Costa Rica Family Journey: From Rainforest to Coast

Welcome to San José–your arrival transfer to the hotel is included. Check in and get excited to meet your fellow travelers during a welcome meeting this evening where all families can bond before the Journey ahead.

Included Experiences

• 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.

This morning, travel up into the misty cloud forests of Monteverde, where we’ll visit a rural community for a farm-to-table lunch, where our hosts will share insights about the local products and ingredients used in your meal. Enjoy fresh, seasonal, locally-sourced dishes—rice, beans, vegetables, homemade tortillas—and have the opportunity to touch and taste some of these products, giving you a deeper connection to Costa Rica’s local flavors. After lunch, visit the farm where children will enjoy hands-on agricultural activities. Explore tropical crops like coffee and fruits, see sustainable farming practices in action, and even learn how to make sugar cane juice using a traditional "Trapiche" mill—an interactive experience perfect for children and families alike. Later, enjoy some free time to get settled in our hotel. In the evening, follow a naturalist into the forest to seek out the fascinating nocturnal creatures that spring to life after the sun goes down, from red-eyed tree frogs to spiny porcupines.

Included Experiences

• San Luis Rural Community Experience & Lunch: Enjoy a visit to the rural community of San Luis. Your time here directly benefits the economic development of this local community and helps expand their community services. Observe snapshots of rural like in Costa Rica before sitting down for a farm-to-table lunch featuring a hands-on demonstration of the local ingredients. Learn together as a family about the important knowledge of native plant species in the area along with conservation efforts, and some birdwatching.
• 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!

Visit the Monteverde Institute, a research and educational organization supported by National Geographic. Hear about reforestation projects spearheaded by the institute, then roll up your sleeves and lend a hand in the tree nursery. The rest of the day is free for poolside relaxation or optional excursions in the clouds, including zip-lining, hiking in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, or a walk through the forest canopy across hanging bridges.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: Get up early to check out some of the optional activities on offer around Monteverde.
• Monteverde Institute Lecture & Reforestation Project: The Monteverde Institute is a base for National Geographic-funded explorers and researchers studying the famed canopy of the Monteverde Cloud Forest. A researcher will present the various projects National Geographic has sponsored including new discoveries, insect and bird studies, and the reforestation of tropical regions. Then, play an active role in this project by visiting the National Geographic-sponsored research plot and getting your hands dirty by either planting trees to restore habitat or assisting in tree care in the nurseries.

Optional Experiences

• Ziplining : Buckle 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: Get 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. (56-60 USD per person)
• CASEM Coop Visit: CASEM—the Cooperative of Artisans Santa Elena Monteverde—is an inspiring example of female empowerment and teamwork. By focusing on providing women artisans with the opportunity to gain economic independence and develop new skills, this G for Good Project helps improve the quality of life for its members and strengthens the community. Through the marketing of their products, CASEM Coop not only supports its 90 artisan members, but also promotes the culture and traditions of the Monteverde region. Stop by the restaurant on your way out to try some delicious local food!
• Santa Elena Cloud Forest Visit: Pull 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. (35-50 USD per person)

Today we travel into Rincón de la Vieja National Park, an otherworldly land of smoking volcanoes, bubbling mud pots, and thermal hot springs—all shrouded in thick tangles of rainforest. Channel your inner Tarzan as you swing across zip lines strung through the forest canopy; then visit thermal hot springs and mud baths, where playing in the mud isn’t just allowed, it’s encouraged.

Included Experiences

• 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.
• 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.

Rise early for a full day of adventure in the national park. Saddle up for a horseback-riding excursion, get introduced to the park’s creatures on a naturalist-guided wildlife hike, and swim beneath the soaring canyons and tumbling waterfalls of the Río Negro. There is also the option to stay back at our hacienda and relax by the pool.

Included Experiences

• 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 Experiences

• 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.
• Rio Negro Tubing Adventure: Enjoy 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.

Journey toward the Pacific Ocean to Playa Potrero on the Gold Coast of Costa Rica. This morning, you'll take a jungle boat cruise through Palo Verde National Park. The river is a wildlife-lover’s paradise: crocodiles glide beneath the water’s surface, monkeys swing through the surrounding treetops, and numerous winged wonders wade and fly at the river’s edge—including ospreys, wood storks, and roseate spoonbills. The afternoon is free to play in the sand and water; or opt to set sail across the bay and around the Catalina Islands.

Included Experiences

• 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.
• Free Time: Spend the afternoon at leisure in this quaint beach town, or opt to go sailing.

Optional Experiences

• Potrero Bay Sailing: Hit the water 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 views over the water from the deck of the boat. (85-95 USD per person)

The day is free to do as much or as little as you like. Relax at the pool or on the beach in this tropical paradise. Opt to join a yoga class, or take a long walk along the beach.

Included Experiences

• Free Time: There's plenty of exploring to do here, opt for a yoga class or choose to play at the beach or pool all day.

Optional Experiences

• Horseback Riding: Throw 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: Find 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.

Leave the beach behind for our return trip to the capital, San José, and celebrate our adventure at a farewell dinner.

Included Experiences

• Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Depart at any time.