Costa Rica’s Caribbean Charms: 7-Day Family Tour

This morning, you will depart your lodge after breakfast. Today’s adventure will lead you deep into the wilderness to the Rio Pacuare for a white-water rafting adventure. Most of the river is calm, so you will spend the morning drifting through nature. After lunch and some time to rest, your journey will continue on the Guapiles Highway. Along your way, you enter Braulio Carrillo National Park, where a beautiful road will lead you further into the wild. To complete your journey, you will need to travel by boat. Once you arrive in Tortuguero, you can rest along the river and listen to monkeys howl at dusk.

With two full days, you can fully explore the jungle and the coast of the national park. Today, you will explore the coast by cruising along a 22-mile beach, where you cannot swim, but you can watch your kids drain some energy. Traveling onward, your guide will show you a safe place for swimming and snorkeling. Usually, your guide will lead you back to the lodge in the afternoon. Then, after dark, you will return to the beaches in search of hatching sea turtles. The next generation of turtles will crack out of their shells after dusk. With a roving spotlight, you can often watch their first steps, which will prove to be an intimate experience as much as it is authentic.

Today’s activities will lead you into the interior along canals and rivers that are teeming with life. Your local guide will lead the way, teaching you about different bird species, including toucans, kingfishers, and macaws. Hopefully, a large capuchin monkey troop will swing past you, bringing wide-eyed wonder to your kids. Usually, you can see howler monkeys high in the trees, and sometimes, sloths hang from branches that rise above the water. After a morning tour, your afternoon will be flexible, so you can choose whether to venture deeper into the jungle or to soak up some sun on the Caribbean coast.

When you are ready this morning, you will transfer to Puerto Viejo. For these final two nights, you will be staying on the beach, where you will enjoy barefoot access to the sand and all the charms of an idyllic, coastal getaway. Almost instantly, you will be immersed in the area’s laid-back atmosphere, and today, you will live the preconceptions regarding a luxurious Caribbean vacation. Nothing specific will be planned for today, and you can check-in to your lodge early, lounge around the sand, swim in calming waters, and enjoy the space that has been provided to you. Like elsewhere on your tour, Puerto Viejo will create a space for you to come together as a family.

Puerto Viejo has a wonderful location that can allow you to experience the best of both worlds. Here, there are beaches and laid-back Caribbean hours in addition to a wonderful array of nearby national parks and wildlife. Cahuita is one of these national parks, and it is excellent for families because there is a diverse range of adventures and activities. You can be hiking in the wilderness or indulge in a longer hike in search of white-faced monkeys, colorful crabs, and stunning viewpoints. With a local guide, you can snorkel in the refreshing water. If snorkeling is not for your family, then Gandoca Manzanillo will prove to be an excellent alternative. Here, you can witness playful dolphins, manatees, and caimans on a boat tour or from tandem kayaks.

A late flight out of San Jose will allow you time for more wildlife experiences. Not far from the coast, you will find the Jaguar Rescue Center, which is a forested enclave that is home to jaguars, sloths, monkeys, anteaters, and wild cats. You will not be guaranteed to see all of these animals, but it is remarkable how much is visible within a small space. After a short visit to the center, you will travel by road for 45 minutes to Limon, where you can catch a domestic flight to San Jose. Here, a representative will greet you and assist you with your transfer to your international flight.