Overview & Highlights
A Costa Rica wildlife and relaxation holiday with a difference: avoid the busy, commercialised places in favour of less visited, but equally beguiling spots with excellent small eco-lodges.
- Guided excursion in Carara National Park and Rio Tarcoles crocdile spotting
- Guided excursions and activities at Santa Juana Lodge
- Guided excursion to spot quetzals in San Gerardo de Dota forests
- Whale-watching at Uvita (depending on season)
For decades Costa Rica has been a leading light in conservation, and as a result over a quarter of its territory is given over to well managed national parks and private nature reserves. Many of the parks are popular and much visited, with many facilities of all kinds for tourists, all of which provides for a very different experience from the remote wilderness adventure that many wildlife enthusiasts are hoping for.
So for this holiday we have selected a few of our favourite parks and reserves which, although situated in stunning locations, don’t have the infrastructure to receive hoards of visitors. Among them are Carara National Park and the rugged hills and beaches close to Ojochal. Accommodation is in delightful rustic eco-lodges, usually small and family-run, which offer the opportunity to understand how real life is lived in these bucolic areas. Again, we’ve picked out the best. At these lodges you’ll have the opportunity to participate in optional or included activities, anything from crocodile spotting to coffee tours.
Outline itinerary
Day 1
Transfer from the airport to your countryside lodge.
Day 2
Guided discovery of the Carara National Park and crocodile spotting on Rio Tarcoles.
Day 3
Transfer to Santa Juana Lodge inland from the Pacific coast.
Day 4
Activities from the lodge.
Day 5
Transfer to Trogon Lodge close to San Gerado de Dota.
Day 6
Guided activities from the lodge.
Day 7
Transfer to Ojochal area.
Day 8
Activities from the lodge
Day 9
Travel north up the coast to Dominical and Playa Uvita.
Day 10
Free time on the beach or explore the area.
Day 11
Transfer to San José.
Day 12
Transfer to the airport for your international flight.
Things to do
We proudly offer the widest range of activities, excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences across all our destinations, tried and tested personally by our travel experts.
Accommodation
Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation . Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you’ll relax in utter comfort.
Costa Rica / San Jose, central highlands and central valleys
Cerro Lodge
Costa Rica / Pacific coast
La Cusinga Ecolodge
Costa Rica / San Jose, central highlands and central valleys
Santa Juana Lodge
Costa Rica / Savegre valley and Chirripo foothills
Trogon Lodge
Costa Rica / Pacific coast
Yaba Chigui Lodge
What our clients say
97% of our clients rated their experience with us as Excellent or Good.
Very efficient with the booking process and very helpful with his service throughout. Adam was always prompt and helpful in answering all our questions prior to departure.
IR, London
Tailor made holiday
Our specialists have been expertly crafting award-winning tailor-made holidays to Latin America for 40 years. We would be delighted to create a truly personalised trip which perfectly matches your wishes and requirements.
Hannah Donaldson - Travel Consultant
Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is an invaluable part of our Group Tours team.
Inspired by this trip
Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.
Papagaio
Your edit for Latin American inspiration
Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.
View Extraordinary Inspiration
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Evie Oswald - Travel Consultant
It’s hard to believe that Evie has had time to cram so much in to her life so far. Having lived as a child in the Americas and Europe she found herself immediately attracted to Latin America.
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Ben Line - Travel Consultant
Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Manager of the Tailor-made Department.
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Hannah Donaldson - Travel Consultant
Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is an invaluable part of our Group Tours team.
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Lina Fuller - Travel Consultant
Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.
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Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Consultant
Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.
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Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Consultant
Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.
