Poás
Volcano, Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, Arenal Volcano, Rincón
de la Vieja Volcano & National Park, Monteverde Cloudforest
/ Sta. Elena Reserve
Detailed description
N2 (Comfort+,
with english-speaking naturalist guide)
Day 1
San Jose
Welcome! Upon your arrival at San José International
Airport our English-speaking representative will greet you
and escort you to your hotel. At this time you will be provided
a short briefing and an informative travel handout.
Overnight stay Don Carlos
Day 2
San José, Poás Volcano
After breakfast your guide will collect you for a city tour
of San José – a bit of immersion in Costa Rican
culture and history through its beautiful museums and numerous
historical sites. Around noontime you will head off for about
1.5 hours driving, to one of the world’s largest geysers,
the active Poás Volcano.
Overnight stay Poás Lodge - breakfast
Day 3
Poás Volcano Early
morning offers the best chance for a clear, cloudless view
of the 14,000-acre nature reserve of Poás Volcano.
So we’re off to a very early start, to admire one of
the most spectacular volcanoes of Costa Rica: With a diameter
of 1.5 km, Poás Volcano is considered to be the world’s
second biggest geyser. The crater in the center of the park
shows almost permanent activity, with sulfuric fumes, active
fumaroles, and temperatures between 104° F and 158°
F; and the views of the sulfuric lake with ever-changing colors
(mostly turquoise, blue or yellow), at the bottom of the 300
meters deep crater, are just breathtaking!
You may then take a short hike to the National Park’s
second crater, the dormant “Laguna Botos” - a
beautiful, tranquil lake, surrounded by untouched, lush vegetation.
The 30 minute (one-way), well marked trail which leads to
Laguna Botos, winds its way through a habitat called dwarf
cloud forest, where curiously shaped trees grow in the volcanic
soil, full of bromeliads, lichens and mosses.
Continuing the drive you’ll see Catarata La Paz, Costa
Rica's most impressive waterfall, cascading down the east
slope of Poás Volcano. Have you ever stood close enough to hummingbirds while
they feed, luminous and all sizes, so that you couldn’t
tell if the whirring in your ears was the fluttering of wings
or the racing of your own pulse? A stop off at a hummingbird
gallery provides the opportunity to do just that, before we
continue further north to Boca Tapada, and Laguna del Lagarto
Lodge.
The Laguna del Lagarto Lodge is nestled harmoniously in its
surrounding landscape, at the edge of 1,200 acres of rainforest
in northern Costa Rica. Just a few years ago a trip into this
beautiful, secluded area meant an expedition of several days.
Today, by 4x4 on an adventurous gravel road, it is accessible
in only 3 to 4 hours. Overnight stay Lagarto Lodge - breakfast, dinner
Day 4
Rainforest Rio San Carlos
Think pure, unspoiled jungle! Stroll alone or with a guide
through tropical primary forest. Multiple trails of more than
10 miles in length facilitate your exploration of this mostly
untouched paradise. The variety of animals and plants here
is staggering, almost unimaginable: red and green poison dart
frogs, an assortment of monkeys and more than 350 species
of birds, amongst them macaws, toucans and humming birds.
This region is one of the few where the great green macaw,
in danger of extinction, can still be seen. By canoe we can
reverently enter the lagoons and see beyond into hidden estuaries
filled with bromeliads, nesting bats and bright green “Jesucristo"
lizards (so-called because they can walk on water). After
sunset caimans can be observed while they feed. Warm, starry
evenings and cool breezes on a covered porch with a refreshing
drink and the background concerto of jungle inhabitants: what
great memories are made of.
Overnight stay Laguna del Lagarto Lodge - breakfast,
dinner
Day 5
Arenal Volcano After
breakfast you’re off to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano,
through the lush mountains of the Cordillera Central, past
flourishing plantations of coffee and fruit. In the late afternoon
there is time to watch the sunset over Arenal Lake before
surrendering – if you wish - to an evening at the hot
springs of Tabacón, Ecotermales or Baldi (optional),
to enjoy a soothing bath of waterfalls and natural pools against
the backdrop of fresh nighttime air and a starry sky, all
within beautiful, tropical gardens.
Either way, keep a lookout for the possibility of exploding,
sparkling lava flows out the top and down the sides of Arenal
Volcano; hot showers of red, yellow and orange. A visit of the thermal hot springs can be pre-booked if
desired:
- Tabacón Hot Springs incl. dinner: aprox. US$ 50 per
person (18:30 PM – 22:00 PM)
- Tabacón Hot Springs incl. dinner: aprox. US$ 70 per
person (12:00 md – 22:00 PM)
- Baldi Hot Springs incl. lunch OR dinner: aprox. US$ 40 per
person
- Ecotermales: aprox. US$ 21 per person (no meals included)
Overnight stay Volcano Lodge - breakfast
Day 6
Arenal Volcano - Rincon de la Vieja Volcano
Today you will explore. Hike with your guide through the secondary
forest of Arenal Volcano National Park and over the lava fields
at the foot of Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes
in the Americas. You might even feel the ground rumble.
Enjoy a drive around Arenal Lake to Cañas, where you
may visit an exotic private zoo to see many varieties of Costa
Rican birds as well as jungle cats such as panther, puma and
ocelot. All have been rescued by customs authorities from
private owners who had abandoned them, or from other persons
who had violated Costa Rica’s laws for the protection
of endangered species.
Your nighttime accommodations include a rustic mountain lodge
at the foot of volcanic hills.
Overnight stay Hacienda Lodge Guachipelin - breakfast
Day 7
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano
A hearty breakfast is a good idea in preparation for this
day of hikes through the national park. You’ll begin
with about 2 hours through wet forest with numerous crossings
of various mountain rivers. You’ll also encounter dry
and hot plateaus with little vegetation. At last you will
reach the “Blue Lake" whose natural basin is nourished
by a spectacular waterfall of turquoise-blue that invites
you for a refreshing swim. Later on, continue your hike down
to the park’s main attractions: bubbling mud pools,
pits of boiling hot water, vapor geysers and fumaroles (deep
holes that emit sulfurous vapor). If all of this doesn’t
impress you with some sense of a volcano’s natural power,
nothing will.
Overnight stay Hacienda Lodge Guachipelin - breakfast
Day 8
Monteverde Cloud Forest After breakfast, you’ll travel south on the Interamericana
before taking on 35 km’s of adventurous gravel road,
winding your way to Sta. Elena in the Monteverde Cloud Forest
region.
Once in Monteverde, there are numerous optional activities
that you are welcome to enjoy during the remainder of your
afternoon, including a visit to the Frog Pond, the Snake Farm,
or the Orchid Garden.
Overnight stay Arco Iris Lodge - breakfast
Day 9
Monteverde Cloud Forest
Today’s adventure is a "walk in the clouds",
to immerse in the sights and sounds of the cloud forest’s
inhabitants greeting the new day. Start with your feet on
the ground, hiking through lush forest toward the “Skywalk";
suspended bridges, platforms and trails elevated deep within
the canopy of the cloud forest. From here we are allowed a
gentle, rare glimpse through the tops of giant trees into
the nether regions of this hidden world that would otherwise
remain a mystery to most of us. While exploring the different
bridges and trails keep your binoculars or camera handy, since
you might catch a glimpse of the rare and famous bird of kings
– the Quetzal!
Overnight stay Arco Iris Lodge - breakfast
Day 10
San José
Ride back to San José. Once in San José, the
remainder of the day is yours to do as you wish. You might
visit one of the various galleries or museums (optional -
entrance fees not included) or just go on a sightseeing spree
with your guide who is with you until evening. Overnight stay Hotel Don Carlos - breakfast
Day 11
Transfer to
the airport or transfer to the booked beach hotel.
- breakfast
NOTE:
This
tour is available in 3 different versions:
"Comfort+" Tour (with driver/guide
and private vehicle) - see description above
"Wheels
& Vouchers" self driving tour OR
"Budget+ Tour" with semiprivate
transfers from hotel to hotel
Early
morning offers the best chance for a clear, cloudless view
of the 14,000-acre nature reserve of Poás Volcano.
So we’re off to a very early start, to admire one of
the most spectacular volcanoes of Costa Rica: With a diameter
of 1.5 km, Poás Volcano is considered to be the world’s
second biggest geyser. The crater in the center of the park
shows almost permanent activity, with sulfuric fumes, active
fumaroles, and temperatures between 104° F and 158°
F; and the views of the sulfuric lake with ever-changing colors
(mostly turquoise, blue or yellow), at the bottom of the 300
meters deep crater, are just breathtaking!
After
breakfast you’re off to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano,
through the lush mountains of the Cordillera Central, past
flourishing plantations of coffee and fruit. In the late afternoon
there is time to watch the sunset over Arenal Lake before
surrendering – if you wish - to an evening at the hot
springs of Tabacón, Ecotermales or Baldi (optional),
to enjoy a soothing bath of waterfalls and natural pools against
the backdrop of fresh nighttime air and a starry sky, all
within beautiful, tropical gardens. 
