Monteverde Experience
Enjoy a visit to Life Monteverde, a coffee cooperative made up of 12 local families, dedicated to educating Costa Rica and the world about sustainable farming and conservation. Your visit here directly benefits Life Monteverde's educational programs, which provide free access to local school groups, and training for Costa Ricans. Walk through the plantations of various tropical plants including bananas and pineapples, and learn about coffee growing and production, as well as various sustainable agriculture techniques like converting animal waste to fuel. Also make sure to taste the delicious coffee before you go!
Guided Cloud Forest Night Walk
Join a naturalist guide for a 1.5-2 hour tour in the cloud forest after dark. Learn more about the habits of the area's nocturnal wildlife including mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians, and keep your eyes and ears open on this slow-paced walk. You never know what you might see – it depends on the day and your luck!
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 3Monteverde
Visit the Monteverde Institute to learn about their reforestation projects in the area, with an opportunity to lend a hand in the tree nursery. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon to relax by the pool or to choose from a variety of optional activities like zip-lining, hiking in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, or a walk through the forest canopy across hanging bridges.
Monteverde Institute Lecture & Reforestation Project
The Monteverde Institute serves as the base for numerous researchers studying the famed canopy of the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Enjoy a lecture by one of the researchers outlining new discoveries, insect and bird studies, and the reforestation of tropical regions. After, play an active role in this project, visiting the research plot and getting your hands dirty by either planting trees to restore habitat, assisting in tree care in the nurseries, or collecting data to provide information that will aid the success of tropical reforestation programs.
Free Time
Get up early to check out some of the optional activities on offer around Monteverde.
Optional Activities - Day 3 HideShow
Ziplining
73USD per personBuckle up your harness, don your helmet, and prepare to launch. Glide along cables suspended high above the cloud forest canopy. Dare to let go and reach top speeds as you zip past stunning scenery. Forget your fear as you spot a toucans or exotic orchids in this adrenaline-filled experience. Minimum age: 6.
Hanging Bridges Monteverde
56-60USD per personGet up high to see the tree tops of Monteverde’s Cloud Forest from a bird’s-eye view. Cross a series of hanging bridges to discover what biologists once required (ropes and pulleys) to glimpse the lush, green vista accented by bromeliads, vines, and orchids. Wonder at this wet canopy, home to 90% of all the organisms in the forest, including thousands of species of birds, small animals, amphibians, and insects.
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Visit
35-50USD per personPull on your poncho and boots and head into the cloud-covered forest, past over-sized ferns and exotic orchids. Harness your inner Tarzan as you imagine swinging from the forest’s giant vines, trudge along 12 km of trails, watch for wildlife and trek to the top of the observation tower. Be sure to stop and listen too. Hear the haunting hollow call of the bellbird and perhaps catch sight of the brilliant green and red resplendent quetzal. Feel good about protecting the preserve and sustaining the quality of local schools through payment of your park fees.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 4Monteverde/Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park
Travel into Rincón de la Vieja National Park, a land of volcanoes, hot springs and dense rainforest. Swing across zip lines strung through the forest canopy and visit thermal springs and mud baths. Opt to visit the on-site butterfly farm in the evening.
Hot Springs and Volcano Mud Bath
Visit natural hot springs which give rise to very hot mountain streams; sulfuric ponds filled with bubbling mud. Dare to step in and get muddy. Soak in the hot, therapeutic waters and feel invigorated and alive.
Free Time
Take the evening to relax or opt to visit the local butterfly gardens.
Zip Line Rincon de La Vieja
Fly through the trees over a narrow river canyon while navigating zip lines, natural rock climbing walls, Tarzan swings, rappelling and hanging bridges.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Optional Activities - Day 4 HideShow
Butterfly Garden
20-20USD per personVenture into the Butterfly Garden to see three of the larges families of butterflies in Costa Rica. Listen to a guide describe these colorful creatures and the importance they play in the region's ecosystem.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 5Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park
Enjoy a full day of adventure in the national park. Take a horseback riding excursion, go on a guided hike in search of wildlife, swim beneath the waterfalls of the Rio Negro or just sit back and relax by the pool at the hotel.
Free Time
After the days' activities, enjoy some free time to wander around or lay by the pool.
Horseback Ride and Hike to the Cangreja Waterfall
Saddle up to ride from our family hacienda on a beautiful path until we reach the entrance of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Set off on foot and hike 5km (3 miles) into the park in order to get to the waterfall. Keep your eyes peeled for iguanas, white-faced howler or spider monkeys, armadillos, and many types of tropical birds. Spot La Cangreja Waterfall flowing down 130 feet from the rocks above. Relax with a picnic lunch as our naturalist guide explains how the volcano's minerals create this unearthly blue pool at the bottom of the waterfall. After lunch take a dip in the clear blue water if you wish before heading back.
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
Hot Springs and Volcano Mud Bath
Free-FreeUSD per personVisit natural hot springs which give rise to very hot mountain streams; sulfuric ponds filled with bubbling mud. Dare to step in and get muddy. Soak in the hot, therapeutic waters and feel invigorated and alive.
Rio Negro Tubing Adventure
60USD per personEnjoy the great outdoors on an innertube, bouncing and splashing down 5 km (3 miles) of class 2 and 3 rapids on the Black River. There are plenty of quiet pools along the way to appreciate the beautiful tropical scenery. Opt to ride the ranch horses (or you can go by vehicle transport) along scenic trails through the forest to reach the river.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park/Playa Potrero
Travel to Guanacaste Province and the Pacific coast at Playa Potrero. Spend the afternoon at the beach or opt to take a sunset sailing trip around the Santa Catalina Islands.
Free Time
Spend the afternoon at leisure in this quaint beach town, or opt to go sailing.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Optional Activities - Day 6 HideShow
Sunset Sail
85-95USD per personSet sail in Potrero Bay and around the Catalina Islands on a sailing tour. Opt to snorkel, kayak or zayak with the fish and keep on the lookout for turtles and maybe even a shark! Enjoy sunset over the water from the deck of the boat.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 7Playa Potrero
Enjoy a free day to relax at the pool or on the beach in this tropical paradise, or choose from optional activities like a yoga class or horseback riding.
Free Time
There's plenty of exploring to do here, opt for a yoga class, horseback riding or choose to play at the beach or pool all day.
Optional Activities - Day 7 HideShow
Horseback Riding
55USD per personThrow on some long pants, grab the reins and hop up on a well-trained horse. Trail ride through the tropical forest and across the area’s most beautiful landscape. Look for birds in the trees and admire the ocean views.
Yoga - Playa Potrero
Free-FreeUSD per personFind balance and be in the moment with this Sattva Yoga class in a palapa by the beach. A combination of Hatha and Raja Yoda, focus on your breath, movement and mindfulness.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Playa Potrero/San José
Travel back inland with a stop for a jungle boat cruise through Palo Verde National Park to spot wildlife like monkeys, crocodiles and birds. Continue to San José and share adventure stories in the evening at the group's farewell dinner.
Palo Verde National Park Boat Tour
Enjoy a boat ride, travelling along the Tempisque River to discover Palo Verde National Park. Learn about the park and the creatures that call this region home from our local guide on board. Keep a keen eye out as the guide helps spot wildlife in the water, trees, and sky.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 9San José
Depart at any time.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.