Costa Rica is a tranquil Central American destination full of volcanoes, rainforests, cloudforests, & beaches. This incredibly friendly country is a great stop for anyone's first tour to Latin America, and also draws visitors time and time again to explore its vast array of natural beauty and scenic wonder. Its varied terrain and activities are flexible enough to suit everyone's travel style. You can easily find lodging to suit your style--anywhere from comfortable family run bed and breakfasts to small, exclusive, deluxe hotels, all the way up to full-blown all-inclusive style resorts.

What a perfect setting for adventure! Costa Rica is blessed with dense tropical rainforests bisected by raging rivers for the paddling enthusiast, beautiful volcanoes and cloud forests for hikers and mountain bikers, and serene beaches (on two coasts!) for sea kayakers, snorkelers and scuba divers. An extra plus is the vast array of wildlife, colorful birds, and abundance of tropical flowers you'll encounter throughout your adventures.

A great place for family vacations, Costa Rica offers a vast variety of fun and educational opportunities related to its tropical forests. Over 25% of Costa Rica falls under some category of a protected area--either a national park, public or private reserve. Birds, butterflies & exploding volcanoes will delight you and your children.

Below, we've highlighted some of our more popular itineraries. Please keep in mind that most itineraries are flexible, and can be customized to suit your specific interests, vacation time, and budget.

Costa Rica Cultural Trips--There are several good overviews of Costa Rica--most will include some natural history, but also sightseeing across the country. Our Best of Costa Rica visits the private tropical forest reserve of Tiskita, (adjacent to Corcovado National Park), Arenal Volcano and the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Daily departures are $1425 per person. We offer daily departures of our core program for 4 days/3 nights to Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest, with a choice of extensions to create the following 9 day package options: Tropical Forests and Manuel Antonio for $1145 per person, Tropical Forests and Tamarindo for $1190 per person, Tropical Forests & Tiskita Lodge for $1425, and an 8 day trip of Tropical Forests and Tortuguero for $1225 per person.

Costa Rica Adventure Trips--A classic for adventure enthusiasts is our Costa Rica Coast-to-Coast. You'll hike, mountain bike and river raft over 140 miles from the Pacific to the Caribbean in 15 days. A great accomplishment! Monthly departures are $2230. A bit less strenuous and remote is the Costa Rican Adventure. 2 days rafting, hiking around the Arenal Volcano and a few days for beach activities on the Pacific coast are included in this 8 day trip offered 2-3 times monthly for $1350. Mountain bikers will love our Paddles & Pedals trip. 3 days of mountain biking in cloud forests and beach locations combine with 2 days white water rafting + lake and sea kayaking on these departures offered 1-2 times monthly. Cost is $1586. See our Costa Rican Trip Index for a complete list of offerings.

Costa Rica Natural History Trips--The Adventures with Nature program allows visits to the Caribbean lowlands rainforest of Sarapiqui, the Arenal Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest and the Carara Biological Reserve. Departures are offered three times weekly for $1435 per person. No matter what the focus of your trip--from beaches to volcanoes to adventure, you will encounter natural history explorations along the way. Guides in Costa Rica are well versed on the flora and fauna of their country, and our proud to share their knowledge as you encounter many bird, animal & plant species during your travels. We can also arrange specific bird-watching itineraries with expert guides for travelers that wish to focus on this activity, or customize programs for specialized guides for a wide variety of special interest options.

For a complete listing of our group and independent offerings including a brief description, best time of the year to travel, and costs, go to our Costa Rica Trip Index.

You can contact us to request specific itineraries and for help designing a custom trip via this e-mail link, or by calling 800-510-5999.