Costa Rica Family Escape

Awaken your senses on a magical escape full of activities the whole family will love

Enjoy an unforgettable family adventure in Costa Rica, where natural wonders combine with exhilarating activities for all the family. Zip wire across the cloud forest and go white-water rafting on the Balsa River. Swim at La Fortuna Waterfall and take a boat trip to see dolphins off the Pacific Coast. We stay in well-located hotels (most with swimming pools), which means you will leave this action-packed week refreshed and with a full appreciation of Costa Rica’s most famous saying: pura vida or pure life.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that 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-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 by supporting other local enterprise.
• We use fairly small, family-run and locally staffed establishments, which ensures we are benefiting local communities.
• Although this is primarily a nature-based trip, we incorporate as much benefit to local people as possible. One way to support local people and boost the economy is to buy crafts in some of the remote regions we visit. Purchasing locally made handicrafts encourages cultural exchange and provides a significant form of alternative income.
• Our local guides are careful to explain that any souvenirs made from animal parts, shells or local hardwoods should not be purchased.
• This is a small-group tour, meaning we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and ensure 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:
  • Celebrating International Tourism Day 2019 by cleaning a beach at Guacalillo, recollecting 330lb (150kg) of waste.
  • Collecting plastic lids and donating them to Fundación ProParques to develop walkways to improve accessibility for people with mobility problems in the country’s protected wild areas.
  • Establishing an alliance with the Recycling Program of the Municipality of San José, from May 2015 to December 2020, that led to recycling 43 tons of recoverable resources. During the pandemic, staff continued the recycling process from their homes.
  • Purchasing souvenirs from local artists to promote local arts.
  • Running beach days with older adults living in care homes.
  • Eliminating single-use plastics in our operation.
  • Reducing 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. 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 are 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 an animal welfare policy 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 and dedication to improving sustainability standards. This means 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.
• Vegetarian options are available if notice is given, which include a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables and rice.
• We travel responsibly using appropriate methods of transport; therefore, depending on group size, a minibus/coach is 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 reusable 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 ecofriendly accommodation on this trip is Studio Hotel, which has LED bulbs for energy saving and low-consumption air conditioners, solar panels to heat water throughout the hotel. It also has the Ecological Blue Flag distinction, 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 tackle 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 reusable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page.

Though this trip has been designed for 13 to 16-year-olds, it’s also suitable for nine to 12-year-olds. Our Family trips are aimed at children in the primary age group, so if your child is in the secondary age group, they may find it a little harder. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

This trip aims to show you the best of Costa Rica using a mixture of buses and boats. Most of the roads we travel on are good quality. However, some roads have a poor surface and this can result in slow driving times, particularly following heavy rain. There are also some longer drives on the itinerary; when rest stops and meal breaks are taken into account, a 4-hour drive may take 6-7 hours in total. Costa Rica can be hot and humid, which can be tiring.

There are some dangerous insects and snakes 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 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 white-water rafting and a zip-wire canopy tour: experience of these activities is not required as a full safety briefing is covered at the start, and all necessary equipment is provided. Please be aware, some activities may be changed as a result of the weather.

All the accommodation has private bathrooms and everywhere has air conditioning apart from the lodge in Monteverde. For further details, please see the accommodation section.

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.

Vaccinations and Health

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.

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.

Please check all requirements and travel vaccination recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

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

Food & Drink

All breakfasts and two 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 a staple part of the local diet. Soups, stews and fresh fish are also common, and most hotels offer international menus. There is a lot of fresh fruit in the tropics – you may need to share your bananas with monkeys from the hotel gardens!

Vegetarian and vegan options are limited but food is plentiful and tasty – please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests.

Weather

Costa Rica is 10 degrees north of the equator and has a tropical climate. The average annual temperature is around 26C (79F) in the lowlands and 10C (50F) in the highest mountain regions. However, it’s essential you prepare for the time of year in which your departure takes place.

Dry season (December to April): This is the driest period of the year and can get incredibly hot; on the Pacific side, temperatures may exceed 37C (98F). If passing through areas of dry tropical forest it can be hot, dusty and dry. Prepare for some rain even during this time of year.

Rainy season (May to November):  Expect daily downpours, although these are usually quite short and there is still plenty of sunshine. Typically, there are sunny conditions until approximately 1pm-2pm and then a build-up of cloud from around 3pm, resulting in late afternoon rain (most likely showers between 3pm-5pm). Usually, the sky clears by 6pm.