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Overview

Customized trip to Costa Rica

You like getting on the road? Get under the wheel and travel throughout this green jewel that Costa Rica is... This amazing trip takes you to the natural highlights of the most popular country of Central America.

To make it short, this is the ideal formula to discover this land of natural wonders! We take good care of offering you the best itinerary with the lead of private drivers between the different stopovers. Visit the magical Natural Park of Arenal, where a towering volcano, in all its flamboyant majesty, is the centerpiece of a region sheltering endemic fauna and flora species. At Dominical, you’ll discover peaceful and enchanting beaches, canopy tours and many opportunities for bird watch. Quite a change of scenery! Also, don’t miss the best spots for fishing, snorkelling and diving : the submarine world awaits you with colourful fishes and coral reefs.. Now how about encountering a wide variety of monkeys, herons and frogs among many others, all thriving in the most beautiful mangrove of the Americas, at Sierpe? Not to mention the comfortable accommodations we picked in the very middle of the reserves, so you can truly feel a connexion with Mother Nature.

As you can guess, this customized trip will leave you amazed, and it’s definitely a rich and complete program for a first experience to Costa Rica!

Do not hesitate to contact our country specialist to get more information about that customized trip to Costa Rica!

Itinerary

Day 1| San Jose
Arrive San Jose. Private transfer to your hotel. Overnight at selected hotel in San Jose or similar. Meals not included.

Day 2| Tortuguero
After breakfast (included) early morning pick up at the hotel in San Jose for the land/boat transfer to Tortuguero. Stop en-route at local restaurant for lunch. Afternoon arrival to Tortuguero and visit of the town and CCC Museum. (Donation $2.00 per person NOT included). Services of a bilingual local guide. Shared transportation. Overnight at selected hotel in Tortuguero or similar, standard room. Meals included.

Day 3| Tortuguero
Day for programmed activities: canal boat tour & hiking at nature trails. The nature reserve of Tortuguero is located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and its beaches are key nesting ground for endangered sea turtles. The rivers within the park are home to sensitive populations of manatees, as well as caimans, crocodiles, and Tropical Gar, which is considered a living fossil. The forests are home to jaguars, three-toed sloths, and three of Costa Rica's four species of monkey. Basilisk lizards and poisonous frogs also inhabit the area, along with 375 species of birds, including kingfishers, toucans, blue herons, peacocks, and parrots. There are more than 400 species of trees and approximately 2,200 species of other plants.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included at the hotel. Overnight at your hotel in Tortuguero. Shared transportation to activities sites, services of a bilingual local guide.

Day 4| Guapiles - Sarapiqui
Breakfast at the hotel. Boat transfer back to Siquirres & land transfer to Guapiles. After lunch at local restaurant transfer to Sarapiqui Area. Dinner on your own and overnight at selected hotel in Sarapiqui or similar. Shared transportation to activities sites, services of a bilingual local guide.

Day 5| Arenal
Breakfast at the hotel and morning at leisure to explore the area on your own. Departure on ground transfer to Arenal Volcano Area. The volcano was dormant for hundreds of years and exhibited a single crater at its summit, with minor fumaroles activity, covered by dense vegetation. In 1968 it erupted unexpectedly, destroying the small town of Tabacón. Due to the eruption three more craters were created on the western flanks but only one of them still exists today.
Arenal is Costa Rica's most active volcano, and one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world. It has been studied by seismologists for many years. Although the activity nowadays is less damaging, you can still see ash columns, underground rumbling, glowing orange lava flows and sudden explosions on a daily basis. With its perfect conical shape it allows breathtaking views of volcanic action in the summit. Almost every night the crater offers a spectacle of lights with its explosive eruptions.
Rest of evening at leisure. Overnight at selected hotel in Arenal. Private transfers for the day and meals (lunch and dinner) on your own.

Day 6| Arenal
Day at leisure in Arenal. Optional activities available at extra cost like zip line, hiking to waterfall, safari boat, biking, kayak, volcano hike, hot springs, etc. Overnight at selected hotel in Arenal or similar. Meals (lunch and dinner) on your own.

Day 7| Dominical
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Dominical. A tiny coastal town 28 miles south of Quepos and the gorgeous Manuel Antonio National Park, Dominical is a 4 km long beach strip, with a few hotels, lodges, resorts and restaurants in the area. With its stunning backdrop of lush green forests and palm trees, this beach is also a great place to bird watch or take a canopy tour of the surrounding locale. Overnight at selected hotel in Dominical or similar.

Days 8-9| Dominical
Days at leisure at Dominical, optional activities available at extra cost like kayaking, snorkelling, boat tours, dolphin watch, etc. With near perfect weather all year long, Dominical has warm temperatures during the day and a cool ocean breeze by night. Many surfers who often come here usually sleep on the beach under the stars. Dining is a fabulous experience in Dominical, especially if you love seafood. There are a number of local restaurants or ‘sodas’ in the area, which serve everything from fresh lobsters and shrimps to delicious crabs and fish.
While swimming here is near impossible with the strong swells and rip tides, one can kayak off the coast or enjoy some diving or snorkeling opportunities in the area. Horseback tours can also be arranged to the nearby Nauyaca Waterfalls, or one can visit the Marino Ballena National Park, which is home to a number of marine mammals like turtles and whales that come here seasonally to mate and nest. If you like, you can take a short day trip to the lovely Caño Island just off the coast. This island is considered one of the best adventure diving spots in the world and is home to an impressive array of underwater marine life.
Overnight at selected hotel in Dominical or similar. Breakfast included, other meals on your own.

Day 10| Sierpe
Breakfast at the hotel. Private land transfer to Sierpe to take the regular boat transfer to Drake Bay. Overnight at Drake bay at selected hotel or similar.

Days 11-12| Sierpe
Days at leisure to explore the area on own.
Located some 30 km from the Pacific Ocean along the Rio Sierpe, the small sleepy town of Sierpe is lies roughly 15 km south of Palmar Sur.
Lying in the lush and beautiful Diquis Valley, the town of Sierpe is a key river port to explore the gorgeous Osa Peninsula. A picturesque settlement on the Sierpe River, this town has many commercial services, as well as a number of good restaurants and bars. An important town from a conservation point of view, Sierpe serves as the entrance to the largest mangrove reserve in Latin America. The Térraba-Sierpe National Wetlands is situated where the mouths of the Sierpe and Térraba rivers meet and is home some of the biggest mangroves in the world. Also the habitat for an extensive array of indigenous animals, birds and reptiles including turtles, spoonbills, crocodiles, monkeys, herons, kingfishers, caimans and frogs, these wonderful wetlands are an amazing place to tour, and are a must-see when in Sierpe.
Besides the mangrove reserve, Sierpe offers travelers some of the best fishing opportunities in Costa Rica throughout the year. Besides fishing, Sierpe also has some wonderful diving expeditions as well.
Overnights at Drake bay at selected hotel or similar. Breakfast included, other meals on your own.

Day 13| Domestic flight – San Jose
Breakfast at the hotel. Regular boat transfer to airstrip to take the domestic flight back to San Jose.
Note: Maximum luggage allowance 25 pounds per person.
Upon arrival to local airport, private land transfer to your hotel in San Jose. Overnight at selected hotel in San Jose or similar.

Day 14| San Jose - Departure
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer out to the airport to catch your return international flight.

Budget

**Rates published on this website are for information purposes only and are not legally binding (since departure dates are not given). Prices on this website are known to fluctuate frequently in relation to changes in currencies and hotel pricing. In order to obtain a definite quote, please click here.

Other fees

Lodging

Overview

Costa Rica is a country located in Central America that has unlimited tourist potential and is ranked as one of the most visited international destinations. One of Costa Rica's main sources of income is tourism. Costa Rica is a democratic and peaceful country, and it has not had an army since the year 1949.

Although the country is small and it covers only 0.03 % of the surface of the globe, it proudly shelters a 6% of the existing biodiversity in the entire world. 25.58 % of the country is composed of conservation and natural protected territory.

Costa Rica is also an attractive country for investment and it offers great potential for the establishment of important multinational companies, thanks to the outstanding academic level of its population, as well as the high standard of modern services and social and political stability.

Geography

Costa Rica extends majestically from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and its distance is barely 200 miles.
Its land portion occupies only 20 thousand square miles.

If you travel throughout the provinces of Costa Rica, it's easy to notice that in no other place you shall find fields with so many variations in their landscape and climate as here.

Costa Rica is one of most highly valued tourist destinations in this planet. This small piece of land includes all of the necessary components to satisfy the taste of thousands of travelers visiting each year.

Costa Rica's territorial division includes 7 provinces, which are: San José, Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and Limón. Together they offer an attractive tourist destination, of almost limitless possibilities, that include extensive rainforests, volcanoes, rivers traveling through the mountains, beaches and natural resources safeguarded by an important organization of national parks and forest reserves.

Culture

Heritage and Culture
Costa Rican culture is in many ways a reflection of its racial diversity. The predominant influence has long been European, which is reflected in everything from the official language -- Spanish -- to the architecture of the country's churches and other historic buildings. The indigenous influence is less visible, but can be found in everything from the tortillas that make part of a typical Costa Rican meal, to the handmade ceramics sold at roadside stands.

An important aspect of Costa Rica's cultural legacy is their love for peace and democracy. The Ticos like to stand out that their nation is the exception in Latin America, where military dictatorships have long dominated politics.

They take pride in having more than one hundred years of democratic tradition, and almost half a century without an army. The army was abolished in 1948, and the money the country saves by not expending in military issues is invested in improving the Costa Ricans' standard of living, which has fostered a culture of social peace that makes it such a pleasant place to visit.

The Ticos
The Ticos, as Costa Ricans are commonly known, are famous for their hospitality, and are quite happy to live up to their reputation. They are well-educated and hard working people, who are quick with a handshake and a smile. They are well aware of the special land they have, and most likely they will help foreigners when they get lost, even explaining things that might seem bizarre to foreigners, and making their stay as enjoyable as possible.

People say the Ticos are their nation's greatest asset, and once you've experienced their friendliness and spontaneity, you'll have no doubt to that regard.

Climate

Although Costa Rica is a small country in terms of area, there is a lot going on here in terms of weather in Costa Rica. With a climate that is diverse and varied, Costa Rica can be divided into several climatic zones, each of which are distinct and individual. Though generally classified as a tropical country because of its close proximity to the equator, Costa Rica has no real winter period, and the sun shines here throughout the year. With over 12 hours of sunshine a day, the sun rises at about 5 am and sets at about 6 pm consistently throughout the year.

The main reason for the diversity in Costa Rica's weather is the various elevations at which different parts of the country are located. For example Guanacaste has a dry arid climate as it sits on the lowlands, while Montverde a highland city that is misty and foggy throughout the year due to its higher elevation. The Central Valley with San Jose enjoys the best climate in the country as the weather here has an average of 22 degrees Celsius or 72 degrees Fahrenheit and is tempered with a cool coastal breeze. In the highlands the temperature averages 13 degree Celsius, while in the lowlands or at sea level the temperature stays at around 26 degrees Celsius or 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with hot days and sultry evenings.

In Costa Rica the average annual temperature is around 21 to 27 degrees Celsius or 70 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit and the coolest months of the year are November, December and January. Avoid visiting Costa Rica from March through May as the weather can get quite sizzling and humid during this period.

There is no real summer or winter in Costa Rica and the rainy season here lasts from May to November, with the months of December through April having little to no rain and September and October being the heaviest rain period. While the average rainfall in the country is around 100 inches, some mountainous areas get as much as 25 feet of rainfall on a yearly basis. It is also important to keep in mind that Costa Rica's Caribbean coast is rather unique and has its own microclimate. With tradewinds keeping the weather hot and humid most of the year, there is no real dry season out here and it rains very often.