10 Day Costa Rica Family-Friendly Tour: Dry Forest,Blue River,Sarapiqui Rainforest and Tortuguero Canal.
Destinations: Nicoya Peninsula Dry Forest,Tenorio Volcano National,Sarapiqui Rainforest,Tortuguero National Park.
Airports: Juan Santamaria international Airport or Liberia Airport.
Description of the Tour: Discover the dry forest, stunning waterfalls, the Blue River, the rainforest with incredible diversity and canales de Tortuguero where you have the opportunity to see turtles. For families with kids, adolescents and pre-teens, where the main focus is hiking and direct contact with nature.
San Jose
Day 1Upon your arrival at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (San Jose, Costa Rica),or Daniel Oduber international Airport(Liberia Airport) you'll be picked up at the airport, taken to your hotel, and briefed on the next day's activities. The rest of the day is yours to explore the Greater San José or Liberia area as you see fit.
• Overnight in Alajuela or Liberia.
Travel from Alajuela or Liberia to the beautiful Karen Mogensen Reserve.
Day 2
• Breakfast at your hotel.
• Enjoy an exciting journey with your knowledgeable, bilingual guide to the beautiful area surrounding Tenorio. The scenic drive through the Costa Rican countryside will take about three hours.
• After lunch (included), you will join your tour guide on an exciting two hour hike through the Karen Mogensen Reserve, where you will discover an exuberant biodiversity that will thrill your adventurous spirit. After the typical lunch at the home of the hosts and our local guide,get ready for a hike in the mountains crossing rivers and observing animals until the ecolodge Cerrro Escondido.
• (Karen Mogensen Reserve is in the Nicoya Peninsula, and is a hidden jewel! Combining nature and rural tourism for a perfect vacation opportunity.)
• Overnight in Cerro Escondido (first of two nights).
Explore the Karen Mogensen Reserve with your kids.
Day 3
• Early breakfast at your hotel.
• Prepare to enjoy the majesty of the reserve and its surroundings. Enjoy natural attractions—including the waterfall,springs, dry forest, lagoon. With a little good fortune, we may also be lucky enough to spot a peccary, an ocelot, or even a cougar that resides in the area.
• On your return, you will enjoy a delicious traditional local lunch ( included in family travel package).
• Your afternoon is free for your choice of activity.
• Overnight in Cerro Escondido.
Travel from Karen Mogensen Reserve to Rio Cleste,Tenorio Volcano.
Day 4
• Breakfast at your hotel. Prepare for your shuttle service to Tenorio Volcano.
• Enjoy an exciting journey with your knowledgeable, bilingual guide to the beautiful area surrounding Tenorio. The scenic drive through the Costa Rican countryside will take about four hours.
• After lunch (not included), you will join your tour guide on an exciting 2–2½ hour hike through the Tenorio Volcano National Park, where you will discover an exuberant biodiversity that will thrill your adventurous spirit.
• The Tenorio Volcano National Park includes four volcanic peaks and two craters that are sure to amaze your kids.
• Your afternoon is free to enjoy one or more family activities of your choice. (Note: Some optional activities may entail an additional, but always reasonable, fee that is not included in the travel package. If you are interested in a child friendly activity, please consult your tour guide for further details.)
• Overnight in Tenorio (first of 2 nights).
I cannot overstate how wonderful Jose is, as a person and as a guide. I had been to Costa Rica several times without a guide service, but at the suggestion of a colleague, contracted with Jose to guide our tropical biology field course. We traveled with Jose to eleven sites throughout the country and he handled all logistical issues (lodging, travel, etc.) seamlessly. For this alone I wouldn’t hesitate to use him again. Furthermore his love of his country, skills as a naturalist, and local knowledge improved the course tremendously. Ostensibly I was one of our course instructors, but I (and our students) learned so much from Jose that he really deserves much of the credit for our students’ success.
Explore Tenorio and surroundings.
Day 5
• Early breakfast at your hotel.
• Prepare to enjoy the majesty of the Rio Celeste and its surroundings. Enjoy natural attractions—including the waterfall, hot springs, rainforest, blue lagoon, and Los Teñideros, where streams converge to create the heavenly turquoise waters for which Rio Celeste is named. With a little good fortune, we may also be lucky enough to spot a peccary, an ocelot, or even a cougar that resides in the area.
• On your return, you will enjoy a delicious traditional local lunch (cost not included in family travel package).
• Your afternoon is free for your choice of activity. (Optional activities may entail additional fees not included in the travel package. Consult your guide for details.)
• Overnight in Tenorio.
Travel from Rio Celeste to Sarapiqui Rain forest.
Day 6
• Breakfast at your hotel.
• After breakfast your guide / driver will take the family from the Celestial River to Sarapiqui in a transfer of about two hours and forty five minutes.
• Lunch in route or near the hotel; the afternoon to relax and walk in the hotel gardens and enjoy the rest of the afternoon or if your feel more adventurous get ready to fly in the treetops or do white water rafting on the Sarapiqui River. There are sections in this river that makes it ideal for families and beginners.
Explore Sarapiqui Area and surroundings with your kids.
Day 7
• Breakfast at the hotel.
• After a delicious breakfast, get ready for adventure, there are many activities, like a floating boat ride where you will be able to see a lot of animals, or learn how people used to make a native chocolate drink.
• Sarapiqui is perfect for families who love nature where nature is combined with tourism aventura. In this place there are many bilogicas and easily accessible reserves. One of them is the Tirimbina Reserve; where they offer among many things a tour of chocolate.
Travel from Sarapiqui to Tortuguero.
Day 8
• Breakfast at the hotel.
• After breakfast your guide / driver will take you to a local hotel, where you will receive a local guide to take care of your kids and yourselves.
Explore Tortuguero and surroundings.
Day 9
•Breakfast at the hotel.
• After breakfast with your family decide what you would like to do in Tortuguero. You could go on a walking trail or take a boat with your local guide and relax with the beautiful scenery of the channels.
• (Ask about the turtle season and get ready at night to watch them.)
Transfer to from Tortuguero to Alajuela Hotel.
Day10
• After breakfast, take the boat back to where your driver waiting to take back to the hotel near the airport.
• Note: For families who have decided to come to the country by the airport Liberia, you must leave the country by the Airport San Jose Juan Santamaria or add an extra day for the transfer of San Jose Airport Liberia.
Price:
$3960
(for 2-4 people, sharing one hotel room throughout tour)
Ask about our Custom Tours, available for your convenience!
For more information on the available variety of hotel and options for kid friendly tours, send us your e-mail address and Costa Rica Family Adventures will help you create a Costa Rican holiday that is custom-made and unforgettable.
Costa Rica Family Adventures will be happy to provide (via e-mail) a list of the many exciting activities you might that your kids like to consider while vacationing in Costa Rica. And, of course, your personal travel guide will happily recommend additional activities along the way.
About Us
Costa Rica Family Adventures
Costa Rica Family Adventures is a family business with more than 20 years experience in the tourism industry. The dream that has led to Costa Rica Family Adventures was born in 1988 when founder, Marvin Ugalde Arguedas acquired his first vehicle, equipped and licensed for tourist use.
Marvin’s son, Jose Pablo Ugalde Aju, has accompanied his father on various tours beginning at age six. Since then, Jose has become one of Costa Rica’s finest friends and travel guides. Together they undertook their own personal adventure in creating a first-class travel service, especially for families who come to explore Costa Rica’s culture, rich history, and natural beauty.
Here is a sample of some of Costa Rica’s most beautiful family destinations that we would love to share with you and your kids:
- Cahuita
- Rio Celeste
- Monteverde
- Manuel Antonio
- Playa Tamarindo
- Puerto Viejo de Limon
- Arenal Volcano and surrounding
Costa Rica Family Adventures is always happy to help you plan your perfect getaway and to share with you the beauty that is Costa Rica.
Our Staff:
Known widely for his “Chicken Tours,” Don Marvin has spent approximately 20 years working with Allied Tourism Enterprises, promoting their businesses. And his earliest ventures into tourism came with his work with representatives of the Methodist Church of the United States and with the Organization for Tropical Studies. Don Marvin is a certified tour guide (Costa Rican Tourism Institute, or ICT) and is an inspired lover of nature. Due to his natural empathy and joyful manner, Don Marvin has made customer service a way of life.
Jose Pablo, sometimes known as “Chicken Little,” has eight years of experience in the tourism industry, but his passion for discovery developed at a very young age, when he joined his father on a variety of Costa Rican tours. In addition to being a certified tour guide (Costa Rican Tourism Institute, or ICT), Jose is a licensed naturalist guide, certified by the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio). He has worked for extended periods in the areas around Arenal and the Osa Peninsula as a local guide. Jose, like his father, is a lifelong nature lover and an enthusiastic bird-watcher.
Jose especially loves working with families and enjoys the company of children. His kind and generous nature will appeal to tourists of all ages, and he has a remarkable gift for sharing the spirit of discovery on every journey with Costa Rica Adventures. Jose has acquired an advanced mastery of the English language and has a basic command of French.
Cancellation Policies
For any cancellationmade between 45 and 30 days prior to passengers arrival CR Family Adventures will only charge $60 administrative cost for the arragements made for the trip.
For cancellations made 29 to 15 days prior to passengers arrival a 50% reimbursement will be granted.
For cancellations made 14 to 0 days prior to passengers arrival, no reimbursement wil be granted.
