COSTA RICA ADVENTURE HOLIDAY
Family Holiday Overview
The sound of cicadas fills the forest like a high decibel jet plane whilst scarlet macaws raucously announce their flight paths. In the treetops mischievous spider monkeys pelt half eaten mangoes whilst sleeping sloths host a permanent slumber party. Such gregarious wildlife seem almost cartoonish but this is 100% real. Welcome my friends to Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is visually as close as you can get to Jurassic Park (but without the herds of Diplodocus). It is ecologically unspoiled with the one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Think shimmering white beaches backed by thick, lush jungle leading to misty cloud forest. A volcanic central valley hosts a plethora of hot springs, smoking craters and thundering waterfalls whilst wetland swamps strum to the beat of red-eyed tree frogs, green iguanas and the mangrove hummingbird. Expect the brightest shade of every colour imaginable.
Costa Rica offers a fantastic array of outdoor activities from rainforest hikes, kayaking and coffee plantation horse riding to the adrenaline rush of a canopy zip line, rappelling down a canyon and white-water rafting. As one of the safest and most developed countries in the region, Costa Rica is an ideal introduction to Latin America.
They have a phrase for the kind of natural enlightenment found here: pura vida. Translated it means pure life, but in reality it means much more. Pura vida is the archetypical good life. It’s living in harmony, in the moment and to the full. When's the last time your holiday changed how your family sees the world?
Interesting Facts
- Costa Rica has no fewer than 121 volcanoes, seven of them active. Arenal is the most famous and was considered dormant until it sprang to life in extravagant style in 1968
- Costa Rica is one of the most valued environmental destinations. Approximately 25% of the country has protected forests and reserves. It is also home to over 5% of the world’s biodiversity with over 130 species of fish, 220 of reptiles, 1,000 butterflies (10% of the worlds), 9,000 plants, 20,000 species of spiders and 34,000 species of insects!
- Monkeys are one of the most common mammals in Costa Rica. The four common species are the Howler, Spider, White-Faced and Squirrel
- Costa Rica is an extremely peaceful country and has no standing army. In 1949 it abolished its military and began pouring money into conservation
- Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos (male) and Ticas (female). Foreigners are often called “Gringos” (males) and “Gringas” (females)
- Names are confusing in Costa Rica. Ticas do not take their husband's last name instead using her full maiden name for life. Children take their father’s name
- Every Costa Rican radio station plays the national anthem every morning at 7am
- There are usually no street names or addresses. People simply get accustomed to giving directions via landmarks such as, “It’s the blue house just south of the giant banyan tree”
Traveller Reviews
The memories our girls will have will last their lifetime
We travelled to Costa Rica this New Year for just over two weeks and could not have been happier with the help we got from Sally to make it happen. From the initial conversations, to the careful, detailed itinerary production to the booking, and then being in contact immediately when we were away in order to switch the timings on something – we cannot fault the service. We knew very early on that Sally understood what we wanted, and she could offer very personal advice based on her own experiences with her children. The memories our girls will have will last their lifetime. A holiday to remember and we will be using Wandering Tribe again for sure!
Highly recommend Costa Rica as an amazing holiday destination
We recently came back from a wonderful three-week holiday to Costa Rica with our three kids ages 10, 13 and 15. We knew roughly where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do, but just didn’t have the time (or expertise) to create a detailed itinerary. Luckily, Sally at Wandering Tribe sorted it all out for us and was very patient while we dithered and changed our minds. And I have to say, it was the trip of a lifetime. We saw volcanoes, mountains, beautiful coastlines, and the most amazing range of wildlife (turtles nesting at night, monkeys, sloths, snakes, crocodiles, tarantulas, anteaters, dolphins and even humpback whales).
We did plenty of hiking and wallowed in hot springs, and also did white-water rafting, ziplining and horse-riding. All the accommodation was excellent and we really appreciated Sally’s detailed recommendations for restaurants (especially the local ‘sodas’) and tour operators, and places she and her family had actually been to. All the logistics went like clockwork, thanks to Sally’s attention to detail, and we were free to get on and enjoy ourselves. I would highly recommend Costa Rica as an amazing holiday destination, and Wandering Tribe to organise it!
I wanted to say a huge thank you for making our amazing adventure possible
I wanted to say a huge thank you for making our amazing adventure possible. It really was a fantastic trip which exceeded our expectations. I am so grateful for all your efforts in making this trip possible and for taking into consideration all our needs with the kids and the new baby. It was very reassuring that you were as particular as I am when it comes to the finer details. Your detailed itinerary proved very useful too.
The transfers were excellent both private and shared. Always on time. In terms of activities; the ziplining and Hanging Bridges with Selvatura were fantastic. Very professional and great with kids. We also did the short family trail around the cloud forest and went to the hummingbird gallery which was amazing. In Arenal we did the shorter volcano hike. It was quite tough on the steep part but we enjoyed it. We also volunteered at the rescue centre Proyecto Asis. We all really enjoyed this day. In San Jose we went to the Central Market to see the hustle bustle. It was really busy but good. In Manuel Antonio we booked a guided tour at the National Park. We saw lots and it was a good trip. We then booked a night tour which was good and the kids really enjoyed finding frogs, scorpion, sloth, possum and looking at the crocodile and turtle on site.
Overall it was a fantastic adventure holiday.
Would definitely book another adventure through Wandering Tribe. Costa Rica was just amazing!
Wandering Tribe put together a two-week adventure for my family of 5 to Costa Rica this summer. We both work full time so having someone organise literally everything for us was a fantastic treat. And when I say everything, I mean everything was organised and ran like clockwork – every transfer, hotel, trip, and answering any queries we had along the way. The package was totally bespoke and the knowledge of Costa Rica invaluable. We had all of the adventure with none of the stress! Would definitely book another adventure through Wandering Tribe. Costa Rica was just amazing!
