- 10 days/9 nights
- guaranteed with a minimum of 2 persons (to the actual participants)
- departures every two weeks on Mondays
- guided throughout in English
- on seat-in basis
1. Day, Monday: San José – Poás Volcano– La Fortuna
After breakfast our guide and driver will pick you up at your city hotel. The beginning of the trip leads you along coffee-, ornamental plants - and fruit plantations, straight up to the 2,700m high active Poás volcano. With a little weather luck, you might observe some steam and vapor coming out of the crater and watch the bubbling lagoon. Short walk with your guide through the cloud forest to a smaller side crater. Afterwards you continue the trip to La Fortuna, located at the foot of the also active volcano Arenal and in the middle of the picturesque scenery of lake Arenal. Later in the afternoon, you will relax at one of the Hot springs of the region and enjoy a delicious dinner. Return to your hotel.
Included: Entrance Poás Volcano, Entrance Baldí Hot Springs with dinner
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel*** (Lomas del Volcán/ Standard or similar)
2. Day, Tuesday: La Fortuna – Arenal National Park – Sarapiquí
Hiking on the lava fields at the Arenal National Park you will get very close the volcano and enjoy beautiful views on the peak and over the lake Arenal, if weather allows. In the afternoon you continue via Aguas Zarcas and San Miguel to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, which was formerly used as the central port for coffee from the central valley, because of its location at the meeting of river Puerto Viejo and river Sarapiquí. The small town is situated in the middle of broad banana plantations and hosts a number of protected nature reserves, some of them with primary forest.
Included today: Breakfast, Entrance Arenal Volcano
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel*** (El Bambú/ Superior or similar)
3. Day, Wednesday: Sarapiquí – Tirimbina Reserve – Chocolate tour – Cahuita
One of the named nature reserves is “La Tirimbina”, which you will visit today. Within a two-hours walk you will discover the rainforest at the Caribbean lowlands with its rich flora and fauna. Your guide will tell you many secrets of this ecosystem and with a little luck you might even get to see some mammals: monkeys, sloths, coatis and armadillos are living here as well as many different species of birds. After that you will learn more about the ever since popular chocolate, which is won out of the cacao tree, that is originally from South- and Central America. A local guide will explain and show you the whole process from the cacao bean to delicious chocolate, which you of course will be able to taste at the end. Afterwards, the journery continues via Limón to the Caribbean coast to Cahuita.
Included today: Breakfast, Entrance Tirimbina with Chocolate tour
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel*** (Suizo Locolodge/ Standard or similar)
4. Day, Thursday: Cahuita National Park – Beach
The little Caribbean village of Cahuita is the gate to the Cahuita National Park, which protects about 1 hectare of rainforest and the corresponding, green-overgrown coast with some lovely, lonely beaches. Walking along the park’s trails you will again have the chance to watch different animals, as for example capuchins, howler monkeys, sloths and racoons. Enjoy the rest of the day at the gorgeous beaches and let yourself seduce by the ease of the Creole culture, the sounds of Reggae coming from the village and its exquisite cuisine.
Included today: Breakfast, Entrance Cahuita National Park
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel*** (Suizo Locolodge/ Standard or similar)
5. Day, Friday: Cahuita – Siquirres - Turrialba - Golden Bean Coffee Tour
Today you will leave the coast again and head for the interior of the country via Siquirres to the agricultural region around Turrialba volcano, which is characterized by its sugar cane fields, lemon- and macadamia plantations. Cattle-breeding and dairy farming do also play an important role. On arrival, you will have the chance to visit a coffee plantation close to the village of La Suiza de Turrialba. Here you will experience and learn about the process who coffee is planted and manufactured. All the necessary and different roast levels will be explained in detail. Of course, by the end of the tour, you may try the freshly brewed coffee.
Your hotel the Guayabo Lodge is situated in the middle of nature, with a nice view onto natural surroundings.
Included today: Breakfast, Golden Bean Coffee Tour
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel***(Guayabo Lodge/ Standard or similar)
6. Day, Saturday: Turrialba – Golden Bean Coffee Tour - Optional Activities
Turrialba is well-known for its excellent rafting rivers along the untouched rainforest, over all the Pacuare river. You will today have the option to experience such a rafting tour with our local operator „Explornatura“. On this tour of about 3 to 4 hours, you cover rapids of class III and IV and we assure you fun, security and teamwork. We will have lunch halfway at our camp, which is located on a hillside in a bend of the river, so you have a tremendous view of the Pacuare and the surrounding mountains. Afterwards, the adventure continues down the river until we reach the final point at Siquirres. We recommend bringing t-shirt, swimsuit, shorts, tennis shoes or sandals with ankle straps (no flip-flops), and sun block. Extra clothes and towel will be needed at the end of the tour. This activity is available for adults and children over 12 years old.
For those guests who prefer firm ground below their feet, we recommend an optional walk at the private reserve “La Marta”. a large property, that was dedicated to agricultural and cattle breeding activities one hundred years ago. Due to its enormous biodiversity and history, it is one of the most studied reserves these days. There are a number of different hiking paths, ranging in intensity from low to moderate. Your tourguide will take the hikers on an informative scenic 4-hours hike on the Helecho Azul trail. Halfway, you will enjoy a lunch and at the end of the tour you have the chance to take a refreshing bath in the Gato or Maria rivers that pass through the whole reserve. We recommend bringing hiking boots, t-shirt, pants, rain jacket, hat or baseball cap, swimming suit, insect repellent and sun block. Extra clothes and a towel will be needed at the end of the tour.
These tours will be accompanied by a local English-speaking guide.
Included today: Breakfast
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel***(Guayabo Lodge/ Standard or similar)
7. Day, Sunday: Turrialba – Orosi – Cartago – San Gerardo de Dota
On the further journey through the picturesque scenery, you will pass numerous Pejiballe plantations. Pejiballes are tubers in the size of table tennis balls which are colouring markets because of their yellow, green or red shells. Their taste can be compared to chestnuts. You will get into the valley of Orosi, which is surrounded by densely wooded mountains, pass the dam at Cachí to reach the sleepy village of Orosi on the other side of the lake and at the foot of the Talamanca Mountains. Visit of the small, colonial church San José de Orosi that was built in 1735 counts as one of the oldest churches of the country. Afterwards you continue your journey via Cartago up the mountain called Cerro de la Muerte to San Gerardo de Dota.
Included today: Breakfast
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel*** (Savegre Lodge/ Junior Suite or similar)
8. Day, Monday: San Gerardo de Dota – Walking Tour
Climate is remarkably cooler at San Gerardo de Dota because of its altitude of about 2,600m. The dense forests around the elevated valley with the river of Savegre are characterized by cypresses and “Aguacatillos” that feed the kingbird Quetzal which can therefore be seen in the region. On a walk you will test your luck to see the beautiful bird and enjoy the fresh air and the panoramic landscape that grants an important role to market gardening and trout breeding.
Included today: Breakfast
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel*** (Savegre Lodge/ Junior or similar)
9. Day, Tuesday: San Gerardo de Dota – Dominical
Today your journey goes downwards again and you will reach sea level a little north of Dominical. During an optional kayak tour through the Hatillo mangrove swamps, you will get to know one of the richest environments on earth at very close range. Furthermore you may undertake an optional hike into the Nationalpark Marino Ballena and with some little luck, you may observe crabs, green iguanas, racoons, coatis, white-faced capuchin monkeys and again a huge variety of birds. You will find especially interesting the adaption of the mangroves to a life in the salt water.
After check-in at your hotel close to Ojochal you will still have some time to discover the surroundings, before enjoying dinner at a local restaurant.
Note: The schedule of the mangrove tour is subject to low tides.
Included today: Breakfast, dinner
Accomodation: Comfort Class Hotel*** (Villas Río Mar / Standard Room)
10. Day, Wednesday: Dominical – San José
Before heading back to San José, you will stop for a short visit to the cooperative „Cooepesilencio“. In 1973, some families started this project together in order to enhance sustainable agriculture (like ecological oil palm farming, organic cattle-breeding, reforestation projects, commercial waste seperation, etc.). Another interesting fact on the cooperative is that they use their own currency, the UDIS. You will learn some more on their beliefs, objectives and accomplishments. Afterwards, you continue via Quepos and Orotina back to the central valley.
Note: Guests with an extention at Dominical or further southwards, don’t participate in the visit of Coopesilencio. We’ll be glad to drop off those guests with an exention at Manuel Antonio directly at their hotel.
Included today: Breakfast buffet
This itinerary is valud until November 2012
Included Services
Not included Services
Date |
Participants |
Date |
Participants |
Date |
Participants |
| 30.01.12 | 30.07.12 | ||||
| 13.02.12 | 13.08.12 | ||||
| 27.02.12 | 27.08.12 | ||||
| 12.03.12 | 10.09.12 | ||||
| 26.03.12 | 24.09.12 | ||||
| 09.04.12 | 08.10.12 | ||||
| 23.04.12 | 22.10.12 | ||||
| 07.05.12 | |||||
| 21.05.12 | |||||
| 04.06.12 | |||||
| 18.06.12 | |||||
| 02.07.12 | |||||
| 16.07.12 |
Esquinas Rainforest Lodge **(*), Piedras Blancas National Park
Golfo Dulce Lodge***, Playa San Josesito
Playa Nicuesa Lodge***(*), Corcovado National Park
La Leona Tent Camp**, Corcovado National Park
Playa Zancudo Beach Resort***(*) Playa Zancudo
Any hotel option at Quepos/ Manuel Antonio
Information
This is a seat-in tour for the English speaking market. Please inform your clients, that there might travel other clients from all over the world with them during the whole roundtrip.
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