Day 1
Arrive in San Jose
Upon arrival at the airport, transfer to your hotel for check-in. Spend some time at leisure enjoying the hotels facilities or wandering around the city before joining your travel director and tour group for a welcome reception (included).
Overnight: Sheraton San Jose
Day 2
San Jose – Braulio Carrillo National Park – Tortuguero National Park
You’ll leave the capital today and journey to San Isidro de Heredia, where you’ll dive into culture instantly with master chocolatiers Julio Fernandez and George Soriana to learn about the history of chocolate and how it’s produced in this small workshop. Then it’s on to Siquirres, where you’ll embark on a beautiful river journey through protected wetlands to the secluded Tortuguero.
Immerse yourself in the vibrant afro-Caribbean atmosphere as you stroll through the village streets, and then visit the Green Turtle Research Station. Enjoy dinner at the hotel this evening beside the enchanting sounds of resident cicadas and tree frogs.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Overview: Laguna Lodge Tortuguero
Day 3
Tortuguero National Park Sightseeing
Explore Tortuguero’s luscious waterways, keeping a keen eye out for howler monkeys, toucans and sloths amidst a dense canopy of tropical rainforest. If you’re visiting during nesting season, you’ll be lucky enough to be able to join an optional walk to witness some of the world’s largest turtles laying their eggs on the Caribbean shores.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
Overnight: Laguna Lodge Tortuguero
Day 4
Tortuguero – Sarapiqui
Say goodbye to Tortuguero as you head back to the mainland to enjoy lunch, before meeting with a local Tico family at their palm plantation to learn about and sample the heart of the palm. Continue to Sarapiqui, where you’ll encounter Costa Rica’s incredible wildlife from an up-close perspective during a leisurely hike. Keep a look out for the endangered great green macaw, and delight in the beautiful music of nature. Enjoy a delicious dinner at your hotel this evening with the warm and friendly owners.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
Overnight: Hotel La Quinta Sarapiqui Lodge
Day 5
Saraqpiqui – Arenal
Embark on an optional white-water rafting experience this morning on a class level II and III, where you’ll navigate nearly 8 miles on the Sarapiqui River. This is a great introduction for first-time paddlers and families interested in a fun rollercoaster ride.
Connect with the locals today, joining the Quintana Family for a Be My Guest Lunch at their eco-friendly hacienda. Continue to Arenal Volcano, where you’ll spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at leisure.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.
Overnight: Arenal Paraiso Resort and Spa
Day 6
Arenal – Monteverde Cloud Forest
After a morning at leisure, your incredible encounter with Costa Rica’s natural wonders continues; Straddle the Continental Divide and touch the sky in Monteverde Cloud Forest, where you’ll have the opportunity to explore this wonderfully biodiverse sanctuary. Tonight, you’ll meet a native Quaker, and Local Specialist, who will share stories of Old Town Monteverde and delve into the history of the American Quakers who settled here in the 1950s.
Optional Excursions:
Arenal Natura Ecological Park - This wonderful park offers the opportunity to witness Costa Rica’s wildlife at an incredibly up-close perspective. See the beautiful frogs, birds and reptiles (including different species of snakes and crocodiles) in their natural habitats.
Arenal Volcano Hike – Since the 1500s, this volcano was considered an ordinary mountain by the locals, until 1968 when the mountain erupted, spewing ash and lava over the entire region. Up until 2010, the volcano was still quite active but has settled down in recent years. This guided hike allows you to see the areas that were destroyed in 1968 from an up-close perspective, and you’ll hike through recent lava flows to see how Mother Nature has bought life back to the region.
Kayak on Lake Arenal - Arenal Lake is the largest lake in Costa Rica, home to a wide diversity of birds, including flycatchers, kingfishers and great blue herons. Kayaking on the lake is a wonderful way to see the Arenal Volcano, in addition to howler monkeys in the tree tops.
Breakfast included.
Overnight: Es Establo Mountain Hotel
Day 7
Monteverde Cloud Forest Sightseeing
This morning, join your guide for an excursion through the luscious rainforests of Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Ascend to the treetops high about the jungle floor below, treading lightly across the Sky Walk Suspension Bridges amongst wildlife that finds sanctuary in the boughs of the surrounding canopy. As your amazing eco-adventure nears its end, share stories with your newfound friends at a farewell dinner this evening.
Breakfast and Dinner included.
Optional Excursions:
El Trapiche Tour – This tour begins with a walk through a farm where you’ll see sugarcane, banana, orange and coffee plantations. Learn about the coffee making process and how liquor is made out of sugarcane. This farm offers exciting educational opportunities to visitors, who will learn about the various crops and farm life in Costa Rica.
Horseback Riding Tour – On this excursion, you’ll enjoy sweeping views of the Nicoya Gulf and its surrounding islands as you ride your way through coffee and sugarcane plantations, tropical forest and open fields. Look out for toucans, green parrots and white-faced monkeys along the way.
Sky Tram and Sky Trek – Board a comfortable gondola and fly among the trees in search of local wildlife. As you glide among the forest, see how the vegetation changes with the elevation level. At the end of the Sky Tram, you’ll have the choice of returning in the same way you came, or you can enjoy the ultimate adrenaline rush on Sky Trek; with this option, you’ll fly across the forest in a series of ten zip lines, ranging from 100-650 feet high, and lengths of over 650 feet. All of these zip lines are designed to give you a 360-degree perspective of the rainforest.
Overnight: Es Establo Mountain Hotel
Day 8
Monteverde – Depart Liberia
Bid farewell to Costa Rica today; after breakfast, transfer to Liberia International Airport for your flight. For those wishing to extend their stay, we suggest you travel on to Guanacaste Beach to relax and soak up the glorious sunshine for a few nights.
Breakfast included.
