Family Activities

Selva Verde Lodge, Costa Rica

Family Fun Package

Our multi-night packages make it easy to give your family the adventure of a lifetime. We picked our favorite family activities and explorations for an engaging blend of nature discovery and active adventure.
View Package Details
Book Now!

Leave the TV and the nature videos behind. Create your own nature documentary and cast your family as the stars in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure! Selva Verde is the ideal spot to explore the wonders of the rainforest and we offer a wide variety of family friendly activities suited for every age level.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Selva Verde Activities

Click on any of the activities below to learn more

• » Guided Hiking in the Selva Verde Reserve

  Guided Nature Walk

  

  Experience first hand the wonder of exploring a tropical rainforest. Enjoy a personalized and leisurely ramble through Selva Verde' s 500 acre private reserve with our knowledgeable naturalist guides. Learn more than just the names of rainforest plants and animals - discover their secret lives and fascinating natural histories. Be on the look out for monkeys, mot-mots, toucans, and poison dart frogs, and remember to bring your camera!

  Time: 8:30 AM or 1:30 PM
  Duration: 2 hours
  Cost: $15 per person

• » Sarapiqui River Cruise

  Sarapiqui River Cruise

  

  Get to know the Sarapiqui area and enjoy a float down the Sarapiqui River through forested and agricultural areas full of wildlife. Your boat will depart from the lively Puerto Viejo dock, offering you the chance to experience village life in Costa Rica. Our boat guides are some of the best wildlife spotters on the river so be sure to bring your binoculars and camera!

  Time: 9 AM or 2 PM
  Duration: 2 hours
  Cost: $20 per person
  Transportation: $20 round trip for up to 8 passengers

• » Serpentarium

  Serpentarium

  

  Get to know the fascinating world of reptiles with a visit to the Sarapiqui Serpentarium. On display you will a wide variety of native and exotic reptiles, including some the snakes and lizards which call the Sarapiqui rainforest home.
  
  Time: Open all day
  Duration: 1 hour
  Cost: Adults - $6 / Children - (4-12 years) - $4
  Transportation: $30 round trip for up to 8 passengers

• » Chocolate Tour

  Discover Chocolate!

  

  Discover how cacao seeds are transformed into the world's favorite candy - chocolate! Visit a rainforest cacao plantation and learn about this native rainforest tree. Enjoy a taste of organic chocolate made by a local woman's group - the Asociación de Mujeres Amazilia del Caribe.

  Time: AM and PM tours available
  Duration: 3 hours
  Cost: Adults - $20 / Children (5-12) - $13
  Transportation: $15 round trip for up to 8 passengers

• » Pineapple Tour

  Pineapple Plantation Tour

  

  Learn more about this favorite fruit of the tropics! Pineapple is one of Costa Rica's major exports and is an important industry in the Sarapiqui. A visit to Finca Corsicana, a 3,200 acre plantation, will allow you to investigate the difference between organic and traditional cultivation of this important crop. Please note: For a tour of the processing plant please plan on booking your tour M-Th.

  Time: 8 AM or 2 PM
  Duration: 2 ½ hours
  Cost: Adults - $22 / Children - $12
  Transportation: $40 round trip for up to 8 passengers

• » Costa Rican Cooking Class

  Cooking Class with Local Community Members

  

  Want to learn how to make a Costa Rican meal? This class will offer you the opportunity to learn how to make traditional Costa Rican dishes. The classes are led by a local community member, and everyone participates in the cooking process. You will learn about the history, botanical names, and cultivation of each fresh ingredient. The menu consists of guacamole (a dip made with avocados), batidos (milkshakes), empanadas (turnovers), tortillas (flat bread), or patacones (fried green plantains). Enjoy trying all of your culinary creations at the end of the class!!

  Time: Afternoons or evenings
  Duration: 2 hours
  Cost: $13 per person
  10 participant minimum.

• » White Water Rafting

  White Water Rafting Adventure

  

  The white water stretches of the Rio Sarapiqui are some of the most beautiful in Costa Rica. Enjoy high adventure and gentle floats as you navigate the river with our professional river guides. A preliminary safety orientation will prepare you for the challenges you'll face on the water. Keep an eye out for the diversity of wildlife seen at the river's edge in between Class I-III rapids. If you are a skilled rafter, we can arrange a more challenging excursion on Class III-IV rapids. Your rafting adventure ends at Selva Verde Lodge.

  Time: 9 AM or 2 PM
  Duration: 2 hours
  Cost: $50 per person (2 person minimum)
  Transportation: Included

• » Horseback Riding

  Horseback Riding

  

  No experience is necessary for this relaxed ride through the forests and fields surrounding Selva Verde. Spot a variety of wildlife and enjoy the cultural landscape of the Sarapiqui. The ride is accompanied by a Spanish-speaking guide.

  Time: 9 AM or 2 PM
  Duration: 2 hours
  Cost: $25 per person
  Transportation: $20 round trip for up to 8 passengers

• » Zip Line Canopy Tour

  Canopy Zip Line Tour

  

  Enjoy the thrill of winging your way through the canopy of the rainforest! Our zip line adventure consists of 12 zip lines crisscrossing tropical rainforest, ornamental gardens, and the magnificent Rio Sarapiqui. Throughout your adventure, you will be accompanied by experienced guides, using specialized equipment of the highest quality.

  Time: 9 AM or 2 PM
  Duration: 2 hours
  Cost: $50 per person
  Transportation: Included

Day Trip Adventures

• » Rainforest Aerial Tram

  Rainforest Aerial Tram

  

  Get a bird's eye view of the most biologically diverse layer of the rainforest - the canopy! Enjoy guided wildlife watching as you glide over an expansive nature preserve in open air gondolas. Located near Braulio Carrillo National Park, the Rainforest Aerial Tram is an extraordinary opportunity to see a primary forest and the natural splendor of the canopy .Each gondola seats 6 passengers and a naturalist guide.

  Time: AM departure
  Duration: Half Day (Tram tour is 1 ½ hours long)
  Cost: Adults - $55 / Children - $25.50
  Transportation: $80 round trip for up to 8 passengers

  Time: AM departure
  Duration: Full Day
  Cost: $7 per person
  Transportation: $90 round trip for up to 8 passengers

Our Family Slideshow has some Selva Verde family activity highligts.

How To Plan Your Activities

It is always best to make advance reservations for all of our activities!

Green Season (May 1 - 31st, Aug 1 - Dec 14th)
Most activities may be booked at Selva Verde reception with 24 hours notice.

High Season (Dec 15 - Apr 30, Jun 1 - Jul 31)
Please make advanced reservations during the high season by contacting us before your visit.

Groups
Traveling with 5 or more people? Please make advance reservations by contacting us.

Special Note: Tips & discretionary gratuities for guides are not included in activity costs.
Boxed Lunches: Please make arrangements with reception at least 24 hours in advance.