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School trips to Costa Rica offer students the opportunity to explore one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet.

Costa Rica is the perfect destination for both geography and science school trips. Plus, as a real pioneer of ecotourism, this is the ideal destination for encouraging your students to become more environmentally conscious.

Read more  about our school trips to Costa Rica

Why visit Costa Rica?

Incredible biodiversity

Costa Rica is a country that takes its biodiversity very seriously and so it should – despite making up just 0.03% of the world’s landmass, Costa Rica makes up 5% of the world’s biodiversity.

Boasting the perfect mix of forests, volcanoes, beaches and nature reserves, Costa Rica offers a wealth of opportunities to learn more about conservation and the practice of scientific research that would be hard to find anywhere else!

On your educational tour to Costa Rica, you’ll explore the Monteverde Cloud Forest, which is home to over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of bird and 1200 species of amphibians and reptiles. Here you’ll find out about the local conservation efforts and the contributions being made to scientific research.

You’ll also take a boat tour in Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, where you should be able to spot monkeys, sloths, birds and reptiles.

A pioneer of sustainable tourism

A school trip to Costa Rica is a great option for educating the travellers of the future to travel more responsibly, as the country has led the way in terms of sustainable tourism since the early 1990s. An estimated 26% of Costa Rica’s land area has been devoted to national parks, wildlife reserves and protected areas.

Costa Rica’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond tourism too – in 2018 the country hit the milestone of 99% of its energy coming from renewable resources, including hydropower, solar power and wind power.

The country is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2025 and looks set to be on target for that. In fact, to date, Costa Rica is the only country in the world to meet all five of the criteria set by the United Nations Development Programme to measure environmental sustainability!

Dramatic geology

Costa Rica is geologically active and is part of the Central America Volcanic Arc. The geological activity is caused by the Cocos Plate being subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate, on which Costa Rica sits.

This means that your students can learn more about plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes on their geography school trip to Costa Rica.

We can arrange for you to hike the Arenal Volcano lava trails, where you’ll have the most fabulous views of the Arenal Volcano. And, after a sweaty hike, your students will love the opportunity to bathe in the thermal water pools at Baldi Hot Springs.

Book with Halsbury

Take a look at our range of Costa Rica school trips below, and then get in touch with one of our tour advisers to discuss your requirements.

Prices from £1,745 pp

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School Trips to San José

A school trip to San José offers your students the unforgettable opportunity to explore spectacular Costa Rica!

San José school trips are most popular among geography groups who come here to learn more about the country's incredible biodiversity and its status as a world leader in sustainable tourism. Highlights include hiking the Arenal volcano trails and visiting a cloud forest.

Multi Centre Trips

Sustainability
View all trips to San José

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, all of our trips include comprehensive travel insurance, which now includes Covid cover. This group travel insurance covers individuals needing to drop out of the trip in the following circumstances:

  • Because a Qualified Medical Practitioner has diagnosed them as positive for Covid-19 within up to 14 days of departure.
  • Because they have been hospitalised due to Covid-19 within up to 28 days of departure.
  • Because they have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test & Trace for a period of time that prevents them from taking part in the trip.

The insurance also covers reasonable additional costs of accommodation and flights should an individual contract Covid-19 and have to self-isolate while abroad.

And the policy also covers reasonable additional costs to account for a family member to come across or a group leader/teacher to stay with the individual.

Please contact us for details.

As a general rule we recommend that you start planning your trip 12-18 months prior to your travel date. This gives you plenty of time to get sign off from senior leadership and to launch your trip in school to students and parents. Planning early will also mean you have a greater choice of accommodation and travel options.

If you start planning your trip later than this, don't worry, it is definitely possible to plan a trip in a shorter amount of time. We're here to support you and we have a selection of templates and useful guides to help guide you and save you time throughout the process.

Every trip we organise is unique and your itinerary manager will work with you to understand your curriculum and adapt the itinerary to suit your learning objectives. The itineraries featured on our website are just a sample of the what's achievable within a given timeframe. The trip duration and the activities and excursions can be tailored to your needs and budget.

You can see examples of the types of accommodation we have available in different destinations on the sample trip pages linked above.

All of our accommodation partners have been chosen based on their suitability for school groups. As a member of the School Travel Forum (STF), you can be certain that all accommodation contracted by us complies with local legislation with respect to fire and general safety, is contracted by trained Halsbury Travel staff or reputable agents, receives a standard audit and risk assessment prior to use by Halsbury Travel and receives a supplementary audit if it is used on five or more occasions in a year.

Your Tour Adviser will discuss your accommodation preferences with you when putting together your tailor-made quote and will assist you in choosing the best accommodation for your budget and requirements.

Activities and excursions in Costa Rica that your school group will love

Arenal Volcano Hiking Trails

During this unforgettable experience you will enjoy hiking on the lava trails of the Arenal Volcano. On the privateproperty where… Read More

Baldi Hot Springs

Baldi Hot Springs is located in La Fortuna de San Carlos at the base of the imposing Arenal Volcano. Baldi… Read More

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge

CañoNegro lies in the north of the country, lying very close to the border of Nicaragua. A nature lover’s paradise… Read More

La Casona del Rio

Casona Río Fortuna is therenowned Costa Rican historical and elegant turn-of-the-century country home of the former Costa Rican president, Rafael… Read More

Monteverde Cloud Forest

Set atop the spine of Costa Rica's continental divide, Monteverde is a high altitude (1,440 m) region in the north… Read More

Why choose Halsbury?

Here are just a few reasons why teachers choose Halsbury for educational school trips that inspire.

  • School trips designed by teachers for teachers

    Originally founded by teachers in 1986, we understand the pressures on you as Group Leader and are here to make the process of running your school trip as easy as possible.

    Learn more about Halsbury Travel

  • School trips tailored to your curriculum

    We'll design your trip around your specific learning objectives and curriculum, to ensure your school trip is a truly educational experience.

    Discover how we’ll tailor your school trip

  • Health & safety prioritised

    As a proud Assured Member of the School Travel Forum, the health and safety of your group is always our priority.

    Find out how we ensure your health and safety

  • Support every step of the way

    We'll be with you every step of the way, from your very first enquiry until the moment you return home, including 24-hour support while you’re on your school trip.

    Find out about the support we offer

  • Financially secure school trips

    We're ABTA bonded and all our air tours are ATOL protected, so you can be sure that your school trip is financially secure.

    Find out more about our accreditations

  • Rewarding loyalty scheme

    You'll earn loyalty points from your very first school trip with Halsbury. These can be used towards a discount on your school trip or a free gift for your school.

    Explore our loyalty scheme

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The Halsbury Difference

School trips designed by teachers for teachers

Originally founded by teachers in 1986 and with several former teachers in our team, we understand the pressures on you as Group Leader and work hard to relieve them.

Trips tailored to your curriculum and learning objectives

We’ll design your trip around your specific learning objectives and curriculum, to ensure it meets your particular requirements.

Rewarding loyalty scheme

Work together with other teachers in your school to save thousands of pounds on future school trips with our multi-trip loyalty scheme!