Ready to treat yourself to an intimate encounter with Mother Nature? Come play with us in Costa Rica! Beloved for its parks, biological reserves and wildlife refuges, this friendly Central American nation protects a larger proportion of its land than any country in the world. On this action-packed multisport journey in the less-visited southern Pacific region, you'll experience many of Costa Rica's precious ecosystems firsthand. Bask on untouched beaches, venture through lush jungles, encounter wildlife at every turn and enjoy a rich array of activity options, from surfing and sea kayaking to horseback riding and zip-line "flying." You'll spend four nights right on the ocean, highlighted by two evenings at an enchanting and luxurious boutique hotel.

Tico Treasures: Premiere Inns

Cristal Ballena (2 nights): Savor breathtaking ocean vistas from your room at this peaceful retreat, nestled between the Pacific and rain forest-covered hills and featuring a huge swimming pool and a 30-acre garden.

Rafiki Safari Lodge (1 night): These luxury safari tents - each set on a hardwood deck surrounded by rain forest and featuring large screened windows - offer the ideal setting for enjoying the sights and sounds of the jungle.

Xandari by the Pacific (2 nights): The spacious private villas at this beachside resort offer a large terrace with unencumbered views of the Pacific Ocean and a mosaic-tiled shower that opens to a private garden.

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1

• Level 1 2 Route Options Available
• Hiking 1.3, 4 miles
• 200 feet elevation gain

Day 2

• Levels 1 to 3  3 Route Options Available
• Biking 7, 21, 38 miles
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain

Day 3

• Level 1   2 Route Options Available
• Hiking 1.5 hours 
• Hiking 2.1 miles
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain

Day 4

• Level 1   1 Route Option Available  
• Rafting 1.5 hours

Day 5

• Level 1  2 Route Options Available
• Biking 10, 17 miles or 13, 20  miles (tide dependent)  
• 0 - 1600 feet elevation gain
• Kids Surf Lessons 2 Hours (tide dependent)

Day 6

• Level 1  2 Route Options Available
• Hiking 2, 3.5 miles
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain

On this Family Trip, our routes are designed to be easygoing, with no significant gain or loss in elevation. However, rough terrain and heat can make biking in Costa Rica more challenging. Although these road conditions slow down your riding, it's also what makes biking in Costa Rica an adventure! Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary to facilitate our activities and mileage is kept moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.

Routes For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level	Average Time	Biking Average	Walking Average
Level 1	2-3 hours	10-20 mile	2-5 miles
Level 2	2-4 hours	21-30 miles	5-7 miles
Level 3	3-5 hours	31-40 miles	7-9 miles
Level 4	4-6 hours	41-55 miles	9-11 miles
Level 5	5-7+ hours	56-75+ miles	11-13+ miles

2010 DATES

FAMILY TRIPS

• 3/30-4/4Price: $3698 pp dbl. occ., (+ $790 for sgl. occ.), Internal Air: $330

Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

Recommended minimum age for the trip: 9 years.

Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 9 years

Minimum age restriction for rafting and horseback riding : 8 years

Minimum age restriction to surf: 7 years

No burleys available on this trip

General Info on Minimum Ages:

We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:

• 12+ cultural appreciation, difficulty/restrictions of activities and route
• 9+ several long adult dinners; difficulty/restrictions of activities and route
• 6+ several long adult dinners; parent may not be able to pull a Burley and/or there may be multiple activity restrictions

Please note that a trip may feature an activity with an older age requirement than the minimum age recommendation for the trip. Younger kids are still welcome on the trip and while they will not be able to participate in the activity, the leaders will suggest an alternate activity. For safety reasons, children under 7 may not ride their own bikes and are required to ride on a Piccolo or in a Burley. For certain destinations, children must be 9 or older to ride their own bikes.

Guest Trip Reviews

Fabulous. The leaders were outstanding and our kids had the time of their lives. Backroads is a great way to travel for a busy family - minimal preparation required, and a rich and diverse schedule of activities and experiences that we never could have planned on our own.

Terri Cammarano - Palos Verdes Estates, CA

This trip was unbelievable! We went to places we never would have found by ourselves. Each day was packed with exciting adventures and the leaders were phenomenal. We could not have asked for anything more from them.

Kathy Swanwick - Walden, NY

One of the best trips our family ever has taken. The places we visited were so breathtakingly beautiful, the activites so fun and flexible, and the trip leaders were extraordinary. The other families were also just so nice.

Jillisa Brittan - Chicago, IL

We had a wonderful time on our trip. It was a perfect balance of cultural and athletic activities.

Brigitt Jandreau-Smith - Kentfield, CA

I feel like my kids learned a TON and we all just had a great time! Jones has thanked me all day!

Emily Kolbinsky