Real Affordable Costa Rica (2012)

San Jose • Sarapiqui • Arenal • Guanacaste • Pacific Coast
  • 13 days
  • from only:
  • $1595
  • $123 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 13 days
  • from only:
  • $2095
  • $162 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
RAP Map T26
IN THIS SECTION:
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CT

Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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CT

Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta

6hrs

Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles

8hrs

Denver, New York (JFK), San Francisco

9hrs

Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, DC (Dulles)

7hrs

Miami

3hrs

Minneapolis

11hrs

Portland, OR

17hrs

Phoenix, San Diego

14hrs

Seattle

12hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to San Jose, Costa Rica. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Grand Circle Foundation

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A Day in the Life of a Costa Rican Village

OAT was founded upon the principle that travel needs to be about more than just sightseeing if it's going to change people's lives—which is why most OAT adventures feature a day of in-depth cultural exchange through Grand Circle Foundation’s A Day in the Life program. By continuing to expand our worldview through exposure to other cultures, we are learning and growing throughout our lives—and the more we engage ourselves in the daily lives of the villages we visit, the more valuable our learning becomes.

"We enjoyed our experience of meeting the families of the village, and found the people to be very friendly, hospitable, and open. We felt we learned quite a bit about their lifestyle, resourcefulness, and love of family."

Susan & Del Krause, 10-time traveler
Menlo Park, California

San Francisco Village & Sonafluca Village

Dancing, school visit GCF Foundation site

Both the San Francisco Village and the Sonafluca Village are home to schools supported by Grand Circle Foundation's World Classroom initiative, so we've developed close ties with members of the village communities, including the schoolchildren and their families, who are eager to welcome you into their daily lives.

Your Day in the Life begins with a visit with one of the leaders of the local community at their home, after which you'll head to the local elementary school (when in session). There, the students offer a warm and enthusiastic welcome, after which you'll have time to interact with the students one-on-one, and meet with their parents and teachers. During your visit, you'll learn about Costa Rica’s universal educational system, which has resulted in a literacy rate of more than 95%, and get a firsthand look at the improvements made possible by Foundation support—and the support of travelers like you.

Following your spirited visit to the school, you'll join one of the students for a Home-Hosted Lunch with their family. In addition to sampling the local cuisine—and perhaps lending a hand in its preparation if you like—you'll have a chance to get to know your hosts, and learn about their rural way of life.

Alan and Harriet Lewis founded Grand Circle Foundation in 1992 as a means of giving back to the world we travel. Because they donate a portion of the profits from every trip, we consider each one of our travelers as a partner in the Foundation’s work around the world. To date, the Foundation has pledged or donated more than $91 million in support of 300 different organizations—including 60 villages and nearly 100 schools that lie in the paths of our adventures.

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