R1 Caribbean Rhythms, Rainforest & Volcanoes - 17 days

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 Hotel Colonial

Caribbean Beach/Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Enjoy your breakfast, and then your guide will pick you up for a leisurely drive along a scenic route of lush pasturelands and banana plantations, through the Braulio Carrillo National Park. Your destination is the Atlantic Coast, passing the port town Puerto Limón and continuing southwards to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.
Overnight stay Cariblue Hotel & Bungalows or similar - Breakfast

Cahuita National Park
Today you will explore Cahuita National Park. Hiking along the coast between secondary forest and mangroves - with some luck – you will see three-toed sloth, monkeys, iguanas and red poison dart frogs.
The rest of the day is yours to enjoy as you wish, exploring magnificent Caribbean beaches, tooling around on a rented bike, or just kicking back in a hammock on one of the Cariblue's shady verandas.
Overnight stay Cariblue Hotel & Bungalows or similar - Breakfast

Tortuguero National Park
After an early breakfast drive to the small village of Caño Blanco or Matina. From there you navigate by boat up the Tortuguero River, alongshore a small peninsula bordered on the other side by the Caribbean Sea. Upon arrival it’s time to check into our overnight accommodations at the lodge.
Enjoy a hearty lunch before taking off with your local naturalist guide on a walking tour of the bustling village of Tortuguero and its immediate surroundings. After visiting the turtle museum we meander, this time along the beach, back to the lodge for dinner. During the months of March-April and July-October, an optional guided night hike along the beach is offered, to observe the nesting of the sea turtles. (Approximately US $25 p.p.)
Overnight stay Laguna Lodge Tortuguero - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Tortuguero National Park
A full day of activities begins with the unforgettable sights and sounds of an early morning tour to experience the awakening of Tortuguero wildlife. Follow up a well-deserved breakfast with a boat tour through the quiet backwater canals of the national park, for up-close observation of the flora and fauna so unique to this special part of the world. Head back for lunch and an afternoon of free time; have a “siesta”, relax by the pool, visit the open butterfly garden, take a walk on the beach or another boat tour, explore the trails around the Lodge on your own; you decide. Dinner is served.
Overnight stay Laguna Lodge Tortuguero - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Rainforest Rio San Carlos
After breakfast, embark by boat around 9 a.m. for Caño Blanco or Matina. From there you will head off by bus to a typical Costa Rican restaurant for a delicious home-cooked lunch.
Continue your journey to Boca Tapada in a private vehicle with your personal guide.
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 Laguna del Lagarto Lodge - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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 you 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

Arenal Volcano
After breakfast we’re off to Fortuna and Arenal Volcano, through the lush mountains of the Cordillera Central, past flourishing plantations of coffee and fruit.
Overnight stay Hotel Arenal Paraiso or similar - Breakfast

Arenal 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.
In the late afternoon there is time to watch the sunset over Arenal Lake before surrendering to an evening at the hot springs of Baldi, 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.
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.
Overnight stay Hotel Arenal Paraiso or similar - Breakfast

Guanacaste - Rincón de la Vieja Volcano
Enjoy a drive around Arenal Lake to Cañas. If you wish, take the optional scenic raft trip on the gentle Rio Corobicí (aprox. $37 p.p.). Your guide does all the paddling. So sit back, relax and ponder the sights and sounds of the jungle, before venturing back to land and continuing north on the Interamericana via Liberia to Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Your nighttime accommodations include a rustic mountain lodge at the foot of volcanic hills.
Overnight stay Hacienda Lodge Guachipelin - Breakfast

Guanacaste - 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

Monteverde Cloudforest
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 or similar - Breakfast

Monteverde Cloudforest
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 Walkways of Selvatura; 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 or similar - Breakfast

Manuel Antonio National Park & Beaches
After breakfast we take a drive on the Interamericana South along the coastline towards the town of Jacó. We’ll stop at the bridge over Rio Tarcoles, a great place for spotting large crocodiles, basking on the banks of the river. If you wish, we’ll visit Carara National Park, one of the main nesting sites of the Scarlet Macaw. (Optional, with an entrance fee of approximately US $ 8 p.p) You’re welcome to hike for a bit on the park trails before we continue our drive further south to Manuel Antonio for an afternoon check-in at your hotel.
Overnight stay Hotel Playa Espadilla or similar - Breakfast

Manuel Antonio National Park & Beaches
Are you ready for capuchin monkeys, sloth, iguanas, anteaters, and multiple species of birds, all within easy walking distance into the rainforest? A hike of about 1.5 hours on the park’s trails will get you this and more, including fantastic beaches within the park, where you are free to soak up some sun or bathe in the refreshing Pacific Ocean.
Overnight stay Hotel Playa Espadilla or similar - Breakfast

Back to 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 Colonial - Breakfast

Breakfast
Transfer to the airport for your flight back home