Costa Rica family adventure

Itinerary in brief: 

• 2 nights Central Valley 
• 3 nights Arenal 
• 2 nights Monteverde 
• 3 nights Papagayo 
• 1 night Central Valley

Day 1: UK to Costa Rica

Depart the UK from your chosen airport. 

Included: International flights

Day 2: Arrive Costa Rica

On arrival in Costa Rica, you’ll be met at the airport and driven to your hotel in the Central Valley, close to the airport. You can relax at your hotel for the rest of the day and settle into the relaxed pace of Costa Rican life. 

Included: Transfers, Xandari Resort

Day 3: La Paz Waterfall Gardens 

This morning you’ll head out for a tour of La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This lovely reserve has five waterfalls, safe hiking trails and animals to spot. There’s also a hummingbird garden and a butterfly garden, as well as an onsite laboratory to learn about the lifecycle and metamorphosis of the butterflies. 

The rest of the day is yours to enjoy your hotel, Xandari Resort, which is full of nature trails through the forest reserve and has a pool with a spectacular view over the Central Valley. 

Included: Breakfast, private touring, Xandari Resort

Day 4: Travel to Arenal 

After a delicious breakfast, you’ll be driven to Arenal, in the heart of Costa Rica. This beautiful region is lush with wildlife, forests and lakes, all centred around the majestic Arenal volcano. In the afternoon you’ll head out to enjoy a creative experience, painting an oxcart! Perfect for the whole family, you’ll meet with a local artisan, who will teach you about painting techniques while you learn about the traditional painting of the oxcarts. This is a great and relaxing way to start your time in Arenal. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, private touring, 4* hotel               

Days 5 & 6: Arenal

On Day 4, you’ll head out to enjoy a relaxing and peaceful river cruise, soaking up the tranquillity of Costa Rica’s rainforest. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for monkeys, caimans, iguanas and a whole host of colourful birds. The river is also home to small crocodiles that peep their eyes out of the water as you cruise by. Your guide will share with your some history and knowledge about the flora and fauna of the river. You’ll spend around two hours exploring and looking for wildlife before heading back to the hotel to relax. 

In the evening, you’ll be picked up and taken to a small family rainforest restoration project, EcoGarden Arenal. You’ll head out into the regenerating forest to look for active nocturnal animals, including bats, insects and lots of frogs. After a fascinating walk, you’ll enjoy a typical Costa Rican dinner with the family, a great way to learn about local life. 

On Day 5, you’ll have a free morning to relax and enjoy your hotel but in the afternoon you’ll head off for a brilliant activity that all the family will love – a chocolate tour! With a spectacular view of Arenal volcano, you’ll enjoy the sweetest rainforest experience as you learn all about the ancient secrets of chocolate. Considered a ‘gift from the gods’, the cacao tree is very important in Central American culture – spend two hours getting stuck in, from learning about the harvesting of the fruit and the grinding of the seeds, to tasting some delicious local products. 

Included: Breakfast, shared chocolate tour and cruise, private night tour, 4* hotel  

Day 7: Crossing Lake Arenal to Monteverde

After breakfast, you’ll be picked up for your journey to Monteverde, which includes crossing the spectacular Lake Arenal. After enjoying the scenic crossing, you’ll continue on to Monteverde, in the heart of the Costa Rican cloudforest. It’s a small and authentic region, with incredible landscapes and abundant nature to be explored and discovered. Despite being a popular area to visit, it is still rural and lush, with lots of projects that focus on the conservation and reforestation that Costa Rica is so famous for. When you arrive at your hotel, you’ll check in for two nights. 

Included: Breakfast, shared lake crossing, transfers, 4* hotel      

Day 8: Monteverde

This morning is yours to enjoy the hotel and surrounding gardens, soaking up the lush beauty of the cloud forest region. In the afternoon, you’ll be driven to the 

Included: Breakfast, shared touring, 4* hotel 

Day 9: Travel to Papagayo 

After breakfast, you’ll be driven to Papagayo, on the Pacific Coast for a few days of relaxing beach time to finish your holiday. The northern Pacific beaches are some of the best in Costa Rica and Guanacaste Province is a lush, forested area that’s perfect to settle for a few nights and really soak up the load-back beach vibe that Costa Rica is famous for. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, 4* hotel

Days 10 & 11: Papagayo

Much of your time here is yours to relax and explore at leisure with your family. Build sandcastles with your children, stroll along the beaches and soak up the sun after a week of exploring Costa Rica. On one of your days here, we’ve included a half day “Fun in the Ocean” trip for all the family. This exciting day out will see you head out on a boat for the morning or afternoon – looking for dolphins and whales in the blue ocean, trying stand up paddleboarding and wakeboarding in the warm waters and snorkelling as you look for colourful fishes. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore the nearby mangroves at high tide or some local tidal caves at low tide.  

Included: Breakfast, Fun in the Ocean tour, 4* hotel                      

Day 12: Travel to Central Valley

Spend your final morning relaxing at the beach before being driven back to the Central Valley. Enjoy the afternoon at Xandari Resort before spending your final night in Costa Rica, looking back over a fantastic family holiday. 

Included: Breakfast, transfers, Xandari Resort   

Day 13: Costa Rica to UK

After breakfast, you’ll be driven to the airport for your morning flight home, landing back in the UK later the same day.