Conservation and Community
in Costa Rica
6
DAYS
1
DESTINATIONS
2
BIOMES
Best suited
Families | Couples | Small Groups
Experiences
Jungle Trek, Wildlife Tracking, Conservation Projects, Cultural Eco-Experiences
Must see
Conservation research experiences in the jungle.
Explore Pacuare and the Osa Peninsula
6-day adventure through Costa Rica
This six-day itinerary offers an exhilarating exploration of the country’s vibrant landscapes, beginning with untamed river rafting that sets the tone for an adventure both thrilling and meaningful.
Immerse yourself in the lush beauty of Pacuare, where three serene nights at the renowned Pacuare Lodge await, promising a harmonious blend of luxury and sustainability. Here, you’ll connect with nature and the local community, contributing to conservation efforts that ensure this pristine environment thrives for generations to come.
Continue your journey to Lapa Rios, perched at the edge of paradise, where you’ll spend three nights basking in the wonders of the rainforest. Each day at Lapa Rios presents opportunities for discovery and growth, fostering a deeper appreciation for the profound interconnectedness of our natural world.
Trip Highlights
Whitewater Rafting & Rainforest Immersion at Pacuare Lodge
Begin your adventure with an exhilarating raft down the Pacuare River, navigating thrilling rapids through a remote jungle canyon. Arrive at the secluded Pacuare Lodge, a pioneering ecolodge nestled in primary rainforest. Hike to hidden waterfalls, spot sloths and howler monkeys, and meet the indigenous Cabécar community for an authentic cultural exchange.
Conservation in Action with Osa Conservation
Join researchers and conservationists at the Osa Conservation Campus for a hands-on experience in ecological restoration. Track wild cats, plant native trees, and explore mangrove ecosystems while learning about one of the world’s most effective conservation models. This purposeful engagement deepens your connection to Costa Rica’s natural world.
Regenerative Travel with a Lasting Impact
Throughout your journey, stay in pioneering ecolodges that support local communities and preserve critical ecosystems. From rainforest restoration to species recovery, your trip supports ambitious conservation goals - helping to protect 30 million acres of land and sea by 2030. Travel here is not only sustainable, but regenerative and transformative.
Activities tailored for all experiences
Raft Through Remote Rainforest
Embark on a thrilling whitewater rafting journey down the Pacuare River, navigating its wild rapids while passing through deep jungle canyons teeming with tropical flora and fauna.
Sunrise Birdwatching in Pristine Jungle
Rise early at Pacuare Lodge or Lapa Rios for a guided dawn walk through the rainforest, listening to the morning chorus and spotting toucans, macaws, and countless other tropical bird species.
Contribute to Conservation Research
Take part in meaningful, hands-on conservation work with Osa Conservation—this could include tracking elusive jungle cats, planting native species, or learning how mangrove forests support biodiversity and climate resilience.
Visit an Indigenous Cabécar Community
Trek deep into the forest to meet members of the Cabécar people, one of Costa Rica’s Indigenous groups, and gain insight into their traditional way of life and relationship with the land.
Explore Coastal Waters by Kayak or Surfboard
Choose your pace - glide across the Golfo Dulce in a sea kayak, keeping watch for dolphins, or catch a wave on the remote beaches of the Osa Peninsula with a surf lesson.
Zipline Through the Canopy
Soar through the treetops on a zipline adventure, gaining a bird’s-eye view of the lush rainforest while experiencing the thrill of flying above the forest floor.
Your Journey Overview
Explore Costa Rica
On a narrow sliver of Central America between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica is a small but remarkable country with magnificent coastlines, pristine rainforests and lush volcanic interior harbouring diversity unlike anywhere else.
Costa Rica takes sustainability seriously. Over a quarter of its land and half its coastline are protected, and it is working towards carbon neutrality this decade. Sustainable tourism is a big part of protecting nature here, so it’s no surprise that some of the most pioneering ecolodges anywhere can be found hidden among its forests.
Ride horses along the beach to the sound of howler monkey calls before an afternoon spotting humpback whales breach the waves. Or raft rapids to a lodge in the jungle then trek trails to meet an indigenous Cabécar community, keeping an eye out for sloths and jaguars as you go. Costa Rica is a nature lover’s paradise we’d love to introduce you to.
Discover the Pacuare Reserve
This pristine reserve encompasses over 2,000 hectares of protected land. Here you’ll discover dense jungle, cascading waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. Its remote location and untouched beauty make it a haven for those seeking a deeper connection with nature.
The Pacuare River, renowned for its thrilling whitewater rafting, carves its way through the reserve, providing an exhilarating experience as you navigate its rapids. Along the riverbanks, you’ll spot an array of wildlife, from birds to monkeys.
Take guided hikes through the reserve’s trails, immersing yourself in the sights and sounds of the rainforest. Discover hidden waterfalls, take refreshing dips in natural pools, and witness the incredible diversity of plant and animal life that thrives in this protected sanctuary.
Days at Pacuare Lodge
By a river surrounded by primary rainforest, the pioneering Pacuare was created to help preserve this vital bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and benefit nearby communities, an ethos that enhances every experience here.
Explore the rainforest where jaguars roam and howler monkeys reintroduced by Pacuare call, hiking to hidden waterfalls, flying through the canopy on cables, nocturnal explorations, bird watching at dawn and visiting a traditional settlement of indigenous Cabécar, who will show you their ways of life.
Exceptional Stay at Pacuare Lodge
Explore The Osa Peninsula
The Osa Peninsula in located on Costa Rica’s southwestern coast. The peninsula is home to the world-famous Corcovado National Park, a haven for wildlife enthusiasts, where scarlet macaws, jaguars, and monkeys roam freely.
Its turquoise waters offer thrilling diving and snorkelling into vibrant underwater worlds. With its remote and untouched allure, the Osa Peninsula is one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful natural treasures.
Days at Lapa Rios
The Osa Peninsula, jutting out into the Pacific Ocean, is a small corner of Costa Rica harbouring an astonishing 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity.
Hidden in its rainforest find Lapa Rios, a chic ecolodge created to help safeguard this precious ecosystem and support the local community. Discover the jungle around the lodge and neighbouring Corcovado National Park with expert local guides on the lookout for monkeys, cats, astonishing birdlife, reptiles and amphibians.
Relax or ride horses on the beach, learn to surf or take kayaks out into the gulf, where you may encounter whales and dolphins. This is a stunning corner of Costa Rica to explore.
Exceptional Stay at Lapa Rios Lodge
Presentation by The Osa Conservation Team
On arrival at the Osa Conservation Campus you will be given an inspiring welcome presentation on their work ‘Building a Climate Lifeboat’, and mission to create a living model for climate resilience and biodiversity protection.
This welcome presentation offers a window into their integrated work, connecting forest restoration, regenerative farming, species recovery and coastal protection, guided by science, community leadership and traditional knowledge.
It sets the stage for your experience, grounding each moment of your journey in purpose, context and connection.
A Day with Osa Conservation
At Journeys With Purpose, we believe in experiences that leave a legacy – not just memories. During your stay at Lapa Rios Lodge on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, you’ll have the rare opportunity to engage meaningfully with Osa Conservation, a pioneering organisation dedicated to protecting one of the most biologically rich regions on Earth.
Whether joining researchers to learn about wild cat tracking, planting native trees to restore vital rainforest corridors, or discovering the importance of mangrove ecosystems, each interaction offers insight into the complexity and beauty of tropical ecology. These experiences are not staged – they are real, place-based, and purpose-led, deepening your connection to nature and amplifying your impact.
Lapa Rios and Osa Conservation together embody the very essence of regenerative travel: thoughtful, immersive, and rooted in hope for the future.
Our purpose
Journeys With Purpose engage guests with the world’s most ambitious and exciting conservation projects across our seven continents. We believe travel can be a powerful force for learning, for expanding horizons and shifting perspectives on the magic and wonder of our natural world.
Our journeys invite you to step outside of your daily ecosystem and engage with new cultures, environments and people in the world’s wildest corners. At this moment in history, we are placing unprecedented pressure on the planet and wildlife, communities and nature is under threat. True wilderness is increasingly rare, yet there are remarkable examples of nature rebounding, and flourishing.
These conservation successes showcase the resilience of our natural world, and our journeys serve to spotlight, and support, these projects. Whether on a safari, diving trip or mountain expedition, by travelling with JWP you contribute to our mission: to conserve and restore 30 million acres of land and 30 million acres of seas by 2030. We are proud members of 1% for the Planet, through which we donate 1% of our annual revenue to grass-root initiatives.
Journeys With Purpose is also a member of The Long Run, a Conde Nast Traveller specialist travel agency, and a Certified B Corp, awarded “Best for the World: Environment 2022”.
Keep exploring
WHY TRAVEL WITH JOURNEYS WITH PURPOSE
Discover how other travelers have experienced their journeys with us.
The planning process
Each journey is thoughtfully crafted by our specialists to your preferences, to offer a profound connection with the natural world, inviting you to slow down, immerse and reconnect.
Make an
Enquiry
Start your journey by filling out our enquiry form. Whether you know where you want to go or seek inspiration, we’ll guide you through the next steps.
Talk to an
Expert
One of our impact journey specialists will call you to explore your interests, values and travel goals and align them with projects and places that make a real difference.
Create Your
Itinerary
Your impact journey specialist will help craft an itinerary tailored to your pace and passions, offering rare access to conservationists, communities and ecosystems few ever reach.
Travel With
Purpose
From arrival to return, every detail is taken care of. You’ll travel responsibly, connect deeply and come home part of a story much bigger than your own.
Discover projects you can
engage with on your journey
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Join a global community of conscious travellers.
Be Inspired. Travel With Impact. Change The World.
Sign up to our monthly field report to discover extraordinary projects, remarkable stories, and transformative experiences in wild nature.