This eco-adventure includes diving or snorkeling with Costa Rica's marine life and as well as land-based tours through a vibrant tropical rainforest and an active volcano, and a wildlife-watching boat trip. The itinerary has 8 dives (or snorkels) to conduct REEF surveys, as well as land tours throughout the diverse Guanacaste region. This weeklong family-friendly excursion also features several opportunities to try traditional Costa Rican cuisine, including an authentic in-home tortilla making lesson. Divers and non-divers are welcome on this family-friendly trip organized by our partners at Bill Beard's Costa Rica.
Due to the nature of some activities, this trip is recommended for participants ages 10 and up.
Trip Type: Fish Survey - click here to learn more! This trip will also include several land-based tours and activities. Details and itinerary are below.
Pricing: $1,739 per diver. $1,399 per non-diver. Pricing based on double occupancy in a junior suite accommodation. Single occupancy is also available upon request, for $2,383 per diver and $2,043 per non-diver. Rates for children ages 12 and under are also available; please contact REEF Trips (trips@REEF.org) for more information.
Accommodations: Accommodations for this trip are provided by Bosque del Mar Hotel in Playa Hermosa. The standard accommodation is a junior suite. Each room is air-conditioned and has 2 queen beds, bathroom, living room, mini fridge, coffee maker, cable TV, hair dryer, safe, desk, closet and a terrace with seating. Upgrades to garden view suites or ocean view suites are also available upon request; please inquire with REEF Trips for more information.
Diving: The trip package includes 4 days of 2 morning boat dives with Rocket Frog Divers, the onsite dive operation. Snorkelers may also join these trips. The recommended age for snorkeling is ages 10 and up. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult when snorkeling, and may not be left unattended on the boat. The average water temperature in Costa Rica during the time of the trip is 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Price Includes: The trip package includes 7 nights of accommodation, daily breakfast, 3 lunches, 2 dinners, 4 days of 2-tank boat dives, round-trip transfers from Liberia (LIR) airport, land-based excursions and activities and associated transfers (weather permitting) as detailed in itinerary below.
REEF Program Fee: A REEF Program Fee of $300 per program participant will be added to each package to cover the cost of the group leader, seminar and REEF survey materials.
Additional Fees: The following costs are not included in the price paid to REEF - All flights, and meals other than those specifically mentioned in the itinerary below. Gratuities are not included and are at each individual's discretion.
Travel Insurance: Travel insurance is not included. REEF strongly recommends that each participant purchase adequate dive travel insurance to protect you from unforeseen circumstances. REEF partners with both DiveAssure and DAN to offer travel insurance packages specifically for divers. REEF will receive a portion of the proceeds from travel insurance purchases when you click on the following affiliate links for DiveAssure or DAN.
About the Trip Leader: Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens is REEF's Co-Executive Director: Science and Engagement. Christy is an expert at Fish ID and has led dozens of REEF Field Surveys over the years to all of REEF's survey project regions.Brice Semmens, Ph.D., is a professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. He is the lead scientists on REEF's Grouper Moon Project and is an expert surveyor in all of REEF's project regions.
How to Sign Up: To reserve your space or find out more, e-mail us at trips@REEF.org, or call us at 305-588-5869. A $500 deposit will be collected at the time of booking. Visit our Trip Policies page for more information on deposit and payment schedules.
How to Get There: Participants should make arrangements to fly into Liberia (LIR) airport, arriving by 3pm on Saturday, July 31, and departing on the following Saturday, August 7. All participants are responsible for booking their own airfare. REEF is not able to book air travel.
Passports, Documentation and Visas: Visitors to Costa Rica are required to have a current passport and a return ticket. U.S. citizens visiting Costa Rica for less than 90 days do not require a visa. Please refer to the appropriate consulate for requirements to enter Costa Rica.
Transfers: Round-trip airport transfers are included in the trip package. Participants will be picked up from the airport in Liberia and transported by shuttle to Bosque del Mar in Playa Hermosa, approximately a 30 minute drive. It is recommended to arrive in Liberia between 12-3pm if possible. On August 7, the final day of the trip, participants will be transported back to the airport in Liberia for departure flights.
Itinerary
Saturday, July 31: Arrival day. Fly into Liberia airport arriving between 12-3pm. Representative will meet all participants at the airport for transfer to Playa Hermosa. Check into Bosque del Mar hotel. Welcome dinner included.
Sunday, Aug. 1: Breakfast at hotel. 2-tank morning dive trip. Lunch and dinner not included.
Monday, Aug. 2: Breakfast at hotel. 2-tank morning dive trip. Lunch included at hotel, followed by 1:30pm departure for land-based excursion.
Sloths and Rainforest Tour: This is a fun and interactive hiking tour to meet sloths and learn all about their physiology and behavior in their natural habitat. This tour provides the chance to experience the lush tropical rain/transitional forest of Costa Rica. This eco-tourism project is set on a protected area including coffee and banana plantations, located in the beautiful northern rainforests of Costa Rica. We will enjoy dinner (included) on the way back to the hotel at a local restaurant.
Tuesday, Aug. 3: Breakfast at hotel. 2-tank morning dive trip. Lunch and dinner not included.
Wednesday, Aug. 4: Breakfast at hotel. 2-tank morning dive trip. Lunch and dinner not included.
Thursday, Aug. 5: Breakfast at hotel, followed by 8:30am departure for land-based excursion.
Miravalles Volcano Hike: Tour Costa Rica’s only active volcano, where you can walk around a crater and observe smoke rising out from the boiling, muddy cauldrons and steam vents. The highest peak in the Guanacaste mountains, the Miravalles volcano is known for its sulfur springs and bubbling mud pots. You can relax in the hot springs and enjoy the volcanic mud. The tour will consist of a cart ride followed by a waterfall hike along wobbly bridges. You will be able to swim in the first waterfall - you could enter either by jumping or climbing down a ladder. After working up an appetite enjoy a typical Costa Rican lunch (included) with a natural tropical fruit drink. Dinner not included.
Friday, Aug. 6: Breakfast at hotel, followed by 7:30am departure for land-based excursion.
Tempisque Wildlife Boat Trip: Float through waterway canals on this full-day, guided, riverboat cruise in stunning Tempisque River. See Costa Rica’s signature wildlife and vegetation growing and living along the riverside. Catch a glimpse of exotic animals from white-face monkeys to anteaters and more, living in the freshwater lagoons, swamps, dry Pacific savannas, and mangrove trees. See colorful tropical birds taking flight from this international bird-nesting site. In the afternoon, we will visit a local family to learn how to make our own tortillas, and enjoy a traditional "Guanacasteco" lunch (included.) Dinner not included.
Saturday, Aug. 7: Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Liberia airport for departure flight.