Costa Rica Green Vacation Special - "Going South" - 9 days

Imagine enjoying a vacation and at the same time protecting the environment... - it can be done! In collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance, Aventuras Tierra Verde and several tour operators - the so called TOPS: Tour Operators Join Forces to Promote Sustainability - promote special programs which aim to conserve threatened landscapes and to provide sustainable environments for the local communities. TOPS was launched by the Rainforest Alliance in 2011 including tour operators that improve not only the sustainability of their own practices but also the sustainability of their suppliers. Tierra Verde, as a founding member of TOPS, therefore also aims to promote sustainable businesses. We would like to encourage our guests to visit eco-friendly accommodations and other sustainable providers during your Costa Rica vacations!
More information about TOPS: http://rainforest-alliance.org/tourism/TOPS

This special offer has been developed for travelers interested in “green” vacations: an itinerary exclusively consisting of eco-friendly accommodation:

The hotels and lodges featured in this special "green" itinerary have either been certified with CST (Certificate for Sustainable Tourism) or have been verified by the Rainforest Alliance (www.rainforest-alliance.org).
The CST – Certificate for Sustainable Tourism (Certificado para la Sostenibilidad Turística) is a certification program which certifies tourism businesses, evaluating the degree to which there operations are sustainable.

 

This itinerary additionally features the “Bee a Green Driver” pogram by Adobe Rent a Car: In order to compensate the carbon emission caused by each rental car, you might choose to contribute a fee of US $ 10: In return, this sum is used to plant an endemic tree in a reforestation area in Chambacú de Vasconia de San Carlos (Northern Costa Rica). At the same time, bees-hives of a bee native to the tropics called “Mariola" - a stingless bee - are introduced between the trees for the production of honey, thus helping the local communicy to develop.

 

Together with Aventuras Tierra Verde, with this program you will also actively support Un Techo para mi País (UTPMP), a Latin American non-profit organization run by college students and young professionals of 19 countries of the continent. Day by day UTPMP helps families living in extreme poverty or families becoming homeless after natural disasters, by building transitional houses. Together with the construction, a social inclusion process allows them improving their quality of life and building a sustainable community. A donation of US$ 3.00 per person is already included in the price of your vacation package. If you consider an additional contribution, we are very happy to provide you with further information. More information about "Un Techo Para Mí País"

Welcome! Upon your arrival at San José International Airport our 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.
ON Don Carlos

Breakfast
Your rental car will be delivered to your hotel in the morning.
The morning is at your disposal. You may visit for example the Irazú volcano (optional, entrance fee not included): The winding road (about 1 hour from Cartago) travels through fertile lands cultivated with all kinds of vegetables as we observe a lovely panoramic view. On the top of the volcano you can observe the main craters and on a clear day both the Atlantic as well as the Pacific Oceans can be seen.
Afterwards continue your journey up to the Talamanca mountains and the highest point of the Interamericana - the Cerro de la Muerte! From here, it's only a short ride to the San Gerardo de Dota Valley and your lodge. The rest of the day is at leisure.
ON Savegre Mountain Lodge

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the early morning you may go on a hike or participate in a guided bird watching tour (optional, not included) before heading south on the Intermarican Highway to Sierpe. Here you leave you rental car on a guarded parking lot.
From Sierpe you continue your voyage by motorboat to the Pirate Cove, along the northern coast of the Osa Peninsula (you might be lucky and spot whales or schools of playful dolphins!). After having checked in, enjoy a delicious lunch. Use this afternoon to explore the surrounding of the lodge or visit the village of Drake..
ON Pirate Cove (Rainforest Alliance Verified TM)

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A day at your leisure.
Today you may enjoy a hiking tour through Corcovado National Park (optional), often called “the most biologically intense place on earth,” comprising thirteen major ecosystems. First, arrive by boat at the Park entrance at San Pedrillo, before walking into the jungle where you will be surrounded by the untamed wildlife Costa Rica is famous for. Your local naturalist expert will guide you through this wonderland of giant trees, hidden waterfalls, bright-red heliconia, whirling humming birds and clamoring monkeys. From an amazing variety of species, some very rare, you may even be lucky enough to see two of Costa Rica’s biggest cats, the Ocelot and the Jaguar, or the largest terrestrial mammal of Central America; Baird's tapir.
Enjoy a picnic lunch at the ranger station, then continue your hikes to a precious waterfall. (Optional, not included in the price).

As an alternative, you might go for a morning visit to the “Nature Air Kids” School in the village of Drake. The NatureKids School in Drake Bay serves a diverse range of ages and language abilities, and through 7 bi-weekly class offerings the school works with the local population to provide the tools they need to fully integrate themselves into their changing economy.
Continuing, hike along the secluded coastline of the Pacific Ocean to the very south of the bay on your own pace.
ON Pirate Cove (Rainforest Alliance Verified TM)

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today you're off for an excursion with a local guide by boat, to the precious Caño Island in the Pacific Ocean, 10 miles offshore. Twelve miles west of Drake bay, the Caño Island offers some of the most exciting sea life in the world. A wide variety of marine life can be discovered beneath the island waters. Perhaps the most memorable encounters occur with the pelagics that inhabit the area. If you like, you might want to enjoy an optional hike up to ancient Indian burial grounds in the interior of the island. Moreover, you might want to use the time to snorkel along the coral reefs that surround this tropical paradise.
Today's lunch will be picnic-style and served on the shimmering white sand beach lined by coconut palms. You'll head back to the lodge in the afternoon.
ON Pirate Cove (Rainforest Alliance Verified TM)

Breakfast
Enjoy your breakfast before the boat will take you back to Sierpe where you will pick-up your rental car again. Now you continue on the Costanera Sur, the southern highway to the beach village of Uvita and the “Marino Ballena” Marine National Park. The "Ballena" park protects the marine life and coastal area from Playa Uvita to Playa Piñuelas.
Rest of the day at leisure.
ON La Cusinga Lodge

Breakfast
A day at your leisure in Uvita. You may go on one of the many excursions which are offered in the region (optional). There is a big chance, for example, that you will see dolphins. You might even spot a whale during certain times of the year (February/March)! The best time for snorkeling is during the dry season (December until March) when the water is very clear. You may also go on a mangrove tour at the river Terraba.
(All tours are optional).
ON La Cusinga Lodge