Basix
18 to 35s
Real Guatemala to Costa Rica
17 days • 4.9
5
Excellent
42 reviews
17 days
Start
Antigua, Guatemala
Finish
San Jose, Costa Rica
Trip Code
QBYJ
Min Age
18
Trip Size
1 - 16
Physical Rating
Meals
1 breakfast, 2 dinners
Transport
Private vehicle, Public bus, Local bus, Taxi, Shared boat, Ferry
Accommodation
Hotel (12 nights), Camping (2 nights), Multishare Hostel (2 nights)
From £1,084(17 days)
Trip Informations
Why you’ll love this trip
Take a cooking class in Los Ramos – an Indigenous community in the middle of Ometepe Island’s volcanos – and learn traditional techniques used to make Nicaraguan dishes like nacatamales.
Enjoy a full day at leisure in one of El Salvador’s most beautiful national parks – Cerro Verde. Get up close and personal to a volcanic crater or take the plunge in a pristine lake. The choice is yours!
Have breakfast at Cafe de las Sonrisas – a local café run entirely by deaf people. The café's owner is aiming to bridge the gap and inspire other business owners to employ local people living with disabilities.
Island life doesn’t get much better than Ometepe in Nicaragua – volcanoes, wildlife-rich rainforests, stunning beaches, ancient rock carvings and a massive lake are all at your disposal.
Get a taste of four different countries in Central America on an epic Latin adventure that takes in the sights and offers a whole heap of optional activities too! You’ll have loads of free time to choose your own hike, kayak, swimming or dancing adventure.
Is this trip right for you?
This trip involves some long travel days, and while travelling between some locations on local transport can be hard, it’s a great way to meet the locals. You’ll be crossing the borders between five countries, and while it is usually straightforward, you may need to be patient. Make sure you’ve got your best car game ready if there are any delays!
This itinerary has a mix of included activities and free time when your leader will offer suggestions. Please budget spending money for optional activities you want to partake in.
Central America is generally hot and humid year-round. At nighttime and in locations at higher elevations it can get chilly. Protect yourself from the sun, bring light clothing you can layer and a waterproof jacket, and stay hydrated. Air conditioning may not always be available in your rooms. Occasionally, properties may require an additional charge for air conditioning.
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.
This trip is part of a longer itinerary. You might be joining travellers who have already spent some time together. If you have more time to explore, you might like to check out Epic Central America or Epic Mexico to Costa Rica.
If you are traveling with a UK passport, a visa is now required to enter Honduras. Please ensure you check the Important Notes and Essential Trip Information for more details.
Itinerary
A wildlife-rich paradise brimming with active volcanoes, beaches and jungles
From the Guatemalan highlands to the cloud forests of Costa Rica (and all the surf spots in between), you’ll join a new group of soon-to-be friends and roll through four Central American countries for a taste of this diverse region. Discover tropical forests alive with jungle melodies, vast freshwater lakes and active volcanoes – this wildlife-rich pocket of Central America is ready to be explored. Turn your eyes to a volcanic crater in Cerro Verde, spot colourful birds on the facades of Granada, stand in the shadow of the mighty Arenal Volcano and search for sloths among the canopy of Monteverde Cloud Forest. This trip through Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica is perfect for those who like their adventures 'la forma natural'.
Inclusions
Meals
1 breakfast, 2 dinners
Transport
Private vehicle, Public bus, Local bus, Taxi, Shared boat, Ferry
Accommodation
Hotel (12 nights), Camping (2 nights), Multishare Hostel (2 nights)
Included activities
Leader-led Informal Spanish Lesson
Cerro Verde - Salvadoran Pupusa cooking demonstration
Leon - Leader-led orientation walk
Granada - Breakfast at El Cafe de las Sonrisas
Los Ramos Community - Cooking Class
Monteverde - Leader-led orientation walk
La Fortuna - Leader-led orientation walk
San Jose - Leader-led orientation walk
Optional activities
Antigua - Chocolate-making workshop at ChocoMuseo - USD30
Cerro Verde- Coatepeque Lake – (transportation, entrance fee, hotsprings, guide) - USD50
Cerro Verde National Park - Santa Ana volcano hike - USD50
Leon - Volcano Sand Boarding (requires a minimum of 3 travellers to operate) - USD55
Granada - Laguna Apoyo swimming and kayaking tour (requires a minimum of 3 travellers to operate) - USD40
Granada - Kayak rental (per day) - NIO913
Granada - Masaya Volcano at night (Viewpoint for the Lava Lake at Santiago Crater) - USD65
Ometepe - Ojo de Agua natural spring (entrance fee) - USD25
Ometepe - Petroglyphs - USD25
San Juan del Sur - La Flor Beach Reserve - USD6
Monteverde - Suspension bridges tour - USD55
Monteverde - Canopy Zip Lining (Entrance, Equipment & Transport) - USD101
Monteverde - Coffee & Chocolate tour - USD47
Monteverde - Cloud Forest Night Walk - USD45
Monteverde - Butterfly Garden and Insects Farm (entrance fee) - USD22
Monteverde - Cloud Forest Entrance - USD26
La Fortuna - Ecotermales Hot Springs (entrance fee) - USD49
La Fortuna - La Fortuna Waterfall (Entrance only) - USD25
La Fortuna - Arenal Volcano Base Hike - USD97
La Fortuna- Caño Negro boat tour - USD94
La Fortuna - Stand up paddle board - USD75
San Jose - National Museum (entrance fee) (Closed Sunday & Monday) - USD11
Dates and availability
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Important notes
1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Days 10 & 11 (San Juan del Sur) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. Please be careful when booking flights to Antigua; make sure you fly into Guatemala City Airport [GUA]. Guatemala City Airport is the closest airport to Antigua. Please do not book flights to Antigua & Barbuda Airport [ANU] as this is an island in the Caribbean.
3. Please be careful when booking flights from San Jose; make sure you fly out of Juan Santamaria International Airport [SJO]. Please do not book flights from Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport [SJC] as this is located in California, United States.
4. As per updated Nicaragua entry requirements, customers are currently required to supply a copy of their passport front page to their booking agent no later than 15 days prior to departure.
5. This tour includes accommodation in multi-share rooms (triple and quad). This means travelers on the same booking may be split between rooms due to single gender allocation.
6. IMPORTANT FOR UK PASSPORT HOLDERS: You must obtain a single entry visa to Honduras before traveling on this trip. Due to reported delays in securing embassy appointments, we recommend checking appointment availability with the Honduran Embassy before confirming your travel plans. See the Passports, visas and entry requirements section in your Essential Trip Information for details.
7. Under Honduran law, travelers under age 21 who are traveling unaccompanied or with only one parent must have written, notarized permission to travel (in Spanish) from the non-traveling parent(s) or guardian(s). Please check with your local embassy or consulate for specific requirements.
Reviews (35)
5 stars
31
4 stars
3
3 stars
1
Calley
May 16, 2025
This trip was amazing! The itinerary was better than expected as we did everything. Vin was an excellent guide and made it the best possible experience for everyone, every day. All optimal actives were great options. Would do this all over again.
Olivia
May 03, 2025
I have fallen in love with Central America on this trip! Mynor was an excellent guide & I have seen amazing places, made friends for life & have the best memories ever!
Stacie
Apr 16, 2025
I booked my Intrepid trip with the normal worries one might have, however was never disappointed. Every destination and activity was incredible, the trip well planned and organised to perfection. I loved every second of this trip, the hotels, the food, the activities and the freedom to explore this trip allowed for.
Milla
Mar 15, 2025
Don't worry about the long travel days if you want to experience a ton of beautiful places and interesting sights in a short amount of time. I loved the colonial cities and architecture, amazing sunsets, lovely horseback rides (you can book for yourself in your freetime), beautiful beaches, good meals and crazy cool volcano views and hiking! Our guide Aurora was funny and kind <3 Some people in our group got a bit tired of moving around from place to place so quickly, but for me this was a perfect pace as I love to see new cities/towns often. Some of the accommodation was pretty basic, but they were always clean and comfortable (I had the single supplement to get a bit of alone time as well, would recommend that!). All in all I would definitely recommend this trip, I'll remember it forever for sure :)
Sebastian
Mar 07, 2025
One of the best trips I have ever done in my life! I consider myself very lucky to have been part in the tour that was guided by Chris Estrada - one of the smartest guys I have ever met and incredibly compassionate as well!
Lucy
Nov 09, 2024
Had an amazing time on the central America trip. A great choice if you enjoy outdoors / adventure activities and want to see a lot of places in a short space of time. Ericka our guide was a boss woman and ensured everything ran smoothly and that everyone on the trip had a great time!
Ellen
Oct 16, 2024
Maya our trip leader was amazing she showed us so many places and was just so lovely. I had such a fun time exploring all these places
Chloe
Oct 14, 2024
I really enjoyed my tour with Intrepid. Our tour leader Ma Yara was brilliant! Her local knowledge, informal Spanish lessons and endless compassion hugely impacted our enjoyment of the trip.
Ellie
Oct 12, 2024
I had a great trip with my group and Maya. Maya really went above and beyond her positive energy and enthusiasm are unmatched. Would reccomend this trip with her as a guide.
Aoife
Sep 13, 2024
This trip was the most amazing trip helped by the amazing Sergio who guided us throughout this experience. I would fully reccomend this trip as well as sergio to anyone thinking about going to central america. It was truly Magical
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