Costa Rica Family Adventure, meets every child's "wow" factor expectations
Flexible Costa Rica eco-tour itineraries in safe surroundings to capture the family's imagination
Duration: 9 days
Low Season: $2510/Person (May-Jun / Sep-Oct)
High Season: $2545/Person (Nov-Apr / Jul-Aug)
Child: $725 (High & Low Season)
Fly & Drive Option (Includes Rental Car)
Low Season: $2305/Person (May-Jun / Sep-Oct)
High Season: $2365/Person (Nov-Apr / Jul-Aug)
Child: $785 (High & Low Season)
Southern Explorations prides itself on designing family trips with children, first and foremost, in mind. We provide flexible Costa Rica ecological tour itineraries in safe surroundings to capture their imagination, and pace the trips to keep them interested while providing parents an opportunity to relax a bit. We select only family-friendly accommodations that make for easily accessible leisure activities and meals. We keep transportation links between experiences short and effortless. Most important, we ensure that the trip meets every child's "wow" factor expectations. It's hands-on learning made stimulating, fun and unforgettable.
Itinerary for Costa Rica Family Adventure
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Children will return from this Costa Rica ecotour with a treetop-knowledge of tropical rainforests. They'll know what it's like to see exotic wildlife outside a zoo setting and be able to identify a wide array of species they'd never heard of before. They'll learn where the idea for the hot tub came from. They'll know what an active volcano does, what it's like to touch a waterfall and the thrill of a jungle suspension bridge. Maybe they'll even come home knowing what they want to do when they grow up. Did we mention that mom and dad will also have the adventure of lifetime?
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Day 1 (Sat) SAN JOSÉ
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Upon arrival at San José International Airport, you will be met by a Southern Explorations representative who will help expedite the lengthy customs procedures. On the way to the hotel, the guide will provide an overview of the country for first time visitors, including tips, routes and recommendations, and an introduction to the rich heritage of Costa Rica ecotourism. You will also receive a welcome kit containing a map and useful information for your trip. Overnight at a hotel in San Jose.
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Day 2 (Sun) SAN JOSÉ CITY TOUR & INBio EXCURSION
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Your Costa Rica ecotour begins right after breakfast. Our guide will meet you at the hotel to take you to the colonial town of Barva to visit INBio Park, a privately funded reserve that provides eco-education and is a fun and educational stop on your Costa Rica adventure. It is run by the National Institute of Biodiversity, a non-profit organization that since 1989 has been inventorying the country's flora and fauna with the help of citizens it trains throughout the country. Here one will learn about conservation and explore the three major ecosystems of Costa Rica along hiking trails, at wildlife stations, a farm, aquarium and butterfly garden.
After lunch in INBio Park, you'll head back into San José for a tour of the capital city starting with an orientation and a drive through lush Sabana Park. Sights include the National Theater, a 19th century architectural jewel, the University of Costa Rica, and the Supreme Court. Your Costa Rica tour ends with a brief stop in the nearby village of Moravia to browse its many crafts shops. Formerly an area of coffee plantations, it is today famous for its leather crafts, ceramics and jewelry. Overnight at your San Jose hotel. (B,L)
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Day 3 (Mon) SAN JOSÉ - SARAPIQUI
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After breakfast, our Costa Rica ecotour guide will meet you at the hotel to continue the journey towards Sarapiqui on the Caribbean side of the country. On the outskirts of the colonial town of Heredia, you'll visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens on a scenic two-mile walk along well-maintained trails, passing five waterfalls with views of the Poas Volcano. There is also a butterfly garden, an orchid garden, a hummingbird feeding station for seventeen different species, a serpentine, and for anyone interested, a ride in an oxcart. Enjoy lunch at the picturesque La Paz Waterfall Restaurant.
You continue to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, just an hour and a half from San José, to reach your final destination: the friendly La Quinta de Sarapiquí Country Inn where you'll be on your own for the next two days of your Costa Rica adventure. Family-operated, La Quinta is sure to please travelers of all ages and temperaments whether you're looking to relax in a hammock poolside or wish to participate in the hotel's many activities including swimming, horseback riding, fishing, hiking and even specially arranged cooking classes. Surrounded by tropical gardens that attract diverse bird species, the hotel has an interesting insect and butterfly museum, a large tropical butterfly garden and a frog garden. (B,L)
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Day 4 (Tue) SARAPAQUI - CARIBBEAN RAIN FOREST AERIAL TRAM
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In the morning, the hotel's personnel will transport you to the biologist-designed Rain Forest Aerial Tram, a unique ecotourism and research facility adjacent to the Braulio Carrillo National Park. The tram will take you on a guided ninety-minute Costa Rica ecological tour through the rainforest canopy to experience this exotic habitat from the treetops, a Costa Rica ecological tour the family will never forget. You'll have an afternoon of leisure to learn more about the local countryside and culture before returning to the inn. Once an important port, this always-wet northern border town at the confluence of the Sardinal and the Sarapiquí rivers is one of the most bio-diverse areas in the world. Most inhabitants here work the land. There are also many scientists in Sarapiquí affiliated with La Selva Biological Station, a collaborative project funded by national and international universities and ecological foundations that attracts researchers from all parts of the globe. (B)
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Day 5 (Wed) SARAPAQUI - ARENAL
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You will be transported to the village of La Fortuna, near the active Arenal Volcano, arriving around midday to allow time for exploring the town and to have lunch on your own (excluded in tour fee). After hotel check-in, you'll visit the Tabacón Hot Springs, a Spanish style bathing resort in an idyllic tropical garden setting. Here the children will be able to explore cascading waters and many 102 degree F thermal pools fed by the Tabacón River. This will be an unforgettable Costa Rica ecotour experience for the whole family, especially if the top of Arenal Volcano is in view. After dinner at Tabacón, you will return to your nearby hotel. (B,D)
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Day 6 (Thu) ARENAL HANGING BRIDGES
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You'll get a close-up view of the prolific birds, flowers and lush vegetation of this primary rainforest, on a guided canopy tour via two miles of paved interpretive trails and across suspension bridges, ranging in length from sixteen to almost 330 feet. These bridges are built of aluminum galvanized steel and concrete to ensure maximum safety. After returning to the hotel, you'll be on your own the rest of this day of your Costa Rica adventure to relax by the pool or go into town for lunch (excluded in tour fee). Another night at your hotel. (B)
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Day 7 (Fri) ARENAL - PUNTA LEONA
Early in the morning you'll travel to the central Pacific coast near Jaco beach where the northern tropical dry zone and the southern tropical wet zone meet. This fertile economically-desirable terrain is the most difficult to protect, making it very important to Costa Rica ecotourism. You'll stay at the Hotel Punta Leona Resort, a perfect ending to a memorable family adventure. Beyond the hotel, you'll find small coastal villages and Carara National Park where protected wildlife includes crocodiles, monkeys, sloths and scarlet macaws in a dwindling habitat. (B)
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Day 8 (Sat) PUNTA LEONA
Spend a final day of leisure on your Costa Rica adventure by one of the hotel's three pools or at the resort's pristine white-sand beach. Be as lazy as you like. A snack restaurant, two bars and a grill serving savory traditional Costa Rican cuisine are conveniently located near the beach. If you're looking for a more active finale, the hotel schedules early morning nature walks in its private tropical wildlife reserve, where you may see white-faced monkeys, iguanas, short-nosed coatis, toucans and scarlet macaws. Other hotel activities include water aerobics, volleyball, tennis, ping-pong, miniature golf, water sports, Latin dance lessons and discotheque. (B)
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Day 9 (Sun) PUNTA LEONA - SAN JOSÉ - HOME
You'll depart in the early morning for the one and a half hour drive to the San José International Airport for your flight home. This marks the end of your Southern Exploration services. (B)
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Key:
(B)reakfast (L)unch (D)inner
KEY TO MAP
Itinerary Map
CONTACT US
CALL
1.877.784.5400
TOLL FREE
OUTSIDE
THE U.S.A. CALL
1.206.784.8111
PRIVATE DEPARTURES
Remarks:
Children rate applies for children from 2 to 10 years old, based on maximum 2 children sharing one room with their parents.
The double occupancy is based on a room with two beds.
Please note that this Costa Rica family tour is on a private departure basis only and trip dates will be determined by the passenger. Please for more information.
FLY & DRIVE OPTION
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INCLUDES:
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Car Rental
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7 days car rental, a Daihatsu Terios for double occupancy, and a Toyota Rav4 for triple occupancy
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Pick up of the car at the hotel in San José on day 03, returning the car on day 09 at the car rental office located close to the International airport
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Private transportation
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From the International airport to the hotel in San José
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Accommodation
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2 nights accommodation at the Bougainvillea or Casa Conde hotel
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2 nights accommodation at La Quinta de Sarapiquí Country Inn
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2 nights accommodation at the Arenal Paraíso hotel
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2 nights accommodation at Punta Leona
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Entrance fees to: (without guide)
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Paz Waterfall Gardens with lunch
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Visit to La Paz Waterfall Gardens on the way to Sarapiquí
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Guided Tours (shared, not private)
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INBIO Park with lunch
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Entrance fee to the Rain Forest Aerial Tram Caribbean
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Arenal Volcano & Tabacón hot springs
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Arenal Hanging bridges
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Information package & map
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Children's kit
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Meet and Greet
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Southern Explorations pre departure services
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EXCLUDED IN TOUR COST:
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Car insurance
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Tips and gratuities
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Alcoholic Beverages
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Departure taxes
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Optional tours & meals
COSTA RICA ACCOMMODATION
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Costa Rica Family Adventure:
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8 nights hotel
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
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Low season: $435
High season: $460
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Low season: $435 (Fly & Drive)
High season: $455 (Fly & Drive)
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Single Supplement is the additional cost of a single traveler not sharing a room in double occupancy. We will match you with another same gender traveler unless you request single accommodations.
Prices based on 3% cash discount
After breakfast, our Costa Rica ecotour guide will meet you at the hotel to continue the journey towards Sarapiqui on the Caribbean side of the country. On the outskirts of the colonial town of Heredia, you'll visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens on a scenic two-mile walk along well-maintained trails, passing five waterfalls with views of the Poas Volcano. There is also a butterfly garden, an orchid garden, a hummingbird feeding station for seventeen different species, a serpentine, and for anyone interested, a ride in an oxcart. Enjoy lunch at the picturesque La Paz Waterfall Restaurant.
You will be transported to the village of La Fortuna, near the active Arenal Volcano, arriving around midday to allow time for exploring the town and to have lunch on your own (excluded in tour fee). After hotel check-in, you'll visit the Tabacón Hot Springs, a Spanish style bathing resort in an idyllic tropical garden setting. Here the children will be able to explore cascading waters and many 102 degree F thermal pools fed by the Tabacón River. This will be an unforgettable Costa Rica ecotour experience for the whole family, especially if the top of Arenal Volcano is in view. After dinner at Tabacón, you will return to your nearby hotel. (B,D)
