Costa Rica Expeditions

What Costa Rica Expeditions does

Costa Rica Expeditions is a privately-held, Costa Rica-based travel planning service founded in 1980 that designs and sells custom, multi-day vacation itineraries to Costa Rica. The company employs a small team of approximately nine staff — including Senior Travel Specialists, Travel Specialists, and an Operations Manager — all based in Costa Rica. Its offering is exclusively complete itineraries (transportation, naturalist guides, lodging, and special experiences); the company does not book individual services or international flights.

The business model is a high-touch, sales-led consultative motion. Prospective customers complete a multi-step Wish List form on the company's website describing interests, travel style, and budget; a Costa Rican Travel Specialist then personally follows up, refines the proposal iteratively until the customer is satisfied, and provides daily on-the-ground reconfirmation during the trip. Pricing is structured in four tiers: Luxury ($450-$1,100 per person per day), Upscale ($300-$449 per person per day), Classic ($250-$299 per person per day), and Pre-set Itineraries (starting at $2,000 per person on double occupancy for 7 nights/8 days). Pricing excludes international flights and trip insurance; children under 10 receive reduced rates.

The company serves primarily adventure travelers, with secondary segments in celebration/romantic travelers and educational tourists. It reaches customers through direct channels only — website, toll-free US/Canada number, international phone line, and email — supplemented by earned-media channels including TripAdvisor (1,000+ reviews), Virtuoso network membership, Wendy Perrin's WOW List, National Geographic references, and social media. The company is a member of Costa Rica's National Tourism Chamber (CANATUR), ACOT, the Costa Rica Chamber of Commerce, and is endorsed by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT). No funding, M&A activity, parent company, or technology platform is disclosed.

Name

Costa Rica Expeditions

Legal name

Costa Rica Expeditions

Website

https://costaricaexpeditions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Costa Rica Expeditions is a Costa Rica-based, privately-held travel planning service founded in 1980 that designs and sells multi-day custom and pre-set vacation itineraries to individual leisure travelers, primarily adventure travelers, via a high-touch Travel Specialist consultative process.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Travel Planning Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Itinerary Planning with Booking & Fulfillment (Full-Service) (THAKAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bespoke Multi-Day Itinerary Planning & Custom Tour Design (THAJALAB), Luxury Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAE), Adventure & Expedition Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAC)

Keywords

• Custom travel itineraries
• Costa Rica vacation packages
• Ecotourism planning services
• Naturalist guided tours
• Adventure travel packages

Headquarters

HQ city

Escazú

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Vacation Packages: Costa Rica Expeditions generates revenue by designing and selling complete, customized vacation itineraries to Costa Rica. The service includes transportation, naturalist guides, lodging, and special experiences. They do not book individual services—only complete itineraries. Revenue is earned through package pricing based on daily per-person rates across luxury, upscale, and classic tiers, plus pre-set package options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Costa Rica Expeditions designs and sells complete, customized Costa Rica vacation itineraries for individual travelers. Customers complete a free signature Wish List form, after which a Costa Rican Travel Specialist personally contacts them to clarify preferences, then iteratively refines a tailored proposal until 100% satisfaction. Each itinerary bundles transportation, naturalist guides, lodging, and special experiences, offered in Luxury, Upscale, Classic, and Pre-set tiers.

Product overview

Costa Rica Expeditions is a travel planning service offering personalized Costa Rica vacation itineraries. The company operates a single unified service model centered around their Wish List form, through which Travel Specialists create custom itineraries tailored to individual traveler preferences, interests, and budgets. Their portfolio includes four pricing tiers: Luxury ($450-$1,100/person/day), Upscale ($300-$449/person/day), Classic ($250-$299/person/day), and Pre-set Itinerary Packages (starting at $2,000/person for 7 nights/8 days). All packages include transportation, naturalist guides, lodging, and special experiences, with international flights excluded.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Wish List Itinerary Planning Personalized Costa Rica vacation planning service where Costa Rican Travel Specialists create custom itineraries based on traveler preferences, interests, and budget, including transportation, naturalist guides, lodging, and special experiences.
• Luxury Vacation Packages Highest level of comfort service featuring the best hotels in Costa Rica, private transfers and private activities, and special surprises, priced at $450-$1,100 per person per day.
• Upscale Vacation Packages Comfort-focused service with a combination of shared and private transfers and/or activities, and regular domestic flights, priced at $300-$449 per person per day.
• Classic Vacation Packages Basic, clean, comfortable accommodations with shared transfers and activities, priced at $250-$299 per person per day.
• Pre-set Itinerary Packages Pre-set packages with pre-determined properties and tours, with flexible arrival dates subject to availability, starting at $2,000 per person on double occupancy for 7 nights/8 days.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VirtuosocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVirtuoso is a prestigious network of luxury travel agencies and advisors. Costa Rica Expeditions is featured in this network, providing access to high-net-worth travelers seeking premium Costa Rica experiences.
• TripAdvisorcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTripAdvisor is the primary review platform where Costa Rica Expeditions maintains 1,000+ reviews. The platform serves as a key trust signal and discovery channel for prospective customers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Adventure Life: Small-group and custom adventure travel operator with deep Costa Rica and Latin America programming; offers the same multi-day custom itinerary design and naturalist guide experience as CRE.
• Audley Travel: UK-headquartered bespoke travel company that designs custom country-by-country itineraries through a network of in-country specialists — closely mirrors CRE's specialist-led, fully customized trip model, including for Latin America destinations.
• Wildland Adventures: Boutique adventure tour operator focused on Latin America with custom and small-group itineraries led by local naturalist guides; competes for the same eco-conscious, experiential Costa Rica traveler.
• Classic Journeys: Luxury guided and custom active travel company selling multi-day itineraries in Costa Rica and worldwide; comparable in tiered pricing, daily per-person structure, and high-touch specialist consultation model.
• Natural Habitat Adventures: US-based adventure travel operator specializing in nature and wildlife-focused small-group and custom itineraries with naturalist guides; competes directly for the same luxury eco-traveler segment that CRE targets in Costa Rica.
• Country Walkers: Boutique guided and custom walking-focused travel company with multi-day itineraries and tiered pricing; operates a similar high-touch, specialist-curated model targeting affluent experiential travelers.

Broad incumbents

• Abercrombie & Kent: Global luxury travel operator with custom itineraries across Latin America including Costa Rica; competes for the high-end custom travel segment but offers a far broader geographic and product portfolio.
• Backroads: Active and custom luxury travel company offering multi-day itineraries including Costa Rica; comparable in tiered pricing and active-experience focus, but with broader global catalog and larger scale.
• Intrepid Travel: Global small-group adventure travel operator with Costa Rica offerings; comparable nature/adventure itinerary structure but operates at much larger scale across many destinations.
• REI Adventures: Established US outdoor brand's travel arm offering guided active trips including Costa Rica; broader portfolio and scale but overlapping adventure-travel customer base and itinerary structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/costaricaexpeditions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crexpeditions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Costa Rica Expeditions