Costa Rica Family Escape

A week's escape for all the family in vibrant Costa Rica

Awaken your senses on a magical escape to Costa Rica full of activities that the whole family will love. Zip wire across the cloud forest, try whitewater rafting in Costa Rica's exhilarating Balsa River, swim in a waterfall and take a boat trip to see dolphins off the Pacific Coast. Stay in comfortable, well located hotels, most with swimming pools to splash about in. This action packed week will leave you refreshed and full of memories of Costa Rica's most famous saying: "Pura Vida" or "Pure Life".

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips which improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• The use of a local guide means our customers will be well informed about local traditions, and cultural and social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally-owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food and support of other local enterprise.
• We use fairly small, family run and locally staffed establishments which ensures that we are benefiting local communities.
• Although this is a largely nature-based trip, we incorporate as much benefit to local people as possible. One of the ways to support local people and boost the economy is to buy crafts in some of the remote regions that we visit, such as Tortuguero and Cahuita. Having the opportunity to purchase locally made handicrafts encourages cultural exchange and provides a significant form of alternative income.
• Our local guides are careful to explain that any souvenirs on sale over the duration of the trip which are made from animal parts, shells or local hardwoods should not be purchased.
• This is a small group tour, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people.
• Our local operator is very involved in supporting community projects. Our local operator cares about our impact on the destination, which is why we carry out several actions. For instance:

* The celebration of the International Tourism Day of 2019 by cleaning a beach at Guacalillo, that allowed to recollect 150 Kg of waste.
* Plastic lids collect and donation them to Fundación Proparques, to develop walkways to improve accessibility for people with mobility problems, in the country's protected wild areas.
* The establishment of an alliance with the Recycling Program of the Municipality of San José, since May 2015 until December 2020, that led to recycle 43 tons of recoverable resources during that period.   During the pandemic, staff members continued with the recycling process from their homes. Collection and recycling include paper, cardboard, plastic items and lids, batteries, and electronic devices, among others.
* The purchase of souvenirs from local artists, to promote local benefits.
* Days have been held on the beach with older adults living in care homes.
* Elimination of single use plastics in our operation
* Reduction of printed documents by having all the information in a secure drive.

• Our local operator continuously develops activities for the benefit of personnel who work for the company, through its Human Resources Department and the Brigada Pintando Sonrisas. Since it is part of the TUI Group, different activities are carried out, such as "More 4 You", which has the purpose of creating strategic alliances that promote health among collaborators. In addition, the "New Work" project is responsible for promoting healthy spaces that promote the work environment of the staff.
• The local staff is given the option of free therapy with BetterHelp, the world's largest provider of online therapy.
• In 2017 Exodus Travels introduced the Inspiration Project, where we’ve worked with our partners to take more than 6,000 children in 30 countries on a day of adventure and exploration. Each inspirational day out is designed to introduce young minds to the wonders of our world and their place in it. From visiting cultural heritage sites to natural wonders, each trip has been packed with firsts – their first time leaving their own village, their first time seeing the sea, their first time visiting a busy city. We continue to operate these days out to inspire children to protect and preserve the world as they grow up.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
• By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• Our local operator has a policy of Animal Welfare that requests suppliers to comply with the minimum conditions of animal welfare.
• Our local operator has been awarded by the Costa Rican Tourism Board for their sustainable tourism practice & dedication to improving sustainability standards. This means that efforts are made to rationally use water and electricity, provide adequate waste management, and positively impact communities, among many other actions.
• Most of the accommodation and restaurants we visit on this trip use locally sourced food such as fruit which is always sourced locally and abundant.
• Vegetarian options are available if notice is given which include a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, and rice.
• During the trip, we travel responsibly using appropriate methods of transport; therefore, depending on group size, a minibus/coach will be used.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for re-usable bottles.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

• An example of eco-friendly accommodation on this trip is:

        Studio Hotel: The hotel facilities have LED bulbs for energy saving and low consumption air conditioners, solar panels to heat water throughout the Hotel, practices related to the "Program for the integral management of water and rational use of energy" and essential part of the process of implementing requirements of the Certificate for Tourism Sustainability. Also, Studio Hotel has the Ecological Blue Flag distinction, that is granted annually, which rewards the effort and voluntary work in the search for conservation and development, in accordance with the protection of natural resources, the implementation of actions to face the climate change, the search for better sanitary hygienic conditions and the improvement of the public health of the inhabitants of Costa Rica.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own re-usable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable.

Visa

Costa Rica

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica; however, proof of onward travel may be required – we suggest you take a physical copy of your flight details in case officials ask to see them.

Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/costa-rica
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/costa-rica
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/costa-rica/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Costa-Rica.html

Vaccination

Costa Rica

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, rabies and typhoid. The risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Many travellers will also require a yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, Tanzania and Zambia. Please check all requirements and travel vaccination recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

Dengue and zika, both viral diseases spread by mosquitoes, are known risks in Costa Rica. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so we strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts and 2 lunches are included in the price of the tour, allowing you plenty of flexibility for non-included meals to be taken as a family or with the group.

Costa Rican specialities include 'Gallo Pinto', a black bean and rice dish considered to be a staple part of the local diet. Soups, stews and fresh fish are also common, and most hotels offer International menu's as well. There is a lot of fresh fruit in the tropics - you may need to share your bananas with monkey's from the hotel gardens!

Please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests, vegetarians can usually be well catered for.

Weather

Costa Rica is located 10º north of the equator and has an almost perfect tropical climate. The average temperature is 12ºC – 22ºC in the highlands, and from 22ºC - 27ºC in the lowlands. There is a rainy season from May to November when there are daily downpours, though these are usually quite short and there is still plenty of bright sunshine, so the midsummer is not necessarily a bad time to go. December to April is the driest time of the year but you should still expect some rain. Many areas visited on the trip are hot and humid throughout the year.

Is this trip for you?

Activity Level: 2 (Leisurely/Moderate)

This holiday has been designed for teenagers aged 13 - 16, but is also suitable for children aged 9 - 12.

Our family activity levels are aimed at children in the primary or ‘Designed for’ age group. We are confident it is also suitable for those in the ‘Also for’ age range, however please note if your child is in this secondary category they may find it a little tougher. Please see the family activity levels on our website for further information. When grading our trips we consider multiple factors, the pace — how busy an itinerary is — and the level of activity involved. Then there’s the amount of time a family will spend travelling and the weather is an important factor too.

Reaching Costa Rica will involve approximately 11 hours of air travel (or 14+ if you travel on indirect flights) and when you get there it can be hot and humid, which can be tiring.

This holiday aims to show you the best of Costa Rica using a mixture of buses and boats. Whilst the driving distances are not huge and most roads are good, some sections are of poor quality/pot holed, which can result in slower driving times. Most drives are not longer than 4 hours and all drives will be broken up with regular stops. On some travel days we depart early in the morning to ensure we optimise the time at our next destination.

There are some dangerous insects and snakes present in the jungle, although incidents are extremely rare. Advice from the guide must be heeded at all times – it is the responsibility of parents to ensure that children listen to the guide and don’t stray from paths.

The trip involves a walk to reach La Fortuna Waterfall that has some steep steps. There are also several included activities, such as whitewater rafting and a zip wire canopy tour: experience of these activities is not required as a full safety briefing will be covered at the start, and all necessary equipment will be provided. Please be aware that some activities may be changed as a result of the weather.

All of the accommodation is comfortable with private bathrooms and everywhere has air conditioning apart from the lodge in Monteverde. For further details please see the accommodation section below.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.