Connect Directly to a Local Specialist
When planning your trip on kimkim, we'll connect you directly with one of our local specialists who are skilled at customizing trips built around specific interests. Our specialists are experienced, creative, and highly-vetted travel experts who know Costa Rica well and will help you create the ideal itinerary.
Meaningful Experiences
Travel is about immersing yourself in the local landscape, culture, and experience and this is one of our core values. Sometimes this means taking lesser-known (but just as beautiful) routes to avoid the crowds, and sometimes it means seeing the main highlights in a unique way or at a special time of day that avoids the majority of the crowds. We're just as excited about travel as you are, meaning we seek out these experiences ourselves and then go the extra mile to ensure you have a memorable and meaningful experience. Read more about the top cultural experiences in Costa Rica here.
Customizing Your Perfect Trip
Your trip plan will also incorporate personalized approaches to lodging, guides, routes, and even transportation. Our Costa Rica specialists like to ensure you have a more meaningful experience whenever possible, whether that means taking a guided night hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest or taking an alternative day trip to a lesser-known village or nature reserve on your route. Learn more about the top nature experiences in Costa Rica.
Private Tours
Kimkim is different than most conventional travel companies. Most of our trips are private and tailor-made, built around your specific interests. our trip will start and end on the dates that work best for you, and accommodation, number of activities, and travel route are all customizable.
View our Costa Rica FAQs to learn more about traveling in the country.
Flexible Itineraries
Your itinerary can be adjusted each day based on what's realistically possible. During your trip, guides and drivers are there to ensure everything goes smoothly and will work with the conditions of each day. If needed, your specialist can adapt your itinerary during your trip based on how you’re feeling, weather, or other unforeseen circumstances that sometimes arise while traveling.
This article on 4 Regions to Visit in Costa Rica has some great information on the country's key destinations.
Local Specialists, Insider Knowledge
Your trip will be planned by people who have spent years living in and traveling around Costa Rica, searching out the best routes and unique places. When planning your trip, your specialist will consider the season and weather, your preferred method of transportation, and your travel priorities and interests. Their ideas and insights not only add immense value to the process but are also what sets kimkim's style of trip planning apart.
Unique Ways to Experience Costa Rica's Highlights
Not everyone wants to get completely off the grid. Even if you want to visit Costa Rica's most popular sites and regions, kimkim ensures a customized experience.
If you're keen to explore the famous jungle-lined white sand beaches of Manuel Antonio, your specialist may also recommend adding in a day hike to a nearby waterfall or kayaking through the mangroves of Damas Island. Likewise, if your main goal is to take in the hot springs and sheer magnitude of Arenal Volcano, our specialist will know which ziplining parks have the best cable routes, and which hot springs provide the best views and amenities.
Experienced & Professional Guides
Your guides are an essential part of your overall experience, and someone you'll be spending a significant amount of time with throughout your trip. As such, we only work with experienced certified local guides who have years of experience and are passionate about helping people experience their country.
Working With Local Providers
Whenever possible, we work with local communities and services supplied by people who belong to the local community. This means hiring drivers and guides as much as possible from the regions you're traveling in and staying in smaller, boutique hotels or eco-lodges that are owned locally.
Best Accommodation Options
Where you stay each night plays a large part in the overall experience of your trip. Our specialists keep track of the best places to stay in Costa Rica, including hidden gems and new places that are popping up. They know the which spots have great meals and atmosphere, which are conveniently located away from the crowds, and which have great vantage points. Based on your budget and preferred style, you'll be provided with options of where you can lay your head each night. Just as important, your specialist will ensure that your accommodation is conveniently located for the activities of the day.
It's good to keep in mind that hot water and air-conditioning are not considered as "essentials" in many regions of Costa Rica. Your local specialist will help you determine where you should splurge for these amenities, and where temperate climates make them truly unnecessary. See our lists of the country's top luxury hotels.
Itinerary Roadmap
All trips to Costa Rica will have a trip roadmap that will be sent to you prior to your departure. This will include all pertinent information about pick-up times, activity durations, and hotels for each night. In addition, it will often include restaurant recommendations and insider tips for how to spend your free time in each location.
Find out more about how many days to spend in Costa Rica.
How Our Pricing Works
From the start of your trip planning, you'll be provided with the best price for your trip based on what's required to put together a quality experience that's both fairly priced yet doesn't cut corners. The prices will allow the specialist and their team to make a fair living, pay their staff, guides, and drivers fair wages in order to retain the best people, and provide insurance and medical coverage for their team.
In-Trip Support & Guidance
While you're on your trip, both your local Costa Rica specialist and kimkim staff will be on hand to support should you have any questions, concerns, or if anything goes wrong. We'll also work with you to make changes or customize your trip on the fly should you want to change things around (assuming the customizations are possible and realistic).
Kimkim’s travel specialists are also there for you after you’ve decided on the details of your trip. Not only will your specialist provide you with additional tips so you can make the most out of your vacation, but we are available to help once you land in Costa Rica. That means anything from suggesting the perfect night out for your last night in San José or assisting if you hit a snag in your travel plans.
Climate Neutral
Kimkim trips are 100% climate neutral. Plan your trip with us and support sustainable initiatives around the world, reducing your impact and strengthening communities along the way. Learn more
Everything Is Included
Most trips we organize include all the arrangements from the moment you land in Costa Rica to the moment you leave. You don't have to worry about constantly paying for services or organizing transport or hotels during your trip. Everything is included in the tour you book with us (we'll clearly point out anything that's not covered).
Services that are typically included:
- Airport transfers to and from your hotel
- All your domestic transport (flights & ground transport)
- Accommodations (breakfast typically included)
- Guided tours and activities
Services that are typically not included:
- Your international flights
- Medical and emergency travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners (when not specified)
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Exit tax
Expectations and excitement are high from the moment you hit the ground in Costa Rica and we'll ensure your arrival experience and airport transfer run smoothly. You'll be provided with details of what to expect upon arrival, contact details of your in-trip support and driver, and someone who will be waiting for you at the airport to transfer you to your hotel.
Ready to Start Planning Your Trip?
Our specialists can help you customize this itinerary or help you discover the perfect regions in Costa Rica to fit your travel style. Get started now
