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Costa Rica holidays

Our Costa Rica holidays & accommodation take in the best sites & off-the-beaten-track places from rainforest to the beaches. All of our Costa Rica holidays are from leading companies committed to supporting local people & the environment.

Costa Rica holidays
Activity & nature holiday in Costa Rica
White-water rafting, hiking, surfing, riding & ranching in Costa Rica, from £1570 (14 days) ex flights
Costa Rica wildlife holiday
An amazing variety of Costa Rican wildlife, from £2399 - £2999 (16 days) inc UK flights
Self drive holiday in Costa Rica
Tailor made, flexible self-drive in stunning Costa Rica, from £1565 - £1830 (18 days) ex flights
Costa Rica beach & wildlife holiday
Cloud forest and a volcano, plus a whole lot of relaxation!, from £1495 (13 days) ex flights
Costa Rica holiday
Observe the exuberance of tropical nature!, from £2589 - £2959 (15 days ) inc UK flights
Rainforest retreat in Costa Rica
A sustainable tropical gem in the Caribbean Costa Rica!, from US $90 - US $155 per person per night
Costa Rica holidays, coast to coast
Discover the dramatic contrasts of Costa Rica's coastlines, from £1145 - £2460 (16 days) ex flights
Costa Rica coastal tour, Caribbean Explorer
Experience the best of Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, from £1089 (8 days) ex flights
Costa Rica and Nicaragua self drive holiday
Self drive highlights of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, from £2060 - £2180 (20 days) ex flights
Costa Rica tailor made holiday, highlights
Discover Costa Rica's natural and cultural wonders, from £2050 (13 days) ex flights
Osa Peninsula rainforest wildlife lodge in Costa Rica
Amazing ecolodge in the heart of the Osa, from US $160 - US $225 per person per night
Costa Rica wildlife tour, tailor made
Tailor made exploration of Costa Rica's natural wonders, from £1648 (13 days ) ex flights
Wildlife holiday in Costa Rica
Explore rainforests and reefs along the Caribbean coast, from £439 (7 days) ex flights
Gap year volunteering in Costa Rica
Live amongst some of the world’s richest bio-diversity, from £1870 - £2495 (6 weeks) ex flights
Costa Rica self drive holiday, natural history
Discover Costa Rica's natural history and impressive scenery, from £1050 (14 days) ex flights
Costa Rica tailor made holiday, vistas and volcanoes
Discover Costa Rica's hidden gems, from £3200 (15 days) ex flights
Coast to coast cycling holiday in Costa Rica
Take in the variety of Costa Rica by bike, from £2639 - £2849 (15 days) inc UK flights
Costa Rica adventure holiday, tailor made
Active Costa Rica trip in the region's best National Parks, from US $3075 (12 days) ex flights
Family holiday in Costa Rica
The perfect place to take your family, from £2579 - £2689 (15 days ) inc UK flights
Central America activity holiday, Costa Rica & Panama
An escape to Costa Rica rainforest and idyllic Panama waters, from US $2795 (9 days) ex flights
Costa Rica family activity holiday
Experience the natural wonders and activities of Costa Rica., from £1995 (12 days) ex flights
Costa Rica wildlife holiday, tailor made
Encounter the wildlife of Costa Rica, from £1850 (14 days) ex flights
Family adventure holiday to Costa Rica
Discover the beauty and adventure of Central America, from £2679 (15 days ) inc UK flights
Central America overland tours
Travel through 6 Central American countries, from £2728 (22 days ) inc UK flights

51 reviews for Costa Rica holidays4 star overall rating

These full and frank independent Costa Rica holidays reviews are from travellers who have booked directly through responsibletravel.com. They are not edited by us or any of the companies we work with. Find the real story, from real travellers below.

Costa Rica family activity holiday
Excellent - the country lived up to expectations, we had some terrific wildlife sightings, the organised activities were great fun - but what really made it special were the friendships we all - adults and children - made. (more)
From £1995 excluding flights
Costa Rica holidays, coast to coast
We saw monkeys in the hotel grouse, sloth and of course the scarlet macaws. We had never been to a rainforest before and could not believe how green it was. All the places we stayed at were interesting and different. (more)
From £1145 - £2460 excluding flights
Self drive holiday in Costa Rica
The diversity of mammal, bird and reptile life was the most memorable part of the holiday (more)
From £1565 - £1830 excluding flights
Central America holiday
Hiking up Conception Volcano was the most memorable part of the trip.  (more)
From £885 - £975 excluding flights
Costa Rica wildlife holiday
One of the best hoildays we've had. A highlight was Seeing a rhinoceros beetle the size of a hamster! (more)
From £2399 - £2999 including UK flights
Costa Rica eco lodge in a private reserve
We loved every aspect of this accommdation... We dream of returning soon. My daughter and I rank this accommodation as our best holiday ever. (more)
From US $145 - US $195 per room per night (sleeps 2)
Costa Rica holiday
Most memorable bit - spending Christmas Day exploring the waterways of the rainforests of Tortuguero in a small boat, seeing monkeys swinging through the trees, otters, caiman, iguana, toucans, parrots and countless other birds.  (more)
From £2589 - £2959 including UK flights
Osa Peninsula rainforest wildlife lodge in Costa Rica
Wonderful! Gorgeous surroundings, beautiful and comfortable accommodations, and an amazing, helpful staff made this a honeymoon to cherish and remember! (more)
From US $160 - US $225 per person per night
Central America overland tours
Stunning and varied scenery in wonderful hot weather from the might of the Panama Canal to the jaw dropping beauty of the rain and cloud forests to the awesome splendour of the region's volcanoes and craters...It was an absolutely stunning experience, greatly helped by the small group I travelled and very well organised and let by this travel company. (more)
From £2728 including UK flights
Costa Rica beach & wildlife holiday
Brilliant! White water rafting through the rainforest was amazing! (more)
From £1495 excluding flights
Costa Rica holiday, encompassed
The most memorable part was going into the beautiful clear, turquoise and remarkably warm water of the Pacific ocean, for a swim just as the sun was setting - an amazing way to start the holiday.  (more)
From £809 excluding flights
Costa Rica adventure holiday
It was one of the best holidays, a good crowd of people and a good time had by all...White Water Rafting at La Fortuna was the most exciting part.  (more)
From £929 excluding flights
Volunteer with turtles in Costa Rica
5 stars! My best experience abroad in the last 30 years.....Working with sea turtles: seeing turtle nesting and releasing baby hatchlings was absolutely fantastic (more)
From £677 excluding flights
Costa Rica budget holiday
It's no surprise that the most fantastic part of the trip was being close to the animals without bars between us. We visited amazing creatures in their "homes" without harming their surroundings. (more)
From £660 excluding flights
Volunteer & holiday in Costa Rica
I enjoyed the tour, had a great tour leader and was with a good bunch of people.  (more)
From £699 excluding flights
Tailormade holiday to Costa Rica
On an early morning bird-watching trail with a local guide, we were lucky enough to see 5 of these beautiful birds... feeding on wild avocados. We sat for an hour as the sun began to rise, driving away the cold night air as the clouds rolled up the forested mountain side. Quite amazing. (more)
From £840 - £945 excluding flights
Costa Rica tour
Most memorable? Seeing the baby turtles in Tortuguero National Park... I had a wonderful experience with a very well trained, and experienced, guide. The communication was excellent.  (more)
From £761 - £985 excluding flights
Osa Peninsula eco lodge, Costa Rica
From our arrival by boat through the mangroves through to our departure three days later, we loved our time at the lodge. We were the only guests staying there at the time and we received a high level of care from owners Dan and Holly.  (more)
From US $55 - US $85 per person per night
Central America tours
Roatan was by far the best stopover on this trip. The people on the tour were fabulous as well. (more)
From £929 excluding flights
Osa Peninsula ecolodge, Costa Rica
It was really a beautiful lodge, wonderful staff, food, kayaking, yoga, massages. I totally loved it. Also, the other guests were great. (more)
From US $160 - US $220 per person per night

Holiday Reviews

You can trust responsibletravel.com reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.

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Unedited reviews from other travellers

5 stars
I am reborn! Simply the best holiday I have ever been on
4 stars
Some great stories to tell the grandchildren. Would recommend to a friend
3 stars
Very enjoyable
2 stars
It was OK
1 star
A bit disappointing really

Costa Rica travel information

Information to help you prepare for your holiday or vacation to Costa Rica courtesy of 'The Key to Costa Rica'. With a wealth of practical and background information, this travel guide is the essential companion for your holiday.

Costa Rica is a fascinating country to travel on holiday. It is a land bridge between North and South America, so its forests and seas are rich in wildlife from both continents. In a country the size of the US state of West Virginia, there is a great variety of altitude and terrain. Mount Chirripo reaches 13,000 feet. On vacation go and stare into the mile-wide crater of the semi-dormant Poas Volcano, or soak in hot springs while watching lava ooze from the top of active Arenal Volcano. In the lowlands of the Caribbean coast travel the serene waterways in Tortuguero National Park or get a thrill on the white water of the Pacuare river. And of course there are the beaches--miles and miles of them on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to relax on vacation.

Costa Rica is also fascinating for the foresight of its leaders, who established public education and democratic elections in the 1880's, abolished the army in the 1940's and have preserved over 25 percent of Costa Rica's territory in a system of conservation areas. MINAE, the ministry responsible for the parks, has a very active citizen arm, called COVIRENAS (Comite de Vigilancia de los Recursos Naturales). In this lively, grassroots movement, neighbors in natural areas are given the power to conduct citizen arrests if they witness environmental crimes. The same committees organize to do organic gardening, recycling and environmental education in the schools. Of course Costa Rica's long-standing democratic traditions help this to happen.

Ecotourism in Costa Rica in its finest sense saves pristine natural areas by inviting tourists to experience them in a principled way, using the proceeds to protect and maintain the same areas. Great ecotourism opportunities exist in all parts of Costa Rica.

In the dry northeastern province of Guanacaste there is bird-watching at Los Inocentes, the famous canopy tour at Buenavista Lodge, or visiting communities that have made tourism their own, like the pottery-makers of Guaitil, or the Montealto Reserve, created by the town of Hojancha to preserve its watershed. Beachwise, the communities of Nosara and Montezuma have done the most to preserve habitat.

In the Southern Zone, tourists can search for the incredibly beautiful Resplendent Quetzal at El Toucanet, Mirador de Quetzales or Hotel de Montana Savegre on the slopes of Cerro de la Muerte. From there they can travel and hike on the Tapir Trail through local farms, ending with a rafting trip on the Savegre river near the famous Manuel Antonio National Park. The Tapir Trail (Paso de la Danta) seeks to unite the forests of the Osa Peninsula with forests of the Talamanca Range. Of course there are the lovely ecolodges of the Osa--El Remanso, Bosque del Cabo, Lapa Rios, Luna Lodge, Corcovado Tent Camp, and the great lodges in Drake Bay, among them the locally-owned Jademar and Poor Man's Paradise. All of these lodges protect the rainforests around Corcovado National Park, and sightings of scarlet macaws, white-faced and howler monkeys, and several species of dolphins and whales are common.

On the Atlantic Coast, ANAI was just awarded the Equator Prize at the World Summit in Johannesburg for its decades of work with the communities of Talamanca, which have created five ecotourism lodges working for conservation, sustainable community development and protection of cultural traditions. In addition, the Gandoca community provides homestays and hotels for ecotourists and volunteers in the ANAI Sea Turtle Conservation Program, and the Manzanillo Guides Association provides botanical, wildlife and fishing guides.

In the northern region of Sarapiqui, are Costa Rica's original rainforest ecotourism projects--La Selva and Rara Avis, now complemented by the Centro Neotropico Sarapiquis with its pre-Columbian tombs and Tirimbina Rainforest Reserve.

The New Key to Costa Rica (16th edition) covers nature travel and ecotourism by trying to acquaint readers with both the beauties of Costa Rica and the environmental challenges in each area. We mention nature lodges, community-based ecotourism projects, volunteer opportunities and natural destinations that will give you a great vacation while making sure that your money goes to protect the nature you came to see. For the last ten years we have included a Sustainable Tourism Rating, which highlights the lodges we think are doing the best job.

Country facts for Costa Rica holidays

Weather
The best time to visit Costa Rica is November to April.

Languages
The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish, and Limón Creole English or Mekatelyu is spoken in Limón Province (Puerto Limón).

Money
The currency in Costa Rica is the Costa Rican colon (CRC).

Time zone
GMT-6 (UTC-6).
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