Costa Rica
Find your Sanctuary!
Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel is a global adventure travel company that has been taking travellers off the beaten track to discover the world’s most amazing places for over 30 years. The company offers more than 800 trips around the world on every continent. Every trip is designed to truly experience local culture – to meet local people, try local food, take local transport and stay in local accommodation. With an average group size of just 10 people, travellers can eat, sleep and get around the local way, going where the bigger groups can’t. Globally renowned as a leader in responsible travel, in 2018 the carbon-neutral business became the world’s largest travel company to be certified B-Corp, joining a growing community of businesses looking beyond the bottom line.
Why Intrepid
- Our leaders are travel experts and friendly locals who know their countries back to front, from every backstreet bar to every hidden gallery. So you’ll do more than just see a place, you’ll live it.
- Our itineraries are specifically crafted to include as much time as possible doing local things with local people. We offer the local knowledge and experience to help travellers get behind the scenes of a culture and understand what makes that destination tick.
- Intrepid is committed not just to treading lightly, but to making a real difference – by investing in local communities, human rights initiatives, wildlife conservation projects and the environment. We’re all about operating in a responsible manner and incorporating principles of sustainable tourism and development into our trips.
Our Pura Vida Pledge
Intrepid is committed to travelling in a way that is respectful of local people, their culture, local economies and the environment. These values are more than just words; they’re ingrained in the culture and daily operations of every Intrepid office and trip.
Intrepid has been a carbon-neutral business since 2010 and in 2019 we had 44 offices and offered over 2,700 carbon-offset trips. We declared a Climate Emergency in January 2020 and later that year became the first tour operator in the world with verified science-based targets, in line with a 1.5°C future.
Intrepid's top tips for Costa Rica
- Swim at white-sand beaches in Manuel Antonio National Park, after searching for exotic birdlife in the depths of the jungle.
- Refresh after jungle hikes spotting endemic wildlife in the rejuvenating hot springs of volcanic La Fortuna.
- Explore the steamy cloud forests of Monteverde.
- Get to know the locals by lending a hand on a rural farmstay near Santa Rosa de Pocosol.
- Cascade down the rapids of Pacuare Rivers, take a surf lesson in the Caribbean waters near Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge or paddle through the waterways of Tortuguero National Park.
Travel with Intrepid
Classic Costa Rica
Discover incredible, lush Costa Rica, and understand why this part of the world is called the ‘rich coast’. This 15-day adventure, beginning and ending in lively San Jose, will provide you a comprehensive journey through the jungles, farmlands, beaches and cities of this pure Central American location. Stay with a local family in Santa Rosa de Pocosol and get your hands dirty on a sustainable farm. Soak in springs that get their heat from an active volcano in La Fortuna. Spot three-toed sloths in the thickets of the Manuel Antonio National Park, then relax beneath swaying palms on the nearby beaches. This adventure takes you into the heart of a country whose people are all about a ‘pura vida’.
Costa Rica Experience
Discover a region of natural diversity, cultural riches and laidback vibes on a nine-day jungle jaunt through Costa Rica. Thanks to a longstanding tradition of preserving its natural assets, much of the country’s primary rainforest still stands, opportunities for nature-based adventures are endless and the beaches on both coasts are nothing short of picturesque. Kick back in the rustic beach town of Quepos, explore the steamy cloud forests of Monteverde, and get to know the locals by lending a hand on a rural farmstay near Santa Rosa de Pocosol. Explore the depths of this colourful and vibrant country with plenty of time to make this trip your own.
Costa Rica; Raft, Surf & Kayak
Get a thrill in Central America on this 8-day adventure. Cascade down the rapids of Pacuare Rivers, and later relax in a rainforest eco lodge. Take a surf lesson in the Caribbean waters near Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge. Relax along the Costa Rican coastline to the mellow beach refuge of Puerto Viejo and paddle through the waterways of Tortuguero National Park in search of monkeys, toucans and jaguars. Costa Rica is a country perfect for adventure seekers, and the ecstasies of this expedition are sure to impress even the most seasoned active traveller.
Best of Costa Rica
Nice to meet ya, Costa Rica. Introducing the country encapsulating ‘pura vida’ (the simple life) to the extreme; a laid-back paradise where even the sloths are taking things easier than usual. After soaking up the culture in San Jose, hit the national parks of Corcovado and Manuel Antonio in search of unspoilt rainforest and deserted white-sand beaches. And did we mention the sloths? This is a trip for nature lovers among you: a ‘best of’ trip in Costa Rica, which just happens to quite possibly have the ‘best of’ biodiversity in the whole wide world. You won’t regret it.
Sanctuary social