Costa Rica Nature Adventure

Early morning pick up from your city hotel. Drive through Braulio Carillo National Park to the Atlantic coast. On the way, stop for a hearty breakfast. Then drive through extensive banana plantation to the boat landing. There you will transfer to a motorboat that will take you across the main channel through the Tortuguero area to a rustic but comfortable lodge located on a spit of land between the channel and the sea. After lunch, those who wish can visit the picturesque Caribbean village of Tortuguero with the guide, and then walk back along the beach to the nearby lodge. The rest of the day is free to relax by the swimming pool or even take a leisurely stroll along the beach. If you wish, after dinner you can join a guided night hike on a private trail at Mawamba Lodge (optional). Overnight Mawamba Lodge Tortuguero Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Before breakfast (coffee and tea provided) you can optionally observe the awakening of the rainforest on a boat trip through the natural channels of Tortuguero. Return to the lodge, where a hearty breakfast is already waiting for you. In the morning, explore the grounds around the lodge with your guide, including the butterfly garden, frog and iguana gardens, aquarium and biogas plant. In the afternoon, you will take a boat tour through the jungle channels of Tortuguero National Park. After dinner, there is an optional guided night hike to the beach to observe sea turtles laying their eggs (season: July to September/October). Overnight Mawamba Lodge Tortuguero

After breakfast, return by boat to the river port and then by tour bus from the lodge to Guápiles, where you will have a hearty lunch. Afterwards, you will pick up your rental car at the restaurant and begin the approximately 3-hour drive through the north of the country to the town of La Fortuna at Arenal Volcano. In the late afternoon you can admire the sunset over the Arenal reservoir. In the evening you can, optionally, enjoy a bath in hot sulfurous springs in the middle of a tropical garden (entrance fee not included). Overnight Lomas del Volcán

Day at your own leisure with the possibility for a variety of optional activities. For example, you can take a hike across cooled lava fields and through secondary wet forest at the foot of the volcano (Mirador 1968 or Arenal Volcano National Park); with a little luck, monkeys, toucans and a variety of other bird species can also be observed.Other optional activities/excursions: e.g. – La Fortuna waterfall (on foot or horseback) – Kayak, canoe or rubber dinghy tours – Chocolate tour – For the adventurous: canopy tour, where you glide from platform to platform through the treetops on steel cables – Day trip to Rio Celeste/National Park Tenorio Volcano, etc. Overnight Lomas del Volcán

After breakfast, enjoy the drive around the northern shore of Lake Arenal via Tilarán to the cloud forest region of Monteverde (approx. 3 hrs.) You will spend the night at Arco Iris Lodge, a very personally run hotel with rustic, lovingly furnished cabinas in a beautiful garden. The rest of the afternoon you can relax in a shady spot in the garden or take a stroll through the village of Sta. Elena. Optionally, in the evening you can take a night coffee tour at Finca Don Juan, which combines the tradition of coffee with the nighttime activities of Montverde’s wildlife in a natural setting (about US$40 per person, advance reservations recommended). The tour starts at 6pm, just when nocturnal animals come out of their hiding places. At the Don Juan Farm, right next to a river that is home to numerous frogs and toads, you can first discover the colorful little animals and listen to their songs. You may also get lucky and spot nocturnal mammals and birds, or see some diurnal species sleeping peacefully in the branches. In addition to the amazing nocturnal life, visitors will also learn more about the coffee bean, and how it is transformed into coffee through a special process. Overnight Arco Iris Lodge

In the morning you will take a walk through the sky in the private nature reserve “Selvatura” in the heart of the Monteverde cloud forest region. The forest stand is largely almost untouched mountain cloud forest, characterized by dense bromeliad and moss growth on the trees. Hundreds of bird species as well as numerous mammals are native to the area. A system of 8 safe and stable suspension bridges up to 160 meters high allows visitors to view the treetops and wildlife of this natural paradise. The individual suspension bridges are connected by well-maintained, level hiking trails. Return to San José around noon, arriving in the late afternoon and dropping off the rental car at the hotel. Übnernahtung im Fleur de Lys

Transfer to the airport or booked connecting program.