Sarapiqui, Arenal, Guanacaste, Playa Tamarindo, San Jose
Day 1 Arrival into San Jose
Depart the USA for San Jose Costa Rica. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey. Upon arrival in San Jose, transfer to your hotel. Overnight at CROWNE PLAZA COROBICI.
Day 2 Transfer to Sarapiqui
In the morning we will have breakfast at the hotel. We will go to the Caribbean on the way our first stop will be at the Atlantic Aerial Tram.Twenty minutes outside of San Jose you will cross the Continental Divide and enter Braulio Carrillo National Park. After a half hour trip through the park,the bus will reach a 1000 acre private reserve of virgin forest.
Open-sided vehicles shuttle passengers from the parking area to the Visitor\'s Center. The shuttle trip provides an introduction to the forest, as visitors pass a small river and numerous tree snags with nesting holes of various birds - the White Hawk is regularly seen here, as well as the Pale-billed Woodpecker and many others.
After a quick briefing on canopy exploration and the construction of the tram, visitors divide into smaller groups for a 45 to 90 minute (optional) nature walk with a trained naturalist guide. The trails are well-groomed and provide an excellent introduction to the rain forest. Time now to board the Aerial Tram. The Open-sided cable-cars hold 5 passengers and a guide. The guides are quite knowledgeable about flora and fauna.
The tram ride lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes. The lower, outbound leg of the tram journey takes you skimming over hilltops and in and out of the sub-canopy, a dark world of overburdened tree limbs dripping with mosses, ferns, and orchids. Lianas and vines drape over branches and traverse forest spaces, and act as highways for birds and insects. The ride will stop several times as passengers board at either loading station.
The return leg of the ride reveals the most dramatic portion of the trip as the cars glide on a breath-taking journey through and above the airy canopy. Tour includes: Entrance, lunch, Introductory video, Guided walking tour, Tram Ride accompanied by an experienced-bilingual.
After lunch we will go to Sarapiqui area. This transfer going to take 1 hour approximately. In the afternoon we will have free time to walk on the beautiful trails of the hotel. Dinner at the hotel included. Overnight at SELVA VERDE LODGE
Day 3 SARAPIQUI TO ARENAL
In the morning we will have breakfast at the hotel. Then we will go to La Paz Waterfall for a half day tour with lunch. This transfer going to take 1 hour and a half approximately.
This attraction has 4 magnificent waterfalls which are accessed by paths professionally designed and with viewing platforms. La Paz Waterfall Gardens has one of the largest butterfly observatories in Costa Rica, we also find a hummingbird garden, where our feathered friends will be the center of attraction and fascinate us with their antics, to watch them play and battle each other at amazing speeds. There is also a snake exhibit and a wildcats zoo.
Tour includes: local guide, entrance to La Paz Gardens and lunch.
What to bring: Binoculars, camera, insect repellent, sunscreen lotion, tennis shoes, raincoat.
Around 2 pm we moved to the Arenal area. This transfer takes about 3 hours.
Overnight at ARENAL MANOA. Dinner at a local restaurant in Arenal.
Day 4 One Day Tour in Arenal
Farm, Fortuna Waterfall And Arenal Volcano Tour
Don Carlos Farm
Do you want to learn how to milk a cow? What a chapulín is? Yes, you can now do it at Don Carlos Farm, with over 30 years doing dairy farm labours. The Vargas family awaits you to share the wonder experience of been a real “Costa Rican Lechero”. The farm has 70 ha with lakes, gardens, rivers, medicinal plants, species, roots and fruit trees; and of course de grasslands where approximately 400 caws have their home and food. After de visit to the stable we will do a tour in a trailer pull by a “chapulín”, the guide will tell you about the flora & fauna of the area.
And for the last part of the tour we’ll do a visit to the cheese factory and the dairy, you will learn the milk process for products such as: cream, cheese, yogurt, etc.; and the best of all: delicious snacks and cheese from the house.
Includes: farm entrance fee, home bread, cheese, fruits, natural drink, coffee and Lunch.
La fortuna waterfall
You have to walk five hundred meters into the forest to get to the waterfall, which is 70 meters high.
At the base of the waterfall there is a “natural pool” where we can swim in the fresh water of La Fortuna river for about one hour.
Arenal volcano hike
The Arenal Volcano is considered one of the most active volcanoes in the world; it has been active since 1968 when it suddenly exploded, destroying all vegetation that covered the cone. Nowadays, trees and vegetation are starting to regenerate in some areas of the volcanoes base.
Includes: guide, entrance fees and lunch. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight at ARENAL MANOA.
Day 5 TRANSFER TO GUANACASTE
Arenal Hanging Bridges Tour
Arenal Hanging Bridges is a new tourism attraction in La Fortuna, only 4 km (2.5 miles) west of Tabacón within a 250 hectare (618 acre) reserve of primary forest. Visitor who love nature can enjoy 15 bridges from 5 to 100 meters long, friendly design along 3 km rain forest circuit of interpretive trails built with paving blocks to prevent slipping. The bridges are build of aluminum, galvanized steel and concrete, to ensure maximum security for their visitors. They were designed by structural engineers with the most demanding safety margins in the world. Guided by a naturalist, who through the natural history will open for you the doors of a fascinating and colorful Tropical Rain Forest world. The imposing vistas of the Volcano from the hanging bridges over the forest, make a perfect combination for an unforgettable experience.
Duration: 04 hours approx.
Includes: transportation, guide, water, sodas and entrance fee.
After the tour your drive now takes you from Arenal to Guanacaste. 4 hours from Arenal.Lunch on the route. Overnight at TAMARINDO DIRIA HOTEL. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 6 DAYS AT LEISURE AT PLAYA TAMARINDO
Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Hotel. Time to enjoy the hotel or take an optional tour. The descriptions of the tours and rates are in a separate document Overnight at TAMARINDO DIRIA HOTEL
Day 7 TRANSFER TO SAN JOSE
Breakfast at the Hotel. We will have the morning free to enjoy the facilities. After lunch we will travel to the San Jose. This transfer has duration of 4 to 5 hours. Overnight at CROWNE PLAZA COROBICI. Dinner in a Local restaurant in San Jose.
Day 8 TRANSFER TO SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Breakfast at the Hotel. It’s time to say goodbye. Remember that passengers must be 3 hours before the international flight.
