Exotic Costa Rica

Discover Costa Rica’s exotic side during this eight-day nature-filled adventure. Visit the most predominant natural areas of western Costa Rica, seeing an active volcano, a cloud forest high up in the canopy, verdant rainforests and beautiful beaches. Keep on the lookout for an extensive variety of wild animals, bugs, and fascinating plants. Accommodation is in eco-friendly, sustainable properties to enhance the trip’s natural experience.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Rincon de la Vieja:  Enjoy the volcanic views this idyllic national park offers and let the steaming mud pots and boiling water amaze you. 

Bijagua: With a system of sustainable tourism that helps the local community protect and preserve the surrounding natural environment, this captivating rural retreat is a leader in eco-tourism.

Monteverde: Settled by American Quakers in the 1950s, this primary cloud forest is made up of six unique ‘life zones’ and is home to endangered species and an enormous variety of plant life. 

Manuel Antonio: Though it is Costa Rica’s smallest national park, the picturesque Manuel Antonio is full of wild animals, lush vegetation and beautiful beaches.

Day 1: ARRIVAL LIBERIA – RINCON DE LA VIEJA (35km – 1 hr)

Your Costa Rican adventure begins on arrival at Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia, in the north-western part of the country. Here, a Destination Services representative awaits to greet you before you depart to the region of Rincon de la Vieja for your first night in Costa Rica. 

• Overnight in Rincon de la Vieja .

Day 2: RINCON DE LA VIEJA – BIJAGUA (100km – 2 hrs)

After a luscious breakfast, visit the Rincon de la Vieja National Park in the section known as Las Pailas. The Las Pailas area, which means ‘the cauldrons’ in Spanish, spectacularly showcases the awesome power of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, the largest and most active volcano in the region. Steam and sulphur pour out of the rust-coloured ground from natural fumaroles while coffee-coloured pools boil with hot volcanic water and grey volcanic mud bubbles, exploding in large pits. This special volcano experience is like no other in Costa Rica. Accompanied by your bilingual naturalist guide, hike the 3.5 kilometre Las Pailas loop trail through the dry tropical forest to discover spectacular nature, mesmerising volcanic activity, and impressive wildlife. The park is home to more than 300 bird species and other animals like armadillos, collared peccaries, iguanas, snakes, white-nosed coatis, and white-faced howler and spider monkeys. After your park visit, walk back to the hotel to collect your bags. In the early afternoon, transfer from Rincon de la Vieja to Bijagua,  a small town located between two volcanoes, Miravalles and Tenorio. There are many activities to enjoy, such as hiking, natural hot springs, horseback riding, agricultural tours, bird-watching or butterfly spotting. Rincon de la Vieja National Park entrance fee is not included.

• Overnight in Bijagua.

Day 3: BIJAGUA

Begin your day with a tasty breakfast at the hotel, and then enjoy a horseback ride and hike to Rio Celeste, translated as ‘Light Blue River’. The mysterious colour of the sky-blue waters is one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena in the country. As you follow the river’s trail, encounter hot springs, an abundance of tranquillity, and a remarkable waterfall. Horseback riding lasts one and a half hour each way, followed by a three-hour hike to arrive at Rio Celeste. Later, return to the hotel to relax.

• Overnight in Bijagua

Day 4: BIJAGUA – MONTEVERDE (110km – 3 hrs)

Have a delectable with breakfast at the hotel before you are transferred to mystical Monteverde. Located in the Puntarenas province, this is a place of cloud forests and mist, coffee plantations, monkeys, and friendly locals. The town of Santa Elena is small and quaint, filled with tasty restaurants and folksy artisan shops, while the nearby rainforest hosts a remarkable amount of biodiversity. Enjoy the day at leisure to explore on your own or participate in an exciting optional activity like the Selvatura Treetop Walkway guided tours. The Selvatura Treetop Walkway guided tour takes you through and above the rainforest. A series of eight suspension bridges, connected by trails for a total 3 km in length, provides a bird’s-eye view of the rainforest canopy! 

If adventure is not something you are interested in, join the interesting Don Juan Coffee Tour to understand Costa Rica´s coffee, chocolate and sugar cane production (with the emphasis on coffee!). The tour offers an interesting opportunity to learn about coffee and its production as well as to get close to the fascinating Costa Rican folklore. Selvatura Treetop Walkaway and Don Juan Coffee tours are not included.

• Overnight in Monteverde.

Day 5: MONTEVERDE

After a nourishing breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a hike through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Founded in 1972, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is world-renowned for its incredible biodiversity, conservation actions and contributions, as well as scientific research. The reserve’s 3,500 hectare of land hosts 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity, and it is one of the most important private reserves in the world. It has four ecological ‘life zones’ with different ecosystems and hundreds of species of mammals, birds, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and arachnids, as well as a large variety of flora, such as mosses, vines or the autochthonous trees of the cloud forest. You can enhance today´s experience by joining one of the memorable tours you missed yesterday. Whether you choose to explore the cloud forest during the Selvatura Treetop Walkway guided tour, or you prefer getting closer to the fascinating Costa Rican culture while on the Don Juan Coffee tour, your day will be unforgettable. Sky Walk, Selvatura Treetop Walkaway and Don Juan Coffee tours are not included.

• Overnight in Monteverde.

Day 6: MONTEVERDE – MANUEL ANTONIO (190km – 4 hrs)

This morning after breakfast, descend towards the Quepos area, proud home of the Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the most visited natural parks of all Costa Rican National System of Conservation Areas. Manuel Antonio National Park is a small biological peninsula found within an area devoted to different economic activities, such as agriculture, cattle and tourism development. It is one of the country’s most scenic and beautiful national parks as it covers pristine beaches, mangroves, and spectacular forests. Once you are checked into your hotel, take the rest of the day at leisure or participate in an optional excursion like the Catamaran Relaxing or the Ocean Kayaking Tours. The catamaran will depart from Quepos and glide around the back of the Manuel Antonio National Park, touring the beautiful coastline. Afterwards, your captain will set anchor at Biesanz Bay, giving you the freedom to snorkel or simply rest on board. And if you want an adventure, choose the thrilling Ocean Kayaking Tour and venture out on a kayak from Quepos Pier for a 2.5-hour journey. The tour allows you to discover stunning examples of nature, above and below the ocean’s surface, from pelicans to flying fish. Round-trip transportation from the hotel will be provided. The Catamaran Relaxing and Ocean Kayaking Tours are not included.

• Overnight in Manuel Antonio.

Day 7: MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel to transfer to the Manuel Antonio National Park. During today’s tour of the park, your knowledgeable nature guide will walk you through the park and explain the mysteries of the rainforest. The trail is flat, picturesque and loops through the park, making your course about two miles long. Throughout your hike, your guide will stop and narrate the park’s natural history, which includes thorough descriptions of the plants and animals that can be observed along the way. The park is a great place to take pictures or just to admire the impressive views. One of the highlights of this tour is that Manuel Antonio is home to three of the four existing tropical primates living in Costa Rica. Halfway through the hike, enjoy a leisurely stop at the world-famous ‘Third Beach’. Take a rest on the soft sand or play in the waves. The stop will last around 20 minutes.

Throughout the hike, it is common to see sloths, birds and reptiles as well as admire wild orchids, butterflies and tropical vegetation. Your guides are equipped with Pentax and Swarovski monocular/telescopes, so you can observe wildlife and take pictures from a different perspective. Once the tour is over, transportation is provided back to your hotel and you can spend the day at leisure or join an optional tour. You have again the great opportunity to unwind while enjoying the Catamaran Relaxing Tour or feel the thrills given by the exciting Ocean Kayaking tour. The Catamaran Relaxing and Ocean Kayaking Tours are not included.

• Overnight in Manuel Antonio.

Day 8: MANUEL ANTONIO – DEPART LIBERIA (270km – 4.5 hrs)

Begin your last day in spectacular Costa Rica with a delicious breakfast. Then, at the appropriate time, you will be privately transferred from Manuel Antonio to Daniel Oduber International Airport, for your flight back home. 

• Breakfast included.

Comfortable and light clothing is the most suitable for travelling in Costa Rica. Visitors should not wear sleeveless shirts, shorts, short skirts or skimpy clothing when visiting temples, religious or official buildings. Sun protection, sunglasses, a hat and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay.