Costa Rica | Sport and nature

Your local guide will meet you at the Juan Santamaria airport and transfer you to the hotel.

San José is located in the heart of a vast fertile valley, the Meseta Central (Central Valley). Born in the 18th century, it keeps few testimonies of the colonial period. The capital of Costa Rica has a million inhabitants and is today one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in Central America.

Welcome cocktail (fruit juice without alcohol).

Check-in at the hotel.

Free dinner ($)

Autentico Torremolinos 3* or similar.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Departure for the north Caribbean coast by private transfer San Jose – Tortuguero

You leave the central valley by crossing the green immensity of the National Park Braulio Carrillo. With its passes at 2000m and its mountains Barva (2906m) and Cacho Negro (2150m), it protects different ecosystems of tropical rainforest and tropical cloud forest, which you will be able to observe as you go up. Once past the central mountain range, you will find yourself facing the Caribbean plain.

Continue to the pier and take a boat to Tortuguero, a small isolated village on the North Caribbean coast, wedged between a large estuary and the Atlantic Ocean and accessible only by plane and boat.

Arrival, welcome cocktail (fruit juice without alcohol) and installation at the lodge.

Buffet dinner.

Visit of the village and the Sea Turtle Concervancy

Small walk in the village to discover the school, the church …. Then, visit the NGO Sea Turtle Conservancy (formerly known as the Caribean Conservancy Corporation or CCC) which presents exhibitions and a short video (in English and Spanish) which evokes the history of the preservation of the local marine turtles. It is one of the oldest sea turtle conservation organizations and has been working in Tortuguero since the early 1960s. You will also have the opportunity to participate in the conservation program by sponsoring one or more turtles (optional on site).

Buffet lunch and night at the lodge.

NB: Please note that depending on the water level in the park’s canals, the pier could be modified, resulting in an increase in the journey time of approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Laguna Lodge 3.5* or similar.

Breakfast, lunch  and dinner included. (lunch and dinner: 1 natural juice + coffee or tea)

Buffet breakfast at the lodge.

Discovery of the Tortuguero National Park by boat safari.
Departure by boat for the visit of the channels of the National Park (approx. 2 hours). Observation of the flora and fauna of this primary forest of 32.000 ha, which extends as far as the eye can see. It is home to hundreds of species of plants – orchids, ferns, bromeliads – and century-old trees. In the heart of this splendid tropical setting, the spectacle is everywhere and the incredibly sharp eyes of the captains will allow the explorers to discover the barely hidden life that unfolds before them. Along the banks, caimans peacefully await their turn to enter the scene while spider monkeys frolic in the fruit-laden branches. The birds are the most active and fish in the canal. The tranquility of the picture is not feigned and the sloths who live here in numbers are the first to be pleased.

Return to the lodge.

Walk on the paths of the lodge.
Crossing of the tropical forest. In the gardens, the guide will show you the incredible diversity of tropical plants and flowers.

Buffet lunch.

In the afternoon, free time to enjoy the optional activities offered by the lodge (kayaking…) or to relax by the pool.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Laguna Lodge 3.5* – or similar.

Breakfast, lunch  and dinner included. (lunch and dinner: 1 natural juice + coffee or tea)

Buffet breakfast at the lodge.

Departure from a submerged area to join a land of fire. Departure by boat before taking the main road of the Caribbean.

Buffet dinner on the way.

Continuation towards the region of Sarapiqui. It is the region of the plains of the north of Costa Rica. We are in the ecosystem of the Caribbean, wet jungles, wild rivers and crops of plants and tropical fruits.

Arrival and installation at the hotel.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Sarapiqui Rainforest Lodge 3* or similar.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (lunch: 1 natural juice + coffee or tea)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Rafting on the Sarapiqui River

Let’s go for a rafting trip level II/III on the Sarapiqui River. Costa Rica is considered one of the best destinations in the world for rafting. There are many rivers throughout the country that are suitable for rafting in complete safety. The choice depends on the level of the participants and the geographical location. Arrival at the embarkation site, about 15 minutes from Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, where the staff (specialized guides) and the equipment are waiting. Explanation of the different techniques and navigation instructions. From 6 to 8 participants per raft, and the adventure begins… We will quickly judge the most disciplined teams, a test of obstacle passage without the help of the guide will allow to determine the champions of the river. Beware of the Style! Its white and bubbling waters allow an exploration rafting with a descent of an incredible beauty strewn with numerous rapids. All along the descent, fabulous landscapes with the chance to see the fauna that hides there: many birds, butterflies, monkeys, etc.

Lunch.

Continuation to the northern plain, rich in tropical fruit and citrus plantations with the perfect cone of the Arenal volcano rising in the background. Tropical and lush vegetation surrounding the colossus, the warm waters that escape from it and the magnificent lake that spreads out at its feet make it one of the most spectacular sites in the country.

Dinner.

Night at the hotel.

Lavas Tacotal Lodge 3* or similar.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Walk to the Arenal ecological park

The ecological park is full of treasures produced by the colossus of fire of the latter. Renewed vegetation, volcanic lakes and a spectacular ash flow. The walk crosses meadows before going into a thick wood. At the end of this wood, you will find yourself closer to the volcano. You will walk up the 2001 ash flow a bit. An extraordinary landscape in an ash canyon.

Lunch in a local restaurant.

Tyrolean traverse

The adventure begins with a cable car ride (Sky Tram): you leave in a gondola through the rainforest to reach the first platform. This is an opportunity to observe the canopy and with a little luck the animals that occupy it. At the arrival, a splendid panorama of the Arenal lake awaits you.

Continuation on the way of the monkeys in Sky Trek ! Descend through a system of 7 cables and zip lines; you will move from platform to platform in complete safety for an adventure full of adrenaline.

Option ($) evening/relaxation at the Ecotermales Spa – +/- evening hours from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm – without guide

In an island of tropical forest preserved by the owners of the place, you will enjoy the benefits of the pools and the hot water cascade perfectly integrated in the nature.

Dinner and night at the hotel.

Lavas Tacotal Lodge 3* or similar.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (Lunch and dinner: 1 natural juice)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Meeting with the Maleku indigenous community (NB: with your French-speaking guide // includes dinner)

Visit to the Maleku community of San Rafael de Guatuso. Welcome by the cultural leader of the community who will explain the way of life of this indigenous people of which only a few individuals remain as well as their struggle between modernity and traditions to preserve their culture through their language, their history, their knowledge… Then we will go to a handicraft workshop where we will make engravings on calabash that you will take with you as a souvenir. It will be the occasion to know how this one was used at the time. Then, a small walk to discover the medicinal plants and the use that the natives make of it (for example manufacture of bag…). To finish, you will try archery, ancestral practice for the hunting of small animals and birds, then the family will expose you the life of their ancestors through a play. Traditional dinner during the excursion (grilled fish served in leaves, accompanied by cassava, rice, vegetables, and fruit for dessert). An experience you will remember! You will also have the opportunity to buy beautiful objects directly from the hands of the artisan. This will not only allow you to acquire authentic indigenous handicrafts, but also to collaborate in the preservation of the Maleku culture and tradition.

Departure to Rincon de la Vieja. After the dam that created the largest lake in the country, flooding the villages of Arenal and Tronadora, the jungle retains a vitality and density typical of the Caribbean. Meeting very possible with coatis, monkeys, toucans, and others… On the route, splendid points of view on the volcano bordered by the jungle and the lake. We are in a zone of high winds where the best specialists come to challenge themselves to wind surfing. On the hills, windmills provide a little natural energy.

Departure for the discovery of the central region of Guanacaste: cattle breeding area with landscapes of pampa and savanna. Cowboy and ranchero atmosphere… This dry region of the northwest joined Costa Rica by a referendum. The population here is much more mixed, we are on the lands of the descendants of the Chorotegas. The road now reaches the Interamerican, legendary road that connects all America, from Alaska to Chile.

Dinner along the way.

Arrival, welcome cocktail (fruit juice without alcohol) and installation at the lodge.

Dinner and night at the lodge.

NB : Buena Vista Lodge is located at about 1h30 min from the national park.

Buena Vista Lodge 3* or similar.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (dinner drink: 1 natural juice)

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. (lunch and dinner: 1 natural juice)

Breakfast at the lodge.

Transfer to the national park

Discovery of the national park of the Rincon de la Vieja volcano (NB: park closed on Mondays)

Walk of two hours, on a relatively easy route in the sector of “Las Pailas”. Discovery of the tropical dry forest, its mud pots, its fumaroles and its gigantic trees. Many trees are parasitized by Ficus Matapalo, which grow around their victim until they overtake it and suffocate it…. The trees are often doubly gigantic. This forest is crossed by streams and veins of burning gases that have created “cauldrons” of boiling mud. You will feel the earth living at your feet!

Return to the lodge.

Dinner

Free afternoon to relax, enjoy the hotel’s thermal and mud baths ($) or to do an optional activity from the lodge ($) : Hiking, waterfalls, Tyrolean traverse, horseback riding…ect

Dinner and night at the lodge.

Buena Vista Lodge 3* or similar.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (drink lunch and dinner: 1 natural juice)

Buena Vista Lodge 3*  or similar.

Breakfast, lunch  and dinner included. (lunch and dinner: 1 natural juice)

Breakfast at the lodge.

Departure for the Pacific.

Arrival in Tamarindo, which is probably the most famous beach of the country, as much by its beauty as by the surf and the cosmopolitan and animated atmosphere of this seaside village. The long sandy beach of light gray color is ideal for long walks or horseback riding. The Tamarindo trees located on the beach provide much appreciated shade.

Tamarindo marks the southern boundary of Las Baulas National Marine Park. This park protects the mangroves and especially the beaches where giant sea turtles, leatherbacks and green turtles come to lay their eggs. It is possible in season to go and observe the unforgettable spectacle of the laying of eggs in Playa Grande.

Arrival and welcome cocktail (non-alcoholic fruit juice).

Dinner at the hotel.

NB: Handover of the keys in the room from 15:00. End of the services of the guide and driver.

Free afternoon at the beach in an all-inclusive formula.

Dinner and night.

Occidental Tamarindo 4* or similar.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (Lunch and dinner: all inclusive)

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Free day at the beach in all-inclusive formula.

Services included in the all-inclusive formula:

Breakfast, lunch and meals at the buffet restaurant, snack bar / gym, aerobics, dance classes / Daytime entertainment program for children and adults / volleyball, giant chess game, archery and darts, table tennis / nightly shows / Tennis court / Concierge / towels at the pool and on the beach.

Lunch and buffet dinner at the hotel.

Overnight stay.

Accommodation: Occidental Tamarindo 4* or similar

Occidental Tamarindo 4* or similar.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included (Lunch and dinner: all inclusive)

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Juan Santamaria airport for your return flight.

Free lunch ($)

Breakfast included.