Costa Rica: San José & the Coastal Puntarenas

Say “pura vida” to the monkeys, sloths and parrots as the plentiful wildlife will surely put a smile on your face. Then spread joy on a visit to local students where you’ll truly sense the jovial culture of ticos. Can’t get enough? Add a splash of white water rafting!
RECENT TOUR DIARIES:
March 20, 2025 - March 24, 2025
June 9, 2024 - June 14, 2024
June 5, 2023 - June 9, 2023
Learn more
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Day 1 Hola San José (groups flying from the west coast may be required to depart day 0)
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Day 2 San José--Coastal Puntarenas
Travel to Coastal Puntarenas
Carara National Park visit
Optional  Canopy zipline tour  $70
Butterfly Farm visit
Details: Carara National Park visit
Explore the Carara National Park with your certified local guide. Located two hours away from San Jose between the dry forests of the Pacific north and the very humid ones of the south coast, this "ecotone" gives Carara its biodiversity. You will share the park with American crocodiles, the rare scarlet macaws, great anteaters, ocelots, spider monkeys and yellow-naped parrots. The bridge over the Tárcoles river offers a good vantage point to bird watch or observe the crocodiles below.
Day 3 Coastal Puntarenas
Manuel Antonio National Park visit
Free time at the beach
Details: Manuel Antonio National Park visit
Combining white sandy beaches with lush tropical forest, Manuel Antonio is the perfect place to see a variety of Costa Rican wildlife, from white-faced monkeys and sleepy-faced sloths, to green turtles and orange-and-black-shelled land crabs.
Day 4 Coastal Puntarenas--San José
Travel to San José
Optional  Folklore evening  $50
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Day 5 Flight home from San José
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    Day 5 Start river rafting extension
    Whitewater rafting guided excursion
    Details: Whitewater rafting guided excursion
    The perfect way to experience Costa Rica at its best. After getting full safety and paddling instructions from your guide, head off into lush rainforest teeming with toucans, herons, and iguanas. Be on the lookout for basilisk lizards—these reptiles can scurry across the water on their hind legs, a feat that earned them the nickname “Jesus Christ lizards.” End your tour of Costa Rica’s most popular river with a traditional lunch prepared by your guide. For safety reasons, weight restrictions apply to this activity.
    Day 6 Flight home from San José
    Map of the Costa Rica: San José & the Coastal Puntarenas Tour | Explorica Educational Travel
    Tour Includes:
    • Round-trip airfare
    • 4 overnight stays in hotels (5 with extension)
    • Buffet-style breakfast daily
    • Lunch daily
    • Dinner daily
    • Full-time services of a professional tour director
    • Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
    • Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
    • Tour Diary™
    • Local Guide and Local Bus Driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
    • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
    • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.

    We are better able to assist you with a quote for your selected departure date and city over the phone. Please call 1.888.378.8845 to price this tour with your requested options.

    Please select a postal code
    3325.00 total fee
    Basic Options


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