Costa Rica modules, 12 days

San Jose & Central Valley, 3 days – 2 nights

San José sits in a mile-high mountain valley ringed by volcanoes whose ash has fertilized the soil and turned the region into Costa Rica’s market garden, the land that coffee built.

The surrounding countryside of the Central Valley is stunning, characterized by coffee plantations; lush rain and cloud forests sprout with wildlife and spectacular volcanoes and mountains.

Day 1

• Arrival via xxx at xx:xx pm and Airport Shuttle to Hotel Holiday Inn San Jose Downtown Aurola
• Lodging: Hotel Holiday Inn San Jose Downtown Aurola, Standard room including breakfast – 2 nights & 3 days
• Meet and Greet – a short meeting where we will give you tips and suggestions about your trip.
• Day off to rest and charge batteries up.

Day 2

• Breakfast at the hotel and get ready to meet your private guide and driver for this trip!
• Day trip:            

Tour Description:

The Doka, Grecia and Sarchí tour is a relaxing yet very enjoyable tour.

The tour begins with a wonderful drive through some of the largest coffee and sugar cane plantations (Doka) in Costa Rica where you can learn about Costa Rican Coffee as well as having a delicious lunch.

Then you will arrive in Grecia, and you will see the famous metal church. The church that has a rare architecture, with high ceilings, ornate stained glass windows, and classical lines. Here you will enjoy a tasty coffee with some pastry or snacks, just to give you energy for the next destination!

Next we will move on to the arts & crafts factories of Sarchí, recognized all over for their skilled labor and talented artistry; albeit, known primarily for the famous ox carts that are built there. And, if you are fortunate enough, you will see an ox cart that is finished! To that end, you will discover the behemoth ox cart registered in the Guinness book of world records as being the largest ox cart in the world.

These ox carts are ornately decorated and bursting with intense colors, such as oranges and reds, and come in various sizes, and are treasured worldwide for their unique beauty.

That said, you will not want to leave Costa Rica without one. Although, I would not recommend you attempt to lug the two floor ox cart home!

Inclusions:

• Private Transportation
• Bilingual Guide
• Lunch & Afternoon Coffee

Tortuguero

2 nights – 3 days

Day 1

• Pick up at 6:00 – 6:30 am at the Aurola Hotel and shuttle to Guápiles crossing the Braulio Carrillo National Park.
• Breakfast on the route
• Boat Transfer to Turtle Beach Tortuguero Lodge
• Lunch at the Lodge
• Guided visit to the picturesque town of Tortuguero and beach area.
• Lodging: Turtle Beach Tortuguero Lodge – Standard Room for 3 days and 2 nights. All meals included.

Day 2

• Boat Tour on the canals to enjoy the Caribbean sunrise.
• Breakfast and lunch at the Lodge.

Day 3

• Breakfast at Turtle Beach Tortuguero Lodge
• Ground service Shuttle to Guápiles.
• Lunch on the Route
• Ground service Shuttle to Puerto Viejo

Puerto Viejo & Cahuita

4 days – 3 nights

Located in Limon province on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Viejo is a beach lover’s paradise. Here amidst the exotic flora and fauna, lies a vibrant seaside town with gorgeous beaches, crystal clear blue waters all surrounded by exuberant rainforest.

Puerto Viejo is overflowing with vegan cafes, people on bicycles and lazy stretches of yellow and black sand beaches.

Day 1

• Ground service Shuttle to Puerto Viejo
• Lodging: Almonds and Corals Lodge, Junior Suite including breakfast – 3 nights & 4 days
• Day off to relax by the beach or simple be lazy in the hotel.

Day 2

• The tour transportation will pick you up after breakfast and you will do the Dolphin Tour:
  • Gandoca-Manzanillo is a mixed National Wildlife Refuge (state and private), where the combination of landscapes, beaches, and ocean scenery, plus the local culture, make the site a very attractive place for visitors. Then you will take a boat to a place where you can watch dolphins and do snorkeling to find colorful fishes.
• Includes round transportation and guide.

Day 3

• Your day starts with a delicious lunch and some time to spend at the beach or pool and then you need to get ready for the next destination: Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna.

Arenal Volcano & La Fortuna

4 days – 3 nights

At 5,437 feet, the Arenal Volcano looms large and ominous over the pastured green hillsides that surround its base.

This area features a National Park near Lake Arenal and has both hiking trails and observational points for visitors to enjoy, as well as hanging bridges to be explored and hot springs to be soaked in.

Day 1

• Your shuttle will drive you to l Kioro, one of the best hotels in the area.
• Lodging: Hotel Arenal Kioro, Family Suite including breakfast for 3 nights and 4 days.

Day 2

• After breakfast your tour transportation and guide will pick you up for an experience deep inside the cloud forest: Caño Negro & Río Frío Boat Tour:

Especially for Nature Lovers! This tour highlight is a boat ride on the Frío River, starting at Los Chiles, little town located 4 km from the Nicaraguan border.

This river is part of the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge – a Ramsar site- here you will find one of the most diverse flora and fauna habitats in Costa Rica.

Along the river it is possible to observe great quantity of birds like the snake-bird, herons, cormorants and animals such as: howler, spider or even white face monkeys, three-toed sloth’s and some reptiles like caimans, Jesus Christ lizards and turtles.

Includes: transportation, guide, boat, typical lunch, natural juices, bottled water and cookies.

Day 3

• Day off to relax

Day 4

You’ll have breakfast and then get ready to discover one of the most amazing clod forest in the world: Monteverde

Monteverde Cloud Forest

2 nights - 3 days

Shrouded in a unique misty cover, this biological reserve sets itself apart from the other rainforests of Costa Rica. What we call clouds are actually mist produced by the high humidity at the elevation of 1,600 meters above sea level.

With eight distinct biological zones, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is home to more than thousands of species of plants and animals. Look toward the top of the giant trees where more than 500 species of birds live. The most popular birds in this region are the elusive quetzal and the three-wattle bellbird.

Day 1

• After spending some days in the Arenal Volcano Area, I love to give our clients a refreshing contrast by taking them to the chilly towns of Monteverde and Santa Elena!
• After a 4 hour drive, you will get to El Establo Mountain Hotel.
• Lodging: El Establo Mountain Hotel Monteverde, Deluxe Room for 3 days and 2 nights. Breakfast included.

Day 2

• Half Day Tour: Don Juan Coffee Tour with Oxcart Ride:
  • On the tour you will you will partake in some of the very traditional processes used on this traditional coffee plantation, that make it possible for us to produce such a rich tasting Costa Rican coffee.
  • Finally you will get the option to take a ride in a typical ox cart experiencing the exact way our ancestors use to travel.
• After tasting some of the best Costa Rican Coffee, you can chill and relax or perhaps take a tour to the San Elena National Reserve and discover the wide array of wildlife that the cloud forest hides.

Day 3

• Breakfast and shuttle to the Central Valley

Poas Volcano – last days in the paradise!

2 nights - 3 days

After having so much fun, it is time to go back to the Central Valley, pack-up the good memories and to relax before departure.

Poas is a volcano that rises over 2,700 meters above sea level. It is one of the most spectacular volcanoes in Costa Rica, with a breathtaking scenery.

It has also produced excellent soil for cultivation and has considerable potential for producing energy from hydrological and geothermal resources.

Day 1

• After a 4-5 hour drive, you will arrive to the Poas Volcano Lodge, an amazing boutique hotel that lays in the slopes of the Poas Volcano.
• Lodging: Poas Volcano Lodge, Garden Room including breakfast – 2 nights and 2 days.
• After arriving to Alajuela, the hotel shuttle will pick you up and transfer you to the destination hotel.

Day 2

• We recommend you to take a tour to the Poas Volcano and see with your own eyes this colossus!
  • When the mist and clouds part you’ll see the sulfuric, bubbling, green rain fed lake at the bottom, surrounded by smoke and steam rising from fumaroles.
  • Trails that lead through cloud forest stunted and twisted, not only by volcanic emissions but the rigors of the cold windy high altitude habitat. Lake Botos fills an extinct crater at the end of one trail, and is home to many cloud forest birds including hummingbirds, tanagers, flycatchers, toucans.

Day 3

• Morning breakfast
• Shuttle to the Airport for departure
• Departure day - Private / Group