Adventure Package

For the active traveler who is ready to experience Costa Rica's natural treasures, the Adventure Package offers a variety of experiences, including hiking in the cloud and rainforest, ascending to the forest canopy, mountain biking around an active volcano, rafting a scenic class III river, and river rafting some of the most impressive class III-IV white water in Latin America.

Day 1, Arrival in San José

At the airport, you will be met and transferred to San José for an overnight stay at the Hotel Don Carlos, located in the heart of San José's cultural district. This hotel is an elegant Victorian home built at the turn of the century, completely restored and made into a fine hotel with individually designed and decorated rooms.

Day 2, Monteverde Cloud Forest

After our early morning breakfast we'll depart for Monteverde, Costa Rica's premier cloud forest. Home of the exotic and resplendent quetzal, the cloud forest is also the habitat of many rarely seen, endangered species, such as the jaguar. The forest stretches from the lush ferns and mosses that cover the ground, up to an evergreen canopy formed by the tallest trees. After arriving at the Hotel El Establo, you will have time to change clothes and freshen up before heading off to Monteverde’s famous canopy tour. As one of the area’s most sought after attractions, the tour offers you the rare opportunity to soar through treetops while observing the thriving flora and fauna that make their home in the forest canopy. You will glide from tree to tree and platform to platform using a secure system of pulleys on horizontal traverse cables. Expert guides will assist you in this exciting journey through the various layers of the rainforest. You will end your day back at your cozy hotel with a home-style dinner before retiring for a well deserved rest. Overnight at the Hotel El Establo or similar.

Day 3, Monteverde's Cloud Forest and Arenal Volcano

After a satisfying early morning breakfast, you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred by boat across Lake Arenal to the area surrounding the fiery Arenal Volcano. Located adjacent to Lake Arenal, the volcano’s perfect cone dominates the skyline and provides frequent firework displays that are accompanied by loud explosions and mushroom gray clouds of smoke and ash. We'll end the day at Tabacón Resort, soaking away tired muscles in the crystal clear thermal waters emanating from nearby Arenal Volcano. We'll spend the night at comfortable cabins near the base of Arenal where you can view the nightly showers of glowing lava and red hot rocks spewing from the mouth of the crater. Stay overnight at the Arenal Paraiso or similar.

Day 4, Biking toward Sarapiquí

After breakfast we begin a bike trip on a paved road that winds through tropical rainforest to the base of the volcano. This biking excursion affords panoramic views of the verdant forests surrounding the volcano. After returning to your hotel, you will have lunch and some time to relax before our journey continues through the scenic lowlands of the northeastern region of Sarapiquí. Virgin tropical rainforest and rich, second-growth habitats are found in this region, which borders Braulio Carrillo National Park. Over 500 species of birds, 100 species of mammals, thousands of insects, and 2,000 species of plants, including 800 species of trees (more than Canada and the United States have together) have been identified in this biologically rich area. The forests in Sarapiquí provide refuge for such species as the tapir, jaguar, sloth, white-nosed coati and white-faced capuchin and howler monkeys. Overnight stay at Selva Verde or similar.

Day 5, Rafting the Sarapiquí River

After our early morning breakfast, today's rafting trip down the free-flowing, crystal clear waters of the Sarapiquí River will offer us possibilities for spotting parrots, jacamars, hummingbirds, mot-mots and other exotic lowland tropical birds. During the colonial period, the broad and scenic Sarapiquí was used as an embarkation point for boats traveling north to the Rio San Juan, which forms part of Costa Rica's border with Nicaragua, and from there to the Atlantic. Our rafting trip on the Sarapiquí River will take place on top-quality, self-bailing rafts, ideal for use in fast-flowing waters. Prior to beginning the river excursion, you will receive instructions from our experienced guides, so even beginners can enjoy this marvelous adventure. When you've enjoyed the river to your satisfaction, we will transfer to the Sueño Azul Resort or similar for our overnight stay.

Day 6, Tortuguero National Park

This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, you will be picked up and transferred to the town of Matina. There, you'll board a boat for a three-hour ride to our jungle adventure. Imagine a natural environment, with fresh air, exotic birds, sloths, monkeys, iguanas, turtles and incredibly colored butterflies in one of the most unspoiled jungles existing. You will have plenty of time after lunch to visit “downtown” Tortuguero, take a leisurely walk around the property or simply relax in a hammock as you’re caressed by a Caribbean breeze. Tortuguero National Park is located on Costa Rica's northern Caribbean coast, with the larger Tortuguero region a navigable network of lakes and channels crossing the national park. The region is the most important western Caribbean nesting site for the green turtle (July - September), and in addition you'll be able to observe a wide diversity of flora and fauna along the canals. Overnight at Pachira Lodge or similar.

Day 7, Tortuguero Canals

After a hearty breakfast, we'll take a boat through the smaller canals in Tortuguero in order to explore plant- and wildlife more difficult to find on the main waterways. We'll depart Tortuguero mid-morning, and enjoy the boat ride back to Matina. You'll be picked up from the dock, and then met along the way by your driver to make a short transfer to Las Horquetas de Sarapiquí, where you will have a free afternoon to enjoy at your leisure. Overnight at Sueño Azúl Resort or similar.

Day 8, Rafting the Pacuare River

This morning we will make the transfer to the small town of Tres Equis, where we'll initiate our two-day Pacuare white-water rafting trip down one of the most exotic and scenic rivers in the world. Day 1 of rafting is filled with excitement as you squeeze through narrow openings between huge boulders and run long stretches of powerful rapids. Action-packed adventure fills each moment of the day as the river weaves and bends, providing a stimulating ride. Your rafting adventure on the first day ends at our private jungle oasis, the Pacuare Lodge, nestled in the middle of an enchanting and captivating rainforest. Here, you are completely surrounded by nature at its purest and most primitive state. The two-story Pacuare Lodge has comfortable, rustic dining facilities on the first floor and lots of relaxing hammocks in an open-air lounge on the second floor. Modern wooden bungalows with thatched palm roofs have been carefully designed to blend into the forest. Each bungalow hides beneath giant trees that have stood guard over this forest for eons. As twilight descends, Happy Hour begins, followed by a delicious hot dinner served with wine. When you feel like calling it a day, you'll grab a lantern and head off to your bungalow, furnished with fresh linens and private bathrooms.

Day 9, Pacuare River

Morning arrives at the Pacuare Lodge with a deep stillness as you wake to the songs of exotic tropical birds and the rushing rapids of the Pacuare River. After a hearty breakfast, you'll experience the excitement of the bigger and more challenging rapids to come. At a designated point along the way, you will stop to visit pristine waterfalls and natural waterslides. Lunch will be served along the river. River take-out is in mid-afternoon, and you'll have a transfer back to San José in time for dinner. Dinner is on your own, and you will spend the night at the Hotel Don Carlos or similar.

Day 10, Departure from San José

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight back home.

10-DAY ITINERARY

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