Responsible Travel in Costa Rica: How Can You Offset Your Carbon Footprint?

At Terra Caribea, we believe that travel can be a catalyst for positive change —not only for travelers, but also for the destinations they visit. While tourism is a wonderful avenue for discovery, cultural exchange, and rewarding benefits for local communities, it also has an environmental impact that must be managed, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Faced with this reality, we have chosen to act with transparency and responsibility:

• On the one hand, by reducing our internal carbon footprint with a commitment to transparency in our own ecological transition, and by offsetting the remaining emissions— primarily those related to our travel.
• On the other hand, by offering concrete and accessible solutions to our travelers to help them reduce or offset their own impact with full awareness. 

On this page, you’ll find details about our carbon offset initiatives, the projects we support, and the options available to make your trip to Costa Rica even more sustainable.

Since 2024, we have been calculating the CO₂ emissions generated by our daily operations and tracking our impact in the following areas:

• Office operations (energy consumption, digital practices, waste management)
• Our team’s business travel (to meet with clients, conduct site visits, etc.)

Annual monitoring of these carbon emissions allows us to track the impact of our operations and uphold our commitments to sustainable tourism in Costa Rica. To offset these emissions through the purchase of carbon credits, we work directly with FONAFIFO (Costa Rica’s National Forestry Financing Fund), which oversees the carbon footprint calculation methodology and ensures the traceability of financial contributions to local projects. 

In 2024, Terra Caribea’s internal carbon footprint is estimated at 8.7 metric tons of CO₂, and the amount corresponding to this offset was directly channeled to the PSA Mujer project, a local program led by FONAFIFO in collaboration with MINAE (Ministry of the Environment). This project aims to:

• Support the economic self-sufficiency of rural women landowners, often located in priority conservation areas
• Fund forest conservationefforts in these sensitive areas.
• Incorporate specific criteria to strengthen women’s role in the sustainable management of natural resources

Would you like to take your responsible travel efforts in Costa Rica a step further? We certainly would! That’s why we’re offering you the opportunity to offset part of the carbon footprint of your personalized trip.

This initiative, which is entirely voluntary, is designed for those who wish to enhance the positive impact of their trip to Costa Rica. Specifically, we’ll help you:

• Estimate your trip’s carbon footprint: using reliable local tools from the local organization Fonafifo, we calculate the approximate emissions associated with your ground transportation, accommodations, activities, and more.
• Choose the level of offsetting: You can decide to offset part of your carbon footprint (just ground transportation, for example).

Select a project that resonates with you: you can choose from several local social or environmental initiatives (reforestation, education, gender equality, biodiversity conservation, etc.).

How does it work?

1. You let us know that you’d like to offset the emissions from your trip.
2. Together, we calculatethe approximate carbon footprint of your itinerary (transportation, accommodations, activities, etc.).
3. You choose a local social or environmental project you’d like to support.
4. You make a voluntary donation in an amount that corresponds to your carbon footprint.
5. You’ll receive a personalized official offset certificate.

This approach helps support local projects while raising awareness of your environmental footprint. Because every action counts, this initiative allows you to turn your trip into a concrete act of support for biodiversity and the people of Costa Rica. It’s a simple and transparent way to make a positive impact on the country!

The Terra Caribea Team