8-day itinerary in Costa Rica

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival in San José

  Upon your arrival at Juan Santa Maria airport in San José, the capital of Costa Rica, you will be welcomed by our local colleague, who will give you the documents related to your trip to Costa Rica. You will find there: a mobile phone with the numbers of the persons in charge in Costa Rica, two reusable 250 ml water bottles, the complete itinerary, information on domestic flights, and a map of Costa Rica. The transfer to the hotel will be with the Hampton Inn bus. Ivonne. You will spend your first night at the Hampton Inn Suites.

• day 2

  San José - flight to Tortuguero and visit of the canals

  

  Around 7:00 am, we will pick you up at the Pista del Tortuguero for the transfer to the Manatus hotel, where you will be welcomed with a welcome cocktail. Check-in and breakfast will be offered to you. Discover the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica through the Tortuguero National Park. The beautiful sandy beach, freshwater canals, wetlands, and forests of the park are home to incredible wildlife and flora: jaguars, tapirs, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, and capuchins, as well as dozens of bird species, and also 7 species of river turtles. If you are lucky, you might spot an endangered West Indian manatee. The canal tour begins at 8:30 am and lasts three hours. Lunch is served from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm. At 3:00 pm, you will have the opportunity to tour the town and visit the Caribbean Conservation Center (C.C.C.). Dinner is served from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. If you wish (optional), you can observe the turtle spawning (between the months of July and October).

• day 3

  Flight from Tortuguero to La Fortuna - Arenal and visit to the waterfalls.

  Around 11:00 am, you will be transferred to Tortuguero airport for a flight at 12:45 pm. You will arrive in La Fortuna around 1:10 pm. Our driver will pick you up at El Tanque airport in La Fortuna and take you to visit the Fortuna River waterfalls. You will have time to have lunch in a good restaurant and swim at the foot of the falls. The descent to the Fortuna River waterfall consists of 500 steps, along a recently remodeled trail with rest areas. Upon arrival, you will find a spectacular 70-meter-high waterfall where you can swim and enjoy its breathtaking view (always with caution). The Rio Fortuna waterfall is located in a biological reserve of humid tropical forest and is part of the Arenal Volcano National Park. You will spend one night at Secreto de La Fortuna.

• day 4

  Arenal - Abangares - Monteverde

  

  The departure is scheduled at 8:30 am by boat and by car. Our colleagues from the Fortuna RIDE COSTA RICA area will pick you up to take you to the place where the boat is waiting for you. This transfer and the boat ride will be with other people. It will take 45 minutes to cross Lake Arenal, and once on the other side of the lake, our guide will be waiting to take you to Juntas de Abangares, which are on the way to Monteverde. The itinerary is as follows: - 20 minutes by car from Secreto de la Fortuna to the shores of Lake Arenal. - 40 minutes by boat to cross Lake Arenal to the other side of the lake. - 1 hour by car from the lake to Juntas de Abangares. - 1 hour by car from Juntas de Abangares to Monteverde. In Abangares, you will have the opportunity to experience and discover an important part of the history of the life of the Ticos (Costa Ricans). Abangares is known as the mining canton of Costa Rica. This region has the largest gold mine that Costa Rica has ever had. It is here that Minor Cooper Keith set up his gold processing plant "Gold Fields de Costa Rica." During the gold rush (1884-1931), many came to this town in search of fortune; some of them came from Jamaica, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Russia, creating a population with multiracial roots not found in other towns of Guanacaste. This immigration of Costa Ricans and people from other nationalities gave birth to the town of Abangares. The mines consisted of a large number of tunnels, narrow passages, and galleries to extract the metal located up to 100 meters deep in the ground. With the mines, fields, factories, pharmacies, police stations, prisons, coolers, and mills were built. Electricity was notably used to extract and process this precious ore. Our guide will tell you the whole fascinating history of Abangares and introduce you to a family that still lives from mining. Our friend Marvin and his family will teach you everything there is to know about this trade. You will visit the entire property and see how this mining world still survives and how gold is worked and extracted from Abangares. Mining is practiced by 75% of the population of Las Juntas. Lunch will be served at his home and you will then be transferred to Monteverde, which is one hour from Las Juntas. You will stay at Los Pinos Cabañas y Jardines Junior, which is a charming lodge in the Monteverde forest. They do not offer breakfasts and are dedicated only to accommodation. For breakfast, you will find a cafeteria just in front of the lodge with everything you need. On the other hand, the rooms are equipped with a kitchen and you can prepare the breakfast you like the most.

• day 5

  Monteverde: bridges and horseback road

  At 8 a.m., our friend and colleague Mauricio will be waiting for you at the hotel to take you to the reception of the Selvatura National Park. At Selvatura, you will be provided with a map of the longest hanging bridges in Latin America. The routes require an hour and a half of walking. For those who wish, it will be possible to venture further into the Monteverde cloud forest to do canopy (activity not included). After this wonderful experience, we will take you to lunch in a very authentic place in Monteverde. In the afternoon, you can take part in a horseback ride and thus observe the most beautiful landscapes of Monteverde.

• day 6

  From Monteverde to Manuel Antonio with a stop at Tárcoles

  Around 7 a.m., we will be waiting for you at the reception of your hotel for the transfer to Manuel Antonio National Park, with its lush vegetation. This is a transfer of about 4 hours, with a stop at Tárcoles where we will offer you an excursion to observe the huge crocodiles that roam the area. You will stay at the Faro Beach Hotel 3***, in a room with an ocean view.

• day 7

  Discovery of Manuel Antonio National Park

  

  At 8:00 in the morning, our guide will pick you up at your hotel to start the National Park walk. This is a two-hour walk that ends on a paradisiacal beach. We will arrange lunch so that you can enjoy a picnic on the beach. We will let you enjoy the fine white sand beach. You can return to the hotel whenever you wish by taking a taxi.

• day 8

  Transfer from Manuel Antonio to San José and international flight

  After this 8-day stay in Costa Rica, a pioneer of eco-tourism and filled with memories, we will arrange the transfer to San José International Airport for your international flight departure. What we are certain of is that you will only have one desire: to return to Costa Rica! The price includes: - Certified guide for excursions in Tortuguero, La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Manuel Antonio. - All transfers are private, except Jeep Boat Jeep. - The meals indicated. We will advise you on restaurants. - Entrance fees to all national parks. - Entrance fees for horseback riding, bridges, hot springs, etc. - Domestic flight San José - Tortuguero - La Fortuna. The price does not include: - International flights. - Entrance fee to Tortuguero National Park (15 USD per person, to be paid once on the tour). - Night tour: 35 USD per person (to be paid at the hotel). - Caribbean Conservation Center: 2 USD per person. - Taxes on domestic flights (between 2 and 7 USD per person). - Food and drinks not mentioned above.