Overview
Join Global Family Travels to Learn, Serve & Immerse in this leading destination for ecotourism, while enjoying fun adventures in Costa RIca's rainforests, volcanoes, wildlife reserves, and beaches. You will cultivate deep bonds with this coastal country through an immersive experiences and opportunities to work together on community projects to promote positive change. You will also enjoy a range of cultural activities, including chocolate-making and pottery workshops. This trip can be customized for both group educational travel or for family's ideal dates.
Our trip begins in the capital city, San Jose, where we will get a taste for the multicultural heritage and vibrant culture of Costa Rica. Then leave the city behind for the first of many ecological destinations where guests will participate in a conservation community project with either the Sarapiqui Learning Center or Tirimbina Reserve. The remainder of our journey will be filled with engaging workshops and a number of exciting, natural wonders including the Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna Waterfall, Tarcoles River, and beach time at the end of your trip to relax and soak in the experiences of this amazing country!
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS are below, click on ITINERARY to see all the details.

Global Family Travels
Much more than a traditional tour operator, Global Family Travels’ mission is to “Learn, Serve and Immerse” through community-based travel programs. In partnership with non-profit organizations and schools, we offer family-friendly and sustainable travel experiences in support of education, gender equality, access to clean water, preservation of local cultures, conservation and economic growth, all of which foster cross-cultural understanding and global citizens.
Our trips include a unique mix of cultural and educational activities, homestays and participation in local service projects aimed at improving the lives of people in the communities we visit.
Expect to expand your family circle when you embark on a Global Family Travels trip! Visit our website for more information: Global Family Travels

LEARN
At Global Family Travels we believe that the most powerful way to learn is through firsthand experience. We let the country and its people be your teachers and supplement your experiences with reading lists, informal discussions, and a pre-trip orientation which includes information on the culture and history of your host country, helpful words and phrases, and cultural “do’s and don’ts”.
Learning themes unique to this tour include:
- Costa Rican culture and history
- Ecotourism and conversation in Costa Rica’s National Parks
- Flora and fauna of the rainforest
- Sustainable tourism and its impact on the local economy
SERVE
Various service projects will take place in communities on this trip. Some of the community service partners, which we will work alongside the locals to make a positive impact, include:
Community Service Opportunities include working with the following:
Tirimbina Reserve
Tirimbna is a non-profit, biological reserve operated as an education, research, and ecotourism center working to protect the area’s exceptional biodiversity. Currently the reserve protects 345 hectares of tropical forest, only a third of which is used for ecotourism and environmental education, keeping most of the reserve intact. However, the 9 km trails enable visitors to journey through the diverse surroundings and experience the forest up close.
Juanilama agro ecological community integrates the rural life style of Juanilama with several cultural, agricultural and nature related aspects. The community offers guests the opportunity to experience the routine of an authentic rural community through different tours and activities that have been designed to show the legacy of our culture, traditions, respect for nature and the hard labor of the country.
IMMERSE
This tour emphasizes authentic cultural experience to give you a true taste of Costa Rica. Guests will engage with conservationists and families in various communities.
Together you will learn how to cook a proper Costa Rican meal and interact directly with the members of the family, learning names, games and sharing traditions from your world and theirs.

About Sarapiqui Learning Center
About Tirimbina Reserve
Located in Sarapiqui, Tirimbina Reserve is a non-profit, biological reserve operated as an education, research, and eco-tourism center working to protect the area’s exceptional biodiversity. Currently the reserve protects 345 hectares of tropical forest, only a third of which is used for ecotourism and environmental education, keeping most of the reserve intact. However, the 9 km trails enable visitors to journey through the diverse surroundings and experience the forest up close.