All Around Costa Rica

Welcome to Costa Rica!

Once you arrive at Juan Santamaria International Airport, you will enjoy a private transfer and then check-in to your hotel, Park Inn by Radisson, located in Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose.

San Jose, affectionately known to its residents as 'Chepe', lies in the heart of Costa Rica and is home to almost two-thirds of the country’s population. With few buildings over 100 years old, the mountainous capital is relatively modern compared to its Latin American counterparts, but still has a significant amount of culture, art and history for visitors to discover.

With a number of theatres full of Costa Rican culture, museums that include the largest collection of American jade in the world, and streets full of bright murals and painted buses, San Jose is an eclectic city waiting to be experienced.

Accommodation: Park Inn by Radisson San Jose

Meals Included: Breakfast

Today you’ll journey to Tortuguero by speedboat.

Within the Tortuguero National Park along Costa Rica’s beautiful Caribbean Coast, the village of Tortuguero is known for its ecotourism and extensive network of canals, and lies amidst tropical lowland rainforests, magnificent rivers, and pristine beaches.

*Due to the strong current and waves, Tortuguero Beach is not suitable for swimming* 

TORTUGUERO VILLAGE VISIT

Take the unique opportunity to watch baby green turtles hatch along the shoreline, or discover the park, home to over 300 species of bird, a variety of flora, and diverse fauna. Other popular activities include hiking, sport fishing, canal tours, canopy tours, and kayaking.

Don’t miss the opportunity to visit and explore the nearby Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge, the Cariari National Wetlands, and the turtle Museum at Sea Turtle Conservancy.

AUTHENTIC CARIBBEAN LUNCH AT MISS JUNIE LODGE

Miss Junies Lodge is located in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Guests may enjoy exploring the surrounding area, Tortuguero Beach and Tortuguero National Park. The accommodation is rustic and comfortable, equipped with Wi-Fi. Guests may enjoy a tasty meal on-site.

COFFEE & CHOCOLATE PRIVATE TOUR

At Casa Cecropia, located close to the Tortuguero National Park, you’ll enjoy a private artisanal coffee and chocolate tour. Some of Costa Rica’s most tastiest exports!

Transport: Private transfer and shared speedboat

Accommodation: Pachira Lodge

Meals included: All meals included

TORTUGUERO CANALS

The canals of Tortuguero are a popular attraction in Costa Rica. With rainforests, wildlife, sea turtles, crocodiles and a labyrinth of natural waterways, the region offers an authentic rainforest experience. Visitors can explore the lush flora and abundant fauna of the Caribbean coastal waterways by boat. If you're lucky you may even spot a caiman or crocodile, whilst sharks usually patrol the more brackish waters. 

Accommodation: Pachira Lodge

Meals included: All meals included

Today you will leave the canals in Tortuguero and go to the volcanic region of the Arenal where you’ll test your rafting skills and get a glimpse of Costa Rican nature. Literally translated from Spanish as “The Fortune,” you are indeed fortunate to spend some of your vacation in this popular destination!

The pleasant town of La Fortuna is usually described as “a small and leisurely town,” tucked into the base of the Arenal Volcano. You’ll be able to explore small shops, a colourful and radiant central park, and a backdrop that’s organized around the region’s picture-perfect volcano, not to mention the delicious hot springs that surround it.

Sarapiqui Rafting Class

Aventuras Del Sarapiqui Class II and III Rafting is a white-water rafting adventure with Class II and Class III rapids surrounded by natural scenery. The complete tour runs from La Virgen de Sarapiqui to Chilamate and includes a fruit snack halfway.

Accommodation: Lomas del Volcan Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Today you will experience Sky Adventures. This amazing theme park is situated near the Arenal Lake, just off downtown La Fortuna. Sky Adventures unites fun activities with spectacular views of Arenal Volcano. Guests may enjoy all or each adventure separately while accompanied by certified, professional staff.

Sky Tram is an aerial ride offering easy, fun and incomparable views. It was specially designed and built by Doppelmayr (Austria). The Sky Tram goes up to the highest mountains in the Arenal area, covering a total of 800 meters from one point to another. You arrive at an observation platform and from there you will enjoy the hanging bridges that show you the best view of Monteverde. 

You can then enjoy Sky Trek (for children 8 years and up) which combines the Sky Tram to go up to the mountain’s highest point and zip line descent through steel platforms with an innovative safety system which has a pulley so there’s no need to use your hands to stop which is great for safety.

Optional Don Juan Farm Tour with Lunch: (payable locally)

Just 5 minutes from Arenal’s town of La Fortuna, Finca Don Juan is ran by a local family and on this tour, you will learn about sustainable agriculture and traditional sugar processing, first-hand. Local farmer Don Juan leads the tour through his plantation and garden, sharing fruit that guests may have never seen in supermarkets, and he offers explanations of local preparations, health benefits and industrial uses. The farm uses no pesticides and attracts a variety of bird species. The 2 ½-hour walking tour of the farm includes a visit to an original trapiche sugar press, with a chance to sample local sugar cane liquor called “guaro” while Don Juan explains how lands can be developed in a sustainable way. At the end of the tour, guests can enjoy a delicious healthy lunch prepared with fruits and vegetables from the farm by Don Juan’s family.

Accommodation: Lomas del Volcan Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, you will head down to the amazing Arenal Volcano, which is the best sight La Fortuna has to offer and then enjoy the relaxing Ecotermales hot springs.

Arenal 1968 Volcano View and Lava Trails

Enjoy the scenic beauty hiking the lava trails by the breath-taking Lake Arenal.

Visitors can enjoy two different trails walking or mountain biking in the hills formed by lava during the Arenal Volcano 1968 eruption. The Los Patos Lagoon, medium difficulty trails through a very original landscape and magnificent panoramic views of Arenal Volcano and Arenal Lake, and more than 16 km of private trails made for Mountain Biking, with a closed-circuit of jumps, river crossing on a single track to that goes through the rainforest and panoramic views of Arenal Volcano and Arenal River Canyon.

Restrooms, showers and an on-site cafeteria are available.

Ecotermales hot springs

Plunge yourself in a delicious pool of mineral rich, calm and warm waters! Your whole body starts to soothe, muscles relax… the mind and soul become peaceful whilst encircled by lush vegetation.

This delightful place originated here long ago when it was dedicated to agricultural activities. Once the family who owned it realized the potential of the hot springs, they transformed it for the pleasure of visitors who have a singular experience in its thirteen springs of magmatic source hot water and seven of cold water. Here you will have dinner. Enhanced with a friendly service, good food and fascinating nature, this is a must while in La Fortuna.

Accommodation: Lomas del Volcan Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Today you’ll transfer to wild and wonderful green wonderland of Monteverde. When night falls, you’ll enjoy a Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Night Walk Tour.

Monteverde, the name of a settlement and a forest described as ‘the jewel in the crown of cloud forests’ by National Geographic, lies in the Cordillera de Tilaran mountain range in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. One of the rarest habitats on the planet and unique from the country’s other rainforests for its constant swathes of mist (which give it its name), the Monteverde Cloud Forest is an incredible wild world filled with thousands of plant species, insects, bird varieties, and animals.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Night Walk Tour

A unique and magical experience that takes you into the heart of the cloud forest at night. As the sun sets and the sky darkens, the forest comes alive with a whole new world of nocturnal creatures, and this tour gives you the opportunity to witness this amazing transformation first-hand.

The tour allows visitors the opportunity to see the vast biological diversity in Monteverde from a different nocturnal perspective. The tour begins with an introductory video of the Monteverde Cloud Forest; the tour expectancies, rules of the park will be given, and a flashlight will be provided for each person. The hike begins in the Hummingbird Gallery and continues through a trail of about 1.8 kilometres where different insects, birds and nocturnal mammals can be seen. The tour lasts approximately two and a half hours.

Transport: Shared transfer

Accommodation: El Establo Mountain Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, you’ll adventure through the sky at Monteverde Park

You will start with a Sky Walk guided tour, which combines trails and suspension bridges with lengths of 984 feet and heights above the canopy of Monteverde cloud forest. The tour gives you the opportunity to enjoy the flora and fauna of the area from up high.

Then enjoy walking the unique hanging bridges.

Accommodation: El Establo Mountain Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast

Today you will go to the tropical paradise that is Manuel Antonio. Home to a huge nature reserve and the most beautiful beaches in the pacific!

Neighbouring the spectacularly scenic 680-hectare Manuel Antonio National Park and situated along Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, the bustling beachside village of Manuel Antonio offers a variety of comfortable accommodation options for eco-explorers and adventurers who flock here to explore this beautiful area. The undeniable highlight is the adjacent Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica’s smallest national park, featuring lush biodiverse rainforests, mangroves, lagoons, offshore coral reefs, pristine white-sand beaches and abundant wildlife, including over 100 mammal species and almost 200 bird species.

Transport: Private transfer

Accommodation: El Parador

Meals included: Breakfast

Your adventure continues with a tour of Manuel Antonio National Park. Located on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast, it encompasses rugged rainforest, white sand beaches and coral reefs. It is famous for its great diversity of tropical plants and wildlife, from endangered three-toed sloths and white-faced capuchin monkeys to hundreds of bird species. The park's approximately 680 hectares are crisscrossed by trails that wind from the coast to the mountains.

Set just south of Quepos, on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast, the Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the most bio-diverse areas in the world. Boasting enthralling rain forests, pristine beaches, and gorgeous coral reefs, this is an ultimate destination for outdoor explorers. Some of the best beaches are the Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio, and the conditions for swimming, snorkelling, and surfing (lessons are on offer) are excellent here.

In the forests, hikers may see iguanas, sloths, snakes, lizards, butterflies, many types of monkeys and brightly coloured tiny crabs. The forest is a mecca for birdwatchers - there are more than 350 spectacular bird species including toucans and emerald amazon kingfishers. Several lovely bistros and bars are scattered around the outskirts.

Accommodation: El Parador

Meals included: Breakfast

Two days to enjoy as you wish. Check out Manuel Antonio National Park or just relax at the beach where you can soak up the sun, swim in the ocean, and enjoy the natural beauty of this stunning country.

Optional Santa Juana Rural Mountain Adventure Tour (payable locally) on day 11, 12 or 13

There is no experience quite like the magic of nature along with Costa Rica’s authentic rural heritage. Greentique Certified Guides take you on an amazing nature tour about conservation, and rural culture. You’ll hike along lush jungle-shrouded slopes where two rivers are born, then swim in one of the region’s most pristine natural pools beneath a mesmerizing waterfall. Here you can spot fascinating wildlife, fish for tilapia, and visit an authentic sugar mill powered by massive oxen. Then return to the lodge of a traditional Campesino-style lunch while enjoying the panoramic vista of Manuel Antonio National Park and the Pacific Ocean that fills the horizon. You will also become a vital participant in the Carbon Offset/Native Tree Reforestation Program, adopting your own tree as you help conserve this priceless watershed within Greentique Cloud maker Nature Reserve.

Accommodation: El Parador

Meals included: Breakfast

The last leg of your adventure takes you south of the capital to a little-known destination in the remote Talamanca mountains, San Gerardo de Dota.

The village is set deep in a valley but is surrounded by the towering Talamanca mountains. Among the quiet forests of San Gerardo de Dota live a variety of animals and a wide selection of birds, including the famous Resplendent Quetzal and dozens of hummingbird species.

The small town of San Gerardo de Dota is strung along a quiet road in the Talamanca Mountains roughly three hours from the capital, San Jose. One of the main attractions here is Los Quetzales National Park, famous among the world’s bird watching fraternity as one of the best places to view the resplendent quetzal, with its vivid green and red plumage that has earned it a reputation as one of the world's most beautiful birds. For exercise and outdoor enthusiasts, hiking is a must-do activity in the region, with fantastic paths leading through the national park and across the Rio Savregre.

Transport: Private transfer

Accommodation: Trogon Lodge

Meals included: Breakfast

Your last free day in this stunning country, enjoy!

Accommodation: Trogon Lodge

Meals included: Breakfast

You will be transferred back to the city of San Jose for you to catch your flight home.