Day 1: San JoseArrival at Juan Santamaría International Airport. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Hotel.
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Day 2: San José / Doka Coffee Tour / Poas Volcano / La Paz Waterfall GardensThis morning you will be picked at your hotel in San José for your journey towards the Central Mountain Range where you will visit an authentic Costa Rican coffee plantation and La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Poas Volcano. The main objective of the Coffee Tour is to educate and inform the whole production process as well as the processing of coffee, where you can learn about the production, the harvesting, the processing plant and the roasting of the grain. Later, we will start our tour to Poas Volcano. As we ascend towards the Poas Volcano we will notice the change in temperature and vegetation; we will see coffee plantations as well as fern, flower and strawberry farms along the way, creating a beautiful landscape. In the Poas Volcano where we will not only admire the impressive main crater with its sulfur fumaroles, but also learn about the different ecosystems in this beautiful national park.
Following we will continue to La Paz Waterfall Garden for lunch and tour. On arrival to the La Paz, we will walk through a trail, leading to a spectacular waterfall in the middle of the rainforest. Inside the park we will also visit the hummingbird gallery, the serpentarium, the bird house, the butterfly garden and the frog’s exhibit. Back to San Jose.
(Meals: B, L,)
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Day 3: San José/ Tortuguero National ParkWe start our trip in the morning from San Jose. You will be traveling through Braulio Carrillo National Park, where you have the opportunity to see beautiful views and abundant vegetation. On the way we will have breakfast. After breakfast we will continue our 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. In the afternoon you will visit the Turtle Museum of the C.C.C. (Caribbean Conservation Corporation) and to the colorful Tortuguero town. You will return to the hotel. (Meals: B,L,D)
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Day 4: Tortuguero National Park/ Arenal VolcanoAfter breakfast, you will enjoy a boat ride through the canals of the Tortuguero National Park, one of the most beautiful corners of nature, which we popularly call the "Costa Rican Amazon". Explore the natural beauty and protected wildlife of Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park. Cruise through freshwater rivers on a boat — the only way to access the inner reaches of this beautiful nature reserve. Learn about the park’s incredible biodiversity and visit a green sea turtle nesting site. Continue to the northern lowlands of Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna town. In the evening, visit the Tabacón thermal springs (the best thermal spas in the country), where you can take hot and relaxing baths in natural waters, observing, under favorable conditions, the volcanic emissions of the Arenal; dinner at Tabacón (Ave del Paraíso
(Meals: B,D)
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Day 5: Arenal/ Seleste RiverIn search of the blue waterfall in Costa Rica! The Rio Celeste National Park is a beautiful 1.5 hour scenic drive from the Arenal Volcano through rural villages. The Río Celeste waterfall is near the Tenorio and Miravalles Volcanoes and is becoming an increasingly popular area to visit in Costa Rica for hiking. Once we arrive, we will begin a hike through the dense, lush, tropical rainforest that surrounds the Tenorio National Park. When we arrive at Los Tenideros, where two rivers come together, you'll be amazed at the celestial turquoise blue water color that comes from the waterfall.
Local legend as explained by members of the Maleku indigenous group of the area claim that God was painting the sky a celestial blue color and reached down to dip his brush to turn the river its magical blue color. But for a more scientific explanation, the celestial blue color is created when the minerals in the water: aluminum, silicon and oxygen are suspended in the water and refracts light from the sun so that the flow looks blue.
(Meals: B)
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Day 6: Arenal / MonteverdeBreakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Monteverde.
Monteverde is one of the most-unique villages in all of Costa Rica. It has a small town, rural, country feel with a lot of cowboys walking around downtown Santa Elena, the main eco-touristic hot spot. Located in the heart of the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Selvatura Zip Lines and Hanging Bridges consist of one of the few tours in Costa Rica that literally take you deep within the primary Monteverde Cloud Forest, providing a precious and unique experience we guarantee you'll always remember.
And if you are lucky enough, you can see the sacred bird of the Maya Indians, the famous Quetzal, which is on the verge of extinction. (Meals: B)
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Day 7: Monteverde / Manuel AntonioTurn a travel day from Monteverde to Manuel Antonio into a nature packed adventure with The Tarcoles River Boat Tour! What a better way of breaking up the 5 hours of travel in between Monteverde and Manuel Antonio than with the Tarcoles River Crocodile sightseeing tour. Keep your eyes peeled for a multitude of wildlife including the famous, huge 20-ft American crocodiles or rare sighting of the Scarlet Macaw that inhabit the Carara Biological Reserve. Plus, if you’re traveling with children, they’ll get a kick out of the “Jesus Christ Lizards” that literally walk on water here. You’ll be accompanied by a bilingual guide who will point out the often difficult- to –see wildlife along this two- hour boat trip of the Tarcoles River and into the Guacalillo mangrove estuary. You’re bound to see more crocodiles here than anywhere else in the world!
After lunch, you will continue your tour to the popular tourist town of Quepos, located near the Manuel Antonio National Park, which is considered the pearl of Costa Rica. (Meals: B,L)
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Day 8: Manuel AntonioAM: After breakfast we will explore the pristine natural beauty of this world famous Manuel Antonio National Park filled with 109 species of exotic wildlife such as monkeys, sloths, birds, reptiles and butterflies. Your picturesque 2-mile hike will take you to one of the beaches named most beautiful in the world by Forbes magazine. Experience the lush rainforest behind you, white sandy beaches below, and crystallineblue waters during this refreshing 20-minute beach stop. Have your camera ready, as your knowledgeable guide sets his trained eyes on diverse flora and fauna for you to capture along the way.
PM: Seaplane Tours from Quepos:
According to the World Aviation Organization, the seaplane is the safest aircraft that has ever been invented, far surpassing airplanes and helicopters. You can experience unimaginable sensations with the highest level of security while flying in the seaplane. The best experience to enjoy the most authentic and wild landscapes of Costa Rica.
Quepos - Boca Naranjo: 45 minutes.
You will have a flight from Boca Naranjo airfield to south Silo, Paquita, flying along the Rio Cotos River. We will arrive at the mouth of the Palo Seco River, return along the coast to Quepos, observing the beautiful scenery of the entire coastline, the island of Isla Damas. From the sky, we will see a beautiful view of the Marina Pez Vela Bay, the beach of Playa Espadilla, and fly over the Manuel Antonio Park and return to Boca Naranjo.
(Meals: B)
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Day 9: Manuel Аntonio / CorcovadoAfter breakfast we will start our tour to the river Sierpe, where you have an adventure! Then, you will take a boat trip down the Sierpe River viewing mangrove wetlands and finally come to Drake Bay.(Meals: B, L, D)
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Day 10: Corcovado National ParkToday you will have hiking in the Corcovado National Park. Upon reaching the Sirena Ranger Station in Corcovado National Park, you will have the chance to change to more rugged footwear to hike some of the Park´s wildest terrain. Since this station is less accessible, there is greater opportunity to spot some of the rarest rainforest wildlife. Sirena rewards the more adventurous traveler with the true experience of what National Geographic Magazine has called “the most biologically intense place on earth.”
(Meals: B, L,D)
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Day 11: Cano Island TourAfter breakfast you will take a boat tour to the island of Del Cano.
Lying in the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean, 12 nautical miles; offshore from the Osa Peninsula at Drake Bay, Cano Island is an amazing marine biological reserve in Costa Rica.
Cano Island is an island of considerable geographical and archeological importance. The real beauty of Cano Island is not found on its land, but underwater. The Cano Island’s virgin waters are some of the bluest in the country, and are home to a spectacular variety of stunning marine flora and fauna as well as some gorgeous coral reefs. Cano Island is rated as being the best underwater adventure diving spots in the world, the Cano Island Biological Reserve is also home to a huge variety of fish, whales and sharks. With fantastic underwater visibility, one can see on any given day, sea turtles, dolphins, stingrays, manta rays, moray eels, barracudas, tuna, snapper and grouper swimming alongside a variety sharks and humpback or pilot whales.
This place is considered one of the best in the country for snorkeling or diving. Upon arrival, you will have the opportunity to snorkel in the crystal clear waters of this island.
(Meals: B,L,D)
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Day 12: Corcovado/San Jose / Pacific CoastYou will have a flight Corcovado/San Jose / Conchal. (Meals: B,L,D)
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Day 13-15: Pacific CoastEnjoy your free time on the beach. (Meals: B,L,D)
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Day 16: San JoseTransfer to the international airport for your flight home. (Meals: B)
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