Simple stays with essential amenities. Typically guesthouses, hostels or hotels rated below 3 stars — clean, no-frills, and great for value-conscious travelers.
Comfortable and reliable 3-star stays. Expect private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, and solid amenities — a great balance between comfort and cost.
Costa Rica’s wild heart awaits on this Classic Costa Rica adventure trip—a 15-day exploration from lively San Jose to the misty Monteverde Cloud Forest and sun-kissed Pacific beaches. Perfect for those eager for easy-paced discovery, this small group tour immerses you in the country’s lush jungles, bustling farmlands, and pristine parks. Savor local hospitality with a homestay in Santa Rosa de Pocosol, where you’ll help prepare a traditional meal. Unwind in volcanic hot springs at La Fortuna, spot sloths and monkeys in Manuel Antonio National Park, and enjoy optional activities ranging from canopy walks to river rafting. The unique selling point? Authentic connection with Costa Rican culture and nature at every turn, ensuring your trip is as enriching as it is relaxed.
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Lodge, Home-stay
Age Range
15-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
San Jose, Manuel Antonio Nationa
San Jose, Manuel Antonio National Park, La Fortuna, Sarapiqui, Arenal Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve, Manuel Antonio, Tortuguero National Park, Santa Rosa De Pocosol, Rio Celeste
We just returned from the Costa Rica Eco-Adventure (2/1/2025-2/8/2025). This was our sixth Trafalgar trip. was a WONDERFUL tour guide. Very knowledgeable and personable. worked very hard; it was much appreciated! It was a great tour!
A couple of things we noticed on this trip, that were different than previous Trafalgar trips . . . We prepaid our gratuities (as we always do). Usually, the tour guide talks about the ability to tip the guides and drivers, and thanks those who have already paid the gratuity. This didn't happen on this trip. We hope he received our prepaid gratuity! Also, on previous trips, it was noted if you had been a previous Trafalgar traveler. This did not happen on this trip. We are proud Trafalgar trip repeaters, which makes us some of your greatest advertisers.
One suggestion we had: For our farewell dinner, we went to a restaurant where we could order off the menu. There were 42 of us. It took probably two hours to get our food. It would be better to limit the menu to a couple of appetizers, salads, main entrees and desserts, to make the evening not as long.
Thanks again for a wonderful experience. We will be back to travel with Trafalgar again!
Our guide was so knowledgeable about the flora and fauna as well as the history and current conditions of Costa Rica and surrounding countries. Learning is so much a part of what we want to experience while traveling. This was an excellent opportunity. A bonus is how absolutely gorgeous Costa Rica is.
We loved the La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Sarapiqui River tour! La Paz is beyond beautiful with orchids, hummingbirds, frogs, toucans, scarlet macaws, parrots, coatis, sloths, ocelots, margays, and a jaguar. The gardens and waterfalls are exquisite. A wonderful buffet lunch was included.
Our trip down the Sarapiqui River in a covered boat was so much fun! We saw two caimans, iguanas, Anhingas, swallows, butterflies, and five troops of Mantled Howler monkeys.
Oscar and Armando, our guide and driver were so kind and taught us so much. We stopped at a lovely coffee finca to see the beans ripening, a sopa (local restaurant) in the mountains to take in spectacular waterfall and hummingbird views, we watched whitewater rafters, and sampled fresh pineapple at a farmstand.
Oscar and Armando treated us like family and made our first day in Costa Rica amazing!
Outstanding trip. Oldemar was our contact person and itinerary organizer. He did a phenomenal job. he took care of all the logistics and they were excellent. I would recommend this trip to anyone
San Jose, Manuel Antonio National Park, Tortuguero National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Arenal Volcano, Pacuare River, Arenal
I had booked to go on a group tour but ended up being the only person travelling. I wondered if this would be a problem.. but it was brilliant. I had my own guide, transport and could decide what to do when I wanted. The trip itself was amazing, 5 different areas and all just as good as the next. Lovely accommodation, especially in Arenal, great food, fantastic wildlife and the most beautiful country.
My guide was so nice, kind, respectful, amazing knowledge of the country and all the wildlife. The additional trips were really good and where necessary I just tagged on with other people so it was never a problem. The tour was full on, some early starts and at times not for the faint of heart, but for me it was perfect. I loved every single second of this trip. Thank you so much.
Tortuguero was full of great nature, although the heat and lack of fans and air conditioning can be brutal at times. Puerto Viejo/Cocles was our favorite and it was great to see the Caribbean side of Costa Rica; all of the experiences there were fantastic as well. Overall, we enjoyed our honeymoon and hope to make it back to Costa Rica to visit the other side of the coast in the future!