Costa Rica Explorer - 12 days

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National parks Guided and Escorted

Carbon neutral

12 daysDuration

Group TourJoin a group of travelers

20 peopleMaximum group size

18 - 80 yearsAge range for participants

EnglishGuide language

Easy

Light physical activity suitable for most people with average fitness levels.

Starts

San Jose, Costa Rica

Ends

San Jose, Costa Rica

Highlights

Monteverde National Park - Hike through the beautiful cloud forest, shrouded in a canopy of cloud and home to a wonderful array of flora and fauna

Tortuguero Jungle Reserve - Explore the waterways of this beautiful national park, which is home to a Green Sea Turtle nesting ground

Tirimbina Rainforest Reserve - Enjoy a guided natural walk spotting a variety of mammals and insects

Selvatura Park- Zip line through the conservation area & walk over its trail system which includes seven suspension bridges crossing the deep canyons at treetop level

Tenorio Volcano National Park - Hike the new up and coming destinations for nature lovers and adventure seekers, established to protect tracts of primary and dry tropical forest

Carara National Park Pacific coast, with a completely different vegetation zone of Pacific tropical dry forest.

Itinerary

Discover Costa Rica’s most captivating sights on this 12-day small group adventure. Guided walks through Tortuguero Jungle, Trimbina, and Monteverde Reserves reveal a wealth of wildlife, from playful monkeys to vibrant tropical birds. Explore Tenorio Volcano and Carara National Park, with binoculars at the ready for unforgettable animal encounters. The USP of this national parks tour is its focus on biodiversity and immersive nature experiences, making it a dream for wildlife enthusiasts and those seeking a deep connection with the natural world.

day 1 - San Jose

Upon arrival into San Jose airport you will be met and and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to start exploring the capital or just to relax in the hotel.

Meals:1 Breakfast

OverNight:San Jose

day 2 - Tortugero Jungle Reserve

San Jose - Tortugero. Today we head off to discover the Caribbean coast with a few days of rewarding wildlife spotting. Unlike the Caribbean of resort hotels, sugary beaches and Pina Coladas, this is a true wilderness. Our journey takes us northeast through Braulio Camillo National Park, including a short bumpy ride through banana plantations to La Pavona dock.

We then take a boat along the shore, with its twisted mangrove swamps, stopping to observe plants and wildlife, until we reach the ramshackle and remote village of Tortuguero. Known for its proliferation of turtles (nesting Jul-Oct), Tortugero will serve as our home for the next two nights.

Meals:1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Tortuguero

day 3 - Boat Trip to Tortuguero

This morning we head out on a wildlife adventure boat trip through the mangrove forest of Toruguero National park. With 11 different varieties of natural habitats and a large range of endemic wildlife, this is one of the last protected areas of tropical rainforest in Central America. Here, we have ample of opportunities to spot the three species of monkeys (spider, howler, and white-faced) swinging from branch to branch while lazier three-toed sloths doze in the shade and be sure to spot any river otters in the natural inland channels. The mangroves is also home to over 320 species of birds including three of toucan and eight of parrot.

Meals:1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Tortuguero

day 4 - Sarapiqui

After breakfast, we start our day back on the water to explore more of these spidery channels. We continue our journey with a drive to the Sarapiqui region, a fertile plain with focus for conservation with a number of eco-tourism projects. Dispersed between the banana and pineapple plantation, there are forested national parks. Rio Sarapiquí is becoming popular for rafting on the fast-flowing waters, bird-watching and numerous other activities in the area including mountain-biking, boat trips and canopying.

Meals:1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Sarapiqui

day 5 - Tirimbina Rainforest Reserve

Today we take a morning walk to the Trimbina Reserve, catered to research and recreation of the rainforest environment. Founded to preserve one of the few remaining stands of intact tropical forest on mountainous slopes in Central America.

To make our journey more exhilarating, we take a walk on a suspension bridge, followed by a canopy walkway and an educational walk of the rainforest museum. We have many opportunities to spot variety of mammals and insects. If we are lucky! We can see a few nocturnal animals, fast asleep.

Meals:1 Breakfast, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Sarapiqui

days 6-7 - Rio Celeste and Tenorio Volcano NP

This morning we make our way to the town of Bijagua, nestled between two volcanos (Tenorio and Miravalles) will be our home for the next two days. Bijagua is a perfect place for our exploration of Tenorio Volcano National Park, established in 1997 to protect tracts of primary and dry tropical forest. Many of the trails within the park is still under construction and considered one of the new up coming destination for nature lovers and adventure seekers.

If there is time after our exploration during these two days, explore the town of Bijagua at leisure either on foot or horseback/mountain bike.

Day 7 bring forth a moderately challenging 6km hike to the remarkably striking turquoise coloured Rio Celeste. During our walk keep an eye out for monkeys, sloths, tropical birds and other wildlife. As we make our way along the banks of the rivers, taking in the vivid blue colour of the waters. we arrive at the breath-takingly beautiful waterfalls of Celeste.

Meals:2 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Rio Celeste

day 8 - Monteverde

Our adventure for the day begins as we board our vehicle heading towards Monteverde, following a bumpy road with volcanic rocks, winding up through the hills to the cloud forest at 1,400m above sea level. During our journey, we will be diverted by wildlife we spot along the way- have your binoculars handy.

Our lodge for the night is close to the village of Santa Elena, which will serve as the hub to visit Monteverde National Park.

Meals:1 Breakfast, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Monteverde

day 9 - Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve

This morning we take a walk to the Selvatura Park, a conservation area offering many activities including zip lines. Our walk on a trail system includes seven

suspension bridges crossing the deep canyons at treetop level.

This afternoon we have a guided walk in the Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve, home to more than 100 species of mammals, 400 of birds and 1,500 of plants. During our walk we may encounter the brilliantly feathered quetzal (Jan – Jul). The reserve is home to six different life zones, here we can enjoy a rich diversity of flora and fauna.

Meals:1 Breakfast, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Monteverde

day 10 - Carara National Park

This morning we head to Carara National Park, taking the journey towards the pacific coast we enter a completely different vegetation zone of Pacific tropical dry forest. Carara is famous for its bright scarlet macaws and giant crocodiles, which sprawl on the beaches of the Tarcoles river – we’ll view them safely from a bridge!

Late afternoon we will arrive at Finca Ecologica La Trinidad, here we have a cookery lesson on the premises. There is also free time to take optional horseback ride (book and pay locally).

Meals:1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Carara

day 11 - Free day at Carara NP

Today is free to spend at leisure. Relax in the lodge taking in the forest, river and the ocean or take advantage of the less dense forest and take a walking trail to spot Carara's wildlife.

Meals:1 Breakfast, 1 Dinner

OverNight:Carara

day 12 - San Jose

Today our Costa Rican adventure comes to an end with an included transfer to the airport in San Jose. If you decide to stay on for a few more days in this beguiling country, perhaps for some beach time at Manuel Antonio where there’s a range of good accommodation, a monkey-filled national park and sweeping golden Pacific sands.

Meals:1 Breakfast

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What's Included

Accommodation

11 nights 3-4 star hotels/guesthouses

Meals

Breakfast daily, 5 lunches and 10 dinners

Transport

Arrival and departure transfer on days 1 and day 12Transfers and transportation in private vehicles and boats

Guide

Escorted by an English speaking local naturalist guide

Others

Boat trip down the canals of TortugueroNature walk in Tirimbina Rainforest reserveTenorio Volcano National Park and Rio Celeste hikeExcursions to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and Selvatura hanging bridgesCooking class at local finca

What's Excluded

Customer Reviews

This tour has not received any customer reviews yet. However, you can expect a good tour as it is run by a trusted travel specialist who has received 26 reviews for other tours with an average 4.6rating.

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Sistema di prenotazione semplice e intuibile. In caso di necessità le istruzioni presenti sul sito sono risultate utili e chiare. Nessun problema riscontrato

1 week ago

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