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Costa Rica Family Multi-Adventure Tour - Teens & Kids
Arenal Volcano to Manuel Antonio National Park
Around a volcano. Through the rain forest. Under lush canopies and across sandy beaches. Seeing the world from the perspective of a spider monkey or spiny-tailed iguana. Up, down, over and around—by raft, bike, zip line, horseback and your own two feet. On this family trip, it's Costa Rica from every angle.
THIS ITINERARY: 6 days, 5 nights
ACCOMMODATIONS: Casual & Premiere Hotels*
Costa Rica
Start/End San José
Start/End locations may vary. Do not book flights until your trip details are confirmed.
- Hike and bike, then soak in restorative geothermal hot springs at the base of majestic Arenal volcano
- Discover Manuel Antonio National Park's wealth of wildlife—monkeys, lizards, sloths, toucans and more
- Surf beginner's waves with a local expert or lounge on a secluded beach while kids explore on horseback
- Experience a thrilling white-water rafting adventure on the pristine Savegre River's Class II-III rapids
6 Days Casual & Premiere Hotels*
Adults join a naturalist and on a trek across a lava field at the base of Arenal Volcano while kids check out exotic snakes and frogs at a serpentarium | Soak in geothermal hot springs nestled within a tropical forest | Ride around Lake Arenal, listening for the call of howler monkeys | Enjoy scenic views while on a boat cruise across the lake | Optional on-your-own activities abound—fly through the treetops on a zip line, indulge in a massage or simply relax by the pool.
Take in majestic views of Arenal Volcano while soaking in your suite's private whirlpool. (pool, spa)
Venture through the lush habitat of sloths, monkeys, toucans and lizards | Hike to the base of La Fortuna waterfall and jump in for a refreshing dip | Our private charter plane whisks us to Quepos, a beachside town on the central Pacific coast | Sit down to a home-cooked casado (traditional local meal) with a Costa Rican family | Hike through the pristine Savegre Valley | Kick back at our secluded lodge on your private deck or zoom down the 100-foot-long waterslide.
African-style luxury safari tents offer the ideal setting for enjoying the sights and sounds of the jungle. (pool)
Make a splash on a thrilling white-water rafting excursion on Río Savegre | Paint your own Boruca masks with an indigenous artist | In Manuel Antonio National Park, look for white-faced monkeys, sloths and prehistoric-looking iguanas | Enjoy an afternoon hike through the rain forest, take an optional surf lesson or watch the waves of the Pacific roll in | Kids engage their inner vaqueros (cowboys) and explore the beach on horseback | Join a local expert for a chocolate demonstration and tasting | Stretch out in a beachside yoga class before returning to San José.
Spacious private villas at this beachside resort feature large terraces and a mosaic-tiled shower that opens to your own garden. (pool, spa)
Dates & Prices
The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind — you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due. View cancellation policy
Click on dates for pricing, itinerary variations and to book your trip. Price is per person, double occupancy.
Activity Level: 1-2
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Several routes and a range of levels are offered each day so you can choose how much or how little activity you want to do. Learn more about how we determine activity levels.
Route notes
On this trip, we'll be using titanium mountain bikes that are just right for the non-technical dirt road riding as well as the paved riding. On this Family Trip, our routes have relatively little elevation gain or loss. However, the terrain, heat and humidity can make biking more challenging than the mileage may suggest. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary and mileage is moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.
Daily Route Options
What's Included
Available Bike Options
The key to a stellar day's ride is a bike that's perfectly in tune with your cycling style… Backroads has you covered with the best bike fleet in the world! Read on for your available bike options for this trip.
A proven classic, our most popular custom-designed titanium bike is suited for a wide range of cyclists. It features a comfortable ergonomic seat and a long wheel base that add to the bike’s control and stability.
Backroads is the only travel company to manufacture its own line of kid's bikes. While the wheels might be small, the performance is big—it's the perfect choice for kids. On our Family Trips, you'll find 20" and 24" bikes.
The Burley Kazoo trailer bike, for children up to 85 pounds, attaches to an adult bike with your child providing some of the pedal power for a real team effort! It's ideal for kids who aren't yet ready for bike touring.
Also Included
- All breakfasts, 6 lunches, 4 dinners
- Expertise and services of our experienced Trip Leaders
- Snacks and beverages between meals
- Additional guides and experts from the region on many trips
- Van shuttles to support a variety of route options
- Comprehensive Travel Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at museums, historic sites, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the Travel Planner
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Special events, including wine tastings and other select attractions as mentioned in the Travel Planner
- On biking and multi-adventure trips, use of fully equipped Backroads titanium bike plus helmet and accessories
- Trailercycles, carriers, and kid-sized helmets for Family Trips
- Equipment and experienced guides for kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, sailing and canoeing as described
- Park and other entry fees
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the Travel Planner
- Select coach transfers
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Straight talk
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
On this trip we travel by air to reach the exclusive areas this destination has to offer. We will be flying by charter with Sansa Airlines aboard turbo-prop planes that seat 10-12 passengers. These flights occasionally experience delays or cancellations due to inclement weather. In the rare instance a flight is cancelled we are prepared to travel by land.
Due to the tropical climate and under-developed infrastructure in Costa Rica, road maintenance is a continual challenge and options for bike routes are limited. As a result, we've paired our core activities with ones that are suited to this destination, such as rafting. The level of these activities, combined with enough downtime to relax and take advantage of the hotels, will be the ideal way to experience la pura vida.
During the trip there's time for you to enjoy some of Costa Rica's favorite activities, such as zip-lining, horseback riding and surfing. These activities are often a highlight for those who choose to do them, but due to liability issues and because they're not to everyone's liking they're not included in the cost of the trip and participation is at your own risk.
In order to bring you to diverse and unique regions, we spend more time shuttling on this trip than on many other Backroads trips. Our time in the shuttles will allow us to experience the incredible variety of ecosystems, scenery and activities that Costa Rica has to offer.
The holiday and spring break months are a great time to travel; however, with days off and the desire to escape for sunshine many others have the same idea. While we always aim to get off the beaten path, during certain times of the year crowds and delays are unavoidable.
It seems word has officially gotten out about this adventurer's playground, and globe-trotters from near and far want to experience firsthand why ...
