Duration: 9 days/8 nights
Price: $2000 per person (based on double occupancy), single supplement $705
Departs: Daily with a minimum of 2 participants
Destination: Tortuguero, Poas Volcano, Monteverde, Tamarindo

Costa Rica A & P

A terrific opportunity presented by the geography of Costa Rica is the chance to quickly travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Start by voyaging through the banana and pineapple plantations of the warm Atlantic lowlands, then board a boat and journey to Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica’s “little Amazon”. Fly back to the central valley and visit Poás Volcano, then on to the cloud forest of Monteverde. Next, drive through savannas to the dry Guanacaste region to relax and enjoy the beautiful beaches, warm tropical waters and Pacific sunsets of Tamarindo.

• Day 1:      Arrival in San Jose, Costa Rica
• Day 2,3:   Tortuguero National Park
• Day 4:      Poás Volcano & Transfer to Monteverde
• Day 5:      Zip Line Canopy Tour & Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
• Day 6:      Transfer to Guanacaste & Tamarindo Beach
• Day 7:      El Viejo Wetland & Traditional Casona
• Day 8:      Free Day at the Beach & Optional Activities
• Day 9:      To Liberia & Departure

Day 1: ARRIVAL

Upon your arrival in San José, Costa Rica, after you clear customs & immigration and claim your luggage, exit the airport terminal, take the right hand side exit door, where a representative of Costa Rica Sun Tours will be waiting for you. Our representative will present you with land portion vouchers and transfer you to your hotel in San José. Tomorrow your adventure begins!

Hotel: Bougainvillea or similar (1 nt)
Meals Incl: 1B

Day 2, 3: TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK

Tortuguero

Head to the Caribbean coast, and the land of the turtles, Tortuguero. This remote area is accessible only by plane or by boat; nevertheless your lodging will still be first class. Wildlife-rich Tortuguero National Park will allow you the chance to see a large diversity of bird species, howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, spider monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, iguanas, and basilisk lizards as you tour the navigable rainforest canals by boat. The tropical beaches around Tortuguero are key nesting sites for endangered but recovering sea turtles. At night, during July to September, green sea turtles come ashore to nest on the beach.

Hotel: Evergreen Lodge or similar (2 nts)
Meals Incl: 2B, 2L, 2D

Day 4: POAS VOLCANO & TRANSFER TO MONTEVERDE

Poas Volcano

Fly back to San Jose, and then travel to Poás Volcano National Park, a powerful symbol of the geothermal forces that formed Costa Rica.  At 8,900 feet above sea level this high elevation park is often chilly, so bring a jacket! The active volcano’s main crater is 320 meters (1,050 feet) deep and 1.6 kilometers (almost a mile) across, making it one of the widest and deepest in the world. The bottom of the crater has a turquoise-green, bubbling hot and highly acidic lake which you can see from a viewing platform at the crater’s rim. Fumaroles, like those in Yellowstone National Park, can be seen emitting steam and gasses high into the air. Bring binoculars for a closer look at the yellow sulphur deposits at the base of steaming fumaroles in the crater walls above the lake. Interestingly the vegetation here is dwarfed by winds and the effects of volcanic acid rain.

If time permits, Botos Lake, an ancient extinct crater lake surrounded by highland forest in the park is worth seeing following a 20 to 30 minute uphill hike on trails within a picturesque “elfin” forest.

In the afternoon, continue on to Monteverde. Located in the Tilaran Mountain Range of the Puntarenas Province, Monteverde, which translates to Green Mountain, is the name of both the famous cloud forest reserve and a small nearby community. Your transfer will take you through small rural Costa Rican villages, dairy farms and coffee plantations. The small mountain farms of these towns are owned by “campesinos” (country farmers). The most important regional farm products are organic coffee, which can be purchased in local stores, and milk for the local Monteverde Cheese Factory.  In and around the community center there is a large selection of restaurants, and other fun activities, such as butterfly gardens, horse rentals, an orchid garden, art galleries, and an excellent educational bat exhibit.

Hotel: Fonda Vela or similar (2 nts)
Meals Incl: 2B

Day 5: ZIP LINE CANOPY TOUR & MONTEVERDE CLOUD FOREST RESERVE

After breakfast, get a different perspective of the rainforest on a Zip Line Canopy Tour. This is an exhilarating way to view the forest while you traverse from treetop to treetop with specialized equipment along horizontal cables that bring you to a series of platforms built amid the treetops!  Suitable for children and active seniors, this tour will give you an unusual way to appreciate the magnificent beauty of a cloud forest, by literally flying through it!

The Monteverde area offers a variety of restaurants where you can have a break for lunch after your morning tour (lunch not included).

Monte verde cloud forest

In the early afternoon you will visit the world-famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Hike in this reserve on well-groomed trails with your expert naturalist guide. The reserve was founded in 1972, after initially being set aside as a watershed reserve by a group of Quakers who settled here in 1950. A cloud forest is a montane forest that receives rainfall and abundant mist from low lying clouds (mostly in late afternoons into the night and early morning) and is a very rare type of rainforest, accounting for less than 2% of all rainforests. These conditions create a forest where most of the tree trunks and branches are covered by small plants (termed epiphytes) that include ferns, bromeliads and orchids. Cloud forests harbor unique species of plants and animals, including the Resplendent Quetzal which was revered by the ancient Aztecs and Mayans and which spends about half the year in Monteverde feeding and breeding. The reserve supports a remarkable biodiversity, including over 2,500 plant species (including 420 species of orchids), 100 species of mammals, 400 bird species, 120 reptile and amphibian species and thousands of insects.  As a prime example of a cloud forest ecosystem Monteverde has been intensely studied by scientists, and is the site for pioneering research on the effects of climate change on tropical ecosystems. The income the reserve receives from visitors helps support the local economy, and conserves an important, rare ecosystem. Thus the reserve serves as a good example of how a protected rainforest can be of great value to the region’s local residents.

Day 6: GUANACASTE & TAMARINDO BEACH

Following a midmorning departure from the misty Monteverde mountains you travel into the drier lowlands of the northwest Guanacaste province. The rivers that tumble out of the steep mountains flow down to rolling flatlands, draining via the Rio Tempisque into the Gulf of Nicoya. This is cattle country and you may see Costa Rican cowboys, known as ¨sabaneros¨, riding behind herds of massive long-eared Brahma cattle as you pass through large savannas on your way to the coastal beach community of Tamarindo on the northern Pacific coast. The consistently sunny climate and friendly local culture produce an iconic Costa Rican beach experience.

Hotel: Capitan Suizo or similar (3 nts)
Meals Incl: 3B

Day 7: EL VIEJO WETLAND AND TRADITIONAL CASONA

El-viejo-wetland

Today, a morning visit to El Viejo Wetlands. A Costa Rican family that owns El Viejo Mill, one of the biggest sugar production operations in the country, which permanently employs 400 employees and sponsors scholarship programs in the local communities, has shown its strong commitment to the environment by setting aside 5,000 acres for conservation and instituting a wetland restoration program. Bordering the Palo Verde National Park, this magnificent private wildlife refuge is recognized internationally for its exuberant wetland and dry forest flora and fauna. This is critical habitat for many migratory and resident bird species and provides excellent birding; you might see the rose spoon-billed or the mythical Jabirú stork. The Jabirú can stand 5 feet tall, the tallest flying bird in Central and South America, and has a wingspan of 7.5-9 feet, the second largest wingspan, after the Andean Condor.

You will also visit the on-site “Casona de Guanacaste”.  La Casona is a cultural, folkloric attraction that is symbolic of the haciendas of the past and the hard working spirit of those who lived and died here in the 1800s during a faraway era of colonial Costa Rica. In the afternoon your guide goes back to San José.

Day 8: FREE DAY AT THE BEACH. OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES

Savor a free day to explore or relax on the beach. There are many ecological friendly activities in the area, including watching sea turtles at night during the nesting season, diving, snorkeling, body surfing, zip-lining, estuary trips, horseback riding and fishing.

Day 9: DEPARTURE

Transfer to Liberia International Airport. Check in 3 hours before your scheduled flight home. Pura Vida!

Included:  Lodging, transportation and meals as specified in the above itinerary where B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner, entrance fees to National Parks and Private Reserves, tours, guide services, applicable taxes, service fees and in-country ground operator support.

Not Included: International airfare, airport departure taxes, meals not specified in the itinerary, alcoholic beverages, personal equipment, extras in hotels (laundry, phone calls, room service), gratuities, or costs associated with changes in your itinerary for reasons beyond our control.