Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful and diverse country in the world. It has everything from beaches to mountains along with plenty of family friendly adventures. Costa Rica is relatively close and has many points options to travel there.
Have you ever thought about visiting Costa Rica but not sure how to get there or what to do? I’ll tell you about how to get there and what to do in the land of Pura Vida!
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How to Fly to Costa Rica With Miles and Points
It’s easy to fly into Costa Rica from nearly anywhere. It has two major international airports: San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR). You can use your miles to get to Costa Rica for close to free!
1. United Airlines
Link: United MileagePlus® Explorer Card
Link: Chase Sapphire Preferred
There are a bunch of ways to earn United Airlines miles. This includes transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines.
It Costs 35,000 United Airlines Miles Round-Trip to Fly to San Jose, Costa Rica From Anywhere in the US. There Are Lots of Available Seats From New York in October and November!
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You can use United Airlines miles to fly into SJO or LIR. SJO tends to have better availability. There is a round-trip coach award ticket on United Airlines. It is only 35,000 United Airlines miles from anywhere in the US.
2. Southwest
Link: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
Link: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
Link: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
Southwest flies into San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR).
As a family, we love to fly on Southwest. That’s because with the Southwest Companion Pass, a family of three like us can get one passenger fly for (almost) free! Even better, a family of four can get two passengers fly for (almost) free!
The number of Southwest points required for an award flight depends on the cost of a paid ticket.
If you have the Southwest Companion Pass, flying on Southwest can be a great deal!
It Costs as low as 15,408 South West Miles Round-Trip to Fly to San Jose, Costa Rica From New York. That’s a Great Deal For any Family Looking to Travel More And Spend Less!
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3. Delta or Flying Blue
Link: Flying Blue Miles Calculator
Link: AMEX Card
You can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points directly to Delta or Flying Blue(Air France) at a 1:1 ratio to book Delta flights to Costa Rica. Both airlines are part of the SkyTeam Alliance.
But remember, you’ll have to pay an excise fee of $.06 per points to transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to Delta because it’s a US airline. But you will NOT pay any fees to transfer to Flying Blue to fly the same Delta flights.
Delta no longer publishes an award chart! So you’ll need to search specific routes and dates to find the price of an award ticket. The cheapest one-way flights I found cost 17,500 Delta miles in coach.If you use Flying Blue miles for the same flights, you’ll pay 15,000 Flying Blue miles in coach.
To book flights with Flying Blue, you can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points for free at a ratio of 1:1. To find flight availability, use the Flying Blue Miles Calculator and search with the airline Delta.
4. Budget Airlines
Check fare deals on discount airlines,such as, JetBlue or Spirit Airlines. They often have promotions where you can get a cheap ticket to Costa Rica from select cities.
What Family Activities to Do in Costa Rica
Here are some fun family activities where you can explore nature and wildlife in Costa Rica.
Ziplining Through The Forest
Ziplining is a fun family adventure. In Monteverde, children of almost any age will enjoy ziplining. Even as young as 2 year olds can try the longest zipline park in the Latin America.
My Daughter Bella Dared to Zip Line Where most adults backed out. At three years old, she told me she is a big girl and wanted to do all the zip lines and was not scared.
Hot Springs and Water Slides
In the small town of La Fortuna, we went to Baldi Hot Springs. There were 25 thermal water pools with beautiful waterfalls and intense water slides. The warm water was relaxing when the sun went down.
The Thermal Pools Were Fun And Relaxing. The Pools Closer To The Source Were The Hottest.
Hiking And Visiting Waterfalls
Costa Rica has endless waterfalls and lush surroundings. As a family, we did many hikes through the rainforest and observed wildlife. We saw birds native to Costa Rica and monkeys jumping from tree to tree. Anytime we saw a waterfall, we went swimming despite the freezing cold water.
Most Of The Hikes We Did Were Mild And Suitable For Families With Young Children. On The Difficult Inlinces, I Carried My Daughter On My Back.
Suspension Bridges 70 Feet Above Above The Rainforest
In Monteverde, we got a bird’s eye view when walking across suspension bridges from tree to tree. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. The views and wildlife were breathtaking, but the shaky bridges were nerve racking.
Somehow Still Feeling Safe 70 Feet Above The Ground In The Rainforest.
Visit Coffee Farms
Get some of the freshest coffee and fruits when visiting local farms. Through Airbnb, we stayed three days on an organic farm with plenty of fresh fruits. Everyday we picked fresh mandarins, bananas, and avocados outside our rustic farm cabin.
It Was Coffee Harvest Season When We visited An Organic Farm Outside Monteverde. Our Host Gave Us The Most Delicious And Freshest Coffee Everyday.
Bottom Line
Costa Rica is a great place to visit for your next family vacation. There are plenty of exciting family activities and it is easy to fly with points and miles.
For as little as 15,406 Southwest Miles, you can get a round trip to Costa Rica. If you have AMEX Membership Rewards, you can transfer to Flying Blue for 15,000 one way economy. United Airlines isn’t the cheapest option, but it will still get you to Costa Rica for nearly free.
When in Costa Rica, there are many outdoor activities to enjoy with your family. From visiting waterfalls to ziplining through the rainforest. There are a bunch of action packed activities for kids of all ages.
Have you been to Costa Rica? If so, how did you get there?
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Beautiful family and amazing post. Didn’t know it was that cheap to Costa Rica