Combining lazy beach hours with wildlife encounters and wilderness adventures, this luxurious 7-day adventure is the perfect mix of family downtime and active exploration. Savor the serenity of the Caribbean coast and provide your family magnificent and natural experiences in Costa Rica. Handcrafted with private tours and exceptional lodges, this exciting journey will include everything from comfortable snorkeling excursions to hiking with monkeys.
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Irazu – Discovering an Active Volcano
After landing at the country’s main international airport, you will be met by a local guide and transferred along the road toward the Caribbean. As you arrive at your luxurious accommodation in Irazu, you will check-in to your lodge that will be tucked beneath the frame of Irazu Volcano. The lodge is emblematic of Costa Rica’s appeal and will provide you with luxury and space within sublime and natural surroundings. Once you are settled in, you can traverse an active volcano that last erupted in 1994. It is very safe to explore at the moment, but you can still encounter superior volcanic power. At the summit, you can stroll along some hiking trails, so your time on Irazu can be as active as your family desires.
What's Included:
Day 2
Tortuguero National Park – Family Rafting
Day 3
Tortuguero National Park – Encounters with Sea Turtles
Day 4
Tortuguero National Park – Cruising through the Jungle
Day 5
Puerto Viejo – Colorful Charms of the Coast
Day 6
Puerto Viejo – Snorkeling and Hiking
Day 7
Puerto Viejo – Wildlife Refuge and Departure
Trip Highlights
- Cruise along the serene rivers of Tortuguero National Park for interactive moments with monkeys and caimans
- Escape to breathtaking Caribbean beaches, where there is all the space and privacy that is needed for your family to come together
- Swim and snorkel in calming waters alongside turtles and other beautiful marine life
- Explore an active volcano, where surreal colors and smells can make for a very educational family experience
- Discover a wildlife refuge, where jaguars and sloths provide wide-eyed amazement for kids and adults
- Admire how the Costa Rican wilderness has been made so accessible as you venture on a family hike in monkeys’ habitat
- Drift down the Pacuare River on a calm, white-water rafting trip that may have you feeling the thrills
Detailed Description
Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is sublime and surreal. Its dense jungle leans out above pristine beaches, and monkeys howl from the trees. During this luxurious, 7-day vacation through Costa Rica, you can rest and relax in destinations that feel cut off from the rest of the world. You can also indulge in an adventure deep into the jungle or out onto enchanting reefs. Costa Rica’s Pacific coast is becoming increasingly popular, but the Caribbean has preserved its rich and untouched fell. With only one week in Costa Rica, it is difficult to combine both coastlines, but seven days in the Caribbean can blend coastal pleasures with more of the country’s iconic experiences, such as active volcanos and wildlife refuges.
Most importantly, Costa Rica’s Caribbean offers an enormous sense of freedom and space. Here, you children can find a place to run around and play in nature. There is also solitude and all the serenity that you can expect from a tropical locale in addition to the natural adventure that makes Costa Rica so exciting and inviting. It is amazing how many different experiences you can combine into just seven days in Costa Rica and the Caribbean, and this handcrafted tour will lead you from an active volcano to a jungle river and then from a wildlife-rich national park to the beach bliss of Puerto Viejo. This vacation will provide you with seven days of becoming closer as a family, but also seven days of exploring one of the world’s friendliest and most biodiverse nations.
After flying to San Jose, you will be met by a local guide for a short transfer to Irazu, where you will witness an active volcano with three craters and surreal thermal power. A tour around the summit will intrigue you before having some downtime at a boutique lodge. Continuing toward the Caribbean, you will spend a day rafting down the Rio Pacuare, which is an easy adventure that is possible for almost all ages and is mostly about drifting through nature. Most of your week in Costa Rica will be spent in two contrasting Caribbean destinations: Tortuguero National Park and Puerto Viejo.
Tortuguero is part jungle and part coast, making it a mystical world where monkeys howl and sea turtles provide hours of pure joy. River cruises will bring you intimately close to many different animals, while nocturnal beach walks can reveal sea turtles as they hatch from their eggs. From your accommodation, you can listen to the wild and still only be a short ride to the waves. Then, in Puerto Viejo, you will indulge in classic experiences. While there is a unique aura of peacefulness and serenity here, there is adventure as well. On day six, you will snorkel and swim in the turquoise water before a guided hike through the wonders of Cahuita National Park thoroughly excites you. You will even have time to stop at a wildlife refuge before you fly back to San Jose and depart the country.
Starting Price
$2,100 per person (excluding international flights)
What's Included
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.91 stars based on 718 reviews.
We had a near-perfect experience, I would highly recommend Zicasso's tour company.
Reviewed By Zach O.
We celebrated my daughter's high school graduation with a 12-day trip to Costa Rica. I interviewed several local travel agencies and fell in love with Zicasso's tour company from the very first phone conversation. The owner was fantastic to work with, helping me craft the perfect adventure-filled, action-packed vacation for my family. He was honest and took the time to listen to our preferences. He provided great feedback and suggestions.
Prior to our trip, I felt very confident that I was in good hands and knew that every detail was taken care of. During our trip, the company owner checked in with me several times to make sure everything was ok. Unfortunately, someone in my family had to go home early and he was so helpful in coordinating an extra trip to the airport to accommodate our family needs (it required an extra nine hours of driving and a hotel stay for the driver).
The company owner and our agent were generous enough to not charge me for this extra trip. They even canceled all the hotel and activity reservations for that family member, and I received a refund at the end of my trip! It truly was a trip of a lifetime. I found myself thinking, I wish there was a travel company like this for every country because I would use them again to plan my next vacation, wherever it may be!
I also want to give a special shoutout to my driver, who drove my family on several long road trips during our vacation. During our drives, he would spot many interesting animals and birds, and stop on the side of the road so we could get out and get great pictures. Some of my best close-up opportunities to look at animals occurred while in the car. He talked about the agriculture, the school system, and the different rainforests. He even bought plantain chips from the side of the road and shared them with my family. Even though his job was to drive us from point A to point B, I felt his knowledge and his ability to spot animals was better than many of the tour guides we had on the trip. He really cared about Costa Rica and was excited to show us all it had to offer.
I highly recommend this travel company. And ask for our driver to drive you around; you won't be disappointed.
Reviewed By caroline C.
We used a Zicasso travel expert to plan our trip. The trip was absolutely fabulous and the service was very easy to use. We would definitely use them again.
Reviewed By Allison A.
Zicasso's travel company was very attentive and followed up with us throughout the trip to make sure we were doing well. We had an awesome time and would recommend them to anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica
Reviewed By Tara I.
Everything was arranged thoughtfully, with time for "adventures" and downtime at terrific resorts to relax. All pick-ups, travel by limo, and drop-offs went as arranged. The drivers, guides, and hotel staff were all very pleasant and kind. Zicasso's tour operator did a great job planning our eight-day, family-of-10 trip to Costa Rica! We appreciated that most tours, hikes, and ocean experiences were small groups of just our group of 10. This made it a personal and annoyance-free experience all around. Thanks!
Reviewed By Lolli H.
The Zicasso tour company was very accommodating. They put together a great itinerary and when we wanted to add something, it was no problem.
Reviewed By David M.
