What you must see in Costa Rica in two weeks

Our guide will meet you at the airport and welcomes you to Costa Rica. He will give you a little briefing of your 2-week vacation plan, while escorting you to the hotel, and help you check-in.

Night: San José

Twenty minutes after leaving San José towards the Caribbean lowlands, you will drive into the Braulio Carrillo National Park, one of the largest and most diverse parks in the country. After approximately 30 minutes, you will descend into the lowlands, and you’ll be able to see the transition between the Cloud and the Rain Forest. Breakfast will be taken in a restaurant on the way. At mid morning you’ll arrive to the port where you’ll get on a river boat. Your vacation begins in Tortuguero, as today’s destination is the north coast with the fascinating canals of the Tortuguero National Park, considered the Costa Rican Amazon. Your boat will take you up to this national park, with its extensive system of canals, and to the lodge where you will spend the night. Your guide will give you detailed explanations of this complex Eco-system. Miles of untouched Caribbean beaches also offer the opportunity to see (when in season: nesting from June to September) the green sea turtle nesting, the world’s second largest sea turtle. You will visit the little town of Tortuguero and the museum of the green turtle, during the afternoon.

Night: Tortuguero

Another full day to explore the Tortuguero area: a floating trip on the canals is a great opportunity to see a big variety of birds, reptiles, monkeys, and butterflies. When in season there is an optional night tour to see the green turtle laying eggs on the beach.

Night: Tortuguero

After breakfast, you will travel by boat first, to get to the road where you will be picked up by your private bus that will drive you to La Fortuna area with spectacular views of the towering Arenal Volcano, another must-see-Costa Rica place to scratch off your bucket list.

Night: La Fortuna

During the morning you will hike on the trails of the Arenal Volcano National Park, a great opportunity to see from close this magnificent mountain, and to get an entirely different view of the surrounding area, including the Arenal Lake, a man-made reservoir that has one of the country most important hydroelectric plants. In the afternoon, you will have some free time to explore the town of Fortuna or to try an optional activity like the canopy tour where you’ll have an adrenaline rush swinging from platform to platform attach to a harness as you do the zip lines; or you can try getting a different perspective at the Hanging Bridges; or maybe visit one of the organic farms of the area for a healthy meal.  At the end of the day, you will enjoy the world famous Hot Springs of the Arenal region, a wonderful place of thermal water pools, waterfalls and rivers, surrounded by tropical gardens that you can enjoy while drinking a refreshing tropical fruit juice.

Night: La Fortuna

After breakfast, you will visit an organic farm, example of sustainability in many aspects: tourism, agriculture and living.  You will learn how to have over 30 products in less than an hectare, you’ll harvest your own lunch and then you will enjoy it! Then you will see three different eco-systems as you leave the rain forest behind, drive across the mountains in order to get to the dry forest on the Pacific side, and drive north to meet the cloud forest at Rincon de la Vieja National Park. 5km north from Liberia you’ll find the road to Rincon de la Vieja national park and your hotel.

Night: Rincón de la Vieja

You will visit the national park to hike at Las Pailas trail, where you will have the chance to see some secondary activity, such as small craters, fumaroles, boiling mud, and geysers.  This is a loop trail of 3.5km mostly flat but extremely interesting and beautiful.

You will also have a longer hike through the forest near the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, to the “Cangreja” Waterfall. The fall is 40 meters long, going into a clear blue pool located at its base which is wonderful for cooling off after the hike.  Dissolved copper salts have dyed the water to become light blue.

Night: Rincón de la Vieja

After breakfast you will get back on the road to transfer to the Central Pacific to the Carara and Tárcoles area.  You will drive past the Tárcoles River where you will see enormous crocodiles from above, and past the Carara National Park, a great opportunity to see the transition forest between the dry forest of the north and the rain forest of the south.  You will make a stop to ride the gondolas of the aerial tram of the Pacific, to learn about this type of forest. Then you will check in to your hotel.

Night: Carara

Carara National Park and the Tárcoles River and its mangroves are an extraordinary area for wildlife watching. This location marks the northern limit of the Pacific Rainforest and it is also here where the Tropical Dry Forest from the north stops. This important aspect of habitats converging into one spot produces an incredible biodiversity. Carara and Tárcoles then contain a wonderful sample of species proper of wet tropical pacific habitats and species that would be common in the drier areas of the northwest of Costa Rica. For example over 400 species of birds have been registered in the area.

Night: Carara

Transfer day Drake Bay, through the mangroves of the Sierpe River.  This little river port is where you will embark your boat that will take you through the Sierpe mangrove – registered as a Wetlands International RAMSAR site in 1995. Your boat will take you from the river to the ocean, until Drake Bay.  You will enjoy an adventure where the river meets the ocean!

Night: Drake Bay

Corcovado National Park is one of the biggest tropical rainforests of Central America. It has a reknown biodiversity and you can find in it species like the Baird’s Tapir or the Tamandua anteater. “National Geographic” has categorized the park as one of the most biologically intense of the world. You will have two days to explore the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park. There are many recommended activities: you can stay at the beach, do some kayak in the ocean or take a tour: you can visit the local eco-touristic projects for a hike in Madre Selva or the majestic Chocuaco Lagoon.  A nature hike in the Park’s trails is actually included. This is our top 1 must see place in Costa Rica!

Night: Drake Bay

Caño Island is a gem of the South Pacific of Costa Rica and it is located 20km from Drake. The journey to the island will give you the opportunity to see dolphins, sometimes whales, sea turtles, rays and other animals.  The island is a perfect spot for snorkel or scuba diving, since it contains some of the most abundant and varied marine life in the world!

Night: Drake Bay

Today you will transfer to the cloud forest of San Gerardo de Dota: once again you will go through Sierpe river and mangroves to reach the river port, and take your transfer to your next destination. On they way you will have the chance to visit the indigenous communities of Rey Curré, Boruca and its lovely museum or Térraba. When you reach the top of the Muerte Hill, you will continue your way down the beautiful Savegre Valley and finally reach Dota.

Night: Dota

Today you will have an early morning for a quick hike so you can go search for the quetzal, an amazing green trogon with a long tail and a red chest that many consider among the most beautiful of the world: you can do so in the trails of the hotel, although you could also visit the National Park Los Quetzales and hike the cloud forest, rich in oaks, cypress and aguacatillo trees, a species related to the avocado that the Quetzal really likes. This is the national bird of Guatemala, but the forest of Dota is where it can be found easier in Centralamerica.

Night: San José

You will transfer back to the international airport…. SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!! HAVE A GOOD FLIGHT HOME!!!

• Overnight stays: 14 nights on double occupancy, twin or double standard rooms with private bathroom on every hotel or lodge according to the itinerary.
• Private transportation for the group according to the program (mini bus with A/C, driver and gasoline).
• Full-time services of a Professional Bilingual Naturalist Tour Director & Guide.
• All breakfast and dinners included at the different hotels (five lunches are included)
• Entrance fees to the national parks and other programmed activities, including trails in the hotels and lodges:
  • the visit of five different National Parks
  • the visit of one wildlife refuges
  • the visit of two private natural areas
  • the visit of one organic farm
  • crocodile safari
  • Pacific and Caribbean beaches, lowlands and valleys, waterfalls, flora and fauna of the different ecosystems: Rain Forest, Dry Forest, transition forest, cloud forest, mangroves & Coastal Vegetation, and of course all the natural beauty, and the friendship of some peace loving people that Costa Rica has to offer …COSTA RICA, NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS !!!