10 Day Costa Rica Family-Friendly Tour: Cloud Forest, Whale Watching, Manuel Antonio Beach and Tarcoles.
Destinations: Savegre Cloud Forest, Uvita Beach, Manuel Antonio National Park, Tarcoles.
Airports: San Jose International Airport.
Description of the Tour: Designed for families looking for relaxation, gorgeous landscapes and nature walks. Do your kids like exploring and finding fascinating animals and plants? In this family trip package, your children, along with yourselves, get to explore nature in all of its glory!
Some natural highlights may include: jaw dropping landscapes, macaws, quetzal birds, monkeys, snorkeling in the whale's tail (a unique beach feature formed with the tide) and see whales depending on the season!
San Jose
Day 1: Upon your arrival at the Juan Santamaría International Airport (San Jose, Costa Rica), 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.
• Overnight in San José or Alajuela.
Travel from Alajuela to the beautiful Savegre Cloudforest.
Day 2
• Breakfast at your hotel.
• In the morning your guide / driver will pick your family up and take you to enjoy an exciting journey through the city of San Jose and then to the Savegre Cloud Forest.
• (Cerro de la Muerte or Savegre is part of the Talamanca Mountain Range and birthplace of beautiful resplendent quetzal which is the national bird of Guatemala! Also in this mountain range you can find the highest peak of Costa Rica called the Chirripo Hill with has an elevation of 12,533 ft. As a highland forest, you get to see rare and endemic flora and fauna!)
• After lunch (not included), you will join your tour guide on an exciting hike through the Savegre Forest, where you will discover an exuberant biodiversity that will thrill your kids adventurous spirit.
• Your afternoon is free to enjoy one or more family activities of your choice. (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 a kid friendly activity, please consult your tour guide for further details.)
• Overnight in Savegre (first of two nights).
Our family just returned from an amazing week in Costa Rica. Jose' was recommended to us by my sister, and touring with him was the best decision we could have made. I can say without hesitation that we would not have been able to experience the "real" Costa Rica without his expertise. He was so knowledgable and so passionate about his country, and it made our experience all the better. My kids loved him and learned so much! We can't wait to go back and we will definitely be calling Jose' again! We can't recommend him enough! Lisa S.
Explore with your kids the Savegre Cloud Forest and its surroundings.
Day 3
• Early breakfast at your hotel.
• After breakfast, meet with your guide to explore the trails and walk along the Savegre River looking animals in the área. The Savegre River is home to a colorful bird known as the quetzal. Hopefully, we get to see this wonderful bird!
• On your return, you will enjoy a delicious traditional local lunch (cost not included in family travel package).
• 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.)
• In the afternoon relax with the beautiful scenery or get ready for an adventure in the canopy of the trees by ziplining.
• Overnight in Savegre.
Travel from Savegre to Bahia Ballena/Uvita Beach
Day 4
• Breakfast at your hotel. Prepare for your shuttle service to Uvita Beach or Ballena Bay.
• After breakfast, enjoy an exciting two and a half -hour journey with your guide to Uvita Beach.
• Upon arrival at your hotel, get ready to take a closer look at the beautiful seaside and surrounding area.
• Your afternoon is free to enjoy the beach or choose from a variety of kid-friendly activities. (Optional activities may entail additional fees not included in the travel package. Consult your tour guide for details.)
• Overnight at the Beach (first of two nights).
Experience Ballena Bay and Uvita beach.
Day 5
• Breakfast at your hotel.
• After breakfast, enjoy Nature Costa Rican-style with a leisurely stroll along the seashore that is sure to make you feel relaxed. Choose from among the many water-sports activities offered by local tour operators. (Optional activities may entail additional fees not included family in the travel package. Consult your tour guide for details.)
• (Bahia Ballena is one of the better places for whale watching, even when it is not whale season is the perfect place for a family holiday where everyone will enjoy Nature. Within the Marino Ballena National Park, you can see a whale tail-shaped beach formation that is formed with the tide. For families who want to observe the whale migration in the southern hemisphere, the months are from August to November and for whales in the Northern Hemisphere the best season to watch the migration is from December to April.)
• Overnight at the Beach.
Morning in Uvita Beach to Quepos/Manuel Antonio Area.
Day 6
• Breakfast at your hotel.
• After breakfast, enjoy an exciting two hour journey with your guide to Uvita Beach.
• First, you'll spend your morning relaxing or involving yourself in one of a number of unique local activities. Then, you’ll enjoy a typical fresh meal along the beach, or stop for lunch on your way to Manuel Antonio National Park.
• Overnight in Manuel Antonio.
Explore with your kids the National Park surroundings or visit a rural community.
Day 7
• Spend your time in the national park with your guide looking for sloths and animals and then enjoy the beach.
• The Manuel Antonio National Park is a little tourist destination in comparison to the other two destinations; just three hours from San Jose. This location makes it a paradise for families in search of adventure travel, nature, beach, canopy, ATV´s, white water rafting and even classes for surfing. Also is the smallest national park in Costa Rica (1,983 hectacre) This park is considered one of the most beautiful parks in the world since 2011.Your kids will never be bored in this Paradise!
• In the morning or afternoon of the next day if your family wants to learn about how rural communities live their lives, we offer an activity with the community called Los Campesinos, where you can walk and swim near a waterfall near this community .
Travel from Manuel Antonio to Tarcoles.
Day 8
• Breakfast at your hotel. Prepare for your shuttle service to Tarcoles and Carara National Park.
• Just an hour and a half from Manuel Antonio and another hour and a half from Juan Santamaria International Airport, is ideal for families who want to reduce travel time by car destination.
Travel from Tarcoles to Alajuela near airport.
Day 9
• After breakfast prepare your family for the last adventure in Costa Rica in one of the national parks with more diversity.
• Carara National Park is in a transition forest between the North Pacific Dry Forest and rainforest of the Pacific Sur. In this place you could find poison arrow frogs and scarlet macaws! An interesting feature of this national park is that it has a universal path for disabled people.
• After a short walk in the transitional forest prepare to go back to Alajuela near the Juan Santamaria International Airport.
• After arriving at your hotel, you’ll have time to relax, prepare for your flight, and reflect on your wonderful stay in Costa Rica.
Transfer to the international airport; departure.
Day10
(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.
