Rainforests and Volcanoes

Today you will start your Costa Rica Tour in the morning and transfer to the local airport for a forty-five-minute flight to Drake Bay airstrip in the Oso Peninsula. Upon arrival in Drake Bay youll be met by the lodge staff for the ground and boat transfer downriver, viewing mangrove wetlands along the river’s edge until reaching your jungle lodge on the Osa Peninsula. After lunch, spend a leisurely afternoon exploring the nature trails and the beach. Overnight at your selected lodge. (B,L,D)


NOTES:
Most Corcovado Hotels CLOSED September 1-November 14

These two memorable days of Costa Rica ecological tours will be spent observing wildlife. This wilderness park is home to many endangered species: monkeys, jaguars and tapirs as well as 400 bird species including the country’s largest population of scarlet macaws, making it a popular stop for tropical biologists and eco-tourists alike. Here you will enjoy full-day excursions to Corcovado National Park and Cano Island Biological Reserve accompanied by a naturalist guide (the order of the tours may vary depending on weather conditions). The tour to Cano Island includes time to snorkel. A picnic lunch will be provided on both tours. You will be returned to the lodge in the afternoon. Overnight at your lodge on the Osa Peninsula. (B,L,D)

NOTES:
Most Corcovado Hotels CLOSED September 1-November 14

Morning departure (depending upon the tides), to fly from Palmar Sur back to San Jos where a Southern Explorations guide will pick you up for the drive to Arenal. On the way, you will visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens. With your guide, take a scenic two-mile walk on well-maintained trails past five waterfalls with views of the Poas Volcano, a butterfly garden, an orchid garden, a hummingbird feeding station for seventeen different species, a serpentine and, if you like, a ride in an oxcart. Enjoy lunch at the gardens and continue your Costa Rica ecotour to Arenal. Overnight at a hotel in the area. (B,L)

Today’s destination on your Costa Rica adventure is the Arenal Volcano, one of the Western Hemisphere’s most active volcanoes with a perfectly-formed cone. Its frequent eruptions and the many other interesting natural sites in the area make this park a stop on most every Costa Rica ecotour. During the tour the guide will share the history of this majestic area. Return to your hotel for lunch. Later in the afternoon youll visit the Arenal Hanging Bridges. For a close-up view of the prolific birds, flowers and lush vegetation of this primary rainforest, you’ll take a guided canopy tour via two miles of interpretive trails and across fifteen hanging bridges, ranging in length from sixteen to almost 330 feet to reach Arenal Lake. The trails are paved, and the suspension bridges are built of aluminum galvanized steel and concrete to ensure maximum safety. In the late afternoon, you’ll be returned to your hotel. (B)

After beginning this day of your Costa Rica ecological tour with a hearty breakfast, transfer to Santa Elena & Monteverde Area. The trip to arrive in Santa Elena is an adventure in itself. The trip starts by transferring to a boat that crosses the Arenal Lake, created by a dam. If the day is clear, you will have spectacular views of the surrounding areas and Arenal Volcano. From here, transfer and continue on rough roads until arriving in Montverde. After checking into the hotel and enjoying lunch youll experience a highlight of your Costa Rica tour ” a zipline adventure. The Sky Trek is an extensive system of trails, canopy platforms, one treetop platform, one suspension bridge, and two zip-lines built deep within the cloud forest. This tour gives you a bird’s eye view of the cloud forest, taking you high above the canopy for an experience like no other. For two to three hours, hike along the canopy and have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of flying through the forest on a zip-line. After the adrenaline rush subsides, transfer back to the hotel. (B)

Your Costa Rica travel continues with a visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a 10,500 hectare private reserve established in 1972. Its located on the eastern extreme of Monteverde and home to a myriad of plants, insects, and over four hundred species of birds. It is one of the few areas in Central America where the stunning quetzal can be found. The reserve features an excellent network of hiking trails of varying lengths and levels of difficulty. With your naturalist guide, hike through the reserve. In the afternoon, you will be transferred back to San Jose for your last night in Costa Rica. Overnight at a San Jose hotel. (B)

Transfer from the hotel to the San Jose International Airport.