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Arenal Volcano 33

Central America is a great place to go during the Christmas holidays, although if your initial thought is to visit Costa Rica then my recommendation would be to try to book your holiday as soon as possible because it is one of those destinations where things do get booked up quickly and the hotels tend to be very busy over the festive period.

Costa Rica is great for families and is very well prepared to cater for them. There are many amazing national parks where you can take part in a variety of activities that teenage girls (and parents alike) will enjoy. If you’re adventurous types, there are several exciting outdoor pursuits to try, such as white-water rafting on the Pacuare River, crossing hanging bridges in Arenal, horse riding in Turrialba or kayaking in Tortuguero. Costa Rica is famous for its wildlife and you can see it both above and below the ocean’s surface: there is great snorkelling in the Osa Peninsula while the major national parks like Manuel Antonio or Corcovado National park offer some of Latin America’s very best wildlife watching. Everything is there for your family to explore – or you could simply choose to relax on the beach or in the soothing hot springs of Arenal.

We feature a Private Journey which is ideal for families  which takes in the highlights of the country like Monteverde Cloud-forest, Corcovado National Park and Tortuguero National Park, but for the relaxing part of your holiday do not forget to check out our guide to the best beach hotels in Costa Rica. If you would like to discuss all the different options and choose the best property for your family, please contact me (lina.fuller@journeylatinamerica.co.uk), I will be glad to recommend the ideal location for you.

But knowing how difficult it could be to find availability in Costa Rica over Christmas and New Year, I would like to draw your attention to a neighbouring country, which is less well known and very authentic, but which has similar attractions which are equally fun and enjoyable as the ones that you will find in Costa Rica: I would like to introduce Nicaragua to you and your family.

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Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Paul Winrow Giffin
    Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Expert

    After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.

  • Hannah
    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    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.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Alex
    Alex Walker - Travel Expert

    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

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