Cloud forest, two coasts and wildlife at the door of the lodge, arranged privately from the first day.
Costa Rica is a small country with an unusual range: cloud forest, an active volcano, dry Pacific beaches and a rainforest coast within a day's travel of each other. We design each journey privately, with a guide who knows the park and a driver who knows the road.
Four experiences an advisor can arrange across Costa Rica, each tied to a place and a season rather than a checklist.
At Monteverde, your advisor arranges an early start with a private naturalist guide, when the canopy is quietest and birds are most active. You walk slowly, with time to stop, listen and look properly.
Around Arenal, an advisor can arrange an evening soak on a private hot-spring terrace, with the volcano in view when the clouds allow. The pace is unhurried, and dinner follows without a drive.
Humpback whales pass the south Pacific coast in two seasons, roughly December to April and July to October. Your advisor arranges a private boat with a licensed captain and a naturalist for a calm morning on the water.
From roughly July to October, green turtles come ashore to nest at Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast. An advisor arranges a night walk with a licensed guide, following park rules, quietly and at a respectful distance.
Not packages — points of departure. Your advisor reshapes each Costa Rica journey around who is travelling, the season and how much ground you want to cover.
Volcano views, hot springs and a quiet Pacific beach, paced for two.
Cloud forest, jungle canals and the Osa coast, with private naturalist guides.
Volcano country and a gentle Pacific beach, with guided days that suit all ages.
Volcanic hot springs, forest stillness and a slow Pacific coast, in six unhurried days.
A private villa on the Pacific coast for anniversaries, birthdays and family milestones.
Each opens onto a private chapter — its rhythm, its access, the hours only a relationship can hold open.
A volcano, warm rivers and cloud forest, best seen early, with a private guide and a slow afternoon.
Explore the Region
A high cloud forest of mist, hummingbirds and quiet trails, best given two or three unhurried nights.
Explore the Region
Dry tropical forest, long Pacific beaches and the easiest arrival in Costa Rica, through Liberia.
Explore the Region
Rainforest meets the beach: sloths, monkeys and humpback whales within one easy stretch of the Pacific coast.
Explore the Region
Costa Rica's wildest corner, reached by small plane or boat and explored with a private naturalist guide.
Explore the RegionYes. Its appeal is range and wildlife rather than formality: cloud forest, a volcano, Pacific and Caribbean coasts and national parks, with small lodges and private guides. A private journey links two or three regions without long road days.
The dry season, roughly December to April, is the most reliable for sunshine, especially on the Pacific side. The green season, May to November, brings afternoon rain, fewer visitors and lush forest. Our month-by-month guide sets out each period.
A private luxury journey starts from around US$1,000 per person per night, rising with the lodges, the private guiding and any domestic flights. Your Forest Travel advisor gives the exact figure for your dates and regions.
Eight to twelve days across two or three regions suit a first private journey, for example the cloud forest and the volcano followed by a coast. Fewer days force a different base every night.
They are different trips. Costa Rica offers rainforest, a volcano, wildlife and two coasts in one journey; Belize is smaller and centred on its barrier reef and diving. Our guide to Belize versus Cancún shows how we compare beach destinations.
Costa Rica is one of the most visited countries in Central America, but conditions change, so follow your government's current travel advice before you book. Your advisor plans routes, transfers and lodges with that in mind.
There is no single answer, because luxury here takes different forms. At the top end it usually means a small lodge or private villa, few guests, private naturalist guiding and a setting that is genuinely remote. Your advisor matches the property to your priorities and travel dates, rather than ranking one name above the rest.
There is no bad month, but September and October are often the wettest on the Pacific side, and some roads and boat trips can be affected. The Caribbean side has no marked dry season. For many travellers these months suit quieter lodges and lush scenery, if they accept some rain.
Entry requirements depend on your passport and can change. Check your government's official source and Costa Rica's official immigration information before you book. Your advisor reviews the current requirements with you as part of planning, including passport validity and any onward-travel proof the authorities may ask for.
Arenal and the Pacific coast suit most families, because the activities are varied and the distances between them are manageable. Wildlife walks, hot springs, beaches and calm boat days keep different ages engaged. Your advisor adjusts guiding, pacing and room layouts to the ages of your children and keeps transfers short.
Many couples combine a cloud-forest or volcano stay with a quiet Pacific beach, often over about a week to ten days. The first offers wildlife and hot springs, the second rest and sea. Luxury stays start from around US$1,000 per person per night, and your advisor chooses small, private properties.
They offer different trips. Puerto Rico suits beaches, food and easy short stays. Costa Rica suits wildlife, forests, volcanoes and two coastlines, but needs more travel between regions. If wildlife and active days matter most, choose Costa Rica; if a simple beach holiday is the aim, Puerto Rico may fit better.
Mostly the weather, the road times and the sea. Afternoon rain is normal in the green season, transfers take longer than distances suggest, and Pacific beaches can have strong currents and rip tides. Follow your government's current travel advice, and your advisor arranges local guides who know the conditions.
It depends on what you want to see. Monteverde is known for cloud-forest birds, Tortuguero for turtles and Caribbean canals, and the south Pacific for whales and the Osa Peninsula. Your advisor pairs the right region with a private naturalist guide, since guiding shapes what you actually notice.
When to go, how long to stay and what it starts from — the questions our advisors answer most for this destination.
Six days around a private villa on the Pacific coast for an anniversary, birthday or family milestone, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor. Planning starts from around US$1,000 per person per night.
Six slow days of hot springs, forest and Pacific calm, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor. Planning starts from around US$1,000 per person per night.
Eight days of wildlife, water and easy beach time for several generations, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor. Planning starts from around US$1,000 per person per night.
Every journey here is a starting point a private advisor reshapes entirely around you — your pace, your people, the version of Costa Rica only you would recognise.
A real person answers: an in-house luxury travel advisor, in English or Spanish. The first conversation is complimentary.
