Costa Rica Family Self Drive Adventure Holiday » Itinerary

Arrive in San Jose and settle into your hotel in the Central Valley, 20 minutes from the airport.

Free day to relax or explore independently. A complimentary shuttle bus service to and from San Jose is available at your hotel.

Travel by road and boat to the flooded forests of Tortuguero, on the Caribbean coast. Wander through the village and visit the small school for a slice of local colour.

Explore the narrow river channels of the flooded forest today for the chance of seeing a host of wildlife, including monkeys, caiman, river otter and toucans.

Return by boat to the dock at Tortuguero then continue by road to Guapiles for lunch. Afterwards pick up your hire car and set off driving independently to Sarapiqui, near the Braulio Carrillo National Park.

Free day to explore. A range of activities are available locally, ranging from the high-octane (white water rafting, rappelling, river tubing and canopy zip-wires) to guided walks in La Selva Biological Reserve.

Drive from Sarapiqui to Arenal today to stay two nights. The glowing lava flows from the live volcano are particularly spectacular on a clear night.

Free day to explore the Arenal area. Local attractions include canopy tours and guided walks in the forest, or you could just relax in the local hot springs.

Take the pretty road around the north shore of Lake Arenal today, then up through green pasture land to the cloudforest of Monteverde. Stay two nights at a hotel near the reserve.

Free day to explore Monteverde cloudforest. Choose from guided walks in reserve, canopy tours, zip-wiring, horse riding and mountain biking. There is also a hummingbird gallery and cheese farm.

Drive to the Pacific coast today to stay four nights near the golden sand beaches of Samara.

During the day you can take surfing lessons, ride horses and mountain bikes, walk, explore this laid back village or relax on the beach.

Day at leisure.
In the evenings, people generally flock to the beach to watch the invariably stunning sunsets, enjoy the beach front bars, restaurants and barbeques.

Another day to relax on the beach or try something more active.

Free morning at the beach before driving back to San Jose. Drop off your hire car and stay overnight in the Central Valley.

You are collected from your hotel today and transferred to the airport for your chosen flight home.