Duration: 9 days/8 nights
Price: $2880 per person (based on double occupancy), single supplement $410
Dates: Jun 30-Jul 08, Jul 21-29, Aug 18-26, Dec 15-23, 2012

Chirripo

Athletic lovers of the great outdoors get ready for this new tour!  Highlights feature an ascent to Chirripó peak, Costa Rica’s highest mountain; sea kayaking at Dominical off Costa Rica’s south-central pacific coast; spectacular rafting on the class III-IV scenic Savegre Rio; and a thrilling “Zipline” ride high above the forest floor among the treetops on a rainforest canopy tour.  All this and more await you on this ultimate tropical adventure tour!

• Day 1:     San José, Costa Rica. Arrive to International Airport
• Day 2:     San Gerardo de Rivas, Paraiso de los Quetzales hike
• Day 3:     Chirripó Peak, hike to Ranger Station shelter
• Day 4:     Chirripó Peak, hike to summit and park exploration
• Day 5:     Dominical. Hike down Chirripó & transfer to Dominical Beach
• Day 6:     Dominical. Sea kayak to Ballena Bay
• Day 7:     Rafiki Lodge. Savegre River rafting Class III-IV
• Day 8:     Return to San Jose, Titi Monkey Rainforest Canopy Tour
• Day 9:     Departure

Day 1: ARRIVAL

Welcome to Costa Rica! Upon your arrival in San José, and after you clear customs & immigration, exit the airport terminal, take the right hand side exit door, where you will meet a representative of Costa Rica Sun Tours who will transfer you to your hotel in San Jose.

Hotel: Bougainvillea
Meals Incl: 1B

Located in a quiet residential area just a few minutes outside downtown San Jose, the Hotel Bougainvillea offers far more than just accommodations.  The Bougainvillea is a family owned and operated inn with tastefully decorated rooms where every detail is personally supervised by owner Hans van der Wielen. The hotel’s restaurant offers excellent cuisine in a wonderful dining room with views of tropical plants in the hotel’s12 acres of gardens. The Bougainvillea also offers guests a gift shop, meeting & conference facilities, internet and currency exchange, a swimming pool, sauna and tennis courts.  Perhaps the hotel’s most outstanding feature are the beautiful gardens of bougainvilleas, orchids, bromeliads, medicinal plants and trees which are hosts to some 60 species of birds including hummingbirds, motmots, colorful tanagers and numerous songbirds.

Day 2: SAN GERARDO DE RIVAS. STOP AT QUETZAL’S PARADISE (BLD)

San Gerardo de Rivas

Today you will head south on the Pan-American Highway and travel to the base of Chirripó National Park. En route, you will visit the famous Quetzal’s Paradise. Here you will challenge yourself with your resident guide to find the legendary Resplendent Quetzal and other mountain wildlife of the cloud forest. After a typical Costa Rican lunch you will continue your journey to the quaint village of San Gerardo de Rivas where you can relax, explore a bit and rest up for your hike early the next morning. Lodging and dinner at Uran Hotel.

Hotel: Hotel Uran
Meals Incl: 1B, 1D

The Hotel Urán is located just 50 meters from the trailhead to Mt Chirripó National Park. Today the hotel has 45 beds with private bathrooms and 20 beds with shared bathrooms. Uran offers the best service in an environmentally friendly manner, according to the standards and practices of sustainable tourism. 

Day 3: CHIRRIPO PEAK ASCENT (BLD)

Chirripo Peak Ascent

At 3,819 meters (12, 529 feet) Chirripó is Costa Rica’s highest mountain and the vast 50,150 hectare (123,916 acre) park is a World Patrimony Site and Biosphere Reserve. You will have an early breakfast and start your hike on the trail a couple hundred meters (yards) outside your hotel. Your hike today will start at the base of the mountain and cover a total distance of 13 km (8 Miles) bringing you through a diverse variety of habitats from oak forests to paramo (tundra habitat) above the tree line.   Dress in layers, for you will quickly warm up on the initial ascent known as “the thermometer” (which is one of the steepest sections-subsequent sections are for the most part more gradual), and then may experience sudden drops in temperature nearer the peak. In the region around the summit, temperatures may vary from about 23 degrees Celsius (74 Fahrenheit) during the day and descend to near or below freezing at night. Travel time to the Ranger’s Station Shelter where you will stay during your two nights’ visit, varies from about 6 hours for fast hikers and up to 12 hours or more for slower trekkers. Today you will finish your hike and rest at the Ranger’s Shelter below the actual peak of the mountain. Bring plenty of water, and a portable purifying filter to refill your bottle,  a poncho, warm cloths to use in layers and snacks.  Your main pack and your meals will be brought up by horses (or local guides).

Hotel: Chirripó National Park Shelter
Meals Incl: 2B, 2L, 2D

Chirripó Park Shelter it’s a basic building which works as lodging in the top of the mountain, offers basic facilities like shared bathrooms with no hot water and a common area for meals, each room has two bunk beds.

View of summit region in Chirripó National Park

Day 4: CHIRRIPO PEAK (BLD)

Chirripo Peak

Clearest views from the summit are usually best early in the morning before clouds build up. On a clear day you can see the distant coasts from the peak! The journey to the peak is a short hike of 5.5 km (3.4 miles) from the Ranger’s shelter and generally takes an hour or two. The summit region offers a panoramic view of the landscape of small shallow lagoons (whose bases were carved out of the rock by ancient glaciers), tundra vegetation composed mostly of short hardy bamboo plants and low vegetation, and rugged craggy rock outcrops. The harsh conditions of intense brilliant sunlight alternating with dense cloud cover, sometimes strong winds, thin air, and daily fluctuations of day and night temperatures create a magical landscape of singular beauty. Other hikes in the area can include those to Rabbit Valley and the massive rock formations known as “Los Crestones” or Crests. These rise starkly above the landscape and are likely the most photographed area near the summit and practically the symbol of the park’s peak. Overnight shelter in National Park

Day 5: DOMINICAL BEACH (BLD)

Dominical Beach

Today you will hike back to San Gerardo de Rivas (a downhill journey that takes almost half the time of the original ascent) and enjoy lunch before departing to Dominical Beach on the Pacific coast.  The waters off the beach are renowned among surfers.  Waves can reach 3 m (10 feet) in height, although more commonly they are in the 1 to 3 meter (3 to 6 foot) range. The Dominical area is dominated by rural country scenes of cattle pasture, lush forests and rocky coastline and long dark sand beaches.  Offshore, one can see dolphins and sometimes whales which migrate to the region seasonally.  A variety of activities in the area include rainforest birdwatching and wildlife viewing, hiking, tree canopy tours, surfing, kayaking and other tours.

Hotel: Villas Rio Mar or similar
Meals Incl: 2B

Set on the banks of the Barú river, located 800 mts from the beach and surrounded by impressive tropical forests, the jungle resort Villas Rio Mar awaits you with traditional friendly hospitality. Bungalows have a private, terrace like living-room and are equipped with private baths with hot water, refrigerator, fans, telephone (room service and internet access available) and of course.. a hammock.

Day 6: DOMINICAL BEACH (BLD)

Sea Kayak tour

After breakfast you will enjoy your Sea Kayak tour. You will start at Ballena Marine National Park from Piñuela Beach and travel to Ventanas Beach. En route you will enjoy views of the coastline, seabirds, and perhaps sight dolphins, sea turtles and whales and then take a break at Hermosa Beach.  Off the beach you can try your luck surfing the waves with your kayak, and follow this by visiting caves located behind the beach.  En route to the hotel, you can visit Uvita Waterfall and freshen up in a cool natural river pool in the forest.

Day 7: RAFIKI (SAVEGRE RIVER) (BLD)

Savegre River Rafting Class IV

Today you will be picked up at your hotel in the morning to enjoy a Class III-IV rafting trip on the pristine Savegre River.  The journey to and on the river is a scenic voyage in remote backcountry. Your guided rafting trip will include a short briefing and safety talk, and then you will start down river.  En route you can take breaks to cool off in natural swimming holes and during the journey you will enjoy views of the rural scenery and likely a variety of tropical bird life.

Hotel: Rafiki Tent Camp
Meals Incl: 1B, 1L, 1D

Rafiki Safari Lodge is a luxury tent camp in the rainforest outside of Manuel Antonio30 km south of Quepos. The lodge is nestled on 750 acres of pristine jungle along the Savegre River, with safari tents set atop hardwood decks, each with rocking chairs to admire the view in privacy. Imported from South Africa, the tents’ design lets you experience nature up close while keeping insects at bay, each unit features its own modern, attached bathroom.  Guests can enjoy a wide array of activities such as whitewater rafting, horseback riding to waterfalls, hiking, world-class birding, first rate food, hospitality and accommodations.

Day 8: BACK TO SAN JOSE (BL)

After breakfast at the Rafiki restaurant, you will stop at the famous Titi Canopy Tour. Named after the local species of squirrel monkey this cable and harness “zipline” canopy tour is well known for the beauty of the rainforest in their private reserve. On the tour you will have the thrill of gliding on a pulley that rolls on cables high above the forest floor through the trees! Between glides, while on the 16 platforms in the forest canopy you will have a good chance to see Titi monkeys as well as howler and white faced monkeys. After the tour you will have lunch in a local restaurant and then drive back to San Jose.

Hotel: Bougainvillea
Meals: 1B

Day 9: DEPARTURE (B)

Transfer to San Jose’s International Airport on time for your departure flight. Check in 3 hours before your scheduled flight home.

Included: As specified in the above itinerary, arrival, lodging, transportation within Costa Rica, meals [B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner], specified entrance fees to National Parks & Private Reserves, bilingual naturalist licensed guide services, ground operator support within Costa Rica 24/7, and taxes.

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.