Is your family ready for a new adventure, a vacation filled with exciting activities, new experiences, amazing wildlife, new cultures, and learning opportunities? If so, this trip to Costa Rica is sure to delight. Some of the adventures include an adrenaline-filled zip-line tour through the forest canopy in Arenal, famous for its commanding volcano and thermal hot springs; a horseback ride on the slopes of the volcano; and a guided tour of the Arenal hanging bridges, 15 bridges suspended high above the ground and through the dense canopy, where you can see birds, monkeys, reptiles, and insects up close. Relax in the thermal pools of the Baldi Hot Springs and spend time in Rincón de la Vieja National Park, known as Costa Rica’s Yellowstone. Learn about a different way of life and different cultures when you visit a local family’s sugarcane farm; participate in a cooking class; stop by a nearby local school; experience being a Costa Rican cowboy milking cows, rounding up cattle, working in a corral, and harnessing horses; and dance to Costa Rican music. All of this and more await you on this fun-filled, marvelous family vacation.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Arrive in San José. Welcome to San José. Tonight, meet up with your fellow traveling companions and Tour Director for a poolside WELCOME PARTY & DINNER, where you will be treated to typical Costa Rican fare. During your meal, sample a wide variety of authentic dishes from different areas of the country and choose which you like best! After dinner, things heat up with a traditional cimarrona—dance to Costa Rican music and be entertained by costumed dancers from Costa Rican folk stories. (D)
Day #2 Explore Volcanoes & Fly Like a Bird. This morning, journey through coffee and sugar plantations on the way to POAS VOLCANO NATIONAL PARK. Walk the trails that lead through a cloud forest stunted and twisted by volcanic emissions and the rigors of the windy, high-altitude habitat to POAS VOLCANO. Get close-up views of the enormous crater and the deep, green lake inside the crater. If you’re lucky, you may even witness one of its sporadic geyser-like eruptions! Next, continue to a nearby local town for a traditional Costa Rican lunch. Why not try some gallo pinto or casado, the national dish? Continue to Arenal, famous for its commanding volcano and thermal hot springs. This afternoon, a thrill of a lifetime awaits you when you take an adrenalin-filled [LF] ZIP-LINE TOUR through the forest canopy. Soar through the air from platform to platform more than 275 feet high. Not only will you see the jungle from a unique vantage point, but you also have the opportunity to get up close and personal with animal wildlife in their native habitat. After nightfall, from the comfort of your resort, enjoy the spectacle of Arenal Volcano’s bright red lava coursing its way down from the cone—an awesome sight, indeed! (B,L)
Day #3 Horseback Riding, Canopy Tour & Hot Springs. Saddle-up for a beautiful guided HORSEBACK RIDE this morning that crosses rivers, traverses rolling hills, and takes you onto the slopes of Arenal Volcano, where you can admire the rumbling volcano up close. You will even see an area where lava from old eruptions has hardened into unique rock formations and learn about the volcano’s past and present eruptions. Next, head into the pristine rainforest by way of the ARENAL HANGING BRIDGES. A local Naturalist leads you along 15 bridges suspended high above the ground and through the dense canopy, providing you with a bird’s-eye view of this wild ecosystem. Watch for birds, monkeys, reptiles, insects, and maybe even a sloth! Top off your day relaxing in the thermal pools of BALDI HOT SPRINGS followed by dinner. You may wish to relax in the peaceful serenity of a thermal mineral pool, enjoy a mocktail at a swim-up bar, or frolic on one of the three water slides—the choice is yours, as there are 25 different pools to choose from. (B,D)
Day #4 Day at a Local Family Farm. Learn about daily life on a Costa Rican farm today when you visit a local family’s [LF] TRAPICHE, a sugar cane farm, in La Fortuna. Here, you will be invited into the family’s home and participate in a COOKING CLASS, where you will learn to make tortillas from scratch. Next, take an OXCART RIDE, a traditional Tico means of transport, into the family’s sugar cane plantation. The history and production of sugar cane will be explained as you journey through the fields. Along the way, pick some sugar cane and bring it back to the mill, where you can juice it and taste it, of course! Depart the home and stop at a nearby local SCHOOL to meet some students who will show you some traditional Costa Rican folkloric dances. Later, drive through the Guanacaste mountains into RINCÓN DE LA VIEJA NATIONAL PARK, known as Costa Rica’s Yellowstone, where you will find a local hacienda, your home for the next two nights. (B,D)
Day #5 One-Day Adventure Pass! Today you have a ONE-DAY ADVENTURE PASS—that means you can fill your day with the included adventure of your choice. Some of the activities you can choose from include a canyon canopy tour, complete with zip-lines, hanging bridges, rappelling, and wildlife; a waterfall canyoning tour, which includes rappelling down a waterfall; a tubing adventure down the Rio Negro; horseback riding to a remote waterfall; and several walking tours inside the national park. Whatever you like, it’s included. (B,L,D)
Day #6 Cowboy For a Day. Put your chaps on this morning and head to the hacienda’s stables, where you can become a COSTA RICAN COWBOY. Experience working in a corral, milking cows, cattle round-ups, and harnessing horses. After some time to clean up, depart the hacienda for Tamarindo Beach on the Pacific Coast. (B)
Day #7 Spend a Day at the Beach. Free time today allows for snorkeling, sailing, or surfing lessons from your beachfront resort. Alternatively, you may opt for a guided ATV tour, river rafting, or a day of golfing. Later, meet up with your fellow traveling amigos and your Tour Director, who is hosting a special SEND-OFF CELEBRATION DINNER on the beach. After dinner, celebrate like it’s Carnival, complete with a DJ, dancers, and special guests. Dance the night away and celebrate the perfect ending to your Costa Rica vacation! (B,D)
Day #8 Tamarindo–Liberia. Transfer to Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia for your homebound connections. (B)
