Costa Rica | Arenal Volcano National Park | Family Vacation

Arrive at the San José International Airport and transfer to your hotel for the evening. Once you arrive, you are free to explore the expansive private forest reserve at the resort, take a dip in the sunset pool, and enjoy a delectable local meal on your own.

About Xandari Resort

Xandari Resort & Spa offers the quintessential Costa Rica experience. The property’s forest reserve, with five waterfalls and miles of trails for bird-watching, provides the nature guests expect from a visit to Costa Rica.

Meet with your guide for a trip orientation over breakfast. Begin the four-hour shuttle to the Arenal region, stopping along the way first at a coffee plantation and then for a hike through lush tropical rainforest and lunch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Finish up the day learning about traditional Costa Rican farming at Arenal Vida Campesina Organic Farm followed by an authentic meal.

About The Springs Resort

Towering one thousand feet above the Arenal Valley, the 165-acre Springs Resort is the peak of luxury accommodation in Costa Rica. Indulge in natural cold and hot springs, a 14,000 square foot full-service spa, and five unique dining experiences during your time at this gorgeous resort. You’ll relax after a long day of adventure with your feet up in a modern room with full amenities; anything your heart desires is available at the ring of your room phone!

Optional birding walk in the early AM for anyone interested. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and take off on a brief transfer to our horseback ride. Mount a horse and ride off into the picturesque hills of Arenal Volcano, riding through cattle fields and beautiful primary forest along the way. Take in views of the Arenal Volcano, dense forests, and the vast Arenal Lake, and afterward, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Gear up for an afternoon of canyoning and get your adrenaline pumping. After a day full of adventure, return to the resort for dinner.

This morning takes us to the Danaus Nature Reserve on a guided nature hike. Savor the sweet smell of orchids and ferns, keeping an eye out for resident sloths, iguanas, basilisks, bats, frogs, and butterflies. Check-in for a short charter flight to Quepos near Costa Rica’s Pacific shore. Transfer one hour by road to Uvita, stopping for lunch en route. Check into our accommodation for the next three nights and enjoy dinner at the hotel tonight.

About Cristal Ballena Hotel

Cristal Ballena Hotel offers you everything you need for your dream beach, adventure, and nature vacation in Costa Rica. This beautiful four-star Mediterranean-style hotel rests on a rainforest-covered hill overlooking the famed Ballena Marine National Park, a crucial site for the world’s Pacific Humpback Whales to reproduce and give birth. On the expansive 12-hectare (29.6 acres) grounds near the City of Uvita, you will find luxury suites, the reception building, a souvenir shop, an immense ocean-view swimming pool, an open-air gourmet restaurant and bar, soothing Spa, and rainforest hiking paths.

Meet your instructors on the beach for private surfing lessons on the Marino Ballena shore. Break for lunch at a local restaurant. Shuttle back to the hotel and enjoy the afternoon at your leisure: hang out by the swimming pool, walk along the hotel’s rainforest hiking path or take a shuttle to the beach.

** Sea kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and snorkeling available in the afternoon at an extra cost.

After breakfast, we head out on the Sierpe River for a boat tour exploring the beautiful maze of canals, river mouths, and estuaries that flood the largest untouched expanse of mangroves in all of Costa Rica. Eat lunch in Palma Sur followed by a visit to Stone Spheres Park (can you figure out the mystery of how they were created and why?). After a pleasant walk on the beach, we enjoy a final dinner back at the hotel.

Have breakfast at the hotel and transfer one hour to the Quepos Airport. Sit back and relax on a charter flight to San José. From here, you can board your international flight to make your post-trip connections home.

**Trip itineraries are subject to change without notice due to road, trail, weather, and other factors outside of our control, for the safety and enjoyment of our guests, as deemed necessary and appropriate by Austin Adventures and Costa Rica Sun Tours.