Original
Family
Best of Costa Rica Family Holiday
4.9
Excellent
15 reviews
14 days
Start
San Jose, Costa Rica
Finish
San Jose, Costa Rica
Trip Code
QCFB
Min Age
5
Trip Size
2 - 16
Physical Rating
Meals
13 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
Transport
Private vehicle, Boat, Public Transportation
Accommodation
Hotels (13 nights)
From £2,888(14 days)
Trip Informations
Why you’ll love this trip
Spend time with the Terraba community – an Indigenous group who have survived off the land for more than 500 years – and enjoy a shared lunch of local eats. The kids will love the chocolate-making lesson here!
Walk through the diverse forest and jungle and take an incredible canopy walk along suspended bridges in Cloud Forest – lookout for sloths and various birdlife as you go.
Experience life as the locals do by spending time on a family farm and learning how to cook authentic local Costa Rican food.
Enjoy some family downtime in the seaside town of Dominical at your eco-hotel, surrounded by stunning beaches and a tropical jungle.
Look out for wildlife in the evergreen rainforest of Sarapiqui – a town known for its rich biodiversity – and enjoy some free time to maybe learn about the nocturnal creatures that dwell here.
Is this trip right for you?
Make sure you pack some sturdy and comfortable shoes as you’ll be walking around cities and towns and through forests and jungles on this trip.
There are a few days of long travel on this trip as you’ll be covering a lot of Costa Rican ground. These drives are along smooth roads in new and comfortable vehicles, and are great for games, chats and scenery spotting. You’ll also make interesting stops along the way to break up the longer drives.
Is it hot in here? You’re in tropical Central America so it can get very humid, although nighttime and locations at higher elevations can get chilly. Carry plenty of water, dress in light clothing and bring a waterproof jacket. We’ll give you every opportunity to cool off with a swim.
With so much to see and do, Costa Rica can sometimes be expensive. Expect to pay more than you would in other Central American countries for a lot of things.
Make sure you pack some sturdy and comfortable shoes as you’ll be walking around cities and towns and through forests and jungles on this trip.
There are a few days of long travel on this trip as you’ll be covering a lot of Costa Rican ground. These drives are along smooth roads in new and comfortable vehicles, and are great for games, chats and scenery spotting. You’ll also make interesting stops along the way to break up the longer drives.
Is it hot in here? You’re in tropical Central America so it can get very humid, although nighttime and locations at higher elevations can get chilly. Carry plenty of water, dress in light clothing and bring a waterproof jacket. We’ll give you every opportunity to cool off with a swim.
With so much to see and do, Costa Rica can sometimes be expensive. Expect to pay more than you would in other Central American countries for a lot of things.
Itinerary
Make family memories among evergreen forests and towering volcanos
Get off the beaten track on this two-week family holiday in Costa Rica, exploring all the best highlights and hidden secrets. Starting in subtropical San Jose, you'll explore Tortuguero National Park – home to 13 of Costa Rica’s 16 endangered mammals and the nesting ground of the green turtle. Spend some time in biodiverse Sarapiqui and maybe take on a few fun, active adventures with the kids. Stay in La Fortuna under the mighty gaze of Arenal Volcano and soak in your onsite hot springs before heading to the cloud forest in Monteverde. Learn how to cook authentic local Costa Rican food in Dominical with three generations of locals and then take a day trip to the popular Manuel Antonio National Park. After a huge adventure full of natural wonders and wildlife, meet the Indigenous community along the Terraba River and learn about their matriarchal society before ending it all back in San Jose.
Inclusions
Meals
13 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
Transport
Private vehicle, Boat, Public Transportation
Accommodation
Hotels (13 nights)
Included activities
Tortuguero - Boat ride to Tortuguero
Tortuguero - National Park Entrance
Tortuguero - Boat tour of the canals
Sarapiqui - leader led rainforest night walk
La Fortuna - Los Laureles Hot Springs
Monteverde - Sky Walk (Entrance)
Monteverde – Hands on breakfast activity & Farm tour
Manuel Antonio - Homecooked lunch
Terraba community - Indigenous Community Visit & Mask Carving Lesson
Terraba community- Chocolate making
Manuel Antonio National Park - Tour with a Naturalist Guide
Manuel Antonio National Park - (Entrance fee)
Optional activities
Tortuguero - Turtle Watching Night Tour - USD45
Tortuguero - Sunrise canoe trip around canals - USD45
Sarapiqui - River float tour - USD78
La Fortuna - La Fortuna Waterfall (Entrance only) - USD25
La Fortuna - Arenal 1968 Volcano View and Lava Trails (Entrance fee) - USD25
Monteverde - Sky Tram & Sky Trek - USD101
Monteverde - Coffee & Chocolate tour - USD47
Dominical – Marino Ballena National Park hike - USD78
Dominical – Mangrove Boat tour - USD85
Dates and availability
Starting
Ending
Remaining
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Important notes
1. Age restrictions apply to this trip: minimum age 5 years old. Please note that anyone aged under 18 must be accompanied by (and share accommodation with) a parent or legal guardian.
2. A discount of 10% applies on this trip to children 17 or younger at the time of travel.
3. Full passport details are required at the time of booking in order to purchase entrance tickets to Manuel Antonio National Park. Delays to provide this information may result in changes to your itinerary, and we will not be able to guarantee entry. Details provided must be accurate as per your passport bio page.
4. First day - there will be a group meeting at 6pm on Day 1
Last day - no activities are planned for your last day, so you can depart at any time.
5. A single supplement is available on this trip 
6. Costa Rica is a tropical country, so rain can be excepted at any time. The rainy season in Costa Rica runs from May – November. While July and some of August does experience dry spells, families need to be prepared for the rain. Rain does usually come in the afternoons, and it can pour. So you will need to be prepared with wet weather gear. Hurricane season in this region is from June to November, when landslides, mudslides, flooding and disruptions to essential services can occur. Tuuur monitors any situations that arise and may need to change itineraries or activities in response to these natural weather occurrences.
7. Many hotels outside of San Jose have been built further out from the centre of town so travellers can enjoy the countryside, rainforests and views, where people can wake up to birds, not cars. Many of the hotels we use are in such locations.
8. Costa Rican food is known for being fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables. Rice and black beans are a staple of most traditional Costa Rican meals. Meals in Costa Rican are more expensive than its neighbouring countries.
Reviews (18)
5 stars
17
4 stars
1
Lisandra
Aug 22, 2025
Intrepid offers an excellent, well planned, and safe tour experience for travelers interested in local culture, sustainability, and the environment. They offer a mix of immersive local and regional experiences, exploration activities, and cultural education. Guides are well informed and considerate. We will definitely be doing more trips with Intrepid in the future!
Clare
Aug 19, 2025
Our visit with intrepid to Costa Rica was incredible! Stunning locations, plentiful wildlife, exciting activities all brought to life by our amazing guide Emil - sharing his passion for his county made us fall in love with it too.
Natalie
Aug 17, 2025
Intrepid are an excellent choice for safe, family based adventure holidays with enthusiastic, experienced, knowledgeable guides. Our trip to Costa Rica exceeded our expectations as did our wonderful guide Emil.
Kerry
Aug 08, 2025
We have just returned from the Costa Rica family tour and found the trip very interesting with beautiful scenery and wildlife and lots of variety with regards the activities. We went to Vietnam with intrepid last year and used them again as a result of that experience
Olivia
Jul 26, 2025
10/10! Our trip was excellent and we would definitely do it again! We participated in so many activities and went to so many different places that would be hard to do without intrepid. Everything was so easy to plan.
Fergie
Jul 26, 2025
This was the most amazing trip ever our tour guide Lourdes Mora was so amazing and knowledgeable on the local history. The activities where so fun and immersive all of the hotels where beautiful and all of the locations where so amazing everyone was also so nice . Would 100% recommend
Tricia
Jul 21, 2025
Costa Rica is like a big green hug! It's so full of life and beauty. Our whole family (including my 14 year-old daughters) thoroughly enjoyed our 14 day tour. We really felt we got the absolute best experience of the country through the intrepid itinerary. Lu our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and knew just where to find the extra special wildlife and the best restaurants. She was also fabulous at keeping the kids happy and entertained. Travelling with like minded families really enhanced the experience. The kids encouraging each other to try new things and learnt a lot about each other's lives in there respective countries. Much of the accommodation was located close to forests or beaches, which meant I could do some extra exploring while the kids played with their new friends in the pool. A perfect family holiday with a positive conservation message.
Aidan
Jul 19, 2025
Our trip to Costa Rica was fantastic, and doing it with intrepid meant that all the hard work was done for us in selecting amazing places to stay and visit. Our guide Lourdes was key to making the whole trip perfect for the whole family and we can’t thank her enough!
Lynne
Apr 28, 2025
Costa Rica was our family trip of a lifetime. We got up close to a vast array of wildlife, flora and fauna and our guide was outstanding. She took all of the pressures of travelling off us, leaving us to sit back and have a thoroughly fantastic trip. Well done Intrepid for this family trip and our brilliant guide.
Emma
Apr 28, 2025
An truly unforgettable 14 day family adventure through Costa Rica! A perfect balance of nature, culture, and fun, made even better by our phenomenal guide, Lu! Thoughtfully planned, community-focused, and full of memorable experiences for both kids and adults - even my 5-year-old son loved every moment and will never forget it. Highly recommend for any family seeking meaningful and exciting travel.
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