Costa Rica Tours & Trip Packages

Costa Rica Tours & Trips

301 Costa Rica trips. Tours from 130 tour companies. 881 reviews. 4.8/5 avg rating.

301 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
Walking & Wellness: Costa Rican Secrets of Longevity
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Very Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Guanacaste

Highlights

  • On energizing walks through various terrain, we will be conscious of trying to achieve 10,000 steps a day – a goal recommended for a healthy lifestyle
  • Learn about the local plant and animal life, comparing and contrasting the characteristics of the different ecosystems we’ll explore
  • Enjoy fresh, clean air, nutritious food, morning stretching sessions and multiple outdoor activities, all contributing to your personal wellbeing

Themes

50 plus, Education / Learning, Yoga, Meditation & Wellness

What travelers are saying

"Because I have Stage 4 cancer, I chose to spend the extra money for trip insurance in case my cancer recurred. When a scan showed that it had, I cancelled my trip. I sent to them the medical documents from the Mayo Clinic confirming my new diagnosis. They sent me an email telling me my oncologist needed to fill in a form. I asked my oncologist to do that and I submitted it by fax on April 6th. When I didn’t hear anything, I sent them more medical documentation and asked them to please push forward my refund as I have travel expenses from a clinical trial coming up. Several days later I received an email that they needed further documentation from my doctor. How much more documentation do you need than the patient has stage 4 metastatic cancer and is starting a clinical trial??? This is heartless to me. Please don’t plan to travel through Road Scholar if you’re medically vulnerable!!"

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
More
From Monkeys to Macaws: Colorful Costa Rica With Your Family
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate

Visits

San José

Highlights

  • I like to spend much of the day exploring
  • Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full
  • Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group

Themes

Culinary & Wine, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats, Yoga, Meditation & Wellness, Photography, Holy Land

What travelers are saying

"Because I have Stage 4 cancer, I chose to spend the extra money for trip insurance in case my cancer recurred. When a scan showed that it had, I cancelled my trip. I sent to them the medical documents from the Mayo Clinic confirming my new diagnosis. They sent me an email telling me my oncologist needed to fill in a form. I asked my oncologist to do that and I submitted it by fax on April 6th. When I didn’t hear anything, I sent them more medical documentation and asked them to please push forward my refund as I have travel expenses from a clinical trial coming up. Several days later I received an email that they needed further documentation from my doctor. How much more documentation do you need than the patient has stage 4 metastatic cancer and is starting a clinical trial??? This is heartless to me. Please don’t plan to travel through Road Scholar if you’re medically vulnerable!!"

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
More
From Cloud Forests to Volcanoes: Costa Rica With Your Grandchild
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate

Visits

San José

Highlights

  • I like to spend much of the day exploring
  • Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full
  • Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group

Themes

Culinary & Wine, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats, Yoga, Meditation & Wellness, Photography, Holy Land

What travelers are saying

"Because I have Stage 4 cancer, I chose to spend the extra money for trip insurance in case my cancer recurred. When a scan showed that it had, I cancelled my trip. I sent to them the medical documents from the Mayo Clinic confirming my new diagnosis. They sent me an email telling me my oncologist needed to fill in a form. I asked my oncologist to do that and I submitted it by fax on April 6th. When I didn’t hear anything, I sent them more medical documentation and asked them to please push forward my refund as I have travel expenses from a clinical trial coming up. Several days later I received an email that they needed further documentation from my doctor. How much more documentation do you need than the patient has stage 4 metastatic cancer and is starting a clinical trial??? This is heartless to me. Please don’t plan to travel through Road Scholar if you’re medically vulnerable!!"

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
More
The Best of Costa Rica: Exploring Natural Wonders
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate

Visits

Arenal Volcano, San José

Highlights

  • I like to spend much of the day exploring
  • Whether walking through historic neighborhoods at a moderate pace or out and about on a coach, I prefer to keep my days full
  • Stairs don’t bother me, and I love to keep up with the group

Themes

Culinary & Wine, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Relaxing Retreats, Yoga, Meditation & Wellness, Photography, Holy Land

What travelers are saying

"Because I have Stage 4 cancer, I chose to spend the extra money for trip insurance in case my cancer recurred. When a scan showed that it had, I cancelled my trip. I sent to them the medical documents from the Mayo Clinic confirming my new diagnosis. They sent me an email telling me my oncologist needed to fill in a form. I asked my oncologist to do that and I submitted it by fax on April 6th. When I didn’t hear anything, I sent them more medical documentation and asked them to please push forward my refund as I have travel expenses from a clinical trial coming up. Several days later I received an email that they needed further documentation from my doctor. How much more documentation do you need than the patient has stage 4 metastatic cancer and is starting a clinical trial??? This is heartless to me. Please don’t plan to travel through Road Scholar if you’re medically vulnerable!!"

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
More
Birding in Southern Costa Rica: Motmots to Quetzals
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate

Highlights

  • I enjoy getting my heart going on my bike or on trails
  • Nothing beats the thrill of taking on a rewarding climb or ride on varied terrain with inclines
  • Let’s keep moving — occasional stops only, please

Themes

Birding, Culinary & Wine, Cycling & Biking, Family Friendly, Hiking & Walking, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Golf

What travelers are saying

"Because I have Stage 4 cancer, I chose to spend the extra money for trip insurance in case my cancer recurred. When a scan showed that it had, I cancelled my trip. I sent to them the medical documents from the Mayo Clinic confirming my new diagnosis. They sent me an email telling me my oncologist needed to fill in a form. I asked my oncologist to do that and I submitted it by fax on April 6th. When I didn’t hear anything, I sent them more medical documentation and asked them to please push forward my refund as I have travel expenses from a clinical trial coming up. Several days later I received an email that they needed further documentation from my doctor. How much more documentation do you need than the patient has stage 4 metastatic cancer and is starting a clinical trial??? This is heartless to me. Please don’t plan to travel through Road Scholar if you’re medically vulnerable!!"

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
More
Birding in Northern Costa Rica: Tanagers to Toucans
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate

Visits

San José

Highlights

  • I enjoy getting my heart going on my bike or on trails
  • Nothing beats the thrill of taking on a rewarding climb or ride on varied terrain with inclines
  • Let’s keep moving — occasional stops only, please

Themes

Birding, Culinary & Wine, Cycling & Biking, Family Friendly, Hiking & Walking, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Golf

What travelers are saying

"Because I have Stage 4 cancer, I chose to spend the extra money for trip insurance in case my cancer recurred. When a scan showed that it had, I cancelled my trip. I sent to them the medical documents from the Mayo Clinic confirming my new diagnosis. They sent me an email telling me my oncologist needed to fill in a form. I asked my oncologist to do that and I submitted it by fax on April 6th. When I didn’t hear anything, I sent them more medical documentation and asked them to please push forward my refund as I have travel expenses from a clinical trial coming up. Several days later I received an email that they needed further documentation from my doctor. How much more documentation do you need than the patient has stage 4 metastatic cancer and is starting a clinical trial??? This is heartless to me. Please don’t plan to travel through Road Scholar if you’re medically vulnerable!!"

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
More

Unlock Community Benefits

Travel better together

  • Save favorite trips and itineraries
  • Get insider insights
  • Receive personalized recommendations
  • ... and much more
Join community
Costa Rica: Jungles & Rainforests 2025
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
4.2/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate

Visits

Guanacaste, La Fortuna

Highlights

  • Life is pretty colorful on a Costa Rica family vacation
  • where even butterflies like the electric-blue morpho make visitors gape in awe.More than 850 different species of birds make their homes here
  • from emerald-green parrots
  • scarlet macaws and bright-billed 'flying banana' toucans to purple-throated hummingbirds
  • orange-bellied trogons
Show more

Themes

Family Friendly

What travelers are saying

"Sad to see a once good tour company stumble and fall into mediocrity. That’s Tauck post-Covid. My May 2023 tour of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley was done on the cheap by Tauck, yet cost me thousands of dollars extra as a solo traveler on a special small-group tour. 

5-star hotels switched to 3 and 4 (without any compensation or explanation)… many more meals “on your own”… lots of “self-guided” tours of museums and chateaux and castles we knew nothing about… airline quality “rubber chicken” dinners, not in hotel restaurants, but in sad and isolated business convention spaces… poorly-trained newer Tour Directors (like the one on this tour) with limited experience traveling outside her tiny Canadian village or dealing with people from diverse backgrounds. She even confessed that this was a second gig job that took her away from her own business back home! You get what Tauck pays for, but unfortunately, not what YOU pay for. 

Speaking to a “Guest Relations” agent was comically pointless. She tried to make everything my fault, which I now understand is par for the course with the “new” post-Covid Tauck. Please reconsider spending huge amounts of your hard-earned money on a tour company that has lost its way and no longer delivers."

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
More
Costa Rica: Jungles & Rainforests 2024
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
4.2/5 Great
100+ reviews
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate

Visits

Guanacaste, La Fortuna

Highlights

  • Life is pretty colorful on a Costa Rica family vacation
  • where even butterflies like the electric-blue morpho make visitors gape in awe.More than 850 different species of birds make their homes here
  • from emerald-green parrots
  • scarlet macaws and bright-billed 'flying banana' toucans to purple-throated hummingbirds
  • orange-bellied trogons
Show more

Themes

Family Friendly

What travelers are saying

"Sad to see a once good tour company stumble and fall into mediocrity. That’s Tauck post-Covid. My May 2023 tour of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley was done on the cheap by Tauck, yet cost me thousands of dollars extra as a solo traveler on a special small-group tour. 

5-star hotels switched to 3 and 4 (without any compensation or explanation)… many more meals “on your own”… lots of “self-guided” tours of museums and chateaux and castles we knew nothing about… airline quality “rubber chicken” dinners, not in hotel restaurants, but in sad and isolated business convention spaces… poorly-trained newer Tour Directors (like the one on this tour) with limited experience traveling outside her tiny Canadian village or dealing with people from diverse backgrounds. She even confessed that this was a second gig job that took her away from her own business back home! You get what Tauck pays for, but unfortunately, not what YOU pay for. 

Speaking to a “Guest Relations” agent was comically pointless. She tried to make everything my fault, which I now understand is par for the course with the “new” post-Covid Tauck. Please reconsider spending huge amounts of your hard-earned money on a tour company that has lost its way and no longer delivers."

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
More
Travelstride Gift Card
One card, thousands of extraordinary trips
Gifts Card

Want a tailor-made trip instead?

Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:

  • You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
  • Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
Design custom trip
301 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:

Costa Rica Reviews & Ratings

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

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

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

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

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...

Write a Review

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.

Always Find the Best

On Travelstride you can find 301 trips to Costa Rica and more than 20,000 trips worldwide ranging from budget to luxury and private guided to group tours and everything in between. Only on Stride can you find and compare expert-planned trips from 1,000+ tour operators, cruise lines and local experts. Read traveler and professional reviews so you can confidently find your perfect trip.

Top Tour Companies on Travelstride:
All 1,600+ companies >
Sign in to reveal savings up to $700 per person!