Costa Rica's Wildlife Wonders

Today depart Australia (or New Zealand) for San José, Costa Rica. Upon arrival in San Jose, you will be met by a representative and transferred to your hotel accommodation.

Bienvenido a Costa Rica (Welcome to Costa Rica!), the jewel of Central America! Immerse yourself in a tropical paradise that blends breathtaking natural wonders with warm hospitality. With its lush rainforests, beaches, and captivating biodiversity, Costa Rica is a haven for adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts alike.

Please note: Due to flight scheduling and availability, some departures may occur on day 0. Affected customers must be available to depart the day before. Flight times will be indicated on your final documents, issued 4-6 weeks prior to departure. Additionally customers should note that travel to Costa Rica is most likely through the USA and a visa is mandatory for transiting, please refer to the visa section for further information.

Overnight: Hotel Aranjuez San Jose or similar

Meals included: In-Flight

Today, after breakfast, you’ll discover the vibrant heart of Costa Rica on a unique walking tour of its capital city. San José is a bustling metropolis where the past and present collide. See stunning Art Deco and neoclassical buildings that stand as a testament to the country's rich history of coffee visionaries. Beyond the architecture, you'll encounter the daily life of locals from hardworking street vendors with their incredible goods to the constant rhythm of people hurrying through the city. This tour, founded in 2010 by a group of young, innovative guides, goes beyond the typical sights to reveal a new side of the city few get to see. We'll focus on four key pillars of Costa Rican society: Peace, Health, Environment, and Education, as part of this tour you’ll also have the opportunity to enjoy a typical Costa Rican lunch.

Afterwards you’ll have the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight: Hotel Aranjuez San Jose or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch

This morning depart San Jose early for Tortuguero, often called the “Amazon of Costa Rica”, a remote and biologically diverse national park located on the country’s northern Caribbean coast. Admire the biodiversity as the bus travels through Braulio Carrilo National Park before stopping on route for a delicious typical Costa Rican breakfast. Continue on to reach Cano Blanco/Pavona pier where you’ll board a boat in preparation to explore the canals. Tortuguero is known for its intricate network of freshwater canals, lush rainforests and most importantly, its vital role as nesting ground for sea turtles. Upon arrival at the lodge, enjoy a refreshing cocktail and delicious lunch before departing in the afternoon for a guided visit to Tortuguero Village, with its Afro-Caribbean and Indigenous influences, friendly locals, and lively music. In the evening, experience a traditional Costa Rican Caribbean dinner before retiring for the evening to the sounds of the jungle.

Pachira Lodge is located near Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica, it is known for its proximity to the park's entrance, scenic canals, and rich flora and fauna. It has 14 hectares full of exotic flora and fauna. At the lodge, you'll be able to explore the rainforest, have wildlife encounters, and partake in activities like sea turtle nesting (when in season, additional costs apply). As a guest, you will enjoy comfortable rooms, a restaurant with Costa Rican Caribbean cuisine, an outdoor pool with its particular turtle shape, a bar, a private trail, and spa services (additional costs apply).

Please note:

• Three-day package includes: a guided walk on the private trails of the lodge and the guided visit to Tortuguero National Park
• The order and logistics of the itinerary may change depending on weather conditions
• Alcoholic beverages, sodas or bottled water are not included, all meals at the lodge are included
• We recommend using dark-coloured clothes when taking the night tour during the nesting season.
• From July to September: optional night tour (not included in the package) to observe the turtle nesting available to book directly on tour

Overnight: Pachira Lodge or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After breakfast, you'll start your day with a guided walking tour through the trails surrounding the lodge, offering a fantastic opportunity to see the rainforest up close. You'll have some free time before lunch to relax or explore on your own. In the afternoon, the main event begins as you visit Tortuguero National Park. You'll explore the intricate network of natural and man-made canals in small, open boats designed to give you the best visibility. This river system is a highway for local wildlife, where you can search for birds, monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, and caimans.

The canals also protect endangered species like the West Indian Manatee. Tortuguero was established as a national park in 1970 and has since been expanded to cover over 76,000 hectares of both land and sea. Most of the park is dedicated to absolute conservation, making it a critical habitat for wildlife. It's internationally famous for protecting the largest green turtle nesting beach in the Western Hemisphere. The park's ecosystems are incredibly complex and diverse, making every tour a unique experience. Its remote location, accessible only by boat, has helped preserve its wild character and the traditions of small local communities. After the tour, you'll have some free time before dinner.

Overnight: Pachira Lodge or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner

After breakfast this morning you’ll depart by boat back to the pier and then be transferred to your next destination, please note today’s transit is via shared services. En-route you’ll stop for lunch (included).

Please note: the journey from Tortuguero to Arenal typically takes between 5 and 6.5 hours. Once arrived, enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight: San Bosco Inn La Fortuna or similar

Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch

Today, journey to the Arenal 1968 Volcano View and Lava Trails in the Arenal Volcano National Park, where you'll get as close to the base of the Arenal Volcano as possible by vehicle. From there, you'll walk approximately 1.5 hour along a volcanic stone path with moderate difficulty to reach the viewpoint—the closest accessible point to the volcano. At the viewpoint, your guide will share insights about the Arenal Volcano’s formation, its active periods, and details about its first eruption in 1968. You'll also enjoy stunning views of the Green Lagoon and Lake Arenal.

After taking in the sights, you'll descend the same trail and enter the regenerating forest, transitioning into the primary rainforest that borders the Arenal Volcano. On this 2.5 kilometre trail, you might spot a variety of rainforest flora and fauna, including toucans, turkeys, orioles, peccaries, and monkeys. At the end of the tour, you'll be greeted with a refreshing snack of tropical fruit before heading back to your hotel in La Fortuna.

Duration: Approximately 3 hours (2 - 2.5 hours of walking and 1 hour for breaks and transfers)

What to Bring: Hiking shoes or sneakers, comfortable clothing, a raincoat, camera, sunscreen, and biodegradable insect repellent.

Overnight: San Bosco Inn La Fortuna or similar

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning, you will transfer to Arenal Lake. Upon arrival at the dam, board a comfortable pontoon boat for a scenic 30-minute ride across the lake to Chiquito River, a small community on the opposite shore. Arenal Lake, the largest and most significant lake in Costa Rica, was created in 1974 for hydroelectric power. It’s also a hotspot for birdwatching, with a variety of resident and migratory species, and occasional sightings of mammals like monkeys and sloths. After reaching Chiquito River, continue your journey by land for approximately 1.5 hours to Monteverde.

Along the way, marvel at the transition from rainforest to cloud forest as you ascend to an altitude of approximately 1,400 meters above sea level. Monteverde, located in Puntarenas province, is renowned for its cloud forests, misty landscapes, coffee plantations, and vibrant wildlife. The quaint town of Santa Elena offers charming restaurants and artisan shops, while the nearby rainforest is teeming with biodiversity.

Upon arrival in Santa Elena, check in to your accommodation and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

Overnight: Hotel Los Cipreses Monteverde or similar

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning, wake up early and enjoy breakfast at the hotel before heading out on a guided walk to explore Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, one of the most breathtaking in the world. It is a tropical rainforest, but because of its altitude (1400 meters or 4.600 feet), it's called a Cloud Forest. A cloud forest is a highland forest characterised by nearly 100% humidity throughout the year. Here in Monteverde, warm north-easterly trade winds, filled with moisture, blow in from the Atlantic. As the winds sweep up to the Continental Divide, they cool and condense to form clouds, bathing the forest in a constant soft mist.

The cloud forest receives an incredible four meters of rain every year- over twelve feet! It is home to rare and unusual wildlife as well as over 450 species of birds including the world's largest population of quetzal birds. An expert guide will lead you through the network of trails in the reserve that stretches across 13 kilometres of the forest. The trails are well-maintained and perfect for day trips. Step foot on the Continental Divide, where one foot will be on the Caribbean side and the other on the Pacific side. With views of both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, this reserve is full of plants and animals. In fact the reserve is home to over 100 species of mammals including white-faced and howler monkeys, pacas, porcupines, deer, ocelots, jaguars, and pumas. There are also 160 species of reptiles and amphibians including 29 species of lizards, 71 snakes and 60 amphibian species. The reserve is most famous for the exotic birds that inhabit it such as the resplendent quetzals, bellbirds, emerald toucanets, toucans, trogons, and many species of hummingbirds.

Please note: The guided walk lasts approximately 2.5 hours.

Overnight: Hotel Los Cipreses Monteverde or similar

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, you'll travel around 4 hours from the cloud forests of Monteverde to the sun-kissed shores of the Central Pacific Coast. Arrive in Manuel Antonio, a vibrant seaside town famous for its stunning national park and incredible biodiversity. Upon arrival, you'll have free time to settle in and explore this bustling coastal village.

Overnight: Hotel Manuel Antonio or similar

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning, discover the Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the most famous in Costa Rica due to its wide variety of flora and fauna. Although it is the country’s smallest national park, the stunning beauty and diversity of wildlife in its 24 square kilometres is unequalled. Manuel Antonio contains a charming combination of rainforest, beaches and coral reefs. These beaches are among the most beautiful in the country, lined with lush forests, and the snorkelling is excellent as well. The forest is home to sloths, iguanas, rare and adorable squirrel monkeys, white-faced monkeys and millions of colourful little crabs.

On this half-day walk, a very knowledgeable nature guide will walk you through the park, explaining the mysteries of the rainforest. Through the hike, you will enjoy a leisure stop at the famous Third Beach. Once there you can rest on the beach or play with the waves. Throughout the hike, look out for sloths, birds and reptiles as well as admire orchids, butterflies and tropical trees.

Finish the day back at your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight: Hotel Manuel Antonio or similar

Meals included: Breakfast

Today you’ll have the day at your own leisure to soak up the beauty of this tropical paradise.

Overnight: Hotel Manuel Antonio or similar

Meals included: Breakfast

Today, after breakfast, you will be transferred to San Jose (approximately 3 hour drive), where you can enjoy your last day in Costa Rica at your own leisure.

Overnight: Hotel Hampton by Hilton San Jose Airport or similar

Meals included: Breakfast

Today at the appropriate time you will be transferred to the airport in preparation of your return flight to Australia (or New Zealand).

Meals included: Breakfast

Take a moment to unwind and reflect upon the cherished moments forged during your journey through Costa Rica.

Meals included: In-Flight

Upon arrival in Australia (or New Zealand), please make your own onward travel arrangements.

Meals included: None