Costa Rica family holiday
| country: | Costa Rica |
| departures: | 2008: 20 Dec 2009: 4 Apr, 1 Aug, 15 Aug, 22 Aug, 19 Dec 2010: 27 Mar, 31 Jul, 14 Aug |
| price: | From £2147 - £2307 (16 days) per adult and from £1655 - £1905 per child (aged 6-11yrs) including flights from the UK. This trip can also be booked without flights. Single supplement £290 |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Costa Rica is the perfect destination for a family holiday. The country is a natural paradise complete with jungles, volcanoes, spectacular beaches and wildlife.
We walk to the summit of an active volcano surrounded by lush rainforest. Exploring Tortuguero NP's inland waterways, we listen for Howler monkeys and search for colourful birds. There are opportunities for interaction with local people too, as we visit a family-run working hacienda and a rural school to meet the kids.
The Santa Elena Reserve is world famous and a perfect place to take an unforgettable walk in the clouds or chose to take an exhilarating canopy zip-tour. Finally, we head to the Pacific Coast for two days of pure relaxation.
We walk to the summit of an active volcano surrounded by lush rainforest. Exploring Tortuguero NP's inland waterways, we listen for Howler monkeys and search for colourful birds. There are opportunities for interaction with local people too, as we visit a family-run working hacienda and a rural school to meet the kids.
The Santa Elena Reserve is world famous and a perfect place to take an unforgettable walk in the clouds or chose to take an exhilarating canopy zip-tour. Finally, we head to the Pacific Coast for two days of pure relaxation.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Start San Jose. |
| Day 2: | Climb Poas Volcano. To La Paz Waterfall and visit the Butterfly Observatory and Hummingbird Garden. |
| Day 3: | Visit INBIO Park. Tour of San Jose, including National Museum, Children's Museum and Central Market or free to relax. |
| Day 4: | To Tortuguero Village via Braulio Carrillo N.P.; visit turtle museum. |
| Day 5: | Explore Tortuguero N.P. and its web of waterways by boat; see turtles nesting on beach (July to September only - optional). |
| Day 6: | To Sarapiqui by boat; visit insect museum; afternoon free to relax. |
| Day 7: | Visit a family-run working hacienda. Optional zip-line canopy tour or horse riding. Afternoon visit to local school; on to La Fortuna for evening spa amongst hot springs. |
| Day 8: | Opportunity to climb the active Arenal Volcano. Afternoon free. In the evening a local family host a traditional meal. |
| Day 9: | To Monteverde, high in the Tilaran mountain range; visit Serpentarium. |
| Day 10: | Visit Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, famous for its biodiversity and experience a canopy cloud tour. |
| Day 11: | Morning to Carara N.P. to relax on the pristine beach; afternoon free. |
| Day 12: | Free time to relax at the beach or, if still feeling energetic, to take an optional tour. |
| Day 13: | Mid-morning transfer to San Jose; afternoon free to relax by pool. |
| Day 14: | End San Jose. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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As a part of our continued commitment to responsible tourism, we operate this trip in a way that aims to reduce impacts and to give as much back as possible to the local communities. Costa Rica with its abundant natural diversity has a world-renowned tradition of conservation. On this trip we visit national and private parks, including the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, one of the first community-managed reserves in the country. The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is dedicated to conservation and the upgrading of the local education It is administered by the local Santa Elena High School which benefits from the tourist income generated. We will also visit a typical rural school, meet the children and deliver a gift of educational supplies. (This donation is included in the price of the trip). We visit several National Parks, where the entrance fees are directly put back into conservation and management of the parks.
We have had a long-term relationship with our operator so helping to stabilise income generation and creating a more sustainable future. We have worked with our operator to help train staff and this has included Responsible Tourism training. Our local operator is a leading member of the Rainforest Alliance and is constantly seeking ways to improve their standards. We stay at family-owned lodges on some nights. This contributes directly to the local communities as local staff are employed and locally produced and sourced goods are bought so helping to benefit the wider community. Maximum group size is restricted to 16 in order to reduce the social and environmental impacts of visiting the smaller communities. UK Office: We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Carbon balancing: Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |