9 Days from $2,799
National Geographic Family Journeys
Get ready for an adventure for all ages on a Costa Rica Family Journey: From Rainforest to Coast. Experience the highlights of San José, Monteverde, Liberia and Playa Potrero. Fly through the treetops ziplining through the rainforest. Look for locals on a naturalist-guided wildlife hike. Try out your cooking skills and enjoy an earth-to-table lunch. Learn about reforestation efforts and relax in mud baths.
Read moreRoll up all of your sleeves at Monteverde Institute, a research and educational organization, and assist in a tree nursery. Enjoy a coffee-making demonstration at a working farm. Join a naturalist for an evening tour in search of red-eyed tree frogs, spiny porcupines and other nocturnal residents Of Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Marvel at the smoking volcanoes, bubbling mud pots, and thermal hot springs of spectacular Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Get a different perspective of your surroundings from the saddle, on your horseback ride. Take a swim in the Río Negro. Spend some free time as you wish on the beach in Playa Potrero. The river in Palo Verde National Park is home to a variety of species both above and below. Keep an eye out for crocodiles lazing in the water or along the banks, monkeys swinging above, and birds fishing and wading. The impressive flora and fauna surrounding you throughout this exciting family vacation are added bonuses and make fantastic photo backdrops.
Read lessSan Jose/Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Arrive in time to meet your fellow travelers for a welcome gathering this evening. Your arrival transfer is included.
Hotel Radisson San José
Monteverde, Costa Rica
This morning, travel up into the misty cloud forests of Monteverde, where you’ll visit a working farm and coffee cooperative for an earth-to-table lunch, followed by a property tour. Learn the secrets of Costa Rican cuisine and test your cooking skills at an afternoon class, then attend a coffee-making demonstration.
Enjoy some free time to get settled in your hotel. This evening, follow a naturalist into the forest to seek out the fascinating nocturnal creatures that spring to life after the sun goes down, from red-eyed tree frogs to spiny porcupines.
Breakfast, Lunch
El Establo Mountain Hotel
Monteverde, Costa Rica
Visit the Monteverde Institute, a research and educational organization supported by National Geographic. Hear about reforestation projects spearheaded by the institute, then roll up your sleeves and lend a hand in the tree nursery.
The rest of the day is free for poolside relaxation or optional excursions in the clouds, including zip-lining, hiking in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, or a walk through the forest canopy across hanging bridges.
Breakfast
El Establo Mountain Hotel
Liberia, Costa Rica
Today you'll travel into Rincón de la Vieja National Park, an otherworldly land of smoking volcanoes, bubbling mud pots, and thermal hot springs—all shrouded in thick tangles of rainforest.
Channel your inner Tarzan as you swing across zip lines strung through the forest canopy; then visit thermal hot springs and mud baths, where playing in the mud isn’t just allowed, it’s encouraged. This evening, visit the local butterfly garden, if you like.
Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín
Liberia, Costa Rica
Rise early for a full day of adventure in the national park. Saddle up for a horseback-riding excursion, get introduced to the park’s creatures on a naturalist-guided wildlife hike, and swim beneath the soaring canyons and tumbling waterfalls of the Río Negro. There is also the option to stay back at your hacienda and relax by the pool.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín
Playa Potrero, Costa Rica
Journey toward the Pacific Ocean to Playa Potrero on the Gold Coast of Costa Rica. The afternoon is free to play in the sand and surf; or opt to set sail across the bay and around the Catalina Islands.
Breakfast
Hotel Bahia del Sol
Playa Potrero, Costa Rica
The day is free to do as much or as little as you like. Relax at the pool or on the beach in this tropical paradise. Opt to join a yoga class, take a long walk along the beach, or go horseback riding.
Breakfast
Hotel Bahia del Sol
Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Leave the beach behind for our return trip to the capital. Stop en route for a jungle boat cruise through Palo Verde National Park. The river is a wildlife-lover’s paradise: crocodiles glide beneath the water’s surface, monkeys swing through the surrounding treetops, and numerous winged wonders wade and fly at the river’s edge—including ospreys, wood storks, and roseate spoonbills.
San Jose/Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Continue to San José and celebrate your adventure at a farewell dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel Radisson San José
San Jose/Costa Rica, Costa Rica
Depart at any time.
Breakfast
All rates listed are per person based on double occupancy and are subject to change without notice. Your land package pricing will be confirmed and guaranteed once your deposit is received and applied to the booking, except where price increases may result from increases in government taxes or fees. Room configurations are subject to availability. Guests added to your party after the booking are priced at the prevailing rate at the time they are added.
Exclusive Adult Only Departure
ABD-AdultExclusive