ITINERARY
DAY 01:
Transfer from San Jose Airport to Hotels in San Jose.
Welcome to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Once in the capital, you can visit the theaters, museums and beautiful parks or just enjoy a cup of Costa Rican coffee while watching the daily life of the "Ticos".
- Type: Unassigned
- Estimated Duration: 17 kilometers - 25 minutes.
DAY 02:
Poas Volcano, Doka Coffee Tour & La Paz Waterfalls.
We take the Panamerican Highway to the city of Alajuela, passing by the international airport, the monument to Juan Santamaria and the famous Mangos Park. On the way up to the volcano area we will make a stop where we will have the opportunity to take a picture of the central valley and the coffee plantations. Continuing our way, we will visit the Doka hacienda, where you will enjoy a delicious typical breakfast and a coffee tour, which takes place in a wonderful plantation. There you will learn about the oldest production techniques of our golden bean, used by experts to produce the best coffee in Costa Rica. Once the coffee explanation is finished, we will continue our way to the Poas Volcano. As we ascend towards the volcano, you will notice the difference in terms of microclimates and vegetation appreciating the great diversity of agriculture present during the trip, among them: ferns, flowers, strawberries, as well as cattle farms and the view of the central valley creating a beautiful landscape. This 2708 meters (8000 feet) high colossus is active, and not only will you admire its impressive crater and gas emanations, but you will also learn about its phreatic and fumarolic activity as well as the different ecosystems and exuberant vegetation found in this beautiful national park. We will continue our way to La Paz waterfalls, upon arrival we will walk along a beautiful trail, which leads to different attractions of the park including the aviary, the largest butterfly observatory in the country, the hummingbird gallery, the serpentarium, the exhibition of frogs, monkeys and cats. Eventually a delicious buffet lunch awaits us in the middle of the rainforest, after lunch we will take a walk where we can visit three impressive natural waterfalls formed by the La Paz river itself.
- Includes: Transportation, bilingual guide (Spanish/English), entrance fee to Poas Volcano National Park, entrance fee to La Paz waterfalls, entrance fee to Café Doka Tour, breakfast and lunch.
- Estimated duration: 10 hours
- Physical difficulty level: Moderate
- Recommended attire: Comfortable clothes, walking shoes, hat, light sweater, raincoat and sun block.
DAY 03:
Shared transfer from San Jose to Monteverde.
Morning departure to Monteverde, with an extension of rainforests, cloud forests and spectacular biodiversity. Monteverde is home to one of the rarest and most unique habitats on the planet and an amazing variety of flora and fauna. With its unique position on the continental divide between the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, the cloud forests offer a very particular microclimate for the numerous species that inhabit this area. During the trip, you will observe truly beautiful landscapes and pass through some typical localities of the country.
- Type: Shared Service
- Estimated duration: 146 kilometers - 3.5 hours
Night Hike
Located in the 7 wonders of Costa Rica in the cloud forest, the Night Walk becomes a very popular attraction for people who travel to this country to observe the great biodiversity it offers, mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians are some of the animals that can be found in these daily walks of 2 hours. There are great opportunities at night to observe animals, since most animals are active at night where 80% are nocturnal, raccoons, sloths, armadillos, olingos, kinkajous, are animals that jump at night to feed and perform normal activities. Experienced guides will take you through the property that combines a beautiful forest with a sustainable coffee, banana and sugar cane area. An interesting combination of Monteverde's past work with the new conservation efforts present in the community.
- Includes: Transportation, guide, entrance fee, flashlight.
- Estimated duration: 2.5 Hours
- Physical difficulty level: Easy
- Recommended attire: Camera, raincoat, insect repellent, comfortable clothing, closed-toed shoes.
DAY 04:
Full Tour
El Tigre Waterfalls is a self-guided hike through the cloud forest where you will see 4 large waterfalls, several small ones and cross some rustic hanging bridges. The hike has an intermediate difficulty and steep trails, not recommended for seniors or people with any health complications.
- Includes: Hiking through all the waterfalls and hanging bridges as well as the pools in the river, guided horseback riding with an expert for 35 min or 4x4 safari car if you prefer, plus a delicious typical lunch cooked on firewood.
- Estimated duration: 3 hours approx.
- Physical difficulty level: High Intensity
- What to bring: Comfortable clothes, long pants, raincoat, special hiking shoes, camera, insect repellent and sun block.
DAY 05:
Shared transfer from Monteverde to San Jose.
Departure in the afternoon to the capital of San Jose, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America. The city is located in a strategic point near the main tourist attractions such as: historic buildings, museums, theaters, craft markets, beautiful parks, shopping malls and offers a varied gastronomic offer.
- Type: Shared Service
- Estimated Duration: 149 kilometers - 3.5 hours
DAY 06:
Transfer from San Jose Hotels to San Jose Airport.
Once your unique experience around Costa Rica is over; you will depart for the airport. You should be at the airport three hours before your flight departure time and your transportation will be ready to arrive on time.
- Type: Unassigned
- Estimated Duration: 17 kilometers - 30 minutes
WHAT TO BRING TO COSTA RICA?
- Passport with at least 6 months validity.
- Sunscreen and insect repellent
- Comfortable t-shirts and pants.
- Footwear: light waterproof hiking boots, river sandals (Teva type sandals), a pair of tennis shoes.
- If traveling to Tortuguero during turtle nesting season (June-September), bring dark pants & shirts and closed-toe shoes.
- Rain gear: poncho, raincoat and umbrella.
- Hat, visor, cap and sunglasses for sun protection.
- Reusable water bottle for hiking.
- Charger for electronic devices and American style adapter.
- Medications.
- Small backpack for hiking.
