Costa Rica Family Adventure

Depart U.S. and fly to San Jose, Costa Rica. Transfer to the Bougainvillea Hotel, located in the hills of historic Heredia, a small town in the Central Valley just 15 minutes north of San José. Gather for a welcome reception and dinner.

Overnight: Marriott Hacienda Belen

Meals: R, D

Drive two hours to La Selva Biological Research Station for your first lecture, followed by a guided walk and lunch. Continue to a pineapple plantation en route to Maquenque (1.5-hour drive). On arrival, travel to lodge via 10-minute boat ride and settle into tree houses. Enjoy a twilight walk in the evening.

Overnight: Maquenque Eco Lodge

Meals: B, L, D

Take a morning boat ride on the San Carlos River through the Wildlife Refuge. Look for crocodiles, tortoise, bats, herons, kingfishers, king vultures, and many more species. Stop to visit a local village. Enjoy a rainforest walk this afternoon. Optional twilight walk to look for frogs, owls, butterflies, bats, and other nocturnal animals.

Overnight: Maquenque Eco Lodge

Meals: B, L, D

Drive 45 minutes to raft down Class II/III rapids on the Balsa River (appropriate for kids 8 and older), where exotic birds, such as the sun bittern, keel billed toucan and the endangered great green macaw are still spotted.

Have lunch and make a tour at an organic farm. Continue 45 minutes to the Tilajari Hotel by Arenal National Park, featuring thermal springs, lush gardens, nature paths, and panoramic volcano and mountain views. Enjoy free time and a lecture from your study leader before dinner. 

Overnight: Tilajari Hotel

Meals: B, L, D

Enjoy lunch and demonstration of an artisanal mill, which processes sugar cane into a traditional treat. This evening, experience the rainforest on a twilight walking tour.

Overnight: Tilajari Hotel

Meals: B, L, D

Take a boat ride across Lake Arenal, which attracts many species of resident and migratory birds to the verdant hills along its banks. Mammals such as the playful coatimundi can occasionally be seen along with views of the Arenal Volcano.

Continue to the Monteverde Cloud Forest and the El Establo Hotel, featuring spectacular views of the Monteverde mountains, the coastal plains, and Nicoya Gulf. Visit an artist’s collective and the Bat Jungle for a guided walk into the world of bats.  Watch the bats and bat feeders from a "Bat Habitat", which is a separate glass enclosed viewing area. The Bat Jungle’s mission is to promote public awareness of the ecological importance of bats, thereby helping to conserve bat populations throughout the world.

Attend an evening lecture before a celebratory New Year's Eve dinner.

Overnight: El Establo Mountain Hotel

Meals: B, L, D

Start the new year with a scenic ziplining adventure! The Sky Tram will lead you up to the Continental Divide, with short stops to observe the cloud forest biodiversity and panoramic views. Optional ziplining between five observation towers is also included.

Spend the afternoon at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and its easy trails through some of the most beautiful primary cloud forests in the world. Often shrouded in cloud blown in from the Atlantic Ocean, the forests of Monteverde are laden with epiphytic growth such as mosses, lichens, ferns, bromeliads, orchids-even small trees! Famous for its populations of Resplendent Quetzal, Monteverde has almost become synonymous with this legendary bird. Other cloud forest denizens include the Black-faced Solitaire, Golden-browed Chlorophonia and Black Guan.

This evening, conclude your journey with a special farewell dinner.

Overnight: El Establo Mountain Hotel

Meals: B, L, D

Transfer three hours to Liberia or San Jose airports for flights to the U.S.

Meals: B