Costa Rica family adventure holiday, tailor made

Environment

You will be visiting 2 National Parks and protected wetlands to discover the wonderful wildlife of Costa Rica. The country is in the forefront of eco-tourism and protection of the natural environment, with nature having a legal standpoint in court. Visiting this country and its national park’s ensures the continued protection of flora and fauna in Costa Rica, as well as providing income to the local economy through eco-tourism. The park’s ensure wildlife is protected through raised platforms, allowing you to view wildlife in the canopy and not disturb the protected environment below.

On this trip, you will be visiting a Corso Dairy Farm where you can walk or take a tractor ride through the farm, learning of the rural customs and traditions. The farm has incredible views and the tour will take you to an excellent viewpoint of Poas Volcano. The Milk Parlor is the most popular activity on the tour, where you and your children will be able to milk the cows. End the tour with a canopy trail of secondary forest and a visit to a Hydroponic Strawberry plantation. Next, stop at La Paz Waterfall Gardens for lunch and exploration. The gardens feature the best hiking near San José, amazing waterfalls, an animal sanctuary and an environmental education program. Having children engaged in such programs not only teaches them the importance of environmental protection but also provides local communities income and a motivation to protect their local environment.

Community

On this particular trip, you will be participating in a Chocolate tour to learn the artisanal process of harvesting, drying and grinding the cocoa beans and learn why cocoa was so important to the Mayas, Aztecs and Caribbean pirates. Tours of this nature ensure the preservation of traditional techniques of cultivation and the cultural connections to these techniques. You will then enjoy dinner in a local restaurant owned by the wonderful Miss Junnie, who has lived the village her whole life. Supporting the local food industry in Costa Rica not only maintains the cultural identity of Costa Rica but connects cultures through the most ancient of pastimes, eating!

You will also visit Don Juan Farm and his farm in the Arenal area to learn about sustainable agriculture (Don Juan Farm uses no pesticides and attracts a variety of bird species) and traditional sugar processing. Finca Don Juan invites you into his family home and will take you on a tour of the plantation before sitting you down for a delicious mouth-watering lunch made with some of the products he produces. Excursions like this connect tourists to the local community to cross boundaries and make tourism beneficial to locals, providing income into the local economy.