The Best of Northern Costa Rica

An English-speaking guide will welcome you at the airport and drive you to your well-located hotel in San José. Along the way, our guide will give you all the tips and recommendations to get the most of your stay in Costa Rica. The rest of the day is free for you to relax and settle in, then perhaps take a walk around the city or choose and optional activity. There’s plenty to do in the capital, from walking in its parks, visiting a museum, taking a food tour or browsing in the shops and the busy central market. Optional activities: City tour, food tour, welcome dinner. Accommodation at Hotel Auténtico or Hotel Presidente

After breakfast, transfer to La Fortuna near the Arenal Volcano (approx. 3.5 hours). Located in the Central Volcanic Mountain Range of Costa Rica, Arenal is one of Costa Rica’s best known attractions. With its stunning conical shape and impressive height, the Arenal Volcano stands grand above the rest of the landscape. Surrounded by equally impressive rainforest, the Arenal area offers plenty of options for nature lovers and adventurers alike. Free afternoon.  In the evening, spend a few hours in the hot-springs. Enjoy and relax!  Included activity: Ecotermales La Fortuna from 5pm to 10pm (transfers and entrance tickets included, dinner can be booked beforehand) Accommodation at Arenal Oasis Ecolodge or Arenal Observatory Lodge

After breakfast, you will enjoy a half-day small group hike around the Arenal Volcano with a naturalist guide. You will see different wildlife species (including sloths) and stunning landscapes. If weather permits, you will also see different angles of the Arenal Volcano. Free afternoon and evening. Included activity: Arenal Volcano Hike Accommodation at Arenal Oasis Ecolodge or Arenal Observatory Lodge

Optional activities:  · Hanging Bridges: Visitors who love nature can enjoy 15 bridges from 5 to 100 meters long and friendly design, along a 3 km rainforest circuit of interpretive trails built with paving blocks to prevent slipping. The bridges are built of aluminum, galvanized steel and concrete, to ensure maximum security for their visitors. The tour is led by a naturalist guide, who through the natural history, will open the doors of a fascinating and colorful Tropical Rainforest world. The imposing vistas of the Arenal Volcano and over the forest, from the hanging bridges, make a perfect combination for an unforgettable experience.  · Farm tour:  Arenal Vida Campesina is owned by a local family who truly believe in the sustainability and clean production of organic products and foods. During this educational tour you get to visit the farm while learning about responsible production in harmony with the environment, with the goal of forming a change of mentality toward integral organic production with responsible and environmentally friendly practicing. At the farm you will find the crops that have made Costa Rica’s economy strong : sugar cane, coffee, corn, yucca, cocoa, bananas and plantains, also nontraditional crops such as Chinese potato and yam, among others. Take part in activities like milking a cow, making tortillas, typical dances and collecting water from our handmade well.  · Balsa river white water rafting: Just one hour from La Fortuna! Paddle through wave after wave of this beautiful section of the Balsa River with over 20 safe and fun Class II and III rapids, while enjoying the natural beauty of the rainforest that surrounds it. With a little luck, you will spot monkeys, sloths and tropical birds such as ospreys, oropendolas and toucans. This unique river trip is the best way to combine adventure, nature and a little bit of culture. 

After breakfast, transfer to the lovely Monteverde Cloud Forest (approx. 3 hours). Monteverde has one of the most exuberant cloud forests in Latin America. This primary forest is home to an uncountable number of plants and trees, insects, mammals and birds. One of its inhabitants is a highlight for birders in Costa Rica: the Resplendent Quetzal. In the afternoon, go on a small-group, half-day excursion to learn about agriculture and culture in Costa Rica. El Trapiche is a farm owned by a Costa Rican family where you will have the opportunity to observe the different plantations located there and learn more about one of the best coffee producing zones in Costa Rica. You will get to see the entire coffee production process, from the seed to the delicious cup of coffee. A visit to a cacao plantation is also included in the tour, where you will learn about the process of producing chocolate, and taste it! Free evening back at the hotel.  Included activity: El Trapiche farm tour Accommodation at Valle Escondido Inn or El Establo Mountain Hotel

After breakfast, you will go on a small-group, half-day excursion to the Monteverde Reserve, to explore this incredible place with the help of a local naturalist guide. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve of the Tropical Science Center is the first private area for the conservation of wildlife founded in Costa Rica, in October of 1972. This visit will be a magical experience, so you can see the connection between nature and sustainable tourism in a unique forest that is dedicated to conservation and environmental education. Free afternoon and evening to relax. Included activity: Monteverde Nature Reserve Hike Accommodation at Valle Escondido Inn or El Establo Mountain Hotel

Optional activities: · Monteverde Sky Tram: The Sky Tram gondolas rise smoothly through the Cloud Forest, offering up endless views during their mountainous ascent. This tour is perfect for people who want to take a different approach on admiring nature, without much physical effort but still witness where nature exhibits all its magic. On this tour, you will have a bilingual guide who will point out distinctive characteristics of the flora and fauna and other interesting facts of the area. The Sky Tram travels up the mountains and arrives at a wide observation platform on the highest point of the reserve, where you can enjoy the breathtaking views of the surrounding forests, the Arenal Volcano on one horizon, the gulf of Nicoya at the other. · Permaculture tour: This tour includes a walk through the grounds of Valle Escondido looking at different working systems from a design approach. An introduction is given explaining the ethics and principles of permaculture and then examples are provided of those principles in action.

After breakfast, a private transfer will take you to Río Perdido (approx. 2.5 hours). Río Perdido is a sanctuary of well-being, cooled by an ever-present breeze and framed by a unique dwarf forest. Enjoy swimming in the abundant, completely natural hot springs, along a mile of thermal gorge that cuts right through the spectacular, 600-acre reserve.  Free afternoon and evening to absorb this lovely setting, or choose and optional activity. No activities included today. Accommodation at Río Perdido Hotel & Thermal River

Optional activities: · Canyon Adventure: Get a bird's eye view of a natural wonder, zipping from within the white canyon. This canyon adventure is truly innovative. The inspiring Río Blanco canyon is the main stage for an awesome cable-based adventure, which include 15 platforms: 6 of them are rock-based, 9 are suspended on  the canyon walls, a pendulum cable, a 15- meter “Tarzan swing” and 5 zip lines among many other adventures. Hiking:  · The Medicinal Spring: This hike is 2.5 kilometers out and back. It’s a relatively flat trail that takes you beyond the Yurro Waterfall, through the Miravalles dry forest and then to a denser and taller forest where the spring and streams are located. Old-time residents of the Montano and Santa Fe areas consider this water to have healing properties.  · Las Tumbas - Panoramic Lookout: The shorter version of this walk is 5 kilometers out and back, with the option of an 8-10 kilometer loop for those desiring a more challenging hike. The views are comparable if not more impressive than those you can appreciate from Mesa Norte. The eroded volcanic rock formations in this area are amazing. · Mountain Biking: There are trails locally known as Costa Rica´s finest and most unique circuit. There's flowy single track, monolithic rock, fun berns, and tricky descents. This MTB circuit offers solid rock segments, sand, raw earth, bridges, ramps, banks and even a few downhills in the advanced circuit. 

After breakfast, join a small-group guided tour to Mesa Norte - Panoramic Lookout. The total distance of this hike is 3.5 kilometers back and forth. The walk begins with a soft ascent through the woods, leading to an uncovered trail and then to a steeper climb for the last 250 meters before arriving at a small, flat mesa. From the top, you can see all of the Guanacaste volcanoes, including the Miravalles, the Rincón de la Vieja and the Tenorio. Free afternoon and evening, or choose and optional activity. Included activity: Mesa Norte Hike Accommodation at Río Perdido Hotel & Thermal River

At scheduled time, get ready for a 1.5-hour transfer to the Liberia airport for your flight back home. We hope you enjoyed your trip and will come back to visit again soon!

** Option to add a few days by the beach at Las Catalinas (or similar), located 2 hours away from Río Perdido and 1 hour from Liberia airport.

Accommodation Lodging each night is included in your choice of boutique hotels or ecolodges. Recommendations are included in the day-by-day itinerary Tours and activities Unique experiences available daily. See the day-by-day itinerary for recommended tours and additional options available Local guides English speaking local & specialized guides during activities Airport transfers Shuttles and taxis arranged to get you to/from the airport Ground transport Private or shared shuttles will take you between destinations Entrance fees To sites of interest, museums and national parks Food Included meals are noted in the itinerary: B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, BL= Boxed Lunch, D= Dinner Contributions To the social and environmental projects visited 24/7 assistance In country assistance in English during the whole trip

• Optional activities
• Alcoholic drinks
• Not specified meals
• Travel Insurance
• Tips and gratuities
• International flights