Join Global Family Travels experience Costa Rica, a leading destination for ecotourism, while enjoying fun adventures visiting its rainforests, volcanoes, and wildlife reserves. Your family will cultivate deep bonds with this country through immersive experiences and opportunities to work together on conservation community projects. You will also enjoy a range of cultural activities, including chocolate-making and cooking, as well as enjoying some meals with the locals.
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 conservation community projects at the Sarapiqui Learning Center, the Tirimbina Reserve, and the Tapir Valley Reserve.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS are below, click on ITINERARY button at the top of the page to see all the details.
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:
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:
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.
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 local Costa Rican communities, including school children!
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.
Tapir Valley is a private reserve which was establised more than 15 years ago to protect the valuable rainforest habitat for many animals, such as the threatened Baird’s tapir. The reserve covers over 220 acres and primary and secondary tropical forest and is adjacent to the Tenorio Volcano National Park.
This is a journey in the fragile habitat of the Baird’s Tapir. It is not a visit that can guarantee the observation of a tapir. Tapirs are endangered animals and Tapir’s observations are rare. Our tours are intended for nature lovers and people wishing to discover the rainforest environment with a local guide and interested in the ecology of its system.
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
With the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), the health and safety of Global Family Travels' travelers and guides are of paramount importance.
Costa Rica is open to fully vaccinated travelers with proof of vaccination.Costa Rica allows entry without travel insurance to minors under 18 years of age and adult tourists fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. In the case of visitors from the United States, the “COVID-19 vaccination record card” will be accepted. All travelers must pre-register using Costa Rica's HEALTH PASS (see more info in TASKS). Learn more about Costa Rica's COVID-19 safety requirements.
Unvaccinated adult visitors traveling to Costa Rica will continue to need to provide proof of a medical insurance policy to cover any COVID-19 related medical treatment or quarantine lodging while in Costa Rica.
Please see our COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS documents, found under the Tasks section, which outlines our commitment to mitigate and manage the risks associated with COVID-19 when you travel with us.
Thank you for helping to keep yourselves, our host community and guides safe!
Costa Rica 
