I love trip planning – almost as much as taking the trip itself. I’ve planned trips for our family of 4, for my extended family of 14, and for vacations with one another family. But a trip with 4 families of friends was unchartered territory. 16 people ranging in age from 8 to 48 with differing interests, activity levels, and budgets was a whole new ball game. The travel logistics alone were daunting. Since we all wanted to still be friends at the end of the trip, it seemed best to bring in a travel agent to help us decide on activities and take care of all the details.
I found Costa Rica Traveling Tours by Amanda on FaceBook and TripAdvisor. She had fabulous reviews and seemed up to the challenge of coordinating an amazing vacation for a large group. We actually originally started planning this trip for spring break 2022 but Covid restrictions caused us to delay. Amanda picked right back up when I told her we were ready to reschedule for the summer of 2023 and came up with a fantastic itinerary for us.
We narrowed down our trip to two areas (Arenal and Manuel Antonio) and gave Amanda a list of activities we were interested in. We booked our own flights and accommodations and Amanda handled all the tours and transportation within Costa Rica. She chose the tour companies and the order of activities and did a fantastic job at both.
We spent 4 nights in Arenal at Los Lagos Resort and 4 nights in Manuel Antonio at Tulemar Resort. Our final itinerary is below:
Day 1 – Fly to San Jose, private transportation to Arenal
Day 2 – Combination tour including Mistico Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and hiking the Trail of 1968
Day 3 – Whitewater Rafting
Day 4 – Zip Lining in the morning, Coffee and Chocolate Tour in the afternoon
Day 5 – Private transfer to Manuel Antonio
Day 6 – Varying activities by family (fishing, horseback riding, snorkeling)
Day 7 – Private tour of Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 8 – Free day at the resort
Day 9 – Private transfer to San Jose airport
