package to costa rica

DAY BY DAY ITINERARY:

Day 1. WELCOME TO COSTA RICA . Arrivals to the International Airport Juan Santamaria. Meet and Great by our tour guide and transfer to Hotel Herradura.

Day 2. POAS VOLCANO AND LA PAZ WATERFALLS. (B, L). Enjoy the contrasts of urban and rural areas, as we drive to the Poas Volcano National Park and continue up the mountains toward San Pedro de Poas. The good climate and fertile soils make this area very productive. Dairy farming, coffee, sugar cane, vegetables, all can be seen during this tour. Poas Volcano National Park is considered the largest geyser in the world, due to its explosive, geyser-like eruptions, which it frequently displays at irregular intervals. This park offers more than just the spectacular volcanic activity. The visitor will be struck by the intense green colour of the foliage and the great variety of wild flowers. The most conspicuous plant in the park is the poor man's umbrella, whose leaves grow up to 2 meters in diameter. On a clear day you will see the lagoon at the bottom of the crater, whose muddy waters changes colours depending on the volcanic activity.

After enjoying the attractions of this park, we will take the road to La Paz Waterfall Gardens . This complex is an excellent educational center where you will learn about butterflies, Orchids and hummingbirds. Five magnificent waterfalls with nine observation platforms allow the visitors a close up view of the falls and the spectacular La Paz River .

Waterfall Gardens is proud to have one of the largest Butterfly Observatories in the world. The enclosed structure allows butterflies to soar freely while guests walk amid the natural habitat. An on site laboratory is a breeding ground for the eleven fluttering species. Each guest will have the opportunity to release a newly emerged butterfly. In the Hummingbird garden, our feathered friends will delight and fascinate you with their antics as they play and fight with each other at amazing speeds. These normally skittish creatures have become so tame; they will feed within a few feet of you. After exploring Waterfall Gardens , you will enjoy a delicious buffet style lunch at the terrace dinning room.

Day 3 TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK : (B,L,D) .   We begin our trip early in the morning between 6:00 am to 7:00 am from San Jose . You will be travelling with a bilingual naturalist guide on an air conditioned bus. Drive through Braulio Carrillo National Park , where you have the opportunity to see beautiful views and abundant vegetation. On the way you will stop for breakfast. After breakfast you will continue the trip to Caño Blanco deck driving by banana plantations.

At Caño Blanco, you will board the covered boat to the lodge, passing the Tortuguero Canals arriving between 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. At the lodge our staff will be waiting for you with a refreshing cocktail, your rooms will be assigned and the guide will explain the afternoon activities. After lunch visit to the Turtle Museum of the C.C.C. (Caribbean Conservation Corporation) and to the colourful Tortuguero town. You will return to the lodge around 5:30 p.m. Free time to enjoy the pool, the bar service and prepare for your dinner. Dinner service from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and then rest of the night free to enjoy the surroundings, pool and bar. Note: National Park entrance fee not included and it is $10 per person.

Day 4. TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK : (B, L, D).   Optional 6:15 am tour to admire the awakening of the wildlife of Tortuguero. Return for breakfast (service between 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 AM). Then another boat tour to admire the canals of National Park. This is a wonderful and interesting experience where you can see abundant flora and fauna. Return to the lodge for lunch and free time for a siesta, enjoy the pool or go for a walk to the beach. Then you have another optional tour to the canals or stay at the lodge to explore the private trails of the lodge and visit the open butterfly garden. Dinner at the lodge and free night.

Day 5. TORTUGUERO- SARAPIQUI. (B, L). After breakfast, departure to your next destination. On the middle of the way and after lunch, you will meet your private transport or shuttle bus and proceed overland to Sarapiqui. Check In at Rain Forest Lodge Sarapiquis with afternoon at leisure. This hotel is one of the pioneer's rain forest lodges in CR and it is located just in front the Sarapiqui River . The rooms are rustic but with all the comfort and the hotel's concept is an Indian village where the rooms are immersed into a big Palapa concept. Free time at leisure. Dinner on your own.

Day 6. SARAPIQUI. COMBO ADVENTURE TOUR (B, L). After a full Costa Rican breakfast, you will experience a great adventure in Costa Rica . The Adventure Combo Tour is a combination of 2 of the most adventurous tours in Costa Rica . The Canopy Tour and the Whitewater Rafting. These 2 activities in just one day. The Canopy Tour has a total of 12 cables and 17 platforms, 7 of which are build on trees between 60 and 90 feet high. This unique experience will take you through a canyon where you start from the edge at the ground and after several tree and ground platforms you end at a landing platform on the ground crossing the canyon 2 or 3 times. The whitewater rafting leaves at the Hacienda's put-in and runs 13 Km . to Chilamate, with an average gradient of 1.2%. It can be run year round and no previous experience is required. Lunch included at the Hacienda Pozo Azul. Dinner on your own.

Day 7. CHOCOLATE TOUR & ARENAL VOLCANO & HOT SPRINGS . ( B, D). During the morning, Chocolate Tour: In this three-hour activity you will discover the marvels of one of the favorite foods of humankind - chocolate. A plant originating in Mesoamerica with an extraordinarily rich history, cacao, or chocolate, was one of the most important products of the Maya and Aztec, as well as other Central American cultures. The tour includes a guided hike across the Tirimbina suspension bridge to a cacao plantation, as well as to a forested section where you will observe forest species of cacao and how the product originally developed there. During the hike, the natural and cultural history of the cacao tree is explained. Onsite, you will learn about the process by which cacao is processed into chocolate (harvesting, fermentation, drying, milling). There also you may taste different types of chocolate, made from organic chocolate grown by the Association of Amazilla Women of the Caribbean , a group of rural women from Pueblo Nuevo de Guacimo dedicated to the production of organic chocolate.

Lunch on your own at the hotel and by 2:00 PM, shuttle bus transfer to Arenal. Located 2 hours from Sarapiqui, Arenal is a beautiful cone-shaped volcano rising out of flat, surrounding plains. It is the most active volcano in the country. In the daytime, clouds of ash and smoke frequently billow into the sky. On clear nights, spectators are occasionally treated to eruptions of lava and burning rocks that explode into the air and shower down the cinder cone. Even when it is overcast, the rumblings venting and molten lava glowing through the clouds afford a very special experience. Leaving Centro Neotropico in the afternoon, you'll be arriving to the Arenal area before dark. There, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the culture of the surroundings and its relationship with the volcano. Next, visit Baldi Hot Springs, where you can relax in the soothing waters and be caressed by the cool night air while observing the stars and the incredible night sky above the volcano. Overnight at Hotel Arenal Paraiso or Volcano Lodge. Dinner included at the Hot Springs . Lunch on your own. Note : Transfer service from the hotel to the hot springs not included, but it is only 3 minutes by cab.

Day 8. ARENAL HANGING BRIDGES TOUR & SAN JOSE. (B) After breakfast, tour to the Arenal Hanging Bridges, where you will enjoy the beautiful rainforest while you are guided by a naturalist tour guide. Afternoon, land transfer to San Jose . Upon arrival, check in at Hotel Herradura and free time at leisure. Lunch and dinner on your own.

Day 9. HOTEL CHECK OUT. (B) Transfer to the International Airport according with your scheduled flight and good bye.

WHATS TO BRING : Hiking Shoes, Bathing Suit, Binoculars, Beach Sandals, Suntan Lotion, Hat, Mosquito Repellent, Camera, Warm Clothes, Long Pants.

INCLUDE : 8 nights lodging in high quality Hotels, all land transportation within Costa Rica , all airport/ hotel transfers on scheduled arrival/ departures dates only, specified meals, specified tours, private shuttle bus transfers and naturalist tour guide on tours.

NOT INCLUDED : International air fare, airport departure taxes, meals not specified in the itinerary, entrance fee to Tortuguero National Park , alcoholic beverages not specified, personal equipment, and extras in hotels (laundry, phone calls, and room service), gratuities, or costs associated with changes in your itinerary for reasons beyond our control.

* LETTER CODES : (B) Breakfast, (L) Lunch, (D) Dinner.

DURATION: 9 Days - 8 Nights.