Costa Rica Natural Paradise
10 Days from $995
Tours available year round.What is included in the tour price?
Virtually everything! Hotels, all meals, all of the activities described in the itinerary pages, airport transfers, gratuities to hotel porters, restaurant staff and local guides. Caravan’s professional Tour Directors conduct every land tour from start to finish. They are fluent in English, experienced and fun, ensuring a worry free vacation.
What is not included in the tour price?
Prices do not include air travel, country entry or departure fees, airport porters, visas, phone calls, valet, laundry, all items of a personal nature, extra food and beverages not on the regular menu, and tips to the Caravan Tour Director and Driver. General fees and taxes are additional and listed separately beneath each tour’s price.
Can your tours be enjoyed by all age groups?
Usually, you find a mix of different age adult travelers on a Caravan Tour. Most tours will be joined by adults of all ages. Children age five (5) and over are welcome, and children usually join tours offered during Christmas holidays, summer vacation and spring break vacation.
Begins and Ends: San Jose, Costa Rica
Day 1 – San José, Costa Rica Welcome to the “rich coast,” friendly land of democracy and rare natural beauty. With naturalist guides, see exotic birds and wildlife, hike in jungle rainforests, view volcanoes, soak in hot springs and cruise through biological reserves. Relax on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Caravan provides transfers from the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San José, Costa Rica to your hotel for a two night stay. Rooms are available for check in after 4:00 p.m. Dine at your hotel, then join Caravan for a 8:00 p.m. welcome briefing. D
Day 2 – Poás Volcano, Cloud Forest
This morning, enjoy a drive through Costa Rica’s famous coffee growing region. Next, visit Poás Volcano. Weather permitting, you can see inside the active crater from an overlook. Next, hike the Escalonia Cloud Forest Trail, home to epiphytes, orchids, ferns and tropical hummingbirds. Cloud forests are like rainforests, but with less rain and more humidity. Lunch. Next, visit Cafe Brit, a coffee plantation nestled in Barva de Heredia, on the slopes of the extinct Barva Volcano. Enjoy a guided tour and sample fresh Costa Rican coffee. Then, see San José’s Plaza de la Cultura, Central Park and the National Theatre. Dinner. BLD
Day 3 – Butterfly Garden, Tortuguero Park
Scenic morning drive through Braulio Carrillo Park. Look for cascading waterfalls. Visit a butterfly garden. Enjoy lunch. Drive by a banana plantation. Then, cruise through rivers and canals to the 47,000 acre Tortuguero National Park. Tortuguero is home to more than 300 species of birds. Look for toucans, parrots, kingfishers and the rare green macaw. Free time to enjoy the swimming pool and tropical flower gardens at your lodge. Listen to joyful jungle sounds. Enjoy a two night stay at your lodge. Dinner. BLD
Day 4 – Tortuguero Park, Canal Cruise
Cruise this morning with naturalist guides along canals lined by raffia palm, the habitat of howler and white-faced monkeys, green iguanas and tropical birds. Look for white and snowy egrets and the amazing nests of the montezuma oropendola. Then, enter the mysterious reflecting waters of Caño Palma wildlife reserve. Next, visit the Green Turtle Research Station. Learn about efforts to protect the turtles. Walk along the Atlantic turtle nesting beaches with a naturalist guide. Next, to Tortuguero village. Meet Costa Rican school children on your visit to a local school (when in session). Return to your lodge for lunch. Enjoy an afternoon boat excursion into Tortuguero Park. Look for otters, turtles and manatees. Dinner. BLD
Day 5 – Pineapple Tour, Fortuna
Morning cruise on Tortuguero River. Enjoy lunch. Visit a pineapple plantation. Sample Costa Rica’s famous sweet organic pineapples. Next, through scenic countryside to the San Carlos Valley for a two night stay in Fortuna. Dinner. BLD
Day 6 – Caño Negro, Hot Springs, Arenal
Head north this morning, passing through sugar cane, teak and orange plantations. Then, cruise on the Rio Frio which runs through the world famous Caño Negro wildlife refuge, home to many migratory birds found nowhere else in Costa Rica. Look for whistling ducks, roseate spoonbills, cormorants, anhingas, blue heron, and northern jacanas. Watch for caimans, crocodiles, spider monkeys, and web-footed, water-walking lizards. Lunch. Return to Fortuna. Then, enjoy a relaxing soak in the volcanic hot springs. Weather permitting, see nearby Arenal Volcano’s softly glowing lava flow. Enjoy dinner. BLD
Day 7 – Hanging Bridges, Guanacaste
This morning enjoy an unforgettable adventure in the heart of the rainforest at the Hanging Bridges, rated one of Costa Rica’s top tourist attractions. Hike on six suspension bridges, through lush tropical rainforest canopy. Enjoy views of a waterfall and look for tropical birds. Later, a scenic drive around Lake Arenal. Enjoy lunch. Next, enter the Guanacaste province. Drive through the only tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. Stop in Liberia. Then, to Costa Rica’s beautiful Pacific Coast for a two night stay. Dinner is at your resort. BLD
Day 8 – Pacific Coast, Guanacaste
Whole day at leisure to enjoy your magnificent beach resort. Swim in your hotel's infinity pool, the largest in Central America, indulge yourself in the world class spa or just simply relax. Lunch. Enjoy a carefree afternoon. Time to beachcomb or stroll the pristine beaches of your resort. Dinner. BLD
Day 9 – Tarcoles Cruise, San José
Morning drive through the cattle ranches of Guanacaste. Lunch. Next, enjoy a bird and crocodile spotting cruise on the Tarcoles River, adjacent to the Carara Biological Reserve. Cruise through a mangrove reserve. This tropical bird and wildlife sanctuary is a nesting site for the scarlet macaw. Return to San José. Farewell dinner. BLD
Day 10 – San José
Your tour ends after breakfast this morning at your hotel. Breakfast begins at 6:30 a.m. Caravan provides transfers to the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San José, Costa Rica arriving at 5:00 a.m, 7:00 a.m, 9:00 a.m., and 11:30 a.m.. Thanks for vacationing with Caravan. ¡Hasta la vista! B
Hotels San Jose Costa Rica - Colaye Hotel is one of the best options for overnights, travel guide or business trips in San Jose. It has a great location, really secure facilities and the best rates guaranteed.
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