Costa Rica Standard Tours & Trip Packages

Costa Rica Standard Tours & Trips

287 Costa Rica trips. Tours from 130 tour companies. 899 reviews. 4.8/5 avg rating.

169 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
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Standard
Costa Rica Family Vacation
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4.1/5 Great
100+ reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Sarapiqui River Floating Safari Tour
  • Evening visit to Baldi Hot Springs, with dinner

What travelers are saying

"Having a tour guide that spoke English and Spanish was great. Having a reservation at each hotel, tickets to the train station, and flights was extremely helpful and easy."

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Costa Rica, Panama & Colombia
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4.1/5 Great
100+ reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Full-day Tortuga Island Tour, with light breakfast, lunch, cruise & tour
  • Full-day Arenal Volcano & Tabacon Hot Springs Tour
  • Panama & Miraflores Locks Tour
  • Cartagena City Tour (half-day)
  • Full-day Tour to the Rosario Islands

What travelers are saying

"Having a tour guide that spoke English and Spanish was great. Having a reservation at each hotel, tickets to the train station, and flights was extremely helpful and easy."

Trip dates & details
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Costa Rica Nature & Culture
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4.1/5 Great
100+ reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Want to stay longer? You can extend this trip up to a total of 7 days!

What travelers are saying

"Having a tour guide that spoke English and Spanish was great. Having a reservation at each hotel, tickets to the train station, and flights was extremely helpful and easy."

Trip dates & details
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Costa Rica 360
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4.1/5 Great
100+ reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Guanacaste, Monteverde

What travelers are saying

"Having a tour guide that spoke English and Spanish was great. Having a reservation at each hotel, tickets to the train station, and flights was extremely helpful and easy."

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Natural Costa Rica
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4.1/5 Great
100+ reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Arenal Volcano, San José

Highlights

  • Want to stay longer? You can extend this trip up to a total of 7 days!
  • Full-day Tortuga Island Tour, with light breakfast, lunch, cruise & tour
  • Full-day Arenal Volcano & Tabacon Hot Springs Tour

Themes

Local Immersion & Homestays, Relaxing Retreats

What travelers are saying

"Having a tour guide that spoke English and Spanish was great. Having a reservation at each hotel, tickets to the train station, and flights was extremely helpful and easy."

Trip dates & details
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Costa Rica Explorer
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4.1/5 Great
100+ reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Guanacaste

Highlights

  • Arrive in Costa Rica's capital San Jose and tour a few of the city's highlights including the neoclassical Teatro Nacional.
  • Watch thousands of turtles nest at Tortuguero National Park, then tour its canals and village!
  • Explore the secret waterfalls and rainforests of Bajos del Toro, one of the most beautiful areas in the country.
  • Hike, bike, and see the elusive Resplendent quetzal bird at Arenal Volcano and its national park.
  • Learn to surf in Guanacaste, a northwestern province on the Pacific known for its pristine beaches and perfect waves!

Themes

Local Immersion & Homestays, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats

What travelers are saying

"Having a tour guide that spoke English and Spanish was great. Having a reservation at each hotel, tickets to the train station, and flights was extremely helpful and easy."

Trip dates & details
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Costa Rican Adventure: White Water Rafting, Zip Lines & Snorkeling
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4.1/5 Great
100+ reviews
Self-Guided / Independent Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Monteverde

Highlights

  • Pacuare River white water rafting and lunch
  • Half-day Sky Adventures Park (Zip line)
  • Evening Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Tour
  • Half-day Catamaran Ocean King Tour, with lunch

Themes

Nature & Wildlife

What travelers are saying

"Having a tour guide that spoke English and Spanish was great. Having a reservation at each hotel, tickets to the train station, and flights was extremely helpful and easy."

Trip dates & details
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Simply Costa Rica: Arenal, Monteverde & Manuel Antonio
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4.9/5 Excellent
100+ reviews
Private Guided
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Arenal Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, San José

Themes

National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats

What travelers are saying

"What an amazing first class fabulous and fantastic trip to South Africa with our wonderful friends. Andy Freeman from Audley Travel organised an excellent trip starting in Cape Town for 5 days then driving down the Garden Route stopping in Swellendam, Plettenberg Bay, Wilderness, Oudtshoorn, Franschoek and finishing with the most wonderful Safari at Rock Fig which was excellent. There wasn't one thing we could fault about the whole 17 day trip (albeit we may have changed a couple of things) but it was outstanding. Thanks so much Andy and would 110% recommend it to anyone. South Africa was simply stunning and the people were fabulous. Love The Drewerys & Griffins xx"

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169 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
Standard

Costa Rica Reviews & Ratings

4.8/5  Excellent
899  Reviews
See all Costa Rica tour reviews
Excellent
552
Great
88
Average
14
Disappointing
4
Terrible
4
A

Anonymous

Aug 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

I really wanted to see a Tapir!

Our third visit to Costa Rica was everything we expected and more (sadly we didn't see a tapir - but that was the only disappointment!). The trip is full on - if y...

A

Anonymous

Aug 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

A wonderful trip

Thoroughly enjoyed this holiday. We saw so much wildlife from sloths and monkeys and even an anteater to scarlet macaws and toucans, as well as the elusive quetzal...

A

Anonymous

Aug 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Wonderful holiday!

I would recommend this well organised holiday to anyone who wants to explore the diverse landscapes of Costa Rica, as well as see a wide range of wildlife - sloths...

A

Anonymous

Aug 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

A tropical paradise.

Overall we had such an amazing trip. Our tour guide was fantastic and one of a kind. He really knew his stuff and went the extra mile above and beyond for the grou...

A

Anonymous

Aug 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

Coastal secrets of Costa Rica

I had booked this trip to celebrate "big birthdays" for both me and my daughter, so my expectations were high and this fantastic holiday exceeded my expectations. ...

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Costa Rica Tour Selection Trips

  • Allow at least seven to ten days for a tour that will hit many of the highlights.
  • Costa Rica caters to a wide variety of travelers, including couples, singles, and families. Whether you’re looking for hard or soft adventure, Stride can help you find the best Costa Rica tours.
  • If you have a special interest -- birding or fishing, for instance -- look for tours that emphasize those activities; you’ll be able to find them.
  • Don’t be put off by reports of civil strife elsewhere in Central America; Costa Rica has been safe and peaceful for decades.
  • The dry season runs from December to April or May in San Jose (the capital) and the Pacific Coast and from January to April along the Caribbean.
  • Some parts of the country can get rain year-round, and temperature is swayed more by altitude than season, so pack an umbrella and visit any time of year.

Additional details

Tours to Costa Rica usually focus on a combination of eco travel, wildlife, and adventure. You will usually find a tour that weighs one or two of these themes above the other.

If it’s your first visit to Costa Rica, try to find a tour that hits upon what Costa Rica is most known for. These include Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest. Both attractions are extremely popular and are normally included in Costa Rica tour itineraries.

bridge-in-monteverde

Outdoors and Active Costa Rica Tours

Most Costa Rica tours don’t have a heavy emphasis on cultural or historical sight seeing. Simply because the wildlife and outdoor tour activities are enough to occupy the days!

Wildlife lovers will want for nothing in Costa Rica, and most itineraries do focus heavily on the diverse wildlife found in Costa Rica’s rainforests and cloud forests. Some may not include Tortuguero National Park - and if you don’t want to miss observing sea turtles nesting or hatching be sure to find a tour that includes this park!

Some of the most famous animals you can see relatively easily in Costa Rica include the red-eyed tree frog, crocodiles, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, tapirs, basilisk lizards, coatimundis (the Costa Rican version of a raccoon!), and two kinds of sloth. A night safari might allow you to see some of the rarer or more elusive animals in the country, such as jaguars, kinkajous, tarantulas, and ocelots. Don't forget to look up - night is the best time to see snakes as they stalk for sleeping birds in the trees above. 

If you decide to go snorkeling or scuba diving, you may run into bottlenose dolphins (or go see them on a dolphin swim!), green sea turtles and leatherbacks, sharks, and all kinds of tropical fish. Whale watching is  also a great way to see orcas and humpback, blue, beaked, and pilot whales. 

If you are interested in going on a birdwatching trip, there are also tons of beautiful and exotic birds. There are green and scarlet macaws,  toucans, dozens of species of hummingbirds, and all kinds of birds of paradise -- including the rare national bird of Costa Rica, the Resplendent Quetzal. 

costa-rican-volcano

Weather in Costa Rica

It gets quite wet and humid in Costa Rica, and the country is prone to hurricane conditions. Tour activities may change depending on the time of year, but generally you can expect to be walking through the rainforest in every sense of the word.

Most tours in Costa Rica will provide wet weather gear, though it is a good idea to pack light weight waterproof clothing for the majority of your tour. Long sleeves and pants can go a long way toward insect protection as well.

Eco Lodge Accommodation on Costa Rica Tours

Costa Rica has a long history as a leader in eco travel, and a majority of trips to Costa Rica have an eco, sustainable, and green travel theme. These will often feature a stay at an eco lodge, or even a treehouse! These can vary from luxury accommodations to comfortable-but-basic.

Don’t expect terribly reliable internet and electricity - particularly in keeping with the eco lodge approach! These establishments are designed to be as eco conscious as possible, and your tour will reveal new ways you can help contribute and be a responsible traveler.

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