Costa Rica packs rainforest canals, smoking volcanoes, misty cloud forest and two coastlines into one small country, and fills them with sloths, monkeys and frogs in improbable colours. Most tours visit Tortuguero, Arenal and Monteverde, so the decisions are about the rest: how active you want to be, how comfortable the lodges should be, and whether you finish on a beach or carry on into the rest of Central America.
This guide is for anyone comparing escorted tours of Costa Rica. We line up every tour on our Costa Rica tours page, from a four-day break at Arenal to a month overland from Mexico, with who each suits and its honest drawback.
The quick answer
- If you want the classic route at a good price, pick Classic Costa Rica.
- If you love wildlife and birds, pick Discover Costa Rica, with an expert leader.
- If you want rapids, bikes and boots in a week, pick Hike, Bike & Raft.
- If you have children aged five or over, pick the family holiday.
- If you want the best lodges and the Osa Peninsula, pick Wild Costa Rica.
Every Costa Rica tour compared
| Tour | Days | Price from | Physical rating | Group size | Flights included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica only | ||||||
| Classic Costa Rica: Tortuguero to Manuel Antonio – 15 Days | 15 | £1,553 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | The classic route, good value |
| Discover Costa Rica: Tortuguero, Arenal & the Cloud Forests – 15 Days | 15 | £2,940 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Wildlife and birds, expert leader |
| Costa Rica: Hike, Bike & Raft – 8 Days | 8 | £938 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Active types |
| Best of Costa Rica Family Holiday – 14 Days | 14 | £2,595 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | Families with children aged 5+ |
| Costa Rica Short Break: La Fortuna & Arenal – 4 Days | 4 | £1,016 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Four days at Arenal |
| Wild Costa Rica: Luxury Adventure to the Osa Peninsula – 11 Days | 11 | £4,032 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Luxury lodges and the Osa Peninsula |
| Luxury Costa Rica: Bajos del Toro, Cano Negro & Rio Perdido – 9 Days | 9 | £6,017 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | Luxury in the quieter north |
| Costa Rica Wildlife & Volcanoes with a Beach Stay – 19 Days | 19 | £5,863 pp incl. flights | Medium | Not stated | Yes | Flights, then a long beach stay |
| Costa Rica plus Panama | ||||||
| Costa Rica & Panama Discovery – 12 Days | 12 | £1,365 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Caribbean coast and the Panama Canal |
| Overland through Central America | ||||||
| Central American Journey: Antigua to San José – 16 Days | 16 | £1,424 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | Five countries at a good price |
| Central American Highlights: Guatemala to Costa Rica – 16 Days | 16 | £2,920 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Five countries in 16 days |
| Central American Highlights: Guatemala to Costa Rica – 22 Days | 22 | £2,500 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Five countries in more depth |
| Amazing Central America: Guatemala to Panama – 27 Days | 27 | £2,958 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Guatemala to Panama |
| Real Guatemala to Costa Rica for 18–35s – 17 Days | 17 | £1,025 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s, with camping |
| Mexico to Costa Rica Overland: Six Countries for 18–35s – 32 Days | 32 | £2,262 pp | Not stated | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s, six countries |
| Central America Explorer: Panama to Guatemala Overland – 25 Days | 25 | £4,580 pp | Medium | Max 18 | No | Panama to Guatemala, nature lodges |
Prices are per person, twin share, live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). The lowest price can apply to a later departure, so check the dates you want on each tour page.
Ask us which Costa Rica tour fits →
The classic route
Good value, coast to coast
Classic Costa Rica: Tortuguero to Manuel Antonio – 15 Days
- 15 days
- From £1,553 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in San José, Costa Rica
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Fifteen days with up to 16: two nights among the jungle canals of Tortuguero, a family homestay with a home-cooked dinner, a hike to the turquoise Rio Celeste, two days beneath Arenal Volcano, the cloud forest of Monteverde and three nights at Manuel Antonio among monkeys and beaches.
Suits: first-time visitors and budget-minded travellers. The honest drawback: few meals are included and some travel days are long.
For wildlife and bird lovers
Discover Costa Rica: Tortuguero, Arenal & the Cloud Forests – 15 Days
- 15 days
- From £2,940 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in San José, Costa Rica
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Fifteen days with an expert leader and four to 16 travellers, staying in hotels and nature lodges, many with pools, with many meals included. You cross the lava fields beneath Arenal, hike the Santa Elena cloud forest, spend two nights at the Esquinas rainforest lodge and search for the resplendent quetzal in the Savegre Valley, finishing with lunch with a farming family.
Suits: wildlife lovers, walkers and photographers. The honest drawback: early starts, and it is not a beach holiday.
Active: hike, bike and raft (bring a dry bag)
Eight days of adventure
Costa Rica: Hike, Bike & Raft – 8 Days
- 8 days
- From £938 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in San José, Costa Rica
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
A hike in the Monteverde cloud forest, a free day beneath Arenal for hot springs or hiking, rafting the rapids of the Pacuare River through the rainforest, then cycling between beaches and villages near Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast. Groups are up to 12.
Suits: active travellers with a short holiday. The honest drawback: not relaxing, and not for anyone who dislikes water sports.
For families and short breaks
The family holiday
Best of Costa Rica Family Holiday – 14 Days
- 14 days
- From £2,595 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in San José, Costa Rica
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Departures in January, March, April, July, August, December
Fourteen days for children aged five and over: Tortuguero’s canals and beaches, the rainforest of Sarapiqui with a free day for chocolate tours or river trips, tortilla-making with a family beneath Arenal, Monteverde’s hanging bridges and three days on the Pacific coast at Dominical, with a visit to Marino Ballena National Park. If you only have a few days, the La Fortuna & Arenal short break (4 days) includes a sloth walk with a naturalist, the EcoTermales hot springs and a night walk in the jungle.
Suits: active families who want wildlife and beaches. The honest drawback: not for children under five, and few meals are included.
Luxury and tours with flights
Wild lodges and the Osa Peninsula
Wild Costa Rica: Luxury Adventure to the Osa Peninsula – 11 Days
- 11 days
- From £4,032 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in San Jose, Costa Rica
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, October, November, December
Eleven days in some of Costa Rica’s finest wild lodges, such as the Arenal Kioro, Si Como No at Quepos and the Aguila de Osa Rainforest Lodge, or similar, with tree-planting at La Tigra Rainforest Reserve, four lunches, seven dinners and tips for local guides included. Luxury Costa Rica (9 days) explores the lesser-visited north, from the cloud forest of Bajos del Toro to a tented camp at Caño Negro and a thermal resort at Rio Perdido, with breakfast and dinner daily.
Suits: travellers who value comfort. The honest drawback: neither is a budget trip, and the northern tour has very few departures.
With flights and a beach stay
Costa Rica Wildlife & Volcanoes with a Beach Stay – 19 Days
- 19 days
- From £5,863 per person incl. flights
- Starts and ends in United Kingdom
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights included
- Departures in January, February, March, September, October
Nineteen days with return flights and a tour director: Poás Volcano and a coffee estate, Tortuguero’s canals, Sarapiqui, three nights at Arenal with a chocolate tour, Monteverde, the crocodiles of the Tarcoles River and Carara National Park, then six nights at Manuel Antonio, four of them at leisure on the beach.
Suits: travellers who want wildlife, then the sea. The honest drawback: coach touring in a larger group, not a small group.
Costa Rica plus Panama and Central America
Costa Rica & Panama Discovery (12 days) crosses by road and boat to the Caribbean coast at Puerto Viejo, three nights in the islands of Bocas del Toro, the coffee highlands of Boquete and the Panama Canal, using public buses and shared boats to keep the price down.
Overland through Central America
Central American Journey: Antigua to San José – 16 Days
- 16 days
- From £1,424 per person
- Max 16 people
- Antigua, Guatemala to San José, Costa Rica
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Several tours finish in Costa Rica after crossing Central America. Central American Journey (16 days) is the best-value way through five countries, from Antigua and the Maya ruins of Copán to Suchitoto, León, Granada, Monteverde and La Fortuna. Central American Highlights comes in 16 and 22-day versions, Amazing Central America (27 days) continues to Panama City, and Central America Explorer (25 days) runs the other way from Panama with nature lodges. For 18 to 35s there are Real Guatemala to Costa Rica (17 days) and Mexico to Costa Rica Overland (32 days).
Suits: travellers who want several countries in one trip. The honest drawback: long drives and border crossings, and simple hotels on the value trips.
How to choose
By time available. Four days: the Arenal short break. A week to 12 days: Hike, Bike & Raft, the luxury tours or Costa Rica & Panama. Two weeks: Classic, Discover, the family holiday or Central American Journey. Three weeks or more: the beach-stay tour with flights or the longer overland trips.
By budget. Hike, Bike & Raft, Costa Rica & Panama, Classic Costa Rica and the 18–35s trips are the cheapest. Discover and the family holiday sit in the middle. The luxury tours and the tour with flights cost the most. Live prices are in the table above.
By fitness. Most tours are rated medium, with walks in rainforest and cloud forest; the family holiday, the short break and the northern luxury tour are rated low.
By travel style. Small groups of up to 12 or 16 on most tours; a tour director and coach on the tour with flights. Choose a lodge-based luxury tour for comfort, and a public-transport trip for value.
When to go
Many Costa Rica tours depart all year. The tour with flights runs mainly from September to March, the family holiday departs in January, spring, summer and December, and the northern luxury tour and the short break have only a few dates. The months for each tour are in its fact panel above.
Before you travel, check the FCDO travel advice for Costa Rica and any other country on your route.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Costa Rica tour for first-time visitors?
Classic Costa Rica covers Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio at a good price. Wildlife lovers may prefer Discover Costa Rica, with an expert leader.
Which Costa Rica tours include rafting?
Hike, Bike & Raft rafts the Pacuare River.
Is there a Costa Rica tour for families?
Yes, the Best of Costa Rica Family Holiday, for children aged five and over.
Which Costa Rica tours include flights?
Costa Rica Wildlife & Volcanoes with a Beach Stay includes return flights. The others are land-only, and we can arrange flights.
Can I combine Costa Rica with Panama?
Yes, Costa Rica & Panama Discovery and Amazing Central America both end in Panama City.
Which Costa Rica tours include a beach stay?
Classic Costa Rica and the family holiday end on the Pacific coast, and the tour with flights has six nights at Manuel Antonio.
Ready for Costa Rica?
Tell us how active you want to be and how long you have, and a Travelisto specialist will compare the Costa Rica tours with you.
Keep planning
- All escorted tours in Costa Rica
- Escorted tours in Panama
- Escorted tours in Guatemala
- Multi-country South America tours
- Costa Rica holidays
Prices are live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). Tour details and dates can change; your specialist will confirm everything before you book.
