Costa Rica Family Jungle Adventure & Beach with kids.
Alajuela / Arenal Volcano / Monteverde Cloudforest / Manuel Antonio beach
Itinerary (8 days, 7 nights)
Every time you book a tour with Costa Rica Family Adventures, you support a small family business and help protect the environment. And, during your family tour, your guide/driver will purchase saplings to plant with your kids.
San Jose
Day 1 Upon arrival, you’ll be picked up at the airport, taken to your hotel, and briefed on the next day’s activities. The rest of the day is yours to explore the Greater San José area as you see fit.
Travel from Alajuela to the beautiful Arenal Volcano.
Day 2
• Breakfast at your hotel.
• Enjoy the approximately 3-hour drive with your bilingual travel guide to the beautiful area surrounding the Arenal Volcano.
• After lunch (cost not included in travel package), you’ll be ready for a volcano hike and the exhilaration of our hanging bridges. Optional activities can include a forest canopy exploration, white-water rafting, or waterfall repelling. (Note: Some optional activities may entail an additional, but always reasonable, fee that is not included in the travel package. If you are interested in an optional activity, please consult your tour guide for further details.)
• Overnight in Arenal, or nearby area (first of 2 nights).
Explore Arenal.
Day 3
• Early breakfast at your hotel.
• Visit the Arenal Volcano National Park and private reserve (Danaus Eco Center, Reserve el Silencio, or Lava from 1968) to enjoy an inspiring 2-hour guided hike through the majestic rainforest that surrounds the volcano. Arenal Volcano is one of the world’s most famous active volcanoes, rising 5010 feet above sea level.
• Your afternoon is free for your choice of activity. (Optional activities may entail additional fees not included in the travel package. Consult your guide for details.)
• Overnight in Arenal or nearby area.
Travel from Arenal to Monteverde´s Cloud Forest.
Day 4
• Breakfast at your hotel. Prepare for you transfer to Monteverde.
• After breakfast, you’ll join your guide for a leisurely 3-hour discovery drive around Arenal Lake on your way to Monteverde or, if you prefer, you’ll soak in exquisite views of the Arenal Volcano and Costa Rican landscape as you glide across Lake Arenal on an early-morning boat ride (2½ –3 hours). A van will be waiting at the other side of the lake to take your family to your hotel, where you will rejoin your driver/guide as soon as he/she completes the drive around the lake.
• After arriving at the Monteverde Cloud Forest, you’ll have plenty of time to relax, explore the surrounding area, or squeeze in another optional family adventure. (Optional activities may entail additional fees not included in the family travel package. Consult your guide for details.)
• Overnight in Monteverde.
Explore Monteverde´s Cloud Forest, then off to the Pacific Coast.
Day 5
• Breakfast at your hotel.
• After breakfast, you´ll visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a private preserve protecting some 35089 acres of cloud and rainforest. Here, you will meet many of the over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, and 1200 species of amphibians and reptiles that live within its bounds. The Cloud Forest is one of the few remaining habitats that support all six indigenous species of the cat family).
• Optional adventures (Day 5): bat tour, frog pond, cheese factory, canopy tour, ATV excursion, and more. (Optional activities may entail additional fees not included in the family travel package. Consult your guide for details.)
• Begin the afternoon with a 4-hour transfer from the Cloud Forest to the Pacific Coast (Tamarindo, Manuel Antonio, Playa Coyote) for a 2-night stay.
• Overnight at the Beach (first of 2 nights).
A Day at the Beach . . .
Day 6
• Breakfast at your hotel.
•Relax if you can; otherwise, let the family adventure continue . .
• Possible kids activities for Day 7: surfing, surfing classes, kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, visiting an astonishing waterfall (Coyote Beach), or volunteering at a turtle nesting site (Tamarindo).
• Dine at a Costa Rican house, where you can make you own corn tortillas.
• Overnight at the Beach.
Morning in La Playa, then off to Alajuela.
Day 7
• Breakfast at your hotel.
• First, you’ll spend your morning relaxing or involving yourself in one of a number of unique local activities. Then, enjoy a typical fresh meal at an authentic Costa Rican house, or stop for lunch on our return trip to San Jose/Alajuela.
• After arriving at your hotel, you’ll have time to relax, prepare for your flight, and reflect on your wonderful stay in Costa Rica.
• Overnight in Alajuela.
Transfer to the international airport; departure.
Day8
(for 2-4 people, sharing one hotel room throughout tour)
Ask about our Custom Tours, available for your convenience!
For more information on the available variety of hotel and options for kid friendly tours, send us your e-mail address and Costa Rica Family Adventures will help you create a Costa Rican holiday that is custom-made and unforgettable.
Costa Rica Family Adventures will be happy to provide (via e-mail) a list of the many exciting activities you might that your kids like to consider while vacationing in Costa Rica. And, of course, your personal travel guide will happily recommend additional activities along the way.
About Us
Costa Rica Family Adventures
Costa Rica Family Adventures is a family business with more than 20 years experience in the tourism industry. The dream that has led to Costa Rica Family Adventures was born in 1988 when founder, Marvin Ugalde Arguedas acquired his first vehicle, equipped and licensed for tourist use.
Marvin’s son, Jose Pablo Ugalde Aju, has accompanied his father on various tours beginning at age six. Since then, Jose has become one of Costa Rica’s finest friends and travel guides. Together they undertook their own personal adventure in creating a first-class travel service, especially for families who come to explore Costa Rica’s culture, rich history, and natural beauty.
Here is a sample of some of Costa Rica’s most beautiful family destinations that we would love to share with you and your kids:
- Cahuita
- Rio Celeste
- Monteverde
- Manuel Antonio
- Playa Tamarindo
- Puerto Viejo de Limon
- Arenal Volcano and surrounding
Costa Rica Family Adventures is always happy to help you plan your perfect getaway and to share with you the beauty that is Costa Rica.
Our Staff:
Known widely for his “Chicken Tours,” Don Marvin has spent approximately 20 years working with Allied Tourism Enterprises, promoting their businesses. And his earliest ventures into tourism came with his work with representatives of the Methodist Church of the United States and with the Organization for Tropical Studies. Don Marvin is a certified tour guide (Costa Rican Tourism Institute, or ICT) and is an inspired lover of nature. Due to his natural empathy and joyful manner, Don Marvin has made customer service a way of life.
Jose Pablo, sometimes known as “Chicken Little,” has eight years of experience in the tourism industry, but his passion for discovery developed at a very young age, when he joined his father on a variety of Costa Rican tours. In addition to being a certified tour guide (Costa Rican Tourism Institute, or ICT), Jose is a licensed naturalist guide, certified by the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio). He has worked for extended periods in the areas around Arenal and the Osa Peninsula as a local guide. Jose, like his father, is a lifelong nature lover and an enthusiastic bird-watcher.
Jose especially loves working with families and enjoys the company of children. His kind and generous nature will appeal to tourists of all ages, and he has a remarkable gift for sharing the spirit of discovery on every journey with Costa Rica Adventures. Jose has acquired an advanced mastery of the English language and has a basic command of French.
Cancellation Policies
For any cancellationmade between 45 and 30 days prior to passengers arrival CR Family Adventures will only charge $60 administrative cost for the arragements made for the trip.
For cancellations made 29 to 15 days prior to passengers arrival a 50% reimbursement will be granted.
For cancellations made 14 to 0 days prior to passengers arrival, no reimbursement wil be granted.
