Ideas for a family adventure/ nature holiday on a £12,000 budget

[BookShelved]

We are a family of 5 with three kids 10,11,13.

We usually camp in the UK, with a few short euro city breaks. Even pre kids we didn't travel much.

I've just had £12000 inheritance that I want to spend on a 'big' holiday but having never done it I don't know where to start!

I want to go for 2.5 or 3 weeks. No all inclusive, and I certainly don't want luxury but not exactly backpacking either. I was thinking 3 or 4 destinations, hopefully not too much self catering (good value restaurants etc therefore important), nature, activities.

I'm not instantly drawn to SE Asia, it appears too touristy for me, definately want to avoid gap year party people. Equally i don't want remote!

My dream destination is Costa Rica and I thought it was a no brainer, but actually it looks like my budget wont stretch 😥

Can anyone help me please?

Friends use Stubborn Mule for family travel planning, they booked Vietnam and Bali with them. My friend is definitely not the type of person you would see clubbing and partying.

Australia is the wrong time of year unless you only want to go to the north.

SE Asia is not too touristy.
If you think it is then you certainly don’t want Costa Rica, full of loud American tourists who ruin the bird watching.

@BookShelved the homestay was just the 4 of us. You get picked up in Sandakan and taken to the village by boat, spotting wildlife along the way. We stayed for 2 nights. We had 2 rooms in the family house. Basic, fan only with nets. All meals were provided. Family were friendly. We then went on several boat trips to spot wildlife at different times of day. Kids did some fishing off their jetty, planted trees. It's part of an outfit that is trying to counteract the movement of people away from villages by using tourism to boost local income. Definitely not a working/volunteering thing.

@KatharinaRosalie can I ask what your Indonesia plan is? I'm trying to finalise ours!

We found Singapore and Borneo a good combination in August. Plus a day trip to Brunei which was fascinating.

@HappyHolidays75 sure! We still have several versions, depending on if some friends will join who also have some special interest, and some options without Bali as already been there. One version proposed is as follows, I specifically asked that they leave us also some free time just to lay on the beach:

Day 1 –Arrival in Jakarta
Day 2 – Flight to Borneo (Pangkalan Bun) – Start 3D2N Orangutan Cruise
Meet your local guide and board your traditional klotok boat for a 3D/2N shared river cruise in Tanjung Puting National Park, home of the endangered orangutans.
Day 3 – Borneo – Pondok Tanggui & Camp Leakey
Morning visit to Pondok Tanggui, where you’ll watch semi-wild orangutans feed. Continue upriver to the famous Camp Leakey, an orangutan research station founded in the 1970s.Explore small jungle creeks by canoe and spot wildlife such as proboscis monkeys and tropical birds.
Day 4 – April 15: End of Borneo Cruise – Flight to Bali (Ubud)
Day 5 – April 16: Ubud Cultural & Nature Tour
Full-day exploration of the highlights around Ubud:

• Monkey Forest Sanctuary
• Tegallalang Rice Terraces
• Tirta Empul Temple (holy purification springs)
• Gunung Kawi Temple carved in the rock
• Ubud Market for crafts and local snacks

Optional: Family cooking class or Balinese dance class in the evening. Day 6 – 8: Komodo Cruise Highlights:

• Snorkeling at coral islands
• Hiking to the Padar Island viewpoint at sunset

Komodo National Park – Dragons & Pink Beach Morning trek with a park ranger to see Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. Swim and relax at Pink Beach, famous for its pink-hued sand and turquoise water. Overnight in Labuan Bajo. Day 9 – 11 : Fly back to Bali and take a fast boat to Gili Air, a tranquil island perfect for families — no cars or motorbikes. Join a half-day snorkeling tour around the Gilis to swim with turtles and colorful reef fish. Relax. Day 12 – : Return to Bali – South Coast (Uluwatu or Canggu) Boat transfer back to Bali and drive to your final destination on the south coast. In the evening, visit Uluwatu Temple and witness the traditional Kecak Fire Dance at sunset. Day 13 Transfer to Airport – Departure

Thanks for the heads up!!
I've never been out of Europe so I've no idea what se asia is like.

Sounds absolutely amazing!! Thanks

Is Singapore just the natural transport hub or worth a visit in its own right would you say? I an not really a big city person!😀

I would suggest Costa Rica, Bali or Sri Lanka. You can travel round all. Or Mauritius or an African safari plus beach

Or Thailand! That’s pretty easy for a first trip.

Singapore is certainly worth a visit! Tons to see.

Tour of Sri Lanka plus week on beach.

South Africa and safaris might be possible on that budget

If your focus is wildlife my take/experience is the following:
Borneo is a LOT of patient hanging about for a quick look at wildlife ; amazing for adults, potentially boring for teenagers/tweenies.
Costa Rica is much more 'in your face' and accessible to youngsters.

yes Thailand is easy for less experienced travellers. Just stay away from massive resorts and known party beaches and you will have a great time. Tourism industry is exceptional, you don't need to book or plan anything in advance, a random local tour agency on the street corner will organise whatever you want.

We did Belize for roughly your budget. Stayed on one of the cayes - amazing snorkeling, 2nd biggest reef in the world, turtles, seahorses, sharks, manatees etc. Then jungle (Lamanai Lodge) for loads of wildlife and Mayan ruins (kids helped out collecting crocodile data, we evrn caught one to weigh and measure) then the coast (Placencia) to relax, and more snorkeling. It's english speaking, fab food, v chilled, and small so you can cover a lot of ground.

Have a look at Stubborn Mule for family adventures, or would be easy enough to organise yourselves.

It was a brilliant, BRILLIANT holiday.

It's not a massive budget for a family of 5. The tricky thing about trips like a usa road trip is that you all don't fit into 2 standard motel rooms but if two of the kids don't mind sharing a queen bed you could fit them in a 2 queen twin.

Japan is surprisingly affordable we did a family of 4 trip easily within your budget but it is very hot and humid in the summer, still worth it imo though. You get so much more value in Asia than in the US and Central America.

You will have a room challenge in Japan though - twin rooms are harder to find than in europe, the beds are single and the rooms are small. It is going to be tricky finding accommodation that works for 5.

Have a look at elephant hills in Thailand - you could tie it in with a couple of other destinations before and after. We stayed in Phuket in a non rowdy area and it was gorgeous. Thailand will be much cheaper expenses whilst you’re there than eating out than the US.

For non SE Asia, Vancouver is fantastic, you could add in Vancouver island or Alaska. Or California - Yosemite and Big Sur are stunning.

i would love to go to Costa Rica, that would be up there on my list.

intrepid travel do a lot of family adventures so you could check out their itineraries.

I’ve always wanted to do this too, you can rent 5-6 sleeper RV’s for around £500, I wouldn’t say it’s over your budget at all, unless of course you wanted a hotel every night

The best holiday we ever had was a tour of Sri Lanka with a driver, ending with a few nights at a beachfront hotel. It's a truly beautiful country and the wildlife is incredible. We booked through Red Dot Tours and found them incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, talking through our budget and preferences in detail and tweaking our itinerary until it was perfect.

Place marking- this thread is a mine of info… Thanks!

If you do fancy Thailand, look at khao lak for some of the time rather than phuket. Its a bit more upmarket and also I think more to do. You fly into phuket airport but go north instead of south.

Please don't write off SE Asia as just backpackers. There is something for everyone.

We’ve used Trailfinders before when we don’t much about the location we want to go and they’ve been really helpful.