- 6 days/5nights
- guaranteed with a minimum of 2 persons (to the actual participants)
- weekly departures every Monday
- guided throughout in English
- on seat-in basis

Day 1, Monday:                    San José – Poás Volcano – La Fortuna – Arenal Volcano
We pick you up at your city hotel and drive straight away to Poás Volcano, where you visit the main crater with its diameter of 1.3 km. It is one of the largest craters in the world and, although the volcano is resting, there can still be observed some steam and gas eruptions from a safe distance. You then take a walk through beautiful vegetation and visit a side crater. We return to the bus and then cross the central mountain range, driving through coffee plantations to the north of the country. We reach the Caribbean lowlands and the village of La Fortuna in the afternoon. Check-in at Hotel Lomas del Volcán***. Later today, we will drive to Ecotermales La Fortuna (or Baldí -Thermae, if Ecotermales is fully booked) and enjoy the hot water and the lush vegetation. The hot springs also offer a bar and dinner will be served at the restaurant. Return to Hotel Lomas del Volcán***.
Included meals today: dinner

Day 2, Tuesday:                   La Fortuna – Lava Field Hike – Ecocentro Danaus – La Quinta de Sarapiquí Vegetable Gardens – Plant A Tree
Today you will enjoy allot of activities. We start with a short drive to Arenal Volcano National Park, from where we start a nice 1 ½ hour walk. The first part will lead over an ash trail and we later reach an old lava flow, which we will cross on a rocky path. From here you can not only see the impressive power of a volcano, but also enjoy a beautiful view over the lake Arenal and the surrounding soft hills. We continue by bus to Ecocentro Danaus, where you will see a butterfly garden, a lot of local plants and a garden full of medical plants. Your guide will tell you many secrets about nature here. We continue our journey via Muelle and Aguas Zarcas and drive along huge fruit plantations. Oranges, coconut, yucca, macadamia nuts, papaya and pineapple are mainly cultivated here. We then reach La Quinta de Sarapiquí Lodge, a small, cozy and clean country hotel near Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí. They practice a ecological and sustainable way of tourism, and you will soon see, what that means.  After receiving our rooms, the hotel manager will take you for a walk through the wide gardens of the lodge. You will probably see some small red poison frogs on the way to the yucca, palmito and sugar cane plantations. You will then have the opportunity to plant a tree. From 6 participants onwards, there will be a small cultural event on your schedule. Overnight at La Quinta de Sarapiquí Lodge.
Included meals today: breakfast

Day 3, Wednesday: Visit Of the Local School (Except on weekends, public holidays and vacation periods)  – Pineapple Plantation - Rainforest Hike - Chocolate Tour -
Today, with the exception of weekends, public holidays and vacation periods, we will first visit the local school, where the children have prepared a small presentation for you. You will get an insight on the Costa Rican education system. Our visit should enrich both, visitors and school children. Of course the children are very happy to receive school material from the visitors, such as paper, pens or even a book for the schools library. You can also make a voluntary donation to a f und, which is used to improve the infrastructure of the school. Then we drive to one of the huge pineapple plantations of this area. One of the local professionals will then explain all the details about the history of pineapple and about the secrets of production. You will first visit the field and the factory, where the fruits are washed and packed. We finish our visit with a quick stop at a plantation, where pineapple is grown as an ornamental plant. We continue our journey to the Tirimbina Rainforest reserve, where you will enjoy a 2 hours walk through the lush vegetation. With a bit of luck, you will be able to see some mammals here, mainly monkeys, sloths, coatis and also allot of different species of birds. After that experience you will learn everything about chocolate. The cacao tree originally comes from South and Central America. A local guide will explain the whole process from the cacao bean to delicious chocolate, which you of course will be able to taste at the end. The tour guide might change the order of today’s itinerary due to weather conditions or any other operational reason.
Included meals today: breakfast

Day 4, Thursday: La Quinta – Guápiles  - Tortuguero
After a quick coffee, we continue our journey via Horquetas to Guápiles, where we reach the main road connecting San José with Limón. Here, you will enjoy a tyical costarican breakfast, before we continue to the area of Matina/Caño Blanco. This area is important for banana production and you will see huge plantations here. Your guide will tell you about advantages and disadvantages of the yellow fruit. Near Matina we will then continue by boat and you will cruise on rivers and channels along the beautiful nature to Tortuguero. Check-in at a comfortable lodge and late lunch. (Mawamba Lodge or Laguna Lodge) The afternoon is at your leisure to explore the surroundings of this beautiful place. After dinner and from July to September, you have the possibility to book an optional night tour to the beach of Tortuguero, where the endangered Green Sea Turtles lay their eggs in the sand. Overnight at the lodge. Costs for direct bookings: 25.-USD per person.
INFORMATION: Together with our group, there are also other participants on the Tortuguero Tour day 4, 5 and 6. Even on private operation basis, the transfer to Tortuguero is on seat-in basis. This can’t be changed.
Included meals today: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5, Friday:               Tortuguero National Park
Today we again recommend getting up very early. This will not be very difficult with the natural sounds of the surrounding jungle waking up. Shortly after sunrise is the best time to observe wildlife in the national park and your guide will organize an early-bird boat trip even before breakfast. If you are lucky, you will be able to observe crocodiles, monkeys, turtles, sloths, bats, iguanas and of course allot birds. You will return to the lodge for breakfast and enjoy another boat tour to the jungle channels of Tortuguero National Park. After lunch, your guide will take you for a walk along the beach to the typical village of Tortuguero, where you can visit an information center about the protection of the sea turtles in this area. The entrance fee is US$ 1.--. It is important to point out, that the local people usted to earn their incoming with killing the sea turtles and sell meat and eggs to the markets in San José. Thanks to many years of education and voluntary efforts of nature activists, almost the whole population lives from tourism and protect nature. Return to the lodge. 
Included meals today: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6, Saturday:          Tortuguero - San José
After breakfast we start our way back to San José. Again, you have the possibility to observe flora and fauna on our boat trip back to the area of Matina/Caño Blanco. Continuation by bus to Guápiles, where we enjoy lunch, and then onward to San José, where we arrive at around 17h00.
INFORMATION: Even on private operation basis, the transfer to San José is on seat-in basis. This can’t be changed.
Included meals: breakfast, lunch

 

This itinerary is valid until November 2010

 

Included services

• Transportation as per description by car, microbus or bus and by boat.
• Overnights in the hotels mentioned above or in similar hotels, rooms with private bathroom.
• Meals as per description.
• 1 non-alcoholic drink per included meal.
• English speaking guide for the whole roundtrip.
• All entrance fees and taxes (except departure tax, currently US$ 26.— per person)
• Documentation with information about the country in English (the actual travel program has to be provided by the travel agency).

Not included

• Tips.
• Alcoholic beverages with included meals.
• Departure tax, currently US$ 26.—per person.

Departure dates:
Operation every Monday.  If you have 4 clients traveling together, we also operate this tour any other day of the week.

Date	Participants	Date	Participants	Date	Participants
31.05.10		30.08.10
07.06.10		06.09.10
14.06.10		13.09.10
21.06.10		20.09.10
28.06.10		27.09.10
05.07.10		04.10.10
12.07.10		11.10.10
19.07.10		18.10.10
26.07.10		25.10.10
02.08.10
09.08.10
16.08.10
23.08.10

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