Day 1

Meet your Backroads Trip Leaders (the folks wearing Backroads T-shirts) at 9 a.m. at the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel in San José. Please arrive dressed in biking clothes suitable for the hot humid climate, and bring a daypack containing your rain gear and any additional items you may want to have for the flight and bike ride.

Shuttle to Pavas Airport & Flight to La Fortuna 1¼ Hours
Shuttle & Boat Cruise on Lake Arenal 1 Hour
Lake Arenal Biking Route 17 Miles (490-foot elevation gain)
Family Option: Arenal Dam 10 Miles (300-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: La Fortuna 26 Miles

Bienvenidos! After arriving by plane in La Fortuna, located at the base of Arenal Volcano, we shuttle to nearby Lake Arenal, a popular destination for windsurfers and anglers. During our scenic cruise on the lake, sit back and take in your new surroundings

Back on dry land, we gear up for our first ride—a Backroads favorite—with a tasty lunch of local fare. Your Trip Leaders then fit your bike, and give a brief talk on biking safety and techniques. Set off along a picturesque route that provides wonderful views of Lake Arenal and a densely forested, volcanic ridgeline. Once you arrive at Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa, our home for the next two nights, there’s time to relax by the pool or simply take in the views from your room. We gather tonight for a reception followed by a delicious dinner.

Lodging: Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa

Day 2

Heliconia Hike 3 Miles (100-foot elevation gain)
Family Option: Lava Field 2 Miles (100-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Arenal Loop 5 Miles (100-foot elevation gain)

Today we head into Arenal National Park for an incredible hike. Accompanied by a local naturalist, we observe firsthand the process of forest succession and see the ―pioneer‖ plants’ efforts to restore the jungle wiped out by Arenal Volcano’s 1968 eruption. As you trek across a barren lava field, take in exceptional views of Lake Arenal. If it’s clear, chances are good that you’ll see fresh clouds of steam billowing from the volcano and hear its low rumbling. Kids are welcome to join a Backroads leader for a trip to a local serpentarium to learn more about the frog, reptile and butterfly species of Costa Rica.

After lunch you’re on your own to spend the afternoon as you choose. If you’re up for some excitement, fly through the treetops on a zip-line to see the jungle from a toucan’s point of view, skirt the flanks of Arenal Volcano on horseback, kayak on the lake or hike across hanging bridges suspended in the rain forest canopy. (Note: these options are not included in the trip price.) If you’re in the mood for a little less exertion, head back to the hotel and lounge poolside.

This evening we shuttle to Ecotermales, a family-run hot springs hidden in a forest oasis. Unwind in one of four pools filled with geothermal water and soak beneath the steaming waterfall. With soothed muscles, we’re treated to a home-cooked dinner of Costa Rican specialties before returning to our hotel.

Lodging: Arenal Kioro Suites & Spa

Day 3

Shuttle to La Fortuna Airport & Flight to Quepos 1 Hour
Foresta Reserve Hike 2.4 Miles
Shuttle to Santo Domingo 1 Hour
Rafiki Hike 2.1 Miles (500 foot-elevation gain)

Rise and shine early to catch the shuttle to La Fortuna airport for our flight over Arenal Volcano, the Central Valley and down to the central Pacific coastline. Upon arrival in Quepos, we head to the private Foresta Reserve for a rain forest hike. Keep your eyes open for blue morpho butterflies, troops of mono titi— the endangered squirrel monkey whose habitat is endemic to a 50-mile radius along the Pacific coast, and basilisk lizards (also called ―Jesus Christ lizards‖ for their ability to ―walk‖ on water).

Afterward we head north to Santo Domingo for a lunch of traditional Costa Rican foods at a local home—a rare chance to see how a Costa Rican family lives in a rural village. Then we’re met by guide Lautjie Boshoff, who leads us on a hike through the stunning Savegre River Valley to Rafiki Safari Lodge. En route, feel free to cool off in the river!

Run by Lautjie and his family, Rafiki is a unique jungle lodge comprised of spacious safari tents set atop hardwood decks, each with its own tiled bathroom. Settle into your unusual accommodations and don’t be surprised if the kids make a beeline for the hotel pool to do multiple runs on Costa Rica’s fastest waterslide. Enjoy lovely vistas of the pristine river valley and the sounds of the rain forest from your private deck before we sit down to a family-style feast in the lodge’s open-air dining room.

Lodging: Rafiki Safari Lodge

Day 4

Savegre River Rafting 1½ Hours
Manuel Antonio National Park Hike 2 Miles Longer Option: Mirador 3.5 Miles

This morning we join experienced local guides for an exhilarating white-water rafting excursion on the Savegre River, which drops steeply from the mountains above Quepos. Ride Class II–III rapids through a series of calmer pools and dense jungle before a gentle finish amid quiet farmland near sea level (minimum age for rafting is 8 years old). Along the way we pass underneath the Canasta Project, a Backroads-funded initiative to rebuild the river cable crossing that was destroyed during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Locals traveling to work and school, and transporting goods between towns on opposite sides of the river use the apparatus daily.

Afterward, we shuttle to Manuel Antonio for lunch and a hike in its namesake national park. Expert guides lead us into the rain forest, where we look for two-toed sloths, lizards and carablanca monkeys. Consider stopping along the way at a beautiful white-sand beach where the movie Spy Kids 2 was filmed. This bay is perfect for swimming, relaxing or watching monkeys frolic in the trees. If you’d rather get more exercise, continue hiking through the forest to a mirador (lookout) over the Pacific Ocean.

Later we shuttle to Playa Esterillos Este and our oceanside abode, Xandari by the Pacific. Kick back with a refreshing cocktail or a massage (not included in the trip price). Kids can head for the pool or play games on the seemingly endless beach. Dine tonight at your leisure in Xandari’s open-air thatched-roof restaurant. The menu features international and Costa Rican dishes with an emphasis on fresh seafood and produce, with many fruits, vegetables and herbs grown in the hotel’s gardens.

Lodging: Xandari by the Pacific

Day 5

Parrita Mountain & Valley Biking Route 17 Miles with Shuttle or 20 Miles (tide-dependent) (1,600-foot elevation gain)
Family Option: 10 Miles with Shuttle or 13 Miles (tide-dependent)

After a quick shuttle ride, we find ourselves amid Parrita’s landscape of banana plantations—the starting point for today’s bike route. Adults can head out for a challenging morning of off-road mountain biking in the hills of Chires with spectacular views of the Pacific. The family option follows a relatively flat and traffic-free road through palm oil plantations, ending at Playa Bandera. From here, if the tide is low enough, you can bike back to the hotel along a three-mile stretch of hard-packed sand.

Back at Xandari this afternoon, kids spend time with an indigenous Boruca artist. The Boruca are one of Costa Rica’s eight indigenous groups, known for their handicrafts, including masks, baskets and musical instruments, and for their Fiesta de los Diablitos (or ―Little Devils’ Festival‖). Kids get the unique opportunity to learn about Boruca culture while painting their own diablito mask. Meanwhile grown-ups can savor downtime at the hotel or opt for a thrilling ATV tour, horseback ride, kayak excursion or rain forest hike on hanging bridges (not included in the trip price.)

Tonight we celebrate our Costa Rican adventure with a delicious seafood spread while enjoying the rhythms of a local marimba band.

Lodging: Xandari by the Pacific

Day 6

Shuttle to San José 2½ Hours
Carara National Park Hike 2 Miles

On our final morning together, we make our way north along the Pacific coast and back toward the Central Valley. En route, we visit Carara National Park for a hike in this important transitional forest, home to several breeding pairs of scarlet macaws. We also make a stop at the Tarcoles Bridge to stretch our legs and look for some of the largest crocodiles in Costa Rica. Our trip concludes in San José.