Home > Destinations > Central
America > Costa
Rica > Regional
News > Summer Vacation in Costa Rica
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Summer Vacation in Costa Rica
By Grettel Calderon
Since the founding of our adventure travel and ecotourism program over 20 years ago, we have developed a specialty for designing enriching adventure travel experiences for active and inquisitive travelers, and it all started with our Costa Rica tours. Summer is "Green Season" here and it is an excellent time to visit my wildlife-rich home because the parks and beaches are not as busy, you have access to the best Costa Rica hotel rooms and guides as well as lower rates, and the Costa Rica weather in summer is great for outdoor activities. In fact, we Costa Ricans take our school holidays in July and August because of the "veranillo de San Juan" or "little summer of San Juan". This is a relatively predictable weather pattern in most of the country during which time conditions are drier than the rest of the Green Season months. In general, it's a great time to go on a Costa Rica family vacation.
Summer in the States is when many families take their Costa Rica family vacation. For families with young children (ages 5 to 11) I recommend our Costa Rica Family Vacation, the Lapa Rios Tropical Adventure, or the Costa Rica Connoisseur. These trips are excellent for young children who like fun activities such as easy rafting, swinging through the trees on a zip-line canopy tour, looking for nocturnal wildlife on night walks in the rain forest, snorkeling, and lots of opportunities for swimming!
Families with children 12 years and older seeking more active programs will appreciate our Costa Rica Sports Adventure, the Multisport Family Adventure and the River and Rainforest Adventure. All our Wildland Adventures designed for teenagers are led by professional bilingual native guides and are exciting for teens and adults alike!
July, August and September are excellent months to visit the Atlantic Coast, and Tortuguero in particular, as it is the best time to witness the Atlantic Green Sea turtles laying eggs on the beach at Tortuguero National Park. With a little luck you will actually stand a few feet from a 300 pound green sea turtle while she lays 80-100 eggs, covers her nest, perhaps digs a false nest to throw off predators, and finally, after more than an hour, returns to the sea. Our Natural Wonders Family Tour, the Costa Rica Sports Adventure and the Costa Rica Connoisseur all offer the opportunity to visit this wildlife sanctuary.
Our family groups are small to provide a more personalized experience and we try to match young participants with companions of the same age so they make friends traveling together. Creating fun, informal and spontaneous cross-cultural interactions with local "Ticos" are often the most memorable experiences of a Wildland Family Adventure in Costa Rica when families from two cultures meet and share together.
Call me if you would like join one of our small group family adventures or otherwise talk about planning your own family vacation to Costa Rica anytime. Remember to plan ahead. Many beach hotels and ecolodges are sold out for Christmas and Spring break a year or more in advance. Remember, I live in Costa Rica where I have a chance to travel all around my country so I know whats new, the best way to get around, and how to design a Costa Rica tour with the best places for you based on your interests and style of travel, and it just takes a toll-free phone call through our Seattle office to reach me at 1-800-345-4453.
