Costa Rica Family Adventure

Welcome to Costa Rica! Upon your arrival into Juan Santamaria International Airport in the capital city of San Jose, you’ll be met by private transfer for the 90-minute ride to your hotel in the small town of Vara Blanca, nestled between Barva and Poas volcanos. It’s renowned for its lush greenery, waterfalls, flora and fauna. After checking into your accommodation, enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure, relaxing and enjoying the serene views of the La Paz River Valley and soaring Poas Volcano. Enjoy pre-dinner drinks at the bar followed by a delicious gourmet meal featuring traditional, locally inspired Costa Rican flavours.

The Waterfall Gardens are located on the grounds of the Peace Lodge property, and this morning you’ll enjoy a guided tour with a knowledgeable staff member. The gardens are home to beautiful birds like toucans and hummingbirds, monkeys, butterflies, frogs, waterfalls, cloud forest and rainforest. You’ll learn about the ecology and history of the area for an exclusive behind the scenes experience. Be sure to visit the gardens in the evening on a twilight tour too, with the tree and leaf frogs most active at night.

Get ready to head to your next destination, with private transfer picking you up at your Vara Blanca hotel for the drive along the scenic route through the lowland rainforest, with a stop to explore the world of chocolate. You’ll join the 2.5-hour Tirimbina Chocolate Tour starting with a guided hike. Afterwards, learn how to make chocolate with a hands-on class. Fun for adults and kids alike, you’ll get to crack open your cocoa fruit, hand grind it and then add the ingredients of your choosing. Afterwards, continue to your accommodation in Arena, with the rest of the day enjoyed at your leisure.

Your private driver will meet you at your hotel to bring you to a local wildlife rescue center where you’ll spend the morning learning about the facility and what it’s doing to rehabilitate injured and orphaned animals. After getting filled in on the programs, you’ll help prepare food for the animals. When it’s ready, you can feed them too. Afterwards, learn all about Costa Rican cooking at Dona Mara’s ranch. Enjoy a welcome tropical drink followed by instruction on how to flatten and shape the masa dough, that will be cooked on a wood-fire stove and served with your lunch.

The ideal tour for families traveling with children ages five and up, today you’ll experience one of the most popular activities in Costa Rica, a canopy tour. You’ll whiz across several ziplines, taking in gorgeous views that once only the birds could see. They’re divided up into various lengths with three different sections. At the end of the second is the Tarzan Swing where you can swing from the trees just like Tarzan. The final section has the longest span, stretching for 1,400 feet. This is a thrill that everyone in the family will be talking about for many years to come.

It’s time to leave Arenal, with your private driver/guide picking you up this morning for the transfer to Guanacaste with its rare dry tropical forest along the Pacific coast. Along the way, you’ll stop to enjoy the magnificent Llanos del Cortez Waterfall near the small town of Bagaces, one of the most beautiful in the country. It spills into a pool with calm water and a sandy beach, ideal for swimming and sunbathing. The beauty is jaw-dropping so don’t forget your camera to capture those postcard-perfect shots. Enjoy time for a tranquil dip followed by lunch before continuing to your beachside hotel.

Today you’ll embark on a catamaran cruise, passing some of the most stunning bays, pristine sandy beaches and tropical rainforest along the Gold Coast. Keep a close watch for marine life like whales, dolphins and sea turtles. You can even test your luck at catching flying fish by casting a line off the back of the vessel. A stop will be made in a secluded bay so that you can snorkel among the vibrant coral reefs among the sea life or paddle atop the water in a kayak. Enjoy a light lunch and watch a gorgeous sunset before returning to your hotel.

You’ll have your last full day to enjoy all to yourself. You might spend the day at the beach, lounging around the pool, or enjoying a little of both. There are 12 sandy beaches with the glistening blue expanse of the Pacific stretching as far as the eye can see, with the only interruption a passing sailboat, seabirds that swoop down for a meal and breaching humpback whales (between December and April, and again in July through November). If you want to relax before your trip home tomorrow, you’ll find decadent spa services for pampering too. Be sure to catch one last sunset.

Enjoy breakfast this morning and after checking out of your hotel you’ll be picked up by your private driver for transfer to Liberia Airport, about a 50-minute drive. If you aren’t ready to leave just yet, reach out to your travel experts who will be happy to create a bespoke addition to your itinerary.